Websites for Short Term Rental

[BIG-notorious]

We're looking to make a little income from a spare room, but we don't want to commit to anything long term so we're looking at shorter term, like 6 to 8 weeks at a time. Long enough to take advantage of the rent a room scheme but short enough that we're not permanently sharing our home with strangers.

Currently have it listed on HostingPower as a tester, but the online reviews make it look very scammy from the tenants perspective.

Can anyone suggest an alternate site for short term lets?

 

[Brendan Burgess]

A friend of mine uses Hosting Power and finds it good.

The system is a bit odd in that you don't get to meet the person until you commit which can be a problem if you get a bad tenant.

 

[messyleo]

Local facebook groups imo

Depending on what you're looking for, you could try contacting local third level institutions if there are any nearby and they could advertise it for you on their local online notice boards, email lists etc. You could also try contacting local hospitals but likely people will want a commitment for longer than 6-8 weeks for that kind of thing. You'd be talking an academic term or a 6 month hospital rotation.

 

[T McGibney]

like 6 to 8 weeks at a time. Long enough to take advantage of the rent a room scheme

Are you sure that will work? The Rent a Room tax exemption only works if the renter(s) occupy as a residence.

 

[ClubMan]

Are you sure that will work? The Rent a Room tax exemption only works if the renter(s) occupy as a residence.

Don't rental periods of 29 days or more qualify?

What conditions must be met?

This page oulines the criteria which are needed for the relief.

www.revenue.ie

Minimum continuous letting period​

From 1 January 2019, the relief does not apply to income arising from letting periods which do not exceed 28 consecutive days.

 

[TomEdison]

Are you sure that will work. The Rent a Room tax exemption only works if the renter is occupying as a residence.

I think the minimum letting period is 28 days (and there are some exceptions even to that) so a letting for 6 to 8 weeks isn't inherently too short.

The room you let has to be a room in a qualifying residence, and the letting has to be for residential purposes — the renter has to use the room as a home. But it doesn't have to be the renter's only or primary home. Revenue's own guidance says that, e.g. letting as a four-day-a-week digs for a period of at least four weeks would qualify (and that's an exception to the 28-day rule; it permits a letting for as few as 16 non-consecutive days).

What you want to avoid is anything that suggests the letting is for tourist purposes. So let the room to somone coming to do a six-week language course — fine: let it to someone who is uses it as a base for a six-week holiday in Ireland — you might have a problem.

 

[T McGibney]

short enough that we're not permanently sharing our home with strangers.

I'd be more worried about the underlying motive than any given minimum period specification that Revenue can retrospectively change at the drop of a hat.

A pattern of say 20 successive occupancies over a 2 year period looks a lot more like 20 transient rentals than 20 separate individuals successively using the place as a residence each for very short periods.

 

[TomEdison]

I'd be more worried about the underlying motive than any given minimum period specification that Revenue can retrospectively change at the drop of a hat.

The 28-day limit and the exceptions to it are set out in the primary legislation (Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 s. 216A(3C)) so

• Revenue can't change tje,; it's a matter for the Oireachtas
• It can't be changed at the drop of a hat; amending TCA 1997 is a bit of production, and won't happen without notice
• It is very, very unlikely to be amended retrospectively.

A pattern of say 20 successive occupancies over a 2 year period looks a lot more like 20 transient rentals than 20 separate individuals successively using the place as a residence esch for very short periods.

It does, I agree. And, yeah, they would be well-advised to document all their lettings in ways that will make a sceptical Revenue accept that these lettings are not remotely touristic.

But I don't think the OP is thinking of anything like 20 occupancies over two years. They want only short-term commitments (6-8 weeks) and I think the price of that is that they won't get back-to-back lettings; their market is people who are looking for accommodation in connection with a specific course; a specific term or semester; a specific secondment or project, etc. They'll have to let with start and end dates that suit the renters and their reasons for renting, which means there will be gaps between occupancies. Which, given that they don't want to be "permanently sharing our home with strangers", should suit them quite well. If they got four lettings a year I think they'd be doing quite well.

 

[T McGibney]

The 28-day limit and the exceptions to it are set out in the primary legislation (Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 s. 216A(3C))

I think you misread my earlier post. I specifically said that it's motive rather than occupancy period that is the key determinant here. And while the legislation does mention a 28-day limit, there is nothing to stop Revenue unilaterally qualifying that in a future Tax & Duty Manual update.

their market is people who are looking for accommodation in connection with a specific course; a specific term or semester; a specific secondment or project, etc

A 6 to 8 weeks letting or licence term is worthless to someone who needs accommodation for a specific term or semester.

And unless the property is in a location with very specific logistical advantages, I struggle to see how how a rent-a-room will be attractive to temporary occupiers on secondment or work projects, and in such cases unless the person is literally semi-permanently living out of a bag, the requirement that the place is the temporary occupier's PPR will be difficult to properly satisfy anyway.

 

[TomEdison]

I think you misread my earlier post. I specifically said that it's motive rather than occupancy period that is the key determinant here. And while the legislation does mention a 28-day limit, there is nothing to stop Revenue unilaterally qualifying that in a future Tax & Duty Manual update

The legislation allows a deduction for a 28-day letting (if the other conditions are satisfied). I don't think Revenue could rely on the Manual to justify refusing a deduction to which the taxpayer is entitled under the legislation, could they?

A 6 to 8 weeks letting or licence term is worthless to someone who needs accommodation for a specific term or semester.

I agree. I think the OP will have to be a bit flexible on this, and be open to letting for (still relatively short) periods that align to terms, semesters or other projects that renters need accommodation for.

And unless the property is in a location with very specific logistical advantages, I struggle to see how how a rent-a-room will be attractive to temporary occupiers on secondment or work projects, in which case the requirement that the place is the temporary occupier's PPR will be difficult to properly satisfy.

I take your point about the location — letting for terms or semesters is going to be a lot easier if you are adjacent to educational institutions; letting for secondments if you are convenient to workplaces to which people get seconded, etc.

But I don't think there is any PPR requirement. The legislation just requires that the renter used the room for the purposes of residential accommodation; it doesn't require that it should be the renter's principal residence. While Revenue see that as ruling out lettings for short term tourist accommodation, nothing in the TDM suggest that they think it means that the room must be the renter's PPR. It must be a room in a house which is the lessor's PPR, but the renter just has to use it for residential purposes.

 

[T McGibney]

But I don't think there is any PPR requirement. The legislation just requires that the renter used the room for the purposes of residential accommodation;

Correct. My bad.

I don't think Revenue could rely on the Manual to justify refusing a deduction to which the taxpayer is entitled under the legislation, could they?

If they contend the purpose of any particular stay to be other than occupation as a residence, they will observe that the 28-day minimum period is inapplicable in that case.

 

[TomEdison]

If they contend the purpose of any particular stay to be other than occupation as a residence, they will observe that the 28-day minimum period is inapplicable in that case.

Oh, sure. There are two separate requirements.

If the letting is for 28 consecutive days or longer, it must be for residential purposes, not for leisure or commercial purposes.

If the letting is for less than 28 consecutive days, then it must be for residential purposes and it must satisfy one of three other tests. These are:

• Tenant is an Irish resident and is incapacitated. (This exemption is to facilitate lettings for respite care for incapacitated individuals.)
• Tenant occupies the room for at least four consecutive days a week for at least four consecutive weeks. (Facilitates the provision of digs.)
• Tenant is a (full-time or part-time) student. (Facilitates student accommodation.)

 

[ClubMan]

I think the minimum letting period is 28 days

The 28-day limit

If the letting is for 28 consecutive days or longer

Isn't it 29 days or longer?

Subject to paragraph (c), subsection (2) shall not apply for a year of assessment to that part of the relevant sums arising to an individual in respect of the use by a person for the purposes of residential accommodation of a room or rooms in a qualifying residence where the person uses the room or rooms for a period which does not exceed 28 consecutive days.

 

[BIG-notorious]

The system is a bit odd in that you don't get to meet the person until you commit which can be a problem if you get a bad tenant.

Interacting with a person before they arrive doesn't guarantee they'll be a match unfortunately. The person who motivated me to post this thread just got the boot after a week— our desire for a little extra income isn't sufficient to convince us to allow someone unsuitable to remain in our home. It looks like this won't qualify for the rent a room scheme but does qualify for relief on my AVCs so we'll just be liable for PRSI and USC which I can live with.

I think the OP will have to be a bit flexible on this, and be open to letting for (still relatively short) periods that align to terms, semesters or other projects that renters need accommodation for.

They want only short-term commitments (6-8 weeks) and I think the price of that is that they won't get back-to-back lettings; their market is people who are looking for accommodation in connection with a specific course; a specific term or semester; a specific secondment or project, etc. They'll have to let with start and end dates that suit the renters and their reasons for renting, which means there will be gaps between occupancies. Which, given that they don't want to be "permanently sharing our home with strangers", should suit them quite well. If they got four lettings a year I think they'd be doing quite well.

I take your point about the location — letting for terms or semesters is going to be a lot easier if you are adjacent to educational institutions; letting for secondments if you are convenient to workplaces to which people get seconded, etc.

Again, to clarify: we're not looking to maximise income from the room, and back to back lettings are something we will actively avoid/reject. The money isn't actually needed, but every 6 week rental would shave a month or so off our mortgage repayment schedule without impacting our lifestyle which is quite comfortable (from our perspective at least; our 12 year old car probably makes many of our neighbours think we're paupers).

While Monday-Friday for 14 weeks or so could work quite well for us in theory, in practice a relative comes to stay with us for an extended period on a semi-regular basis, which is actually the primary purpose of having it as a spare room. While the distances mean we have lots of notice of when they're coming, we're not going to dictate when they can come, so it's very much the case that anyone staying with us will need to fit into their schedule rather than us fitting family visits around our side gig. If that means significantly lower (or even zero) income, then so be it.

 

[T McGibney]

this won't qualify for the rent a room scheme but does qualify for relief on my AVCs

Really?

 

[TomEdison]

Isn't it 29 days or longer?

Yes, it is. My mistake.