Short-term rentals often bring in more money, with less stability, than month-long rentals. The most popular platform for these rentals is AirBNB, but it is not the only one.
One issue that landlords sometimes run into is that their tenants may decide to rent the space out on a one-night basis to people they find online. Say you charge $2,000 per month in the lease. Your tenant finds out that they can get $200 per night online. They already spend a lot of nights with their significant other, so they start renting the place for short-term rentals. There’s little risk to them because they only have to get people in for 10 nights a month to make the space “free” on their end.
Can they do this? It really depends on the lease. As AirBNB itself notes, landlords are allowed to make rules and regulations against this practice. If you’ve written a lease that says your tenant cannot sublet to someone else or rent the space on a nightly basis, they’re violating that lease if they choose to do so.
Many tenants make the mistake of thinking of the space as something they own, even though it belongs to the landlord. Others know that they shouldn’t do it but they assume that they won’t get caught. This can cause a lot of problems for you as a landlord and could lead to damages, noise complaints, and things of this nature. Plus, even without any complaints, the tenant is still breaking the lease.
Be sure that you know exactly what legal options you have. When it comes to landlord-tenant disputes, it is often wisest to seek out some experienced assistance.