Using livin in home as VR when on vacation

[Ashley Lewis]

Does anyone have any tips for rentIng out your home while away on vacation? I am wondering how to deal with personal items like clothes, food, and anything else you might have tips/advice on. Thanks

[Julie McCoy]

Don't leave anything that's perishable, that could create another liability.  (I do keep ground coffee, non-dairy creamer, cooking oils, and squeezable condiments in my VRs so that sort of thing should be fine)

And I know you're just doing this for a little while when you're on vacation, but be aware that short-term rentals are typically not permitted on a standard homeowner's insurance policy.  If there's a claim from your guests, and the policy holder finds out they're renters (and they will), they will deny it and probably drop you.  

So, assess your risk tolerance and you may want to do some research on if there's any sort of gap policy or policy you can obtain temporarily - Proper Insurance and CBIZ are the two major players in the STR insurance biz, but I'm not sure if they write anything other than a full policy. However, maybe they'll have suggestions. I only have full-time VRs so it's not something I've researched myself.

Good luck!