All Forum Posts by: Kristi H.

https://envisionrea.com/

I'd highly recommend reaching out to this team.

Denying or flagging Airbnb guests who use service animals is discrimination. They are not the same as pets or emotional support animals (both of which you can deny or charge a pet fee for).

I think it is helpful to understand that service dogs are working animals. They go through extensive training to help a person mitigate a disability. Whether it's being their eyes in the case of a seeing eye dog, or picking things up for someone who may not have full use of their arms, a working dog is essentially a tool. As people don't need to disclose that they use a wheelchair or cane, they also don't need to disclose a working dog. There is a lot of misconception about working dogs and as a result, lots of discrimination. This is probably why people with service dogs are hesitant to disclose.

Working dogs, by the way, are expected to be well behaved and well groomed. If they are unruly you can ask them to leave.

When you find out about a service dog there are two questions you can ask that may help weed out the fake animals.

1. Do you need the service animal because of a disability
2. What specific task the service animal has been trained to perform

The following link offers a bit more specific information about Airbnb's policy and common sense exclusions. 
https://www.airbnb.com/help/ar...

I'd actually suggest returning the call. If the concern/ complaint is legit, then you can pass it onto the PM as you are paying them to deal with issues. Having a friendly relationship with a neighbor can be helpful as they see things that your PM may not. I've found this to be true for rentals that are three states away and even a mile away.

I had a similar situation and simply rewrote new and separate leases and deposits for each tenant. When one person moves out, their private bathroom and bedroom is cleaned, but I don't have the shared space cleaned.

I'll toss out some thoughts on self management from afar. My experience self managing two homes (CA and CO) from afar for 15+ years has been overall successful. I have a solid list of repair people and am proactive about regularly checking in with tenants about things that need fixing. I've developed the repair person list by asking for references from people who have done quality work. For example, the people who did my flooring have referred painters and they in turn have referred HVAC companies, handymen, etc. Also, like you, both rentals were originally my homes, which means there are family/ friends in the area that occasionally drive by and let me know how things look from the outside. If there is anything that gives you special concern, just make sure the tenant is aware of it and that either they, or a hired person is keeping an eye on it. 

I would also look to rental assistance programs in your area for creative solutions. They will most likely be thrilled to help work out a solution with you and your tenant. It might take some time for her to get onto Section 8, but they may have resources like Catholic Charities to help bridge that gap. 

I like Eliott Elias' thinking on this. It can pay to hold something in a growing market even if that means contributing a small amount yourself each month. I bought a home in Crested Butte, CO that I'd moved out of and turned into a rental. For a few years, the rent didn't fully cover my expenses. Today, however, that property has much more than tripled in value. The increase in equity more than makes up for the small amount I initially paid into it. Even today, the rent isn't super high and it's tempting to sell, but my plan is to take a loan against the equity and purchase another property. 

I have a SFH that is a long term rental in Crested Butte. While the area is growing like crazy and people are doing well with STRs, there is lots of local pressure to restrict STRs. I've had my place for 20 years and about 4 years ago the town passed an ordinance so that I couldn't rent short term anymore. I already had long term tenants, so that wasn't a huge deal, but it no doubt brought down the overall value. I'd be leery of buying a place there if falling back on LTR wouldn't work--in case the STR restrictions become county wide. It's a great place through and I've not regretted buying there.

Both my rentals are SFH's that I've held for 20 and 15 years. From my experience, it's worth waiting for the right tenants who will stay longer and take care of things -- even if it means letting the place sit empty longer than I'd like. That $3-5K cost involved with renter turn over becomes less of a big deal when renters stay for 5 or more years.

I've also had great experience with section 8 tenants. You have to check references, but the rent is guaranteed.