An Antioch resident recently asked Ellen Allen what it was like to rent a home through one of the online businesses including Airbnb and vrbo.com that match travelers with renters.
Allen, who until recently had rented her Fox Lake home for about eight years, told the woman: “You have to consider it’s not your home anymore when you’re renting it out, and you have to think about the personal things you have in your home and what you’ll do with them.”
But Allen, as well as Barbara Robins of Mundelein, who began renting a room in her home several months ago, said the business offers an opportunity to earn some cash and make new friends.
They offer these suggestions when planning an at-home business renting space to travelers.
*Consider this a business no matter how many times you plan to rent space, even if it’s just once in a while.
*—Check with your town officials for regulations and fees required to open your business.
*Call or email the online businesses putting your home on the web to ask questions — make a list first.
*Put confidential and personal items under lock and key away from the tenants.
*Businesses that host your home or room advertisement are for-profit organizations and take a cut of your earnings.
*Create a tenant agreement to make it professional and avoid any future disagreements.
*Create a book of house rules along with information on local restaurants, healthcare providers and other useful information to give to the tenants.
*Place notes in various parts of the home that might help the tenants, for example, where the garbage and recycling containers are kept.
*Renters should feel comfortable renting a room or a home to strangers. Robins said she has turned someone down as a tenant because she didn’t think it was a good fit.
*Keep records of fees, dates, tenants’ names and contact information as well as items you’ve purchased for your business. You’ll need all of that come income tax time.
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Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun