, The attorneys of Newman Williams PC ,

Renting out your Pocono home as an AirBnB or VRBO? Here’s why you need a lease agreement.

 

 

 

 

The Poconos has long been a tourist destination. President Teddy Roosevelt used to vacation here as well as many notables, including Fred Astaire and Jackie Gleeson.

The photo at left shows Jackie playing golf at the Shawnee Inn with golf legend, Arnold Palmer.

The canoe photo below shows a young Fred Astaire canoeing in Delaware Water Gap with his sister.

We’re also very well known as a venue for first rate jazz musicians who perform regularly at the Deer Head Inn.

Internationally known Jazz sax player Phil Woods lived and performed here as did Bob Dorough (of School House Rock fame).

We even branched out, classically, with a recent performance by the National Youth Orchestra of China, which rehearsed at East Stroudsburg University prior to their debut at Carnegie Hall.

And, of course, our region hosts many performances from nationally known comedians, musicians, and entertainers.

The great resorts have lost some of their luster but they’ve been replaced by ski resorts, a well-known casino, and a number of water parks. This includes Kalahari, reported to be the largest water park in the country.

This makes our region an attractive opportunity for investors to buy homes as rental properties and advertise space on AirBnB or VRBO.

In most cases, you are not likely to ever have a problem. But when you do, if you are not protecting yourself, a dispute could become overly expensive.

If you are renting a property in Pennsylvania, you need a lease that complies with Pennsylvania law. Here are a few things you might want to consider in a lease:

  • If you have a dispute that results in a lawsuit, where should it be filed? Your tenant might be from Arizona but would you want to defend a claim there?
  • Would you like to include an award of attorneys’ fees as a claim if you won? Pennsylvania law restricts an award of attorneys fees to very specific situations. In contract cases, if there is no provision for attorneys’ fees, you don’t get them.
  • The Monroe County Bar has a great mediation program. If your lease incorporates a referral to that program, you might save yourself some money by requiring your tenant to first mediate the dispute.
  • Are there any specific restrictions in the community where your property is located that should be included?
  • If you have no choice but to go to court, we’ll have your back.

We are not looking to add to your costs but addressing these issues before you rent might actually save you some money.

Our office was formed in 1923. And no, none of those original lawyers are still practicing with us today. However, we are currently the largest law firm based in the Poconos and have an AV-rating from our peers, confirming that we have the highest rating in both legal ability and ethics.

Call us if you you think we can help you. We don’t charge for such calls. We’ll explain our fees and answer your questions.

Contact us at [email protected] and we will have one of our staff members get back to you for a phone or in-person consultation.

And if you have a twitter account, please consider following:

@JerryGeiger

@NewmanWilliams

@PoconoAutoLaw

We look forward to seeing you in the Poconos!

~Jerry Geiger

[email protected]

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