What amenities are renters looking for in a summer/fall rental?

[lawn psycho]

songkrai, this is precisely why I won't buy a rental unit. My co-worker bought a duplex. For about 5 years he rented one side and lived in the other.

He then built a single family home and became an off-site landlord. Same thing with repairs, complaints from neighbors, tenants ignoring leaking faucet on a almost new kitchen cabinet set, and the list goes on. He even had one tenant move out and sublet and not tell him. The new tenant stopped paying rent after the first month and it took him many weeks to get them booted after filing paperwork (at his own expense). And this is in a respectable area too.....

Unless you are making good money doing it, the hassles are many with rentals.

[JasonG]

I rented for 2-4 weeks every year up there for many years.

If you are building from scratch, then make it look nice, bottom line. If you want repeat business, it needs the WOW factor to be above expectations. Many rental spots are nice, but retro. Clean, but still retro, etc.

Granite counters vs formica

Tile vs linoleum

You get the idea. It doesnt need to be top of the line, but avoid basic. You never know what you may need to do in the future.

Cable TV, internet, wifi, washer/dryer, etc. too. Basically every convenience of home. If someone needs to take a break from their trip to get ice because you dont have an ice maker or go to the laundromat, then its a reason to look elsewhere next year.

A grill is a must. Somewhere to sit after a BBQ, patio, etc.

High end....If you want to push it, a fire pit is nice and fairly inexpensive to build, but its one of those things that is a draw. Hot tub is a plus.

good luck!

[Lakesrider]

Songkrai, hit the nail on the head. We rented our house out for three years during Summers and school vacation weeks. You'll hear horror stories and you'll hear stories of the perfect renters. However after three years we had it. Sure we used every single dollar to pay down the mortgage. We got $1000.00 per week so you can see we paid down about 10 years worth rather quickly.
Then I moved into the house and spent $60,000 fixing it. we had people who ripped cabinet doors off, a basement door got kicked in so they could access the washer and dryer. (We normally added $30.00 for the week to use them)
We had linens stolen, pillows, towels, Pots and pans, stolen, beds pee'd on, etc.

I would certainly NEVER build a house specifically knowing I would need to rent it out. Unless of course you rent only to older couples. I'd say 50 and older. People who would respect your home.

One other story for you. We rented to a Russian family of 4. (Our place sleeps 10. BTW...We provide linens. Something almost no one does for renters. This is one reason we were able to rent our place almost every week in the Summer when other places went empty. We kept a $300.00 security deposit as well. Also used Cyber rental dot com.
Anyway...
I got a call from the neighbor (good to have your neighbors phone number too.) telling us there were 7 cars and at least 20 people staying in our house. Beer cans, trash, fireworks, everywhere, cars parked on my lawn, a boat parked in my back yard on the septic field.....
I had to call the police to get them out. Gave them back their rent but kept their security deposit. So just be really careful and think about building with the express intent of renting out a new home. You might be better off buying and older place and trying out the rental thing.
Renters S%^K!
Oh and if you do rent, be careful with things that you can be liable for. No canoes, boats scooters etc. No fireplace. Do not provide wood for a fire either. Make sure you have insurance for renting out your house and make sure your renters have home insurance that covers them for renting another property. If a renter hurts themselves on your property you want to make certain you are covered. Even then you might be scr%^ed.
Make sure you tell them no candles too. If you have a septic field, put up a sign stating so and not to put anything down the toilet except humane waste. Seriously we found some amazing things in our tank at pump out time. Something you will need to do more often than for a normal home.
Just keep stuff like that in your head. How can I get the shaft? How will someone hurt themselves? What will they steal? (Don't provide good pots and pans, or utensils, furniture, TV etc.. Buy the cheap stuff. Because it is going to get ruined.
Have you figured out what I think of renting now.....

Good luck....

[Jeanzb1]

Pleeeeze don't think that all renters will destroy your place because they won't! We own on the ocean in Florida and rent on the lake for six months, and this will be our third season in the same wonderful cottage. We are in our early 60s and have an indoor cat. We take IMMACULATE care of our cottage inside and out. Not only does my husband mow the lawn of our place, but he also waters the flowers and mows the lawns of three neighbors every single week -- just for something to do! We stained our deck twice, and even scraped, putty'd, and reglazed many windows -- just for something to do! We've taken care of a neighbors' dog when they were away. We act as caretakers during the times when our neighbors are not there. There is nothing we don't do. And never would we ever accept a cent in return. Add to this, we seldom ever have day guests, and I could count on one hand the number of overnight guests we have had in the last two years. In short, we treat our cottage and surroundings with much love and respect, just as if we owned it. So, remember, good renters absolutely do exist!

[Lakesrider]

Agreed. Once again notice the age group. Young people today simply don't respect property that is not theirs. It's kinda like buying a rental car. It probably wasn't babied very much. That said we have had great renters of our home. We even had one that left the place cleaner than when they got there. Guess who we rented to several more times after that. I simply suggest you screen the renters. Bike week was one week we simply did NOT rent out on. I actually came up and used the place that week. Just do your research, and keep the insurance up to date.

[songkrai]

"I would certainly NEVER build a house specifically knowing I would need to rent it out."

Are there good renters? Of course.

But how does one pick and choose? Rent to older couples only? There are laws about such. Can a good rental agency "screen" for such? Yes, but they too have to be careful and follow the laws.

And even if you find "older" people that is no guarantee that the next generation will be the actual people that show up.

I have a friend too who rents a home in Florida. But rents for the winter season to just one older couple. Same couple every year for the entire season and they do take perfect care of property.

But NH weekly rental is different. We are talking here about weekly rentals. Maybe two weeks at a time. Your chances of obtaining a good renter are high but chances of obtaining the bad renters are much higher also.

Yes, if you construct a high end house with granite counter tops may provide a much higher weekly rate and possibly better renters as the cost per week would be higher. But that alone cannot and will not exempt you for getting one family to rent then that family brings in their entire extended family.

Do people rent their seasonal homes with success. Absolutely. But this is a great gamble specially for a newly constructed home that you may one day wish to use yourself in retirement or sell some day.

[lawn psycho]

songkrai, one way the large house renters in the Outer Banks get more responsible customers is they require payment in cash. I think rental agencies have been pressured to allowing people to use credit cards but it does help IMO.

The contracts you sign down there have very strict emergency evictions clauses which stipulate reasons for immediate removal and the eviction law is backed up in NC law. Number of occupants is on that list and the neighbors keep tabs on each others houses. I don't know how NH is set-up for house rentals but strongly worded contracts and frank mention of the regulations prior to rental would go a long way IMO.

There are also provisions in many of the contracts that SMOKING in the house is reason for eviction on top of a significant cleaning fee.

[ThePlut]

I've been renting the same place, for 2 weeks a year, every year for the past 5 years.

My requirements:

- Dog friendly
- Beach
- Dock for boat
- Places to sit outside
- Sleeping for 8 - 10 people (we like to have visitors)
- Washer/dryer
- BBQ
- Reasonable price
- WiFi

We treat the place like we treat our own home, that said, I don't have a showcase house either, I don't want the house to feel "breakable". I want my kids to swim and play outside, we rent to be closer to the boat for two weeks.

[rander7823]

Can't tell you how many times we have rented a great place only to not be able to sleep because the mattress is about 1000 years old and lop sided And on those really hot stuffy nights trying to sleep with no breeze and humidty..no fun

[WakeboardMom]

This will be our first season as landlords. I'm reading this thread with interest. One advantage we have is that the rental cottage shares the yard/parking/beach with my home. We won't be there for a large percentage of the time, but my daughter will be, and we have neighbors that won't stand for any funny stuff either.

Our rental agreement states very explicitly "No more than 6 people," "No smoking indoors," etc. At this point in time I still have faith in people. My mom rented at Hampton Beach for 30 years and was a model tenant. My best friend and her family have rented the same cottage at York Beach for at least as long as that, maybe longer. They, too are model tenants. There are people in the world like that.

I think between the fact that we have "eyes and ears" on the cottage at all times, and conversations I've had with prospective tenants that we'll come out okay. There will be bumps in the road, but if it means we can pay the mortgage on our little piece of heaven, we'll deal with it.

(I still have a couple of prime weeks available! ; )

[jayp603]

We have been renting for 15 years, most important thing to me is a nice dock. Come up here to use my boat, and relax. 2 full bathrooms would be nice. You can't have to many windows. Parking for guests, trailer, bikes, etc. A nice mattress might no stand out, but a bad one will.

[Lucky1]

As a small child, my parents rented on the lake in front of what is now Suissvale. I learned from my parents who cleaned the entire cottage before we left. My parents had friends who owned a small cottage there and we all had a wonderful time. When I married I rented the same cottage and then a different one in the same area for many years. Again, I would clean the entire cottage to leave it spotless and ALSO rake the beach.

They did have checkers etc (I recommend Catch Phrase!) Also playing cards. We always brought our own floatation devices though they did leave a row boat. I guess I would have them rent any floatation device if they wanted one and you are not on the lake anyway. Good mattresses ( they don't have to be expensive) would be great, but make sure there is some sort of a protective liner I would think. It was never an issue when I rented. Have a crib that is new and maybe not the drop down side type. I agree that cable and internet are necessary though they were not necessary way back in the dark ages when I was renting. I have both now though.

I think making a number of people who can stay is a good idea though a kid can have a friend with a sleeping bag pretty easily. What you may not want is a family moving in for the week and then having two families with the rental family so some restrictions have to be made if the cottage is large. The ones I rented were three bedrooms and one was small so that was self limiting in itself. Are there other neighbors around who would rent as that would be ideal if friends could suggest a place to their friends. I never had a family stay overnight when I rented, but did have a gal with two kids come once when our husbands were working. They stayed overnight for three nights. My dad often came and was a huge help. I would not buy expensive furniture but would get sturdy things. In all the years, the only thing that happened was a small rowboat went missing. Don't ask me how? It was gone one morning. The owner said to forget it. It was always a wonderful experience for both the owner and for us.

A screened porch is wonderful for both owner and renter. If it is large enough it can be used for eating in good weather. It might have a day bed that could be used for seating during the day and sleeping as needed? A grill has been mentioned over and over. You definitely need rules for use of anything such as the toilets if you have a septic etc. Make sure there are a couple of fire extinguishers. Have a list of emergency numbers on a wall beside the telephone.

All of the above said, I have a simple home on the water now, and when I am not there have not rented it. I might at some point. Now would be ideal as the carpet is old and the mattresses are old as well. However I USE IT! I LOVE THE LAKE.

Screening and REFERENCES WOULD BE GREAT. Meet the people if possible and set rules that are fair and the ones that you follow when you are in the cottage. One cottage we rented had a bedroom with two sets of bunks. The other bedrooms had a larger sized bed and a single bed in the same room. Older couples sometimes do not share a room or a bed. Young children can all bunk in together if they are about 6 and up. The most important thing is to have references and hopefully people who have rented at the lake before. If you are building, maybe build a garage where you can store things of your own when you are not there. Is there a service or do you have a friend or neighbor who could stop by a couple of times a week to make sure all was going well? I agree that having a pair of eyes near to the property would be great. Good luck. I would build for myself and furnish for renters. Hope it works for you.

I might even allow pets. Not sure. Pet owners are usually good people especially if they bring their pets on vacation

[kauriel]

We recently bought a former rental condo and it was in pretty good shape aside for the carpet. We are currently having carpet ripped up and replaced with durable laminate in the hopes it will hold up better to spills.

I believe the unit was used primarily as a seasonal rental for many years but it still came with what appear to be original fridge, range, etc. so I am guessing it didn't take too much abuse!

It came furnished and I was disappointed that the couch didn't fold out so our 2br unit only sleeps 4 - 5 adults with 1 full bed and 2 twin beds with 1 sofa and 1 small love seat. I want to add full bunk to 2nd bedroom for when we have my in-laws (party of 7 including us) but realize that might attract more partiers/larger groups because it seems limited sleeping quarters produced minimal wear and tear on the unit.

[songkrai]

I think some are confusing regular rentals and leases with short time seasonal rentals.

Most seasonal rentals are done by the week. And it is nearly impossible for the homeowner to advertise, screen, and schedule the rental season. So that is why there are rental agencies in the Lakes Region that just do rentals - and mostly seasonal rentals.

If this new home is going to be a seasonal rental. And if only Summer. That potentially means up to 16 different groups of people moving in and moving out. Some of that group of 16 may be wonderful quiet responsible people as some have mentioned above. But some of those potential renters may not be and that is where the problems arise. Yes, there are deposits, rules, mechanisms to remove those that might violate any rules that apply. But how much time does it take for word to get back that a renter is causing noise issues, damage issues, or too many people issues.

Note that some owners rent weekly and have no issues. And have been doing so for years. But others do have issues. And no matter how many written "rules" you put in place your new home could be destroyed in one week. It is one thing to rent a used home that shows some signs of wear and another to rent a new home with new expensive appliances, fixtures, doors, etc.

[DickR]

Back in the 70s, in a different spot on the lake, I was a short walk down the road from a place my sister and her husband owned. Their taking ownership occurred some time in the spring, and they had to rent it out for most of the summer to pay the mortgage and taxes. Due to their late start in marketing it as a rental, they got mainly single week rentals, folks not planning their vacations well in advance.

I agreed to walk down the road Saturday mornings to check the place after rentals left, to save my sister a long drive. There were a few who treated the place with respect, and a few who did not. He later took one party to court over damage done.

They since sold the place, but retain ownership of another they had. For a while that, too, was rented for much of the summer. He said that in his experience it is much better to rent out a place for a two-week minimum stay. His experience was that people who planned well in advance and had the money to afford two weeks at a whack tended to be much more likely responsible parties than the plan-late, go-and-party types. The multi-week rental parties also are more likely to be repeat renters. Some things may have changed over the last few decades, but human nature is still basically the same.

[garysanfran]

We have handled our lakefront rental ourselves for many years and have been 100% successfull. We always get a large security deposit. It creates a psychology of not wanting to damage anything because that deposit looms in one's mind. We feel that even if the damage were to exceed the deposit, the renter is still out a lot of money that they were expecting back.

Also get a good application and know who your renters are.

[cillovely]

OK I do understand about horror stories with renting, but I do take a slight offense to the theme that if your in your 50s or 60s, then you become a better renter. My family and I (in our 40's with a 3 year old boy) rented a place at lake Winni for the first time last summer. The owner emailed me after I left thanking me for leaving it so clean and just like it was when I arrived.

We have a place in Florida that gets rented out by "snowbirds" from January to March. Naturally most of these renters are over 50, the damage some of these people have done. Walls all marked up, things stolen, grill grease on the lanai floor. You should see what they put in the garbarge disposal! I know some of this damage comes from grandkids, but still.

So it's not always your age that determines the good renters, it's your morals. I treated the place like I would want my own treated.

I love a place with all the amenities of home. Dishwasher, washer/dryer, tv's wifi, dvd players. And parking is huge! We go up there to use our boat and if they have a parking spot for the trailer after the boat is in the water for a waterfront rental is a deal breaker for me. In your case, room for a boat and trailer at the end of the day.

Good luck!