Seeking Insights: Experiences with Mid-Term Rentals in HOA Communities?

[Jacob Ashworth]

Hey Bigger Pockets community!

I hope you're all doing well and enjoying your real estate journeys. Today, I wanted to tap into the wealth of knowledge and experiences here regarding mid-term rentals within HOA communities.

I'm considering investing in a property within an HOA-managed community, but I'm unsure about the feasibility and potential challenges of offering mid-term rentals (typically ranging from one to six months) in such a setting. I've done some research, but I'd love to hear from those who have firsthand experience in this area.

Here are a few specific questions I'd greatly appreciate insights on:

1. Have you ever owned or managed a property within an HOA community and offered mid-term rentals? If so, what were your experiences like? Did you face any unexpected challenges or restrictions from the HOA?
2. How supportive were the HOA board and community members towards mid-term rentals? Were there any specific rules or bylaws that impacted your ability to rent out your property for mid-term stays?
3. Did you find that mid-term rentals in an HOA community attracted a different kind of tenant or presented unique advantages compared to other rental strategies (e.g., long-term or short-term rentals)?
4. Were there any particular strategies or approaches you found effective in navigating the HOA regulations and maintaining positive relationships with the board and other community members?
5. In terms of financials, how did mid-term rentals in an HOA community perform for you? Did they generate consistent income and yield satisfactory returns on your investment?
6. Lastly, would you recommend pursuing mid-term rentals in an HOA community to fellow investors? Why or why not? Are there any red flags or considerations one should be aware of before diving in?

I understand that every HOA community can have different rules and dynamics, but hearing about your personal experiences will be invaluable in helping me make an informed decision. Feel free to share any tips, anecdotes, or cautionary tales—I'm eager to learn from your wisdom.

Thank you all in advance for your contributions and for making this forum such a fantastic resource for real estate enthusiasts. I can't wait to read your responses and continue this insightful discussion!

Best regards,

Jacob Ashworth

[Allen Duan]

Hi Jacob,

We currently have 2 MTRs in an HOA and setting up a third this month. We haven't encountered any issues with it. We always make sure to read the bylaws to make sure they don't have any specific prohibitions on MTRs. It's not common, but they may limit the minimum lease term. Keep in mind the HOA rules can also change to become less favorable. You just need to prepare for what to do if that happens.

I don't think it changes the MTR tenant pool much. They're looking at the listing and photos to detrmine if they like it, so if it fits their liking you're good to go. As always, just make sure the unit type is attractive to the MTR tenant you're targeting. 

The HOA factor is just one of the many factors you have to weigh. It's by no means a deal breaker.

[Allen Duan]

Hi Jacob,

We currently have 2 MTRs in an HOA and setting up a third this month. We haven't encountered any issues with it. We always make sure to read the bylaws to make sure they don't have any specific prohibitions on MTRs. It's not common, but they may limit the minimum lease term. Keep in mind the HOA rules can also change to become less favorable. You just need to prepare for what to do if that happens.

I don't think it changes the MTR tenant pool much. They're looking at the listing and photos to detrmine if they like it, so if it fits their liking you're good to go. As always, just make sure the unit type is attractive to the MTR tenant you're targeting. 

The HOA factor is just one of the many factors you have to weigh. It's by no means a deal breaker.

[Yu Liu]

1. My responses are in bold:
   Have you ever owned or managed a property within an HOA community and offered mid-term rentals? If so, what were your experiences like? Did you face any unexpected challenges or restrictions from the HOA?
   I have 2 STR/MTRs that are in HOA and they don't bat an eye, probably because the HOA fee is low and is only taking care of lawn and stuff. 
2. How supportive were the HOA board and community members towards mid-term rentals? Were there any specific rules or bylaws that impacted your ability to rent out your property for mid-term stays?
   None for me and they don't check for me, I would read the bylaws but yea for me no issues.
3. Did you find that mid-term rentals in an HOA community attracted a different kind of tenant or presented unique advantages compared to other rental strategies (e.g., long-term or short-term rentals)?
   MTRs attract seasonal workers/travelers. All of mine have been contractors specifically or students that are staying for only a year. Got some inquiries from travel nurses as well. LTR people are more likely to be families
4. Were there any particular strategies or approaches you found effective in navigating the HOA regulations and maintaining positive relationships with the board and other community members?
   I think as long as you maintain good relationships with the neighbors, you shouldn't have a problem. Also, if it's a MTR there should be no issues as they would likely be similar to regular long term tenants or even better
   
5. In terms of financials, how did mid-term rentals in an HOA community perform for you? Did they generate consistent income and yield satisfactory returns on your investment?
   My MTR bookings does about $2K more a month than I could rent it out as a LTR so financially it made sense, I've only had mine running for about 4 months and 2 months it was a STR so keep that in mind
6. Lastly, would you recommend pursuing mid-term rentals in an HOA community to fellow investors? Why or why not? Are there any red flags or considerations one should be aware of before diving in?
   Yes as long as the numbers make sense. account for more vacancy unless you can do STRs between stays. Just make sure the HOA is operating effectively, have heard horror stories where the HOA management was not doing its job well and requested a capital call of additional amounts to address common maintenance items. 

[Bonnie Low]

Great question and you're spot on that it varies dramatically from one HOA to another. I don't have any MTRs in HOAs, but I have owned and currently own other properties inside of HOAs. In addition to getting the bylaws ahead of time and reading them very carefully, I strongly recommend you attend an HOA board meeting if you can or at least request the minutes from a recent meeting so you can see the types of issues they're dealing with and, more importantly, how they're dealing with them. That will tell you a lot about how agreeable or disagreeable the Board is as well as other owners inside the HOA. You want to avoid those problem HOAs. The other issue with owning in any type of HOA is that the temperature of the HOA can always change and you only represent one vote. For this reason the HOAs that have nominal feels and only provide minimal services light street lights and lawncare tend to be less rigid about how every property is used. I don't think being inside an HOA influences a guest one way or another unless you provide access to better amenities than your competition because you have access to a pool, gym, etc. simply because your property is in an HOA that includes those.

[Jacob Ashworth]

Quote from @Allen Duan:

Hi Jacob,

We currently have 2 MTRs in an HOA and setting up a third this month. We haven't encountered any issues with it. We always make sure to read the bylaws to make sure they don't have any specific prohibitions on MTRs. It's not common, but they may limit the minimum lease term. Keep in mind the HOA rules can also change to become less favorable. You just need to prepare for what to do if that happens.

I don't think it changes the MTR tenant pool much. They're looking at the listing and photos to detrmine if they like it, so if it fits their liking you're good to go. As always, just make sure the unit type is attractive to the MTR tenant you're targeting. 

The HOA factor is just one of the many factors you have to weigh. It's by no means a deal breaker.

Thank you so much for your insight. Do you solely invest in HOA's or do you also invest in other types of medium term rentals?

[Jacob Ashworth]

Quote from @Yu Liu:

1. My responses are in bold:
   Have you ever owned or managed a property within an HOA community and offered mid-term rentals? If so, what were your experiences like? Did you face any unexpected challenges or restrictions from the HOA?
   I have 2 STR/MTRs that are in HOA and they don't bat an eye, probably because the HOA fee is low and is only taking care of lawn and stuff. 
2. How supportive were the HOA board and community members towards mid-term rentals? Were there any specific rules or bylaws that impacted your ability to rent out your property for mid-term stays?
   None for me and they don't check for me, I would read the bylaws but yea for me no issues.
3. Did you find that mid-term rentals in an HOA community attracted a different kind of tenant or presented unique advantages compared to other rental strategies (e.g., long-term or short-term rentals)?
   MTRs attract seasonal workers/travelers. All of mine have been contractors specifically or students that are staying for only a year. Got some inquiries from travel nurses as well. LTR people are more likely to be families
4. Were there any particular strategies or approaches you found effective in navigating the HOA regulations and maintaining positive relationships with the board and other community members?
   I think as long as you maintain good relationships with the neighbors, you shouldn't have a problem. Also, if it's a MTR there should be no issues as they would likely be similar to regular long term tenants or even better
   
5. In terms of financials, how did mid-term rentals in an HOA community perform for you? Did they generate consistent income and yield satisfactory returns on your investment?
   My MTR bookings does about $2K more a month than I could rent it out as a LTR so financially it made sense, I've only had mine running for about 4 months and 2 months it was a STR so keep that in mind
6. Lastly, would you recommend pursuing mid-term rentals in an HOA community to fellow investors? Why or why not? Are there any red flags or considerations one should be aware of before diving in?
   Yes as long as the numbers make sense. account for more vacancy unless you can do STRs between stays. Just make sure the HOA is operating effectively, have heard horror stories where the HOA management was not doing its job well and requested a capital call of additional amounts to address common maintenance items. 

 Thank you for answering all my questions!

[Jacob Ashworth]

Quote from @Bonnie Low:

Great question and you're spot on that it varies dramatically from one HOA to another. I don't have any MTRs in HOAs, but I have owned and currently own other properties inside of HOAs. In addition to getting the bylaws ahead of time and reading them very carefully, I strongly recommend you attend an HOA board meeting if you can or at least request the minutes from a recent meeting so you can see the types of issues they're dealing with and, more importantly, how they're dealing with them. That will tell you a lot about how agreeable or disagreeable the Board is as well as other owners inside the HOA. You want to avoid those problem HOAs. The other issue with owning in any type of HOA is that the temperature of the HOA can always change and you only represent one vote. For this reason the HOAs that have nominal feels and only provide minimal services light street lights and lawncare tend to be less rigid about how every property is used. I don't think being inside an HOA influences a guest one way or another unless you provide access to better amenities than your competition because you have access to a pool, gym, etc. simply because your property is in an HOA that includes those.

 Thank you so much. I really appreciate it!

[Allen Duan]

Quote from @Jacob Ashworth:

Quote from @Allen Duan:

Hi Jacob,

We currently have 2 MTRs in an HOA and setting up a third this month. We haven't encountered any issues with it. We always make sure to read the bylaws to make sure they don't have any specific prohibitions on MTRs. It's not common, but they may limit the minimum lease term. Keep in mind the HOA rules can also change to become less favorable. You just need to prepare for what to do if that happens.

I don't think it changes the MTR tenant pool much. They're looking at the listing and photos to detrmine if they like it, so if it fits their liking you're good to go. As always, just make sure the unit type is attractive to the MTR tenant you're targeting. 

The HOA factor is just one of the many factors you have to weigh. It's by no means a deal breaker.

Thank you so much for your insight. Do you solely invest in HOA's or do you also invest in other types of medium term rentals?

You're welcome! Definitely not just HOAs. I own a MTR management business and manage all sorts of property types. Trying to get started with my own investing though