r/ShortTermRentals

I'm looking to start a STR servicing business in Florida and researching information about the market and what are the potential gaps that I could fill.

If you are an STR owner in Florida, in what area do you see opportunities? Could be something where you experience problems currently and wished you there was an operator with a better pricing, better quality, more personalized offers.

Hosts: what would make you switch from Airbnb to another platform?

We checked into the Airbnb apartment in Manila that seems to be recently renovated: film on the TV screen, transport bolts in the washing machine, kitchenware not assembled, paper holder bolted upside down, etc. I am fine with that and do not have a problem flipping the paper holder around.

However, I noticed that the ELB test button on the water heater does absolutely nothing. Now, it's not just a minor inconvenience, but is a safety concern, especially given the patterns of other cut corners.

We genuinely do not feel safe taking hot shower here. At the same time, I do not expect the host to genuinely understand the problem. The water is flowing, it's hot, installed by an electrician. What button? What ELB? "It's OK, sir".

Am I being picky? What approach would you suggest to address this with the host? Can I expect Airbnb to recognize the issue and help?

Hello,

I have an opportunity to buy a property that is ~10 min drive to the beach. The beach itself has plenty of parking/access locations. Long-term rental rates would be a slight loss with reserves so I am looking at STR data. I know how to comp it out and remove the listings that are beachfront/walkable but I worry about demand. We would come in significantly cheaper and offer more onsite amenities (game room, outdoor games/firepit/etc, dog friendly, community playgrounds and pool.

Does anyone have experience with these off-beach rentals? Have they performed well? How did you underwrite them?

We just launched our first rental this month. There's a lot to figure out, and so far it has been fun. Using Lodgify + PriceLabs and doing everything on my own (for now). Our property is in the Grass Valley / Nevada City, CA area - Tahoe National Forest. Two questions:

1. How do you estimate the expected value of adding an amenity? Pool and hot tub are the biggest gaps. I know we'll get them eventually, and if I had confidence about an increase in bookings or ADR then I might pull the trigger faster. I'm sure there's no exact formula here, but I struggle with even back of envelope estimation.
2. The only "Essential" amenity we're lacking is a TV.

I had originally asked “should I get a TV?” Was leaning yes but now feel pretty convinced. Only question is where to put it. I think I’ll ask people if they want it out and put it on the fireplace shelf if they do. There’s really no other logical place for it.
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Has anyone used str search to find a property? The fee is $18K. They find you actual listings that work for your parameters. Does anyone have experience that believes it can be worth it? I just don't feel equipped to do this on my own.

No, this isn't a joke. A 30% increase in my subscription price, effective immediately, justified by incredible AI improvements that I don't use and didn't ask for. And the best part is that they announced it just one month after my contract with them was automatically renewed.
Could they possibly treat customers any more despicably?

Is this happening to anyone else? I’m determined to leave.

I've been hosting my place for a couple of years, now, and one thing I still can't figure out is occupancy consistency. Some months it's almost fully booked, and then randomly I'll have gaps that I didn't really antocipate. I've adjusted pricing, updated photos, tried different descriptions ... but it still feels a bit unpredictable. Recently I came across Holidu through another host and started experimenting with it mostly because it distributes listings across multiple channels instead or relying on just one plattform. I'm not sire yet how much of a difference it will male long-term, but I'm curious about whether wider distribution actually stabilzes demand or if it's more about pricing strategy or something else I'm missing.

For those of you with more experience: Do you think occupany swings are just part of the game, or did you find a way to make things more stable over time? What actually made the biggest difference for you (Pricing tools, better visibility, something else)?

I’m pretty new to the business and a few people I know have started using remote staff for leasing support, tenant communication, and, admin stuff etc.

Honestly I am a little skeptical bcos property mnt feels very operations heavy and communication sensitive.

Curious how common this actually is and whether it’s genuinely working well for people.

If you are using remote hires, what roles are they handling and what countries have worked best for you?

Any providers you guys would recommend that are affordable and quick turnaround time? Ideally with audit protection and offer virtual site visits ?

I’m researching common problems hosts deal with during turnovers and guest check-ins.
What items do guests most often ask for or complain about missing?
Examples:
toiletries

toothbrushes

razors

chargers

coffee

trash bags

detergent

etc.

Would love to hear what happens most frequently in your rentals.

For hosts with multiple units or remote/self-check-in properties:

What guest message or issue happens MOST often during the first 24 hours after check-in?

Trying to understand which small problems create the biggest operational headaches for hosts/property managers.

I’m nervous about letting rental management software change my rates every day. Feels like giving up control. Has anyone regretted using these tools?

I received a booking request via Airbnb for a 6 month booking. The guest is asking to have the option for month to month.

I am totally open to the opportunity. 3-4 week stays have been the majority of our bookings however in TN tenancy laws get weird after 30 days.

I want to discuss this over the phone with this guest bc I don’t believe this falls under Airbnb territory.

Airbnb obviously won’t let us exchange phone #’s but the guest suggested scheduling a call… how the heck do I navigate this without violating Airbnb’s policy….

Do I tell him to google my brand and hope he figures out it’s a hint to reach out privately via my direct website?

Hey y'all. Need a little advice before I lose my mind.

My wife and I bought our first STR last year (cabin near a national park for $680k). We hit the 100 hour material participation rule to use the STR loophole against our W2 income. And to top it off, we paid for a cost segregation study to secure that sweet bonus depreciation.

But our CPA just raised a red flag on a big mess. The cabin came with furniture but we didn't get a breakdown of the furniture value in our closing docs. And on top of that, the cost seg company messed up the report, they double counted the new furniture we bought, and missed that the previous owner did a cost seg 3 years ago, and already depreciated half this stuff ,

Now our expected tax write-off has been cut by about 60%, and the report we paid thousands for is basically worthless. Ever been the victim of a bad cost seg report or duplicate studies from a previous owner? Did we just throw money out the window or can we correct this or modify the report before we file?

Any advice would be a lifesaver.

Hi everyone,

Any feedback on my new app would be appreciated. https://strfinancialmodeler.com

Analyze short-term rental investments in seconds.

What It Does

STR Financial Modeler is a free web tool that helps real estate investors quickly analyze short-term rental property acquisitions. Input your property and financing details, and get back:

- Monthly and annual cash flow

- Cash-on-cash return

- Cap rate

- DSCR (Debt Service Coverage Ratio — what lenders look at)

- Tax impact, including cost segregation and bonus depreciation

- 10-year projection with rent growth and expense growth

- Sensitivity analysis — see how changes in occupancy, nightly rate, and interest rate affect your returns

- Scenario comparison — save multiple deals and compare them side-by-side

- PDF export — generate a clean one-page report for lenders, CPAs, or partners

Who It's For

- STR investors analyzing a potential acquisition

- Real estate agents preparing investment analysis for clients

- Lenders evaluating DSCR loan applications

- CPAs reviewing tax impact of STR acquisitions

- Anyone considering buying a short-term rental property

How It Works

1. Enter property details (price, down payment, interest rate, loan term)

2. Enter rental income assumptions (nightly rate, occupancy)

3. Enter operating expenses (management, cleaning, utilities, taxes, insurance, HOA, maintenance)

4. Enter tax assumptions (marginal rate, cost seg allocation, bonus depreciation)

5. Click Calculate

6. Review results, run sensitivity analysis, save scenarios, compare deals, export PDF

Key Features

Cash Flow Analysis

Monthly and annual cash flow after all expenses and mortgage payments.

Tax Impact

First-year depreciation from cost segregation and bonus depreciation. Taxable income after paper losses. After-tax cash flow.

10-Year Projection

Year-by-year revenue, expenses, cash flow, and cumulative returns with configurable growth rates.

Sensitivity Analysis

Interactive sliders show how occupancy, nightly rate, and interest rate changes affect your returns. Instantly see best-case and worst-case scenarios.

Scenario Comparison

Save multiple property analyses and compare them side-by-side. Best metrics highlighted.

PDF Export

One-page professional report with all key metrics, tax impact, and 10-year projection. Ready to send to lenders or CPAs.

Built By an Investor, For Investors