Renting your house was a headache of advertising, background checks, applications, and searching for good tenants. It was so time consuming and complex that many people hired agents to help them navigate the process. That’s all changed… now that we’re living in the boom of short-term rental platforms, it’s much easier to learn how to rent your house without an agent.
Foregoing an agent means more opportunity for rental income, but it also requires more hands on work when finding tenants. This post covers the 3 platforms that we use to successfully rent out our home. The platforms guide you throughout the rental process, making it simple and easy to build your new income stream.
Can you rent a house without an agent?
Yes, you can! It’s now easier than ever thanks to short-term rental platforms and built in protections or insurance policies offered from each site.
Platforms like Airbnb and VRBO are a great place to start when you’re learning how to rent your house without an agent. They have protections for you and your tenants to give you peace of mind each time you welcome someone into your house. You might be thinking, “Those are just short-term rental sites… I’m looking for the long haul.”
Welllll… short-term rental sites were used primarily for fun weekend getaways, but the way people travel has changed since 2020. More travelers are looking at these sites for extended stays. And because you choose the minimum length of stay, you can use short-term rental sites even if you’re looking for more long-term tenants.
These three STR platforms will help you navigate how to rent your house without an agent:
1. Airbnb
This is our favorite platform for renting our home. The ease of setting up your listing and the guidance Airbnb provides is the best of short-term rental platforms. Airbnb has plenty of checklists, support, and video content to help you prepare for your tenants. They even have a network of professional photographers, cleaners, and designers to make your listing as attractive as possible so you can find great tenants.
For details on how to set up your listing, check out this post.
2. VRBO
VRBO tends to be more popular with longer stays and higher price points. While VRBO doesn’t have the robust insurance policies Airbnb has, the type of tenants VRBO attracts are typically more familiar with long-term rentals. The longer the lease you want, the more likely VRBO is a better option.
Tip: VRBO will set up your listing for you if you’re an established Airbnb Host, so you don’t have to do double the work to list on both sites.
3. Furnished Finder
If you’re comfortable drafting leases and weeding out potential tenants on your own, Furnished Finder is a great place to list. It’s popular among travel nurses and has barely any fees. You pay an annual fee of $99 to list your property – and that’s it!
Furnished Finder requires more of a hands-on management approach than Airbnb & VRBO because most of the communication and logistics are handled on your own. That being said, they do have extensive resources to help you learn how to rent your house without an agent even if you have limited experience.
By navigating how to rent your house without an agent, you’re creating an additional income stream that you can manage from anywhere. It’ll take you one step closer to full time RV life and financial freedom. You can do it on your own, and you will enjoy extra money in your pocket each month!
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