AirBNB in Arlington (or advice for new landlords)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We have an existing AirBNB in Arlington that does quite well, actually (rented 200+ days a year). But I don't really think I can AirBNB this so that's not my main question.

My questions were:
1) Are people renting whole houses in Arlington as AirBNBs just lying about living there half-time or is there something I am missing? I think the answer is they are lying.

2) If we want to do furnished 30+ day rentals any good suggestions for how to find people? I got one suggestion above, thank you. And I've found a few companies that do this but prefer not to have to give them a 25% cut. Would love other suggestions. It's under a mile to the foreign service language institute, so I was thinking that was a good market, but maybe not from what you all are saying.

3) Should I create a different entity or just do it under our names?

4) Any suggestions in general for new landlords, as we've not done this before?

Thanks

So you are lying about living there half the year then too? Why is this so confusing for you?

No, we have an accessory dwelling. We don't rent the whole house. And we live here full-time. So we are 100% following the rules. This would be a whole house rental. There are many whole house rentals in Arlington you can find on AirBNB. I just find it unlikely that most of those are owner-occupied by someone who lives there at least half time. Thus, my question. I am not going to lie, so I want to know if there is a loophole I am not aware of, or if most other people do lie. I guess the third option is that a lot of people are willing to periodically move out of their house for a week at a time if someone happens to rent it, but that seems unlikely to me.

[Anonymous]

You may be better off reaching out to some of the builders in Arlington and letting them know you have a short term rental. Some of their clients do tear downs and need a place to live for 6-12 months. That may be a better way for you to go if you don't want to dance around all of the county rules for 'short term rentals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We have an existing AirBNB in Arlington that does quite well, actually (rented 200+ days a year). But I don't really think I can AirBNB this so that's not my main question.

My questions were:
1) Are people renting whole houses in Arlington as AirBNBs just lying about living there half-time or is there something I am missing? I think the answer is they are lying.

2) If we want to do furnished 30+ day rentals any good suggestions for how to find people? I got one suggestion above, thank you. And I've found a few companies that do this but prefer not to have to give them a 25% cut. Would love other suggestions. It's under a mile to the foreign service language institute, so I was thinking that was a good market, but maybe not from what you all are saying.

3) Should I create a different entity or just do it under our names?

4) Any suggestions in general for new landlords, as we've not done this before?

Thanks

So you are lying about living there half the year then too? Why is this so confusing for you?

No, we have an accessory dwelling. We don't rent the whole house. And we live here full-time. So we are 100% following the rules. This would be a whole house rental. There are many whole house rentals in Arlington you can find on AirBNB. I just find it unlikely that most of those are owner-occupied by someone who lives there at least half time. Thus, my question. I am not going to lie, so I want to know if there is a loophole I am not aware of, or if most other people do lie. I guess the third option is that a lot of people are willing to periodically move out of their house for a week at a time if someone happens to rent it, but that seems unlikely to me.

There are many young families who have parents who also live in Arlington. We know people who go stay at their parents house when they rent their home out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We have an existing AirBNB in Arlington that does quite well, actually (rented 200+ days a year). But I don't really think I can AirBNB this so that's not my main question.

My questions were:
1) Are people renting whole houses in Arlington as AirBNBs just lying about living there half-time or is there something I am missing? I think the answer is they are lying.

2) If we want to do furnished 30+ day rentals any good suggestions for how to find people? I got one suggestion above, thank you. And I've found a few companies that do this but prefer not to have to give them a 25% cut. Would love other suggestions. It's under a mile to the foreign service language institute, so I was thinking that was a good market, but maybe not from what you all are saying.

3) Should I create a different entity or just do it under our names?

4) Any suggestions in general for new landlords, as we've not done this before?

Thanks

So you are lying about living there half the year then too? Why is this so confusing for you?

No, we have an accessory dwelling. We don't rent the whole house. And we live here full-time. So we are 100% following the rules. This would be a whole house rental. There are many whole house rentals in Arlington you can find on AirBNB. I just find it unlikely that most of those are owner-occupied by someone who lives there at least half time. Thus, my question. I am not going to lie, so I want to know if there is a loophole I am not aware of, or if most other people do lie. I guess the third option is that a lot of people are willing to periodically move out of their house for a week at a time if someone happens to rent it, but that seems unlikely to me.

I know someone that does this but he is divorced and tries to rent out his house when he doesn't have custody. When the house is rented he stays at his girlfriend's place. Seems like a huge headache but not my circus.

[Anonymous]

I’ve airbnbed a bunch of times in Arlington for my parents to stay here when visiting, and now that you mention it, it’s always an ADU or basement or in law suite. One time we did rent an apartment. I suspect whole houses are the very small minority and some of this people lie. Others might live in the house for part of the year.

[Anonymous]

Man you are aggressive for wanting to pump us for free info. Takes time for code enforcement, fines, appeal, etc. Having a unit on AirBNB absolutely does not mean they aren't in trouble with the county. No where to hide!

I'm confused as to why you made this investment without asking these questions first.

Rule #1 when purchasing a potential STR property is lookup the local regulations and do not assume. Call the county.

[Anonymous]

I own a SFH rental near Ft. Belvoir as well as an AIRBNB a couple hours away. If I were OP, I would start off with a long-term rental (i.e. a year lease minimum) with a military tenant. At Arlington rental prices you are most likely to get a senior officer working at the Pentagon, Navy Annex, etc. There are several Arlington SFH listed on militarybyowner.com. so you can see some comparable nearby properties to see what kind of rent you may get. You are not going to be able to charge enough in Arlington to cover a new mortgage/taxes but you will have a solid tenant who will significantly offset the carrying costs while you (hopefully) get some appreciation and decide whether this whole venture makes any sense.

If you are not going to live in the property half time (or lie about that) then I don't see how AIRBNB is even an option for you.

[Anonymous]

1)Yes, for LLC
2) I will start with regular tenants, most likely the interest will come from young professional couples.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington is an impossible market to turn a profit. I own multiple short and long term rentals and would never invest in that area.

That said obviously that advice can't help you now. If you want to try furnished rentals you can try furnishedfinders.com for travel nurses. But, again, I don't see how you'd break even in any scenario.

I’m not sure what you’re talking about, as someone who’s lived in Arlington for 20+ years you can make an unbelievable amount of money on rentals as there are very few especially in the nicer neighborhoods.

OP, if you have an Airbnb in a neighborhood …neighbors are going to be monitoring and reporting to the county.

Agree with this. My parents were staying in AirBnBs in Arlington pre-COVID, once my dad could no longer navigate the stairs at my house, and I got a super-weird energy from the neighbors - except for one in Clarendon, which is a rental-heavy community. OP, your best bet is a military-family rental. They're good neighbors / tenants, they have funds that they can only use for rentals, and they typically stay 2-3 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yes, we know it will lose money for a while. We bought it knowing that.

So you are saying people who AirBNB and don't live there basically are lying? Like I said, we won't do that. I just want to make sure there is not something we are missing that is legal.

Travel nurses are one option, but I think military or state department is a better fit given the location. I am just not sure how to find those people. And, I don't know if we should create an LLC or something or just do it under our names.

They’re not lying, they’re simply not registered with the county. You can AirBNB and hope the neighbors don’t report it.

The AirBNB must be your primary residence, so there is no way to have two properties and comply with the rules.

[Anonymous]

Tons of people who are doing Reno’s who would pay $4-$5k if it’s nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We have an existing AirBNB in Arlington that does quite well, actually (rented 200+ days a year). But I don't really think I can AirBNB this so that's not my main question.

My questions were:
1) Are people renting whole houses in Arlington as AirBNBs just lying about living there half-time or is there something I am missing? I think the answer is they are lying.

2) If we want to do furnished 30+ day rentals any good suggestions for how to find people? I got one suggestion above, thank you. And I've found a few companies that do this but prefer not to have to give them a 25% cut. Would love other suggestions. It's under a mile to the foreign service language institute, so I was thinking that was a good market, but maybe not from what you all are saying.

3) Should I create a different entity or just do it under our names?

4) Any suggestions in general for new landlords, as we've not done this before?

Thanks

I’ve seen short term furnished rentals on Zillow. I’m a landlord and that’s where I advertise my long term SFH rental. Short term furnished properties are popular in close in neighborhoods where there are a lot of tear downs or major renovations going and families need to be out of their homes for several months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We bought an older house in Arlington and intend to fix it up as a rental. We are considering all options -- full-time renter, 30+ day furnished rental, short-term rental. To AirBNB in Arlington the rules say you have to live there half time. Do people ignore that rule? Looking at the number of listings here, I can't believe that's actually the case. Is there a loophole to this I am missing? We won't lie, so if we can't do it, we won't, but I feel like I might be missing something because I feel certain a lot of AirBNBs around here no one lives in half-time.

If we do a 30+ day furnished rental, what is the best way to find renters? I've seen a few companies that do this, but the percentage cut they take is pretty substantial. It's in a good location, so I think there would be demand for it.

It's an older house and will be a little challenging to furnish because some of the corners are tight, also not a ton of closet space, which is why we think it might make the most sense to rent it furnished. Anyhow, we are new at this, so advice appreciated.

Also looking for advice on anything else for a new investor, should we do it ourselves or create an LLC, etc. Should I talk to lawyer?

Thanks

Search the real estate thread about forming an LLC. There were a few questions recently and one person was having a hard time getting homeowner’s insurance for an LLC rental because it bumped it into commercial insurance.

[Anonymous]

I would be careful Airbnb-ing in Arlington, especially in residential neighborhoods. We had one on our street that became a problem and a group of neighbors complained to the county and until zoning started regularly coming out to check and see if it was occupied and I believe they issued fines. I also think there have been enough problems with them in Arlington that the county is revisiting their codes and enforcement.