Belong is building a residential network that connects people who own homes with people who want a place to belong. Here's what we achieved together in 2024.

2023 In Review: Giving More People A Place To Belong

Belong is building a network; connecting people who own much-loved homes with people who want a place to belong. Working together, we can put people first and change what it means to rent a home — creating lasting, positive impact on innumerable lives for decades to come. 

Redefining an entire industry is not a journey that can be made alone. It ‘takes a village’ of homeowners, residents, investors and team members. It takes innovative new services, industry recognition and support to spread the word. 

So before we take on 2024, we want to say thank you to our supporters. To our staff, to our community of homeowners and residents, to our financial backers, and to people who have talked or written about us so that we can grow. We invite you to join us in reflecting on four milestones and achievements of 2023 — we couldn’t have done it without you. 

1. We welcomed new neighbors in 15 cities

2023 was an incredible year for expanding our world-first residential network, with Belong PRO services launching in 15 new regions across the country. We’ve expanded our capacity in Florida and Washington and added Texas, Utah and North Carolina — with many more to come! 

We’ve received such a warm welcome and want to say a huge thank you to everyone who believes in our vision. You’re helping us to create authentic belonging experiences and change what it means to rent a home in: 

Our homeowners and residents love having 24/7 access to help and support. So much so that we decided to give our customer support services an upgrade, adding new teams of dedicated specialists in November 2023.  

Now when you contact us, in addition to support from a dedicated account manager, you’ll get direct and fast access to the team with the best knowledge and skills to answer your questions. We have dedicated teams with expertise in everything from Resident Placement and Leasing, Maintenance and Home Repairs to Taxes and HOA Management. 

Read More: Easier, Better, Faster, Stronger: Our Customer Support Service is Growing!

3. We now offer insurance to protect rented homes

Did you know that homeowners insurance is only available to owner-occupied homes and becomes void when you rent out the home? When you own a rental, be that long-term rental or a short-term vacation rental — you need a specific insurance policy to protect your asset. If you don't, you could have a claim denied and be liable for expensive repairs and legal fees.

Belong has addressed this by offering dedicated rental home insurance with the option to make flexible payments and spread the cost over your lease agreement. 

Read more: What Type of Insurance Should I Get For My Rental Property?

4. We outranked all property managers in San Francisco 

Belong is here to make waves and our new approach to renting is getting noticed. In 2023, SFist.com ranked Belong #1 of 11 Best Featured Property Managers in San Francisco. 

And when it comes to research, Expertise.com doesn’t muck around. They vet more than 60,000 businesses every month to find the best of the best. Belong sits on their 2023 list of Best Property Management Companies in San Francisco, giving Belong a glowing 5 stars for professionalism. 

Read More: The Best Property Manager in San Francisco According to SFist and Expertise.com

2024 is going to be even bigger and brighter with plenty of more people-led, industry-disrupting services coming to Belong homeowners and residents. Thank you to everyone who is joining us on this incredible journey to changing the world of home management and renting forever. 

For anyone not yet on our network, you can find out if your home is eligible for Belong here, or become a Belong resident by searching for available homes.

Landlords have legal responsibilities to their tenants but can also be held liable for not taking measures to limit criminal activity, nuisance and even noise!

Can Landlords Be Held Responsible For Criminal Activities On Their Properties?

Landlords have a duty to provide a safe and habitable home for their tenants — which includes minimizing the risk of crime taking place on their property. Even if a criminal act is committed by a stranger, there are ways that you can be responsible as a landlord when it takes place in the home you own. 

Before you panic, this isn't to say that a landlord will be held responsible for any and all criminal activity that takes place in their rented home. But if you fail to take reasonable safety measures to prevent criminal acts, you could be liable. 

To understand what homeowners can do to reduce their risk, Belong provides answers to four commonly asked questions on criminal activity in rental homes.  

What are a landlord's duties to prevent crime?

Landlords in the U.S. have a legal duty to provide a safe and habitable living environment for their tenants. While preventing crime is not your sole responsibility as the homeowner, you are obligated to take reasonable preventative measures to keep your home secure and limit opportunistic criminal activity where possible. 

Specific laws vary by state and city, as well as the type of housing (i.e. single-family home vs apartment block). Here are some examples of what you may need to do as a landlord to secure your rental home for tenants:

Ensure that all locks, including deadbolts and security gates, are installed and functioning to reduce the risk of break-ins.

Repair any broken windows, doors, or other entry points that could provide unauthorized access to the property.

Provide a lockable mailbox to protect against mail fraud and identity theft. 

Provide good lighting in and around the property, especially in common areas such as hallways, staircases, and parking lots.

Conduct background checks on potential tenants to assess if anyone may pose a threat to your home or others.

Change the locks after evicting a nuisance or violent tenant.

Develop a security plan to respond to threats and install security measures as needed. 

The residents in your home also have a responsibility to maintain their own safety and security, such as using the lockable doors as intended. If a resident raises a safety concern to you, this should be addressed seriously as failure to take action could be seen as negligent — such as not fixing a broken window, resulting in a home robbery.

Depending on what you choose, adding security features to your rental costs an average of $300 - $840 plus any optional subscription fees.

Can a landlord get in trouble for their tenants' behavior?

Yes. Unfortunately there are liabilities that a homeowner can face if their tenants are knowingly creating a nuisance or engaging in criminal activity.  

For example, if you become aware that a tenant is engaging in drug-related activity in your rental home and you don't take any action to stop it (such as warning and/or eviction), you may face liability for any harm that results from that activity. 

If you fail to run background checks when screening tenants and rent your home to someone with a history of criminal and violent behavior, you could be held liable if that person harms another on the property. 

These are more extreme examples of tenant behavior. It could even be that you have received a complaint from a neighboring home of damage that is occurring. Not all neighbor complaints will be severe or give you a reason to evict. In these scenarios, it's important that you (or your property manager or representative) investigate the complaint to determine what happened. It could be a simple misunderstanding or accident. But if lease violations have occurred, you will need to provide written notice and you may need to take steps to evict the tenant to prevent being liable for any further damage to neighboring homes. 

Are landlords responsible for noise complaints?

Yes, annoying as this is, it's true. Landlords can actually find themselves responsible for noise complaints both from and against their tenants if it's affecting your rental property. 

Residents in your home have a right to "quiet enjoyment" of the home, so they can complain to you about noises and you need to take action with neighbors or the police. Failure to do so could result in a lease violation and give them cause to move out without penalty. 

If you are receiving complaints about noisy residents, you will need to get in touch with them to discuss the matter. Keep accurate records of the complaints and frequency and issue a written notice to the tenants if needed. If you have to notify your tenant of noise complaints on three or more separate occasions, you could have grounds for eviction for violating your lease agreement. If you refuse to take action against noisy tenants, you yourself could be penalized. 

Most cities have noise regulations around "quiet time" in residential areas during certain times of the night. For example, in San Diego noise must be limited between the hours of 10 pm and 7 am in residential zones. In Seattle (King County), there's a decibel limit of 10 decibels or less for noise between 10 pm and 7 am on weekdays and 10 pm and 9 am on weekends in rural and residential areas. This could be anything from noisy parties to animals or construction work on a home renovation. 

Landlords who choose to self-manage a rental home will need to deal directly with noise complaints and tenant concerns.

What are ways to minimize criminal activity and protect yourself as a landlord?

Now that we've covered the uncomfortable news of liabilities, what can you do to protect yourself? Here are seven tips that could reduce your risk and liability as a landlord. 

Your homeowner's insurance policy stops covering your home the moment it's rented by someone else. To protect your property and have effective liability coverage for tenant behavior, you need to take out a dedicated landlord's insurance policy. Additionally, it is a good practice to ask residents to have renter's insurance, in order to give everyone peace of mind. 

To avoid getting caught out by "reasonable safety measures", it's wise to do a security review of your home before putting it on the rental market. That means checking that deadbolts are working, windows lock correctly and there are no signs of damage that could be exploited. If the crime rates are high in the local area, you may want to consider other measures to protect your residents such as sensor flood lights or even a simple doorbell camera.

Whether you're taking a DIY approach to screening residents or are outsourcing the job to a property management company, enquire about the screening process and guarantees that are in place to protect your home and interests as a landlord. 

Include a zero-tolerance policy in your lease agreement toward drug use, criminal activity and violence

To limit your liability, have clear clauses in your lease agreement that outline grounds for immediate termination and eviction, such as drug use, criminal activity, and violent behavior. You can't refuse to rent to a tenant with a history of drug use, but you can prohibit drug use from happening on your property in your lease agreement, giving you the option to end the agreement for drug use, manufacturing, or sales. 

Address safety concerns and complaints without delay

The law states that you must take "reasonable measures" to protect your home and tenants. So while you aren't required to hire a team of security guards to patrol your home 24/7 (this would be unreasonable!), you do have to take action if it's deemed reasonable. 

If a resident lets you know that the deadbolt is jammed, send out a locksmith. 

If you remove a violent tenant from your home, change the locks before reletting to someone else. This should also apply if a domestic violence order is taken out against a partner and they move out, to protect the remaining resident. 

Getting noise complaints about your tenants? Notify them to reduce your risk of liability. Most states will give you grounds to evict after three or more written notices for noise violations, giving you the option to take action against anyone using your rental home as a party venue. 

Landlords hire a range of professionals to care for their homes — tradespeople, property managers, gardening contractors. They all have access to your home. Especially in this instance of property managers who hold keys to your rental home and a glut of data on your residents, there is a risk of hiring someone with the potential to harass or harm your tenants. Check the reputation of anyone you hire for your rental home and take any tenant complaints seriously. It's a good idea to check that your insurance also covers you for illegal acts of employees. 

This story was produced by Belong and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.

Protect Your Rental Home and Financial Security

Is there still a moratorium on evictions in 2024? It varies by city and county. Get a rundown on rent moratorium rules that are having eviction hardship extension or expiring in 2024.

2024 Rent Moratoriums & Extensions: Eviction Laws Landlords Should Be Aware Of

COVID-19 caused financial hardship for a lot of Americans. This put a huge number of renters at risk of losing their shelter during the public health crisis, so laws were introduced to stop it. Known as rent moratoriums or eviction moratoriums, these measures have prevented landlords from evicting tenants for not paying rent if financial hardship is linked to the public health crisis.  

The federal eviction moratorium ended back in 2021. But many states, counties and cities created eviction hardship extensions at a local level and introduced new protections for renters.

In California especially, there are now many overlapping rules at play. This can make it difficult for landlords to know their rights when a tenant stops paying rent. This article will go over how rent moratoriums work, as well as which cities and counties still have measures in place across California, Washington state and Florida. 

Are there still rent or eviction moratoriums in California?

In 2023, eviction hardship extensions were in place in Alameda County, City of Berkeley, LA County, City of Oakland, and San Francisco. This caused great confusion to many landlords, particularly in areas where county measures expired, while local city ordinances remained in place. One such example is San Leandro. Although Alameda Country orders ended, San Leandro’s Eviction Moratorium was initially extended until February 28, 2024. This would have made it one of the longest in the country, but a call was made to end it six-months early, expiring in July 2023. 

Rent Increase Moratoriums in place in California in 2024

A Rent Increase Moratorium remains in place until July 1, 2024. Under Oakland's Rent Increase Moratorium, annual rent increases are capped at the CPI or 3% (whichever is lower), with no pass-throughs (petition approved rent increases, such as for capital improvements) or banking. After June 30, 2024, homeowners will be able to collect on any approved increase as well as banked increases (within the Ordinance and state law restrictions).

For evictions based on nonpayment of rent accrued during March 2020 - July 2023, tenants can’t be evicted if the unpaid rent was due to documented hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. You also can't evict someone for owing less than one month of HUD fair market rent. 


For any lease violations, landlords must show that the breach is based on a reasonable term that the tenant accepted in writing. 

Annual rent increases for rental units subject to the City of Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) are prohibited before January 31, 2024. Between February 1 - June 30, 2024, a 4% rent increase has been approved. An additional 1% for gas and 1% for electric service can be added if the landlord provides the service to the tenant. State law requires landlords to provide an advance 30-day written notice for rent increases of less than 10%. 

For tenants who rent a Single Family Dwelling, they may be eligible for relocation assistance if they receive a rent increase of more than 10% within 12 months and are unable to afford the new amount. Details and amounts are outlined here. 

Laws in California are changing: From new rules on security deposits and evictions to tenant screening, find out 5 major changes that Californian landlords need to be aware of in 2024. 

Is there still a moratorium on evictions in Washington state?

The state of Washington no longer has a state-wide eviction moratorium for COVID relief, however Seattle has additional protections in place for renters. This includes limitations on evictions of teachers, school employees and families with children during the school year (September - June). Check the Renting in Seattle site for further information.

Is there still a moratorium on evictions in Florida?

No, there is no local moratorium on evictions in place in Florida. You can stay up to date on housing legislation, programs and rent limits at Florida Housing Finance Corporation.

Can you evict a tenant after the eviction moratorium expires?

Eviction moratoriums only created a pause on evictions for certain causes such as financial hardship. If you have a resident who is still in arrears once the ban has ended, you are within legal rights to evict them. Other valid reasons also still apply, such as violations of lease terms and conducting criminal activity on your property. 

In this instance, you will need to gain legal advice or speak to your property manager to find out what your costs and protections are. Many property management companies offer “eviction protection”, yet if you read the fine print, they often amount to coverage of around $500 in legal fees. Many property managers also charge fees for oversight of any legal proceedings such as documentation, filing and court appearances.

If you place your home on Belong instead of a property management company, you can rest easy knowing that we will place a top-quality resident that we trust to care for your home. In the worst case scenario, if a resident that Belong placed did stop paying their rent or violated their lease agreement, we will support homeowners by covering legal costs up to $15,000. This doesn’t apply to tenants placed by you or a property management company unless we have also qualified the tenants.

How landlords can protect cash-flow with guaranteed rent

The pandemic didn’t just affect renters. Not all landlords are wealthy investors or corporations, with many individual homeowners facing their own financial hardships when rent goes unpaid. 

To protect from the unknown or periods of nonpayment, landlords need to secure their cash flow. Belong has two unique solutions to help homeowners stay cash-flow positive:

Belong homeowners automatically receive guaranteed rent, ensuring all income is received on time — even if residents fall behind. Learn more about guaranteed rent here. 

If household costs from your rental sneak up on you, Belong can take the pressure off finding extra cash in your budget. From maintenance to insurance costs, Belong’s Split It financing option lets you spread the cost over the term of your lease agreement. You still get paid guaranteed rent, minus the cost of the repayment, keeping you on track. Learn more about Belong’s flexible payment solutions here. 

Belong guarantees rent and offers eviction assistance 

Instead of worrying about changing regulations and nonpayment of rent, let Belong take care of everything. Belong PRO homeowners, earn guaranteed rent, with rent paid every month, even when residents fall behind. And in the unlikely case that a resident that we’ve chosen needs to be evicted, we’ll even offer $15,000 in eviction protection costs.

Disclaimer: We don’t enjoy using words like ‘landlord’ and ‘tenants’. We refer to members in our network as homeowners and residents, since we’re on a mission to upend and redefine the traditional landlord-tenant relationship. That said, this article requires the use of these terms for clarity on legislation and eviction protections, so they will be used interchangeably.  This article provides a guide for homeowners, but should not replace legal advice. Every eviction case is unique, so a lawyer can help remedy your exact situation

Secure Guaranteed Rent, No Matter What

10 ways to pay for a home renovation and the pros and cons for each

How to Finance Home Renovations and Improvements

When deciding how to finance home renovations — is it better to pay in cash or look at finance? Before you choose, it’s worth considering whether the renovations will increase the value of your property. Whether it’s the resale value or to get a higher rental income price, doing your homework in the local neighborhood and speaking to real estate professionals and contractors (such as Belong), can help to determine your projected return on investment. 

Once you’ve crunched those numbers, you can use them to determine the best way to fund the renovation. For example, if house prices are rising in your neighborhood, you may have received a nice boost in your home equity, which can be used as a source of funds to finance an improvement before selling the home. 

If you own a rental property, it might make sense to use your rental income to help finance your repayments on upgrades that will help increase the value of your home long-term. 

If your home has a livability issue that needs repairing, it could be a good idea to look at finance options that you can access immediately, so that small problems don’t turn into bigger, more costly ones. 

Once you’ve considered your budget and return on investment, here are 9 finance options that can cover the costs of a home renovation. 

9 ways to finance home renovations — and their pros and cons

Using cash makes sense for smaller projects or renovations that sit well below your cash reserves. If you have just enough to cover the budget, this option carries higher risk as you may run out of money to fund unexpected expenses or leave yourself with no safety net for other emergencies unrelated to your renovation.

Here are is a quick comparison of the pros and cons of paying for a home renovation project in cash: 

The least expensive option, with no interest charged

No applications, fees, or repayment terms to manage

Easy to determine a budget within your means

Depending on your savings, it might not be feasible for large projects

You need to have enough cash reserves to fund contingencies and unexpected budget blow-outs

It ties up a large amount of cash that you may need to access in an emergency

2. Borrowing money from friends or family

The “Bank of Mom and Dad” can always be a tempting option for homeowners with parents who have the capital or cash to lend. As this would involve paying in cash, it’s another ‘cheap’ option in terms of not paying interest —but borrowing money from loved ones can be costly in other ways! 

Here are is a quick comparison of the pros and cons of paying for a home renovation project by borrowing cash: 

Like cash, there is no interest or application fees involved

Your family may want to help you build capital once they have paid off their own home

Borrowing money could place a strain on your relationship if you can’t make regular payments or take too long to pay off the loan

It ties up a large amount of cash that doesn’t belong to you, which may leave the lender in a tough spot in an emergency

If you have owned your home for a while, you will have built up equity in the property that you can borrow against. This could be accessed as either a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOCs), or taking out a Home Equity Loan. Typically you will need to have paid off at least 15-20% of your home to qualify. This option makes sense if you have built considerable equity in your home and aren’t sure of what the renovation costs are going to be — or want to keep your savings on hand. 

Here are is a quick comparison of the pros and cons of paying for a home renovation project by using the equity in your home: 

For HELOCs there is no need to apply for a separate loan, you can redraw the funds as needed and tap into as little or as much as you need

You may be eligible to claim a tax deduction, particularly if you are funding necessary repairs on a rental home — or making capital improvements than can be depreciated

Interest rates are lower than a personal loan or credit card

A Home Equity Loan will require an application and can have a higher interest rate than HELOC

Interest rates are variable and could impact your budget as they rise

Adds time on your mortgage to draw down in the equity in your home

The amount will affect the debt-to-income ratio on your credit rating, even if you don’t spend the whole amount

Your home needs to be collateral and repayments will be due on top of your mortgage

A cash-out refinance allows you to refinance your mortgage for a higher amount and use the extra cash to finance your home renovation and remodel projects. If you've locked in a record-low rate this might not be the best option. But if you have a variable loan or a less-than-favorable rate, it could work for your financial situation. 

Here are is a quick comparison of the pros and cons of paying for a home renovation project with cash-out refinance: 

It could be a good time to refinance your mortgage and negotiate a better deal on your repayments

As it makes up part of your mortgage, you only have the one repayment amount to make

You could be resetting the clock on your mortgage time, so think long-term and make sure you’re not still going to be making repayments well into retirement

You need to reapply for a mortgage, which can be complicated and time consuming, especially if your circumstances have changed recently

You will be making interest payments on the amount for the full life of your mortgage, which is considerably longer than standard financing 

When it comes to home renovations is it better to pay in cash or look at finance? Here are 10 ways to pay for a home renovation and the pros and cons for each.

Short-term rental vs long-term rental - which is a better investment? Compare the differences to decide if owning a short-term rental is the right fit for you.

Is Owning a Short-Term Rental Property Really More Lucrative? How To Decide

Are short-term rental properties a good investment? It depends on a lot of factors, so before deciding if owning a short-term rental is right for your situation, you need to consider the real cost — including time, effort and money. You should also compare and consider whether you may be better off with a long-term rental that offers stable income, tax benefits, and less wear-and-tear on your home.  

With a higher per-night rate short-term rental properties can be a profitable investment, but finances are likely to vary significantly. Especially in this macro environment, where scores of short-term property owners are reporting increased vacancy rates. Additionally, the payday that can come from a popular vacation rental becomes a lot less attractive when you factor in the number of hours you’ll spend working as a frontline customer service agent for your own property. 

Owning a short-term rental might be best for you if you intend to use the property for part of the year, or if you’re looking for a higher risk and reward opportunity. In the right location, short-term rentals can be very lucrative, but becoming a ‘host’ rather than a ‘landlord’ comes with considerable challenges — including the ethical implications of removing housing options from those who are currently priced out of homeownership. 

A Bloomberg report revealed that AirBnb spends millions of dollars annually to make “nightmares” go away for guests and hosts alike. Meanwhile, local governments are fighting back against short-term rentals, which reduce the amount of available housing for full-time residents and raise rent and home prices for everyone. 

Owning a long-term rental might be better for you if you want to earn passive income, take advantage of tax strategies, and prefer a long-term investment vehicle that requires less of your time and energy. If you don’t plan to sell a property immediately, long-term rentals can offer a good return on your investment.

To help weigh up your options, in this article we dive a bit deeper into short-term rentals and what’s really involved in using your home for this purpose. 

What is a short-term rental property investment? 

A short-term rental is a residential home or investment property you rent daily, weekly, or monthly. Also known as a vacation rental, short-term rentals are typically listed on shared economy sites like VRBO, HomeAway, and Airbnb. This is a great option for people who live in their home while renting out a room, or for people who use their home for part of the year — renting the entire house for vacationers when they’re away. 

This differs from a long-term rental property, which is rented to a single person/couple/family for a fixed-term on a lease agreement. This is ideal for investment properties, with homeowners benefiting from the stability of having the same residents for 12-months or more. A long-term rental is also significantly less work than managing a short-term rental — helping to achieve truly passive income if managed well. 

Is it legal to use an investment property for short-term vacation rental?

Before deciding what to do with your investment property, it’s important to note that some cities either restrict or ban short-term rentals for investment homes. Residential homes that are shared are great for vacation rentals, but every investment home used for this purpose makes one less home available to local residents looking for somewhere to live. Many states and counties are intervening and introducing short-term rental ordinances and licensing fees to restrict the number of investment homes used as short-term rentals. You will need to apply for and pay for a permit to operate a short-term rental property in most states in the US. 

In California, for example, there is a new Short-Term Rental Ordinance (STRO) in San Diego that caps the total number of short-term rental properties to 1% of the city’s total housing. In Los Angeles, it’s illegal to put an investment property on the short-term market, with licenses only granted to homeowners who live in the property for at least six months of the year. 

Are short-term rental properties a good investment? 

Whether a short-term rental property is a good investment will depend largely on your financial situation, your ability to invest the time and money into managing the high turnover of guests in the property, and the location of the home. There’s also the ethical consideration of removing a home from the rental market when homeownership is out of reach for a growing cohort of Americans. 

As with any real estate investment, carefully calculate your expenses and potential cash flow. You will also need to evaluate each property to determine if it is suitable for a short-term rental. 

There are unique costs associated with short-term rental investments. Outside of the initial investment of acquiring the home, ongoing short-term rental expenses include:

Listing, marketing, and administrative costs 

Cleaning and preparing the home for every guest

Laundering all bed linen and towels for every guest

More regular maintenance to the property and furnishings

Landscape maintenance if you have a yard or garden beds

Utilities such as electricity, gas and water

Transient Occupancy Taxes and state licensing fees where applicable

Regular supplies and stock of essential items like toilet paper, soaps, shampoos and basic kitchen ingredients

There’s also the time and energy cost. As a host, you will be responsible for customer service associated with your short-term rental. Customer service responsibilities will require you to communicate with potential and current guests promptly and professionally. You will also need to respond to questions or emergencies whenever they arise. You should expect much of this communication to occur in the evenings and on weekends. 

Managing a short-term rental investment property often includes additional responsibilities, some of which you must complete more frequently.  Administrative tasks will include, but are not limited to:

Maintain and update the short-term rental listings on sites like VRBO, HomeAway, and Airbnb

Market the property, arrange for photography, request guest reviews  



Manage bookings and update availability across platforms 



Record keeping tasks which will include finances, bills, taxes, payroll, or vendor management 

Arrange for cleaning and maintenance between every guest

If you can identify and hire the right professionals, you may delegate some of these tasks to others. Engaging a team of professionals will allow you to focus more of your time on managing those partners and solving problems as they arise. It might be worth checking out what other Airbnb hosts are saying about their experience before opening your home as a vacation rental. 

How owning a short-term rental differs from owning a long-term rental property 

Owning a short-term vacation rental can differ significantly from investing in long-term real estate properties for lease on the rental market. Carefully compare the two to decide which type of real estate investment property is best for you. 

With work and dedication, short-term rental investments can be very lucrative. Many short-term rental owners report significant earnings, even if their property is not leased for the entire year. Achieving success requires careful planning and calculations because your property will not have long-term tenants — and your ongoing costs and maintenance will be higher. The cash flow and incomes from a short-term rental property are highly variable, making it more difficult to budget and plan expenses. 

In contrast, long-term rental properties have fewer operating costs and long-term tenants. While a long-term rental may not be able to command the same nightly rate as a short-term rental, finances will be more stable and easier to predict. If your home is with Belong, you can even receive guaranteed rent and manage your cash-flow with financing options for any expenses including maintenance. 

Tax implications and strategies for real estate investments 

Are short-term rental properties a good investment? Short-term rental vs long-term rental, compare the differences to decide the right fit for you.

Is Owning a Short-Term Rental Property Really More Lucrative?

Get Guaranteed Rent For Your Long-Term Rental

Should you rent out or sell your home? Get advice from a CPA, asset manager, and realtors to help you understand the pros and cons of this important decision.

Renting vs. Selling 101: The Homeowner’s Guide

Choosing whether to rent out or sell your home is an important decision with lasting impacts on your wealth. This eBook includes advice from a CPA, asset manager, and realtors to help you understand the pros and cons of all your options.

Financial decisions can be intimidating in the best of circumstances, but they are especially so when it comes to real estate. Whether you’re actively trying to grow your investment portfolio, moving out of your first home and sad to leave it behind, or have inherited a property — deciding the best path forward may seem daunting.

That’s why we’ve interviewed some of the brightest and most experienced real estate and financial planning experts to bring you this no-nonsense, easy-to-understand and quick-to-read guide to renting vs selling your home.

You can access a copy of “Renting vs. Selling 101: The Homeowner’s Guide” anytime at this link. Read it online, print it, or share it as you like. Inside, you’ll find practical advice and a list of questions to consider to help you better understand your options.

We cover the “must-knows” of several topic areas in this guide, including: 

Why you should consider both options before taking action

A rent vs. sell cheat sheet with specific pros and cons to consider

Detailed benefits and drawbacks of renting your property

Specific benefits and drawbacks of selling your property

Reflection questions about your unique financial decision to help you make the best long-term choice

Need One-on-One Help? Schedule a Complimentary Session

Belong is not a property management company. We’re the world’s first residential network, and we exist to combine rental home management with asset management, building wealth for our homeowners while taking great care of their residents.

As a service to current and potential Belong homeowners, we offer access to an asset manager’s advice for free. So if you’d rather not read our guide (or you just have more questions!), schedule some time to chat with us here and we’ll get you connected for a complimentary session with our asset manager. 

If you're looking to know what your rental income tax rate will be for 2024, learn more about federal tax rates on rental income in the US for rental property owners.

2024 Federal Tax Brackets on Rental Income: A Guide for Rental Home Owners

In 2024, federal income tax brackets changed to account for high rates of inflation. While we can’t provide personalized advice for your exact tax situation, if you own one or more rental properties, this guide will help you better understand the 2024 rental income tax rate and how it could impact you in upcoming tax seasons. 

How do rental income tax rates work for rental properties? 

Homeowners who list their home on the rental market will have federal tax responsibilities. Landlords need to report all rental income on their personal tax returns, along with documented expenses that can be deducted from this reportable income. 

Rental income is taxed as ordinary income, with a landlord paying tax based on their marginal tax bracket. This is why it’s important to note the 2024 changes in tax brackets, as your rental income will affect the rate in which your income is taxed at. 

The United States has a progressive tax system which means your tax rate increases as your income grows. Tax rates in the United States range from 10% to 37%. Importantly, each person is charged at multiple rates as your income rises, rather than just at the rate of the bracket into which you fall for the total amount of your income. You can also lower your tax burden or the amount of money you will owe at the end of the year by claiming certain deductions on your tax return. Rental properties attract a number of strategies that can help lower your tax liability, so good record keeping is essential. 

In 2024, the income limits for all tax brackets will be adjusted to accommodate inflation. The Tax Foundation lists several federal income tax rates for 2024:

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