Lately, in the property management world, its hard not to miss all the talk about short-term rentals. For several years, it seems, many lakefront home owners wanting to rent their house by the night/week/month typically could do it without much problem from their county government. Management companies were advertising short-term rentals in the open, owners were using VRBO and AIRBNB advertising their homes for the sole purpose of capitalizing on the lucrative possibility of charging upwards of $1000 per night in some cases. Lately, though, many county governments are starting to crack down on people who are renting without actually following the right process.

First of all, it’s worthy to know what exactly is a short-term rental. To be clear, the State of Wisconsin doesn’t even use that phase. They use the term “lodging facility”. A lodging facility, according to The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, is a facility that houses a person for a short period of time for vacation, pleasure, recreation, culture, business or employment. This DOES include rental of homes, condos, cabins, cottages, etc. and considers them the same as a hotel. What this really means is that if you do rent less than 30 days, you are required to obtain a license. Not only that, if you decide to pursue renting your place in the short-term, you’re required to pay a room tax and be subject to certain health and safety requirements.

So, if you do want to legally do short-term rentals, you will need to do some work. You’ll need to check on what your zoning allows and submit an application to the State to obtain your lodging license. Once you submit your app, you will work with a “Sanitarian” to help you with the process. North Shore Property Management can help you get that process going as well as manage your rental for you. We use the latest software technology in helping manage your property which includes real-time advertising, an owner portal sign in so you can review all the financial transactions for full transparency. We also provide a portal for your renter to sign in to pay their lodging right on line. North Shore Property Management offers a full spectrum of services for the ease of you rental. We have offices serving Walworth and Sheboygan Counties.