I own and live in a single family home in Spokane. I'll be traveling for 2 months and I posted my place on Airbnb to help with traveling costs while I'm gone. 1 person booked the place for the entire 2 months. There seems to be City guidance on STRs (less than 30 days by their definition) , but not much guidance on "long term rentals" which I guess is what this qualifies as. The information I do find is vague and is asking for an inspection by Spokane Housing Authority and maybe requires a business license? There was also an article saying that most Airbnbs in Spokane don't follow this. My question is, what would you do for this one-off 2 month lease? Doesn't Airbnb cover a lot of these bases for you?
anything over 30 days in most markets is considered a month to month lease, and therefore has to abide by rental laws and all that comes with that territory. I would never allow a 30 day+ rental in my airbnb, because people can take advantage of you and squat, and that forces an eviction process which in a lot of cities can take 6 months+ with no payment to you ever.
What you're doing has nothing to do with airbnb or this forum. You're entering a rental contract with this person.
Personally I wouldn't risk it with my belongings and everything unless its a personal friend, and then i'd do it off the books. You'll probably be fine. But if **** hits the fan and this person decides to squat, you are screwed legally and you just lost your house for 6+ months.
anything over 30 days in most markets is considered a month to month lease, and therefore has to abide by rental laws and all that comes with that territory. I would never allow a 30 day+ rental in my airbnb, because people can take advantage of you and squat, and that forces an eviction process which in a lot of cities can take 6 months+ with no payment to you ever.
What you're doing has nothing to do with airbnb or this forum. You're entering a rental contract with this person.
Personally I wouldn't risk it with my belongings and everything unless its a personal friend, and then i'd do it off the books. You'll probably be fine. But if **** hits the fan and this person decides to squat, you are screwed legally and you just lost your house for 6+ months.
What @Scott K. said. Not worth the risk for a couple grand. But if you do, I would do a Standard Lease Contract to cover yourself. The help you will get from VRBO or AIR will be worthless....they are not in the LTR business. They would not even help you remove a STR guest that refuses to leave. It's not their problem, it's a legal matter then....
anything over 30 days in most markets is considered a month to month lease, and therefore has to abide by rental laws and all that comes with that territory. I would never allow a 30 day+ rental in my airbnb, because people can take advantage of you and squat, and that forces an eviction process which in a lot of cities can take 6 months+ with no payment to you ever.
What you're doing has nothing to do with airbnb or this forum. You're entering a rental contract with this person.
Personally I wouldn't risk it with my belongings and everything unless its a personal friend, and then i'd do it off the books. You'll probably be fine. But if **** hits the fan and this person decides to squat, you are screwed legally and you just lost your house for 6+ months.
So what about all of airbnb's "extended stays", to qualify for that it has to be over 30 days so wouldn't airbnb have taken that into account and structures their terms accordingly? I've also stayed at as a traveler for an "extended stay" and didn't agree to anything additional besides airbnb's terms.
The person who booked my place looks to be an airline pilot with good reviews so I'm not too worried but if I do this again in the future, I'd like to learn how to do it the correct way.
anything over 30 days in most markets is considered a month to month lease, and therefore has to abide by rental laws and all that comes with that territory. I would never allow a 30 day+ rental in my airbnb, because people can take advantage of you and squat, and that forces an eviction process which in a lot of cities can take 6 months+ with no payment to you ever.
What you're doing has nothing to do with airbnb or this forum. You're entering a rental contract with this person.
Personally I wouldn't risk it with my belongings and everything unless its a personal friend, and then i'd do it off the books. You'll probably be fine. But if **** hits the fan and this person decides to squat, you are screwed legally and you just lost your house for 6+ months.
So what about all of airbnb's "extended stays", to qualify for that it has to be over 30 days so wouldn't airbnb have taken that into account and structures their terms accordingly? I've also stayed at as a traveler for an "extended stay" and didn't agree to anything additional besides airbnb's terms.
The person who booked my place looks to be an airline pilot with good reviews so I'm not too worried but if I do this again in the future, I'd like to learn how to do it the correct way.
Airbnb will never help you in a legal situation. They won't even give you identifying information of someone who trashes your place or commits illegal acts. You should require drivers license photo, and address, and information from this person before they rent, treat it as if Airbnb does not exist.
Yep. Do not expect ABNB to assist you at all. CYA.
Hey @Lukas Ku, everyone said it best. Do a standard lease for those months. Do a standard background check and everything. It is WA state and you don't want to mess around here. Lock it down tight as you can. Remember Inslee still hasn't given up the special emergency powers here. Every other governor has gone back to normal, but not here. You could get stuck with someone living free in your place until the cows come home.