Question 1

How can I delete my account and all records of my personal data on your site?

Accepted Answer

You can pause your account in your profile. Deleting all records of the account online can be accomplished on a monthly basis. Please email legal@leasesplit.com to delete all records of your account and we will email you a confirmation of deletion.

Question 2

Where can I go in case of an emergency with regards to your service?

Accepted Answer

If you have a booking in progress for week by week stays, you will have access to our business traveler line.

30 day+ bookings are not covered by our customer service agents.

Question 3

What contact information is given out about myself as a host/traveler before a booking is made?

Accepted Answer

Your first name and profile image may be used. In some cases, a host's phone number may be visible prior to booking too.

Question 4

How do I benefit (as a hybrid-work-commuter) from this service?

Accepted Answer

We provide a service where you only pay for the nights you need to be by the office. Instead of a long commute, you can stay at a second home where it’s most convenient. And if your hybrid schedule changes, you can modify your weekly reservation.

Question 5

What things can I store at my Split Lease rental?

Accepted Answer

Anything that you don't want to lug back and forth with you, such as clothing, toiletries, a second monitor and so forth.

Question 6

What is a fee-free dollar?

Accepted Answer

Fee-free dollars are rewards you can apply to your rental payments to receive a zero credit card processing fee. For example, if you have 1,000 FFDs, that is $1,000 worth of bills you can pay without the Split Lease charging you a credit card processing fee. You can earn FFDs in a variety of ways, most commonly through listing and our referral program.

Question 7

I’m still confused about Fee-Free Dollars (FFDs).

Accepted Answer

Don’t be! Simply put, they’re rewards you can apply to rental payments through Split Lease for a zero credit card processing fee. When you’re ready to pay your landlord your monthly rent payment, submit your request for processing a payment. Depending on how many FFDs you’ve earned, you can apply those earned FFDs towards your rental payment to reduce the credit card processing fee of 3%. 1 FFD = 1 USD. So if your rent payment is $1,500 a month and you’ve earned 1250 FFDs, you only have $250 charged the 3% processing fee, which only comes out to $7.50! If you’re still confused, feel free to live chat or set up a phone call with us!

Question 8

What is Split Lease and what do you do?

Accepted Answer

Split Lease connects repeat guests with repeat rentals. Hosts make consistent income and get much higher quality guests than normal short term or full time rentals. We’re the market leader in filling frequently empty properties with amazing clients.

Question 9

Access to the Slack forum

Accepted Answer

Receive exclusive access to our Slack community and join channels that may interest you to keep up-to-date, such as Hosting Tips, Roast My Pad and Item Swap. Learn something new, meet new friends or even ask the community to borrow an air mattress!

Question 10

What makes this service better than Craigslist?

Accepted Answer

Our guests and hosts like our payment experience, our ability to add a level of service through a dedicated matchmaker, and our custom legal contracts for every reservation.

Our iOS app and Alexa app make interactions and requests easy.

Question 11

What kinds of people would benefit most from trial nights?

Accepted Answer

Desirable renters will benefit from the trial nights by negotiating even better terms than advertised on site. Savvy customers can avoid being stuck in a bad long-term contract. We suggest trials to make it apparent if either party misrepresented reality.

Question 12

How is the Split Lease experience different from Airbnb?

Accepted Answer

A Split Lease is a repeat stay in which you come back to the same place periodically. This means guests get big price discounts compared to Airbnb for making a reservation of at least 30 nights.

Also, a Split Lease is not a short term rental, but falls under the category of periodic tenancy. So, guests don't pay hidden fees like they would at Airbnb.

Guests can store their things at their Split Lease to come back to and can earn back part of the cleaning fee by cleaning up after themselves.

Finally, both hosts and guests can easily request amendments to booking dates during the stay to allow for flexibility and easy rescheduling.

Question 13

Who would benefit most from Split Lease?

Accepted Answer

We help multi-locals find, negotiate, and manage relationships in secondary addresses, like pied-à-terres

Separated parents, hybrid workers, and consultants often enjoy a part-time rental.

We also get guests who are just plain tired of hotels.

Question 14

What's the easiest way to get started?

Accepted Answer

1. Set your schedule. 2. Find a listing 3. Create a proposal

Proposals are a statement of interest. There is no obligation to proceed to booking.

Question 15

What are ways to get the best price and most available spaces?

Accepted Answer

A: At Split Lease we specialize in two types of rental agreements:
1. The guest-host relationship: When the traveler wants a recurring space to share with a host
2. The guest-guest-landlord relationship: When two travelers with complementary schedules are matched to fully occupy the space. This arrangement results in more availability and better pricing.

Question 16

Can we use something other than zoom for the virtual meeting?

Accepted Answer

We use zoom to ensure that quality of the meeting meets Split Lease standards. Please reach out if you need help installing zoom.

Question 17

Can I express interest in a listing without booking?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can wishlist the listing or message the host.

Question 18

Can I contact the host to get more information?

Accepted Answer

If you are a traveler, you can send an inquiry message to the host on the listing page.

Question 19

How does your site help me verify the host before booking?

Accepted Answer

Before booking with a host you are able to see their profile picture, along with reviews that previous travelers have left about them and their listing. You are able to message the host and oftentimes we can coordinate a video call.

Question 20

Can I customize my space? Rearrange some furniture? Bring a monitor?

Accepted Answer

Most Split Lease rentals are customization friendly. This is something to discuss when you e-meet your host or landlord.

Question 21

Can I store my things at my Split Lease?

Accepted Answer

Yes you can! Think of a Split Lease as your second home. No need to haul a suitcase back and forth, just leave your stuff. With our Guest Guarantee you can feel confident that your things are protected.

Question 22

Why would I want/need a trial night?

Accepted Answer

A Trial Night is the least risky way for you to experience a Split Lease first-hand. Unlike with Airbnb or craigslist, you can sleep in the bed, listen to the noise from the street, and completely immerse yourself. By trying a listing you can tell if the best-looking listing is indeed your best Split Lease option. We lose a little bit of money on trials but we want you to be able to see the Split Lease experience without having to fully commit to a long-term contract.

Question 23

How does a trial night work?

Accepted Answer

After selecting a plan, you may use your trial nights on trial night eligible listings. Once you have found a place you would like to spend a trial night at, you provide some general information along with a proposal to the host.

Question 24

How can I get a market report?

Accepted Answer

If you're logged in, turn on notifications to get helpful research and business tips.
If you're not logged in, go to the main page, open the orbit drawer, and fill in what you're looking for along with your contact info. You'll get your report the next morning.

Question 25

How long does it take to go from expressing interest to booking a place?

Accepted Answer

This all depends on how much time it takes a traveler to request to book, plus the time it takes for a host to review that traveler and accept their request.

Question 26

How long does a host have to approve or reject my booking request?

Accepted Answer

Your booking request is sent to the host immediately after you complete it. It will depend on the individual host how quickly he/she responds. It is most likely that it would be approved within a time period between 6 - 24 hours after submission.

Question 27

What is the catch with the money-back guarantee?

Accepted Answer

No catch! We accept credit cards, which means YOU have full control. The money-back guarantee allows you to receive a full refund of the cost of your plan. If no trial nights are utilized within 30 days of purchase, you let us know and we will send back your refund.

Question 28

How are you saving me money?

Accepted Answer

There are a couple of ways you save money by booking through Split Lease.

The first is that you are paying only for the nights you are at the space. Rather than needing to get something full-time, or pay outrageous hotel prices, you pay a nightly price for just the nights you need.

Pay less or nothing for cleaning fees. Complete your host's cleaning checklist and receive a discount or waiving of the cleaning fee.

You get lower nightly rates when you book a longer duration with consistent nights. Hosts value consistency and predictability, so they incentivize bookings that provide that to them.

Question 29

What is Periodic Tenancy?

Accepted Answer

A periodic tenancy is a tenancy that continues for successive periods until the tenant gives the landlord notification that he wants to end the tenancy.

Question 30

What if the place I booked doesn’t meet my expectations?

Accepted Answer

For week-by-week rentals, we will have placed your funds in escrow and will only release funds to the listing owner once you confirm that your accommodation is suitable. We take unsafe listings very seriously, and so if a place is not suitable we will attempt to help you find an alternative accommodation immediately.

Question 31

What happens if I want to cancel during my stay?

Accepted Answer

Yes, simply choose to not renew the booking and the booking will be cancelled automatically. However, if you cancel without notice, under an extenuating circumstance, you may forego some of the points in your pending rewards account to provide relief for your host.

Question 32

Do I have to travel for work in order to use Split Lease? Who can use Split Lease?

Accepted Answer

No, you don't have to be a business traveler to use Split Lease. We encourage travelers needing recurring space for personal reasons and even on weekends to give us a shot!

Question 33

What if I can’t get approved for a credit card?

Accepted Answer

Please reach out to us if you’re having trouble getting approved. We’ll be happy to assist however we can! You can either live chat with us or send us an email.

Question 34

What are the key benefits?

Accepted Answer

1) An opportunity to test the place and validate your information reduces your risk
2) Establish rapport with your host
3) Opportunity to negotiate the price and schedule based on actual experience instead of merely the anticipated experience

Question 35

Does my short-term renters insurance cover a traveler’s stay if their stay spans more than 30 days?

Accepted Answer

It depends on your policy. We suggest you verify with your insurance company what coverage your policy carries and consider updating it if necessary. A policy usually covers all stays unless it specifically says that only certain stays are covered or certain stays a specifically excluded.

You should consider the following while selecting / updating your insurance policy:
 
Cities, counties, HOA’s, and even some states are passing laws and ordinances with relation to short-term rentals (STR’s).  The common thread is that a STR is a business no different than Hilton, and hospitality and insurance laws should apply.  If your policy is a business policy, and carries commercial general liability, it is in compliance.  All vacation rental property owners need commercial insurance.

Question 36

I am worried about my guest gaining tenants rights. What are my protections?

Accepted Answer

A major difference between short-term rentals and 30+ day rentals is that tenants do gain rights. Depending on the state or municipality you are in and depending on the political climate at the time, you may have an easier or tougher time getting an unpaying tenant to leave.

At Split Lease, we encourage rentals for weekdays and separately for weekends. This pattern of behavior reduces the chance that you would get a squatter by moving into a medium term rental.

Because most work week home travelers are traveling for business, we can also hold any rewards accumulated into the account as collateral on a late check out.

If for some reason these procedures are not enough, our staff can also charge the credit card on file with a late checkout fee.

Question 37

I am worried about my guest gaining tenant's rights. What are my protections?

Accepted Answer

A major difference between short-term rentals and 30+ day rentals is that tenants do gain rights. Depending on the state or municipality you are in and depending on the political climate at the time, you may have an easier or tougher time getting an unpaying tenant to leave.
At Split Lease, we encourage rentals for weekdays separately from those for weekends. This pattern of behavior reduces the chance that you would get a squatter when the tenant becomes a medium term renter.
Because most work week home travelers are traveling for business, they would already have a primary address that they return to each week.
Section 6 of our Roommate Agreement requires subtenant to agree explicitly to the following:
1.    That subleased property is not intended to become his / her Primary Residence
2.    That this Roommate Agreement specifically exempted from the landlord-tenant laws of any kind protecting people living in dwellings owned or leased by others.
3.    To forgo any rights of a person staying at the home of another person on a long-term basis (formal or informal).
4.     To vacate subleased property immediately after the end of the term of this Roommate Agreement.
We can hold any rewards accumulated into the account as collateral on a late check out. If for some reason these procedures are not enough, our staff can also charge the credit card on file with a late checkout fee.

Question 38

As a renter, am I allowed to charge more than the rent on my lease?

Accepted Answer

In many states and municipalities, you are not allowed to charge more RENT than your rent. However, you are allowed to charge for furnishing rental, splitting expenses, covering the cleaning expense, covering expenses for insurance and storage of items.

We make invoicing simple by using an "All Bills Paid" pricing model and never charge more than the rent for your rental.

We make bridging the gap between pricing for a short term rental and pricing for a medium term rental easy.

Question 39

I have already used 70 of 90 days of my short term rental allowance. Can I use this service?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you may still use our service. In fact, our service may have even more value to you than another short term rental site.

First the good news! If you split lease into a stay that spans longer than 30 days, you will still be at 70/90 days of short term rental.

However, there are some downsides. Your unit  cannot be billed one week at a time and so it must be marketed as a two weeks at a time billing. While not all guests will want to be billed two weeks at a time, the majority of our guests do have two week visibility into their work schedule.

Question 40

How is my rental profit not taxable?

Accepted Answer

By listing on Split Lease, and hosting periodic tenancy guests, you generate passive income which is federally non-taxable. Learn more at https://www.split.lease/why-host-with-us

Question 41

How is Split Lease involved in lease agreements between a guest and a host?

Accepted Answer

The contract is between the Host and the Traveler. Split Lease is here to help execute the contract and ensure both sides are respecting the agreement.

Question 42

How will I receive payment after booking?

Accepted Answer

As a host, you'll receive payment within 3 days of the completion of each stay. For example, if you were hosting a traveler who is staying Mon-Thurs for 8 weeks, you would be paid by Sunday each week for the amount of one Mon-Thurs. stay.

Question 43

What does the cancellation policy look like?

Accepted Answer

We allow you to choose between three cancellation policies, per booking.  We encourage more flexible cancellations  because hosts are getting guests who would normally stay with a hotel. You can check out the three policies here https://www.split.lease/policies/cancellations-and-refunds

Question 44

How can I update/manage my listing after it is live?

Accepted Answer

Your host dashboard acts as the hub for your listing. This is where you can make changes to your listing, including pricing & availability. This is also where you will view and manage booking applications.

Question 45

What information about my place is publically visible?

Accepted Answer

General information about your place will be visible to potential travelers on our site. This information includes days available, house rules, amenities, your provided description, photos, and reviews. Your address will not be visible.

Question 46

Can I set my damage deposit later?

Accepted Answer

If you do not choose a damage deposit, Split Lease will calculate what it deems to be the appropriate damage deposit.  Please know that you will not be authorized to collect more money from the guests outside of the platform.
Please take your time in deciding whether you would like to set the damage deposit or have Split Lease set it for you

Question 47

How does Split Lease decide which listings to show?

Accepted Answer

Our algorithms monitor activity by guests and hosts to show the most desirable listings, with the most active hosts.

Question 48

Can I list without a short-term rental license?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can!

Question 49

Can I list more than one property/room?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but if you would like to list an additional place, you will need to create another account on our site. Currently, we do not support multiple listings under one account.

Question 50

Can I list my place if I live in it and just have extra space for travelers?

Accepted Answer

Yes! However you will want to make it clear that you will be a roommate in your listing description.

Question 51

What are the costs of listing my place on your site?

Accepted Answer

There is no cost to list on Split Lease. If you are already listed on another site, just enter your link into our one-click listing creation tool. We'll take care of the rest!

Question 52

Is there an easy way to understand my legal responsibilities for listing on your site?

Accepted Answer

Depending on the nature of your interest you will want to

Get top level legal considerations: https://split.lease/policies

Dig into the terms and conditions: https://split.lease/policies/terms-of-use

Understand how lease addendum protects you and your property https://split.lease/policies/host-guarantee-terms

Question 53

Am I violating Airbnb's terms and conditions?

Accepted Answer

Because Airbnb's terms and conditions change rapidly, our attorneys tell us that you are encouraged to check for yourself or with an attorney.

However, though Airbnb prefers that you list your short term rental with them they understand that in these times, hosts have to make unusual effort to get their properties booked without taking a huge loss.

Question 54

Can I legally take my reputation from Airbnb to another platform?

Accepted Answer

In short, yes. That is your reputation and you own it.

hiQ Labs, Inc. v. LinkedIn Corp, 938 F.3d 985, was a 9th Circuit case about web scraping. The 9th Circuit affirmed the district court's preliminary injunction, preventing LinkedIn from denying the plaintiff, hiQ Labs, from accessing LinkedIn's publicly available LinkedIn member profiles.

It is important to note that LinkedIn argued this was against its terms of service and the district court and 9th circuit agree that a platform, here LinkedIn, was not allowed to block scraping publicly facing information.

Question 55

What fees are there for hosts?

Accepted Answer

We DO NOT charge to list your space on our site.

The host gets the price they list for. The fee is between 10-15%, charged to the guest.

Question 56

Keep a Higher Share of the Payment | Enjoy a Lesser Tax Burden

Accepted Answer

Thanks to our platform’s legal foundation of periodic tenancy, hosts enjoy vital benefits that simply aren’t offered by other platforms.
For starters, you’ll keep a higher share of the payment compared to those other platforms. And because Split Lease caters to individuals like workweek commuters, your space is likely to become even more in demand during the winter months. 
That’s not how it works on platforms with the vacation rental model…
Periodic tenancy is tenancy that continues for successive periods without an end-date. Using this model, we’re able to significantly lower the tax burden faced by our hosts.
Additional Benefits
Thanks to our periodic tenancy model, you don’t need a short-term rental license to start hosting on Split Lease. And in case you ever need it, we offer protection against tenant’s rights.

Question 57

Q&A sessions with an ex-AirBNB host

Accepted Answer

Igor, the speaker at the NYU conference and founder of Split Lease, is an ex-Airbnb host. Sign up to join weekly Q&A sessions and special events to get inside tips and tricks on how to be the best host you can be and maximize your profit-earning potential. Sessions can be in the form of Zoom conferences or weekend brunches!

Question 58

What are the rules around when I am legally obligated to issue refunds to travelers?

Accepted Answer

Legally you must follow your own cancelation policy, including refunds as you advertise it in your listing. However, traditionally business travelers expect an ability to cancel within reasonable period. We suggest including in your policy ability to cancel up to 1 week ahead or not less then 7 days prior to cancellation date.

Question 59

How can I make sure the traveler is who they say they are?

Accepted Answer

You control who stays at your place. A traveler must submit photo proof of their ID to complete a booking application

Question 60

How and where will I be notified when a prospective traveler has a question about my place?

Accepted Answer

You will receive an email as well as a message which can be accessed in your inbox on Split Lease.

Question 61

What are the advantages to hosting the same guests for part of the week each week (periodic tenancy)?

Accepted Answer

There are many! With long term part of the week bookings you can count on consistent income. Having the same traveler come back to your space incentivizes them to treat the space as if it is there own. Learn about more advantages here https://www.split.lease/why-host-with-us

Question 62

Do I have to provide a storage area for a guest?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we require that you offer a safe storage space for guests. This can be as simple as a small closet. Just enough for a traveler to store things like clothes, a monitor, etc.

Question 63

Will I be able to see who wants to rent my place?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! We don’t offer quick booking on our site and require that all users request to book your space before continuing with the reservation process. You’ll receive a copy of their profile to view basic information about them, as well as the ability to vet the guest to your satisfaction.

Answers for guests