I am going to be renting out a 2 bedroom on Capitol Hill for the Inaugural Weekend festivities in Washington, DC.
People are paying upwards of 10k for the week and I’m hoping to get in on the action.
I think I may require 50% of the rental upfront as a deposit, along with a deposit for potential damages of a few thousand dollars. The other 50% of the rental should be paid in cash or certified check on the day of arrival.
As I have never done a short term rental (1 week) like this before and would be finding a tenant off Craigslist, how should I word my contract? Any ideas or tips for this? Does anyone know of a rental property template, available online, I can use or would I be better served writing it up myself?
You can just pick up a pack of month-to-month rental agreements at your local office store. You can line out and initial any sections that are not pertinent. Make a copy for you and one for the tenant.
A rental deposit upfront should be ok. I would not ask for thousands in cash for a damage deposit. Instead I would copy their credit card and be sure to get mailing address, code on the back, name on card and expiration date. But that is only if you have access to a credit card machine… Otherwise, you can hold a damage deposit check and return it to them uncashed upon the move-out if everything is satisfactory.
You won’t have problems or a trashed house with Democrats. I have found that usually it is only the Republicans that create problems.
Alright, I was kidding. But the caliber of concerned citizen going to an inauguration will no more trash your house than they would trash the Willard Hotel.
We are trying to get tickets ourselves and want to experience this momentous event. I may send you a message again if we go to D.C. But we are looking for something around a couple hundred a night! Do you have a doghouse?