Renting land from neighbor for guests to use

Renting land from neighbor for guests to use

Lender · Orange County, CA · Member since 2019 · 299 posts · 255 votes

Hey STR experts, hoping to get your opinion on this.

We have a cabin in Sevierville near Gatlinburg at the end of a dead-end road, bordering 100+ acres of undeveloped forest. There's a trail head just 50 yards from our front door, 2 mile out and back hiking trail that leads to a creek and a nice meadow. Really great to be able to offer to guests and helps to stand out from the crowd on the OTAs. Problem is, it's all privately owned land. 

The owner is a nice guy who has a relationship with our neighboring cabin owner, and he used to have no problem letting our guests use the trail. Then, sometime last year, someone stole an expensive wilderness camera and battery he had set up near the trail. After that he told us our guests could no longer walk on his land and he put up private property and no trespassing signs at the trail head. We sincerely apologized for his loss and offered to pay to replace his property even though it was unlikely our guests had stolen it, but he declined and stuck with his decision. 

Fast forward to today, now that bookings are slowing down some, I've been thinking about reaching back out to him and offering to pay him for the freedom to allow our guests to use the trail. I'd offer a written agreement specifying the amount to be paid, and would put in there that I will be responsible for any property damage or theft whether there's proof it was our guests or not (he's an honest guy and rarely leaves his personal property out, if ever). 

What do you all think about this? Good idea or no? And if so, what do you think a fair price would be? I can't justify very much, but also don't want to offer something so low that it's not worth it to him. 

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Rental Property Investor · Member since 2019 · 276 posts · 235 votes
3y

What do you think the return on the investment would be? Would it actually increase bookings? We have six in the same area and have two that have trails. There is no difference in bookings between those two and the other four and no one ever mentions them in reviews or in messages to me though I know they’re used. Not sure it’d be worth any of your time, effort, or money. 

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  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    3y

    It seems worth a try.

    Do you think people are just trespassing on his property weather he allows it or not? If so do you have any liability?

  • Real Estate Agent · Smoky Mountains, TN · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 984 votes
    3y

    I’d say no. I own 12 in the area and manage for others also. Things can happen from time to time with neighbors and it’s best not to poke the bear, they can definitely make your life harder. 

  • Investor · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 754 votes
    3y

    I’d let this one go, personally. 

    The entire time I’m reading that, all I can picture is a guest falling and breaking a keg or getting hurt and who is responsible 

  • Collin HaysBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Gatlinburg, TN · Member since 2020 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    3y

    Good neighbor relations are worthwhile. But even if he allowed it, I would be avoid encouraging guests to trespass onto private property.  If there is an injury or fatality, there presents a broad spectrum of assumed liability, and negligence (if not gross negligence) on your part. 

    You want to avoid that.

  • Collin HaysBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Gatlinburg, TN · Member since 2020 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    3y
    Quote from @Leslie Anne Morris:

    I’d say no. I own 12 in the area and manage for others also. Things can happen from time to time with neighbors and it’s best not to poke the bear, they can definitely make your life harder. 


     Do you have a link to your properties?  We have several folks looking for cabins to rent the last part of June and first part of July, that we don't have a suitable property for.  

  • Real Estate Agent · Smoky Mountains, TN · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 984 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Collin Hays:
    Quote from @Leslie Anne Morris:

    I’d say no. I own 12 in the area and manage for others also. Things can happen from time to time with neighbors and it’s best not to poke the bear, they can definitely make your life harder. 


     Do you have a link to your properties?  We have several folks looking for cabins to rent the last part of June and first part of July, that we don't have a suitable property for.  

     Hey @Collin Hays Most are booked but it’s joshscabins.com

  • Lender · Orange County, CA · Member since 2019 · 299 posts · 255 votes
    3y

    @John Underwood There are many other cabins bordering his property with other trails leading in so yes I'm sure he has people trespassing, probably mostly unknowingly.

    @Leslie Anne Morris Yes I certainly don't want to poke the bear, but was hoping offering him money wouldn't be a poke. 

    @Brooklyn McCarty @Collin Hays What do you think the likelihood of a liability issue is? It's hard for me to imagine someone falling and hurting themselves while hiking on a forest trail, then suing the owner of the land. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Member since 2019 · 276 posts · 235 votes
    3y

    What do you think the return on the investment would be? Would it actually increase bookings? We have six in the same area and have two that have trails. There is no difference in bookings between those two and the other four and no one ever mentions them in reviews or in messages to me though I know they’re used. Not sure it’d be worth any of your time, effort, or money. 

  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    3y
    Quote from @Kevin Luttrell:

    @John Underwood There are many other cabins bordering his property with other trails leading in so yes I'm sure he has people trespassing, probably mostly unknowingly.

    @Leslie Anne Morris Yes I certainly don't want to poke the bear, but was hoping offering him money wouldn't be a poke. 

    @Brooklyn McCarty @Collin Hays What do you think the likelihood of a liability issue is? It's hard for me to imagine someone falling and hurting themselves while hiking on a forest trail, then suing the owner of the land. 


     Liability issues- Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

  • Lender · Orange County, CA · Member since 2019 · 299 posts · 255 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Leora Merrell:

    What do you think the return on the investment would be? Would it actually increase bookings? We have six in the same area and have two that have trails. There is no difference in bookings between those two and the other four and no one ever mentions them in reviews or in messages to me though I know they’re used. Not sure it’d be worth any of your time, effort, or money. 


    That's exactly what I was trying to ask. I didn't notice a significant difference either when we had to take the mention of trails out of our listing, but that was a couple years ago when everyone was booked anyway so I couldn't quite tell what the impact was. Your insight is very helpful, thank you. 

    I don't expect to increase my rates because we have access to a trail, just hoping to get guests to pick our cabin over another nearby because we have a trail and they don't. So return on investment is really hard for me to estimate, but I'd guess this could result in a few extra bookings per year. So my initial thought was offering maybe $200-$300/yr to my neighbor, but don't know if that'd be worth his time. 

  • Collin HaysBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Gatlinburg, TN · Member since 2020 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    3y
    I could write a book.  Maybe I should.
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