A vacation rental is a popular business nowadays. Many small and big investors are putting their money in properties for the sole purpose of renting them out, whether on a long or short-term basis.
At Destin Florida.com real estate blog, a listing of various apartments for sale in Destin and private homes is given based on the square feet area, location, and price of the property. You can shortlist the properties from these listings based on your requirement and budget and later use their network of real estate agents to schedule a site visit. Apart from this, you can also use this resource to list your property for sale or rental requirements.
Vacation rental requires you to put in some effort in listing out your properties, maintaining them for your guests, and ensuring that they have a comfortable and safe stay in your property. Now that you have started to list out and you are receiving a lot of inquiries that turn into reservations too, there is just one challenge left to face.
If your property is in a residential area, your neighbors can have issues with your short-term rental plans. This is mainly because many people believe that guests coming for staying in your property for a limited tenure will be here for partying and might behave irresponsibly. However, you can change this mindset and continue to see your business grow.
Common complaints of neighbors when you rent out your space for rental or Airbnb
You will have to check with the laws of your state and the rule book before you start renting out your house on a short-term basis. This is important if you want to avoid getting into any legal cases for using the property for commercial gain. Some laws ask you to get your property registered to be used as a rental property.
Also, if your rental property is not listing out the rule book to your guests, then your neighbors have all the right to feel agitated and file a complaint. The following forms must be established in the guest checklist to ensure that no one gets disturbed because of your rental business:
- The use of loud music should be according to the permissible hours of your residential locality.
- Parking permissions should be taken prior.
- Your guests must follow the neighborhood curfews.
Even after following these norms, if your neighbor ends up filing a complaint, you can use the following ways to solve the matter peacefully:
- Directly interact with your neighbor who is showing dissatisfaction:
- By meeting with them in person, you show that you are considerate and understand their perception.
- This can often soften your image in your neighbor’s mind.
- Listen to them attentively and bargain a solution that can benefit both.
- Keep proof of all the HOA rules that are being followed in your property:
- If tension persist and you are sure that you have not broken any HOA rules, you can keep a rule book as proof.
- This will ensure that you have followed the local laws strictly and thus, the rental operation of your property is not illegal.
- Do not be adamant while showing the rule book but use it as a tool to get to a midway solution.
- You can implement check-in hours for your guests:
- Avoid early morning check-ins as this can disturb your neighbors when they are asleep.
- Also, keep a strict check-in time during their stay to avoid arrivals at late nights.
Although implementing some rules can reduce your chances of getting a reservation, but your business will keep thriving and will keep away all those guests who are likely to create nuisance in any way.
Registering your property for short-term rental allowance
Every state has its own rules that govern the registration of a rental property. Vacation rentals in tourist spots like Destin Florida are popular but they also have to abide by certain rules and must get them registered under state laws before they can start operating.
There are limited zones in which short-term rentals are allowed in Destin and you must ensure that your property falls under these permitted zones only. This permit does not apply to apartments and condos.
The following documents are necessary to obtain registration:
- Business tax receipt for Destin city.
- A rental dwelling license in the state of Florida.
- Revenue resale certificate that can be obtained from the Florida Department.
- An affidavit must be obtained from the city authorities stating the exact occupancy limit, number of bedrooms, and parking space available in your property.
- Lastly, the application for registration of short-term rentals.
In some cases, a grandfather certificate needs to be obtained for showing occupancy in short-term rentals.
Occupancy limit allowance in short-term rentals in Destin
The occupancy limit that you have to clearly state in the registration form must be stated according to the following rules:
- Based on the number of bedrooms you have on your property, you can calculate the maximum occupancy limit.
- 4 extra people are allowed apart from 2 occupancies for each bedroom.
- If you have more than 1 property in the same location, the maximum occupancy limit which is capped by the state code is 24.
Once you have successfully ensured that all rules are followed and have collected all the required documents, you can either submit your applications on the online portal of the City of Destin or walk into the concerned office for applying for the same in hard copy.
After your registration gets approved, you will be called to receive an annual decal that is issued by the city. This needs to be placed on the signage at the top-right corner. Once this final signage document is verified along with the decal, the city officials will issue the registration license for short-term rentals.
You have to follow strict rules regarding permitting special event celebrations on the property as this can take away your rental license. Also, in case of sale or ownership transfer of the property, rental registration will have to be filed again for approval.
