I’m changing my Airbnb into a long-term rent. I’m done with the headaches.

• Wendi courtney, 61 has rented an Airbnb mountain getaway in Prescott Arizona for the past four years.
• After a few clueless tenants and late-night calls, she is ready to give up short-term rentals. 
• She expects a $1,600 monthly loss as a result of the long-term lease, but still says it will be worth it.

This As-Told-To is based upon a conversation between Wendi Courtney of Prescott Arizona who recently decided that she would convert her short term rental into a longer-term one this fall. 

About four years ago, I began renting out the house in Prescott through Airbnb. It was originally purchased for $420,000 back in 2018. The main house has a separate guest suite. The main house is a one-bedroom home with one bathroom, a covered porch in front and an open deck at the back. The main house is approximately 1,400 square foot. The guest house, which is located 40 feet from the main house, is smaller and about a third its size. This is also a single-bedroom.

I thought “Great! I’ll live in my main house, and my mother can live in the guesthouse.” She died six weeks later.

At first, listing the property as a short term rental was a simple way to avoid having to sell it. 

We are in mountains. It can be cold in downtown Prescott, which is at the same altitude as Denver. We are usually 15 to 20 degrees colder than Phoenix. Phoenixns come to us for relief from the heat because we’re only 90 miles away. 

Everyone told me to start off cheap, get people into the store, and get some feedback. You’re only interested in reviews. I began at $80 per day for the main house. It’s now up to $149 during the week and $169 at weekends. The weekend guesthouse is $139. 

The main house is popular because of its huge log beams. This is a real log house.

The properties have been booked fairly well. There have been no problems with bookings. One couple is staying in the suite for the entire months of July and august. I have another couple staying in the main home for the entire month of August. 

The ridiculous guest requests have made me stressed 

It was not just one moment when I decided to give up. You’re not going to be bitten by elephants, but rather by gnats. 

You get a lot of people who probably should have been in a hotel. They expect more out in the wilderness.

It’s funny to think about. She called to ask if people could come over for dinner. I replied, “Yes, of course, but how are you going seat them?” The table in the suite only has two seats. Then, in a panic she called back again: “Oh, you don’t even have serving platters?” Who owns serving platters for a 600 square foot vacation rental? 

They couldn’t lift the tank. So I had someone help them.

It’s frustrating. I travel quite a bit. If someone calls while I’m 1,400 mile away, I don’t know what to do. It’s frustrating. 

Responding to guests quickly is a must. I usually finish it within an hr. 

One couple was going to sleep when a bat appeared in the ceiling. The couple called me in a panic. I had to rush over and remove the bat from the house. I live around 30 minutes from the house.

The bats are protected and you cannot kill them. It was very difficult to get it off the tree stump. I had it hissing and scraping at me the entire time. It was quite a ordeal. 

The guests left the door wide open in a certain area. They were sitting in the dark with the door wide open and lights on, but didn’t realise a bat was flying into the house. 

A guest once asked me if I used air fresheners. “Open the window and you’ll get fresh air.” The next thing I know, we have mold. I sent the cleaners because I was out-of-town. The cleaners check the bathroom, the kitchen, the hot-water tank, and under the sink. There’s no mold anywhere. The guest replied, “I looked everywhere, but there was no mold.” 

She went back to Airbnb, and demanded compensation for the “invisible mould.” I looked this up, and it seems that this is a scam.

My cleaner also said that she had left the house in a mess. She tore the comforter. The cabinet above the toilet was filled with wet, wadded up washcloths.

People across the street do my cleaning. This has been a great blessing. These are the people I call when I’m away from home. Without them, I would have probably shut down the business much sooner. 

I will be turning 62 years old this year. I’m ready to put an end to the headaches.  

This decision was made in the spring. I kept what was still available open throughout the summer. Everything is blocked as of September 1. People have texted and called me to ask if I want to return. But I’ve said no. 

I’m going to spend about $4,800 on Airbnb in August. I think it’s possible to rent the apartment for $3,200 a year.

Both June and July brought in about $4,700. I spend $500 on utilities and $600 cleaning per month. 

I’ll be 62 years old this year. I’m tired. I’m tired. I don’t have to pay a mortgage on the house, it is mys. But I only looked at the upkeep costs, and how much it would cost to deal with them.

There’s some good in it. I met a lot of wonderful people. One of the first guests I had rented my house for a whole month. Then he bought a home nearby and became one of our dearest friends.

We are going to stay in the house with the dogs for a few days at the end the summer and enjoy the place before we hand it over to a tenant. 

In the first week of September, I’ll have an estate auction and get rid everything I don’t need. I will clean the carpets, scrub everything and make it ready for a long-term renter. I’ve already notified the property managers. I’ll list it in MLS within the next two weeks.