Short term casual vacation rentals in Maine.
Everyone wants to come to Maine for outdoor recreation fun. But how does the state of Maine revenue tax folks look at your AirBnB, Vrbo or Craigslist etc vacation rental income.? Toying with renting out your private Maine vacation property?
This blog post about owner rules and regulations renting out Maine vacation property.
Not using your Maine lake cottage or downhill ski chalet and thinking why not rent it out for a few weeks? Sure would help pay the property taxes, the cost of insurance, maintenance and mortgage payments right?
Allowing others to stay, rent your cottage in Maine?
Casual Maine vacation rentals, what’s involved tax wise ? As a property owner you are in this group if letting other Maine vacationers stay at your place for 15 days a year or less.
You need to register, pay into the Maine revenue service . It amounts to 9% of the combined listing rental price and the on top cleaning and any guest fees.
Short term vacation renters are under fifteen days, long stays rentals considered 28 a days a year or more.
The words “Maine” and “Vacationland” are interchangeable but the state only has a handful of cities, 450 small town communities or plantations.
The major tourist traps, er I mean venues have local requirements. The bulk of the state’s lesser known tapped into vacation hot spots do not. The rental lone arranger operator has to get a permit too for your AirBnB, Vrbo, Craiglist property listing.
So moving on to what other tips to share in whatever length vacation rental in Maine, here are some top considerations.
Like any vacation rental property, you need money in advance to assure payment for the stay and a security deposit to cover damages. Standard cleaning fees can be added on to the vacation stay charge.
Clear as a bell, spelled out conditions of the stay help misunderstanding or legal remedies from happening.
Check out time is noon on Saturday at the Maine vacation rental property for example.
Much like the way a cruise ship whisks you off the floating vacation experience with steady pressure and amazing efficiency, your little one, two or more bedroom private hotel needs a procedure.
Check in time is 4PM in large bold print in several places avoids the needless calls asking when it is over and over. Also avoids chance of guests arriving and interfering with other happy camper stays or the housekeeping staff doing their tasks.
It’s like after last call and the bright lights come on and someone says “We don’t care where you go but you can’t stay here no more no more no more”. You the property rental owner want a good review to help attract more happy campers. Their friends on social media see and reach out because of what they like shared around the channels everyone haunts.
Maine is a returnable bottle state but where does the property owner want those containers put? Bins for bottles and cans can generate funding raising help for a local Maine small town cause. Where do you want the vacationer to stash their beer suitcases, wine or pizza boxes?
Renting out your property for someone’s vacation use? Makes you nervous?
What to do for fun on vacation in Maine?
As a local insider who knows your way around the lay of the land “inn keeper”, put the suggestions in a loose leave binder. Have the tourist information brochures in a rack, local eatery lists with their menus.
Farmer’s markets, musical events, museums, rec trails to hike and bike, public landing waterways to access.
The what to expect for costs to activities all part of the neighborly hospitality.
Make your short term rental property user feel like they are getting more than just lodging accommodations and all the fringe benefits. Where the locals go for this and that.
The best family day trips, go here for fishing and hunting spots, pizza, burgers, steaks, seafood, dairy and pub style bar lubrications and panoramic photo moments.
For a family with kids, cottages for rent near amusement parks, go carts, carnival rides could be attractive.
But for an older couple, you want the total opposite. Who is the target audience for renting your vacation property in Maine?
Invite your lodging guests to local venues they might not be aware of that locals enjoy. Check out the three golf courses or ski areas here on the map. Help yourself to the corn hole and board games. Try your hand tossing iron trying to get ringers down at the horseshoe pits.
Personal recommendations and tourist information goes a long ways in helping your vacationer or extended stay resident feel right at home.
There’s a rope swing on this lake the kids will like.
Use the kayaks and canoe down at the shore, the gas grill on the open deck. Everyone coming to Maine wants to see a moose. Hear a lake loon or two. Where are the best odds for that near your Maine rental property location?
What a great picnic locations to enjoy the natural beauty of Maine while you munch on a chicken salad sandwich or crunch cucumbers, an hand picked wild apple or raspberries, blueberries, field strawberries? Know of any local community potluck suppers tonight?
Many in the Maine tourist crowd want lobster and fresh Maine seafood.
A slice of wild Maine blueberry pie or fresh picked dish of strawberries or raspberries.
The video and media displays to share on social media promotion for your “home away from home” must have digital links.
Maps to help your short term property user get out, about, there and back with ease erases worry or confusion. To anything and everything about what to do for fun on vacation up in Maine. To this particular corner of Maine.
Post the snowmobile and four wheeler ATV maps on the wall with the circled “you are here” X marks the spot.
Three reasons for the give your guests fun tip suggestions in the area around the Maine vacation property rental.
One, you are an ambassador to your state of Maine, county and local community. You are proud of your piece of ME and don’t hesitate to toot the horn on what the vacation day trip options are.
The local history of your part of Maine. Share it and help promote the pride and excitement. Immerse your traveler into everything local. You don’t get the spirit of the area staying a few days at a franchise motel by an interstate truck stop.
Make the overnight, multi day experience better for your guest vacation up in Maine.
Two, while your rental vacation guests are out of the property or out on the waterfront it might be parked next to, less wear and tear happens. The neat thing about rental properties is the folks who pay for their week of heaven up in Maine are moving around sampling it.
Help them know what there are for entertainment or dining options to enhance their stay at your Maine rental property.
In small rural Maine vacation destinations, not everything appears on a glossing four color tri fold tourist brochure.
The social media splash for things to do for fun in small Maine towns is what is shared online for reviews.
The images and videos tourist in Maine on vacation post get a lot of eye ball and ear drum impressions on the social media grapevines.
Help feed those channels. Local merchants, non profit museums and clubs will thanks you for the media exposure too.
Every local Mainer tries to protect their community and regional economy. Each vacation tourist dollar in Maine turns over six to seven times and helps all of the locals living here in Vacationland year round.
The third reason to share the fun around your neat Maine vacation rental is for repeat visits. The online reviews, photos, video clips. The same people rent the same week at the same vacation property. Why?
Whoever stays at your place leaves wonderful reviews or never returns for one or many reasons. They had fun thanks to your neat, clean, affordable accommodations. And your helpful showing them around to assure they have a memory making experience worth repeating.
Your board games, photo albums, maps, lists of locals to call for goods and services are valuable to your out of town or state or country house guests.
Or if no advance information or help to know what to do after they arrive on vacation is provided, the property renter’s expectations were not met. No one wants a lousy review about an AirBnB or Vrbo property in an area you are proud of right?
It’s the little things in your hired out personal lodging to make some extra money and provide additional area Maine rental income housing.
Get your Maine vacation renter up to speed, feeling like they know a thing or two about your area. The more they feel like they right at home and things are familiar, more higher quality relaxation happens. Hey look, a bottle of Frank’s hot sauce. Don’t have to buy salt, pepper and there’s a Keurig coffee machine.
Blueberries For Sal, Don Fendler’s Lost On Mt Kathadin, local Maine eye candy photography surf and turf books.
Splay them around the wire spool coffee table just so. Your wall art, magazines, loose leaf binders with how to have a super vacation in Maine.
How you decorate the simple or ooh la la vacation rental property in Maine considers someone brand new. Not as familiar with where everything is located around your local Maine community. Create the experience so they never forget what it was like up in Maine.
Give them something Maine four season outdoors or inspirational to remember their vacation.
Self help books and exercise healthier living in Maine equipment make your guest feel you do genuinely give a hoot about them. That they can help yourself because you trusted them with the key to a property you are proud to share.
Maine. Fresh air, clean water, no crowds, one of a kind all natural.
The vacation property can be an ideal extended stay, something besides a small same old local motel rental option when no vacancy happens.
You look out for the safety of your causal rental vacationers and to protect your insurance agent from claims. New properties after 2009 and multi unit rentals in Maine need hardwired CO2/Smoke fire detectors.
Make sure your insurance policy covers vacation rentals and what inspections need in place to comply with the coverage rules, regulations, regulations. Safety first and last. Deck railing strong enough to protect your camper from leaning back and ending out in the pucker brush beside your lake property?
A visit to the local ER is not the recreational fun your Maine lodging guest signed up for right?
Have gas grills, kayaks, a couple bikes, binoculars or outdoor recreation tools and toys help your vacation renter enjoy added conveniences. And not need to pack a lot of extra bulky stuff on top of the Pinto or piled high on the trailer hitch tray on their old school International Scout.
Lastly, how many occupants in what you let the World consider renting for Maine vacations or extended stays? You don’t want three families horsing around and the added stress on your septic system. And using the place like Animal House community center.
I list, sell, manage and own waterfront properties and a rural farm rentals in Maine. The repeat, already know what you have property renters are trained and start to feel like your place is their own. It is or should feel like that if you go above and beyond to partner up to assure your property user you care about them.
The cottage, camp, timeshare vacation property renter appreciates the red carpet VIP local welcome to my hometown treatment.
The place to rent in Maine has to be clean, tidy and maybe run to a higher standard of housekeeping than where you call your real home.
If one burner only works on your cook stove. When the refrigerator spoils food due to can’t keep the temperature cool. Substandard conditions with real and personal property at your vacation property rental means bad reviews, no returns from the same lodging guests.
Same rules apply to rental properties in Maine that long term owners face.
Like an apartment house, what tenant are you after? One that trashes the place or treats it with pride and respect?
Do the neighboring owners thank or dislike you for all these crazy partying tenants?
More than the square footage or septic system was designed for chasing the almighty dollar? Was there value for the monetary exchange? What price point are you going after in your vacation property rental market? Does the place measure up as a value or someone feels short changed?
Wouldn’t you want to return and spread the word back home about where you spend your Maine vacations if you have a great time?
Does the leave a comment or list some of your experiences on vacation book on the kitchen table show everyone had fun?
All people vacation differently due to interest, mobility, budget. Just sunrises, sunsets, a camp fire with a circle of lawn chairs. Gazing out over the wooded mountainside, rolling farm fields, the sparkling waterfront.
Paddling or swimming on a Maine lake or pond is enough for some.
Others want to know is there a casino, head to the water hole bars. Can you tell me Mister Host or Hostess is there an outdoor movie theatre, places with pulled pork and fish tacos or boiled lobster, maybe steamed clams, mussels or oysters.
Always what are we going to do for fun today depends on the weather forecast.
Your current guests in turn return the favor for the next ones. Everyone uses your what to do for fun in Maine vacation suggestions. And who knows, if they like it that much, let’s look over the vacation property listings and buy our own.
Who would you use for that search, comparison shopping to purchase a Maine real estate vacation property to enjoy and maybe rent out carefully?
Hope these blog tips on short term casual vacation rentals in Maine provided something you can use.
You probably have booked, stayed and enjoyed a few AirBnB or Vrbo rental properties to write down the list.
What did you like that your lodging guest would too? Questions? Thinking of investing in a vacation property in Maine of your own? To use a little until you retire but enjoy rental income to pay it off? Hardworking Maine real estate vacation properties from simple cabins to way way more plus everything in between.
Reach out, here to help find vacation rentals in Maine to lease out or even buy!
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Real Estate Broker
207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |
MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA