If you’re taking direct bookings, it’s important to make sure you’re covered. When a guest books through Airbnb or Booking.com, they are agreeing to the booking channels terms and conditions, which protect you as a host. If guests are booking direct, you need to make sure you have your own terms and conditions.
As long as all the requirements are fair and clearly lined out for guests ahead of time, most won’t hesitate to agree to your custom terms and conditions. If it is your first time renting out a property for under 30 days, you may seem confused about what to include in this agreement. The effort is worth it, though, as a well-written lease agreement will eliminate the risk of misinterpretation (by your guests and by the courts).
How to Write the Perfect Custom Rental Lease Agreement
Before you even think about having your property rented out, it is vital that you draft a short-term renter's agreement. Having this document handy when you accept guests will help map out the rules that will apply to stay in your property. This way, you will implement these rules and hold an enforceable contract when these rules are broken.
If you do not know where to start writing your short-term lease agreement, here are a few essential tips to keep in mind.
1 - Write a Well-Written Rental Agreement
You must be extremely specific about all the rules you want to apply to your rental property. For example, make sure that you do not leave anything out about local and state laws, guest expectations, fees that need to be paid, and other pertinent rules you would like to implement in your renter's agreement. For example, you must mention in your agreement that guests may use all the appliances in your rental unit during their short-term stay. However, if they damage one of the appliances, they will need to pay a fine to replace the damaged appliance.
2 - Be Specific With the Terms
When you lay down the rules of how you want guests to act within your property, it is crucial to be specific. If you intend to ban smoking, you need to mention this in your lease terms explicitly. Your lease terms should include guests’ rights and responsibilities, rental amount per day, and other pertinent information about the short-term rental.
3 - Ask an Attorney to Check Your Rental Agreement
It’s a good idea to have a lawyer check your lease agreement. Doing this will ensure that your lease agreement will have all the clauses and include all the obligations you will have to your guests (what you will include in the rental amount) and the rules that you expect your guests to abide by. A clear rental agreement will keep you safe from having any future misunderstandings with the people who will come to stay in your rental property.
Conclusion
Now that you know how important it is to draft a detailed and specific rental lease agreement for direct bookings, we hope to use this information to your advantage. Before you accept any guests into your rental property, ensuring that you have a well-thought-out rental agreement for them to sign is essential.
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