Step 1
Are weddings allowed at your vacation rental?
Before you take a wedding booking, check three sets of rules: your city or county rules on short-term rentals and events, your HOA or deed rules, and the party policy of every listing site where the home is listed. Rules vary by place, so ask the local permit office in writing and keep the reply.
Before the first wedding
- Short-term rental rules checked with the city or county
- Event or special use permit asked about, with the answer kept in writing
- HOA, deed or lease rules read for events and guest counts
- Each listing site’s party and event policy read
- Occupancy and fire limits asked about for the guest count you want
- Neighbors told about the date before the event
- A parking plan that keeps cars off the road and out of neighbors’ driveways
Rules change. Keep every answer in writing, with the date you got it and the name of the office that gave it.
Step 2
How to set your event fee and deposit
Charge the event fee on its own line, apart from nightly rent, and build it from what an event really costs you: extra cleaning, wear on the house and grounds, staff hours on the day, the nights you block for setup and recovery, and any added insurance. Hold a larger damage deposit and write down what it covers.
What the event fee should cover
Extra cleaning
An event leaves more to clean than an ordinary stay: the grounds, the kitchen after caterers, and rooms guests used for getting ready.
Wear on the house
More people, furniture moved for the reception, and vendor equipment wear floors, lawns and fixtures faster.
Staff hours
Count your own hours or a manager’s on the day: meeting vendors, walking the property and being on call.
Lost nights
Setup and recovery days you block around the wedding are nights you cannot sell to anyone else.
Insurance
If your insurer charges more to cover approved events, that cost belongs in the event fee.
Put the deposit in writing
- The deposit amount, written in the agreement the couple signs
- What it covers, such as damage, extra cleaning and missing items
- A walkthrough with photos before the event and after it
- When and how the deposit comes back
Every property is different, so this guide gives no figures. Price the event from your own costs and your own calendar.
Step 3
What insurance covers a wedding at a rental?
Insurance for a wedding at a rental comes in two layers. The couple buys a one day event liability policy for their wedding, and you can ask that it name you as an additional insured. You check your own rental property policy to see whether approved events are covered. This is general information, so check with a licensed agent.
The couple’s side
A one day event policy
The couple buys event liability insurance for the wedding day. Ask for proof before the event, and ask whether the policy can name you as an additional insured. Event Helper sells special event liability insurance for weddings and other events, bought online.
Your side
Your rental property policy
Rental property policies differ on events. Ask your insurer in writing whether an approved event at the property is covered and what limits apply. Steadily sells landlord insurance for rental property owners, vacation rentals included.
Coverage depends on the policy, the insurer and the state. This is general information, not advice: check with a licensed insurance agent before you rely on any policy for an event.
Step 4
How do you keep the music from becoming a complaint?
Agree a music cutoff time with the couple before they sign, set it at or before your local quiet hours, and write it into the event addendum. Give the band or DJ the cutoff in writing, plan which way the speakers face, and decide ahead of time who turns the music down if it runs late.
Your noise plan
- Music cutoff time, written in the event addendum
- Where speakers may go, facing away from neighbors
- Who on the couple’s side turns the music down if it runs late
- Neighbors given a phone number to call on the night
Noise monitoring
Know when the sound stays loud
Minut monitors noise at rental properties in real time, without cameras, and sends an alert when it gets loud, so you can call the couple before a neighbor calls you.
Step 5
What does the morning after a wedding need?
Plan the turnover before the wedding. Leave a buffer day before the next arrival, give the cleaning crew a written event checklist, set the time vendors must collect rentals and decor, and have the crew photograph every room so you can settle the damage deposit with a record of what they found.
Your turnover plan
- A buffer day before the next arrival
- A written event checklist for the cleaning crew
- A set time for vendors to collect rentals and decor
- Photos of every room after cleanup, for the deposit
Cleaning
Book the crew before the wedding
Turno is a cleaning app for short-term rental hosts. It finds local cleaners and automates scheduling and payments, so the crew for the morning after is booked when the wedding is.
Put the cleanup terms, vendor exit times and damages process in your event addendum. Open the event addendum checklist.
Step 6
Get your first wedding booking
Apply to the WedStay portfolio and choose a partnership tier, from lead generation to fully done for you. Every property is reviewed before listing.
Questions owners ask
Can I host a wedding at my Airbnb?
Read the listing site’s rules first. Airbnb’s Community Disturbance Policy does not allow disruptive gatherings of any size or open invite gatherings during a reservation. One option is to take event bookings directly, with a signed agreement, a deposit and the event terms set out in writing.
Do I need a permit to host a wedding at my vacation rental?
It depends on where the property is. Some cities and counties ask for an event or special use permit, some limit events at short-term rentals, and some HOAs ban them. Ask your local planning or permit office in writing before you accept a wedding booking, and keep the reply with your records.
How much should I charge to host a wedding at my rental?
There is no single right number. Build the event fee from what an event costs you: extra cleaning, wear on the house and grounds, staff hours on the day, the nights you block for setup and recovery, and any added insurance. Charge it on its own line, apart from nightly rent, and hold a larger damage deposit with its terms in writing.
Who needs insurance for a wedding at a vacation rental?
Usually both sides. The couple buys a one day event liability policy for the wedding, and the owner checks whether their own rental property policy covers approved events. Ask for proof of the couple’s policy before the event. Policies vary by insurer and state, so check with a licensed insurance agent.
What should a wedding event addendum include?
An event addendum usually covers the guest cap, the music cutoff, proof of insurance, the deposit terms, vendor arrival and exit times, cleanup, parking and how damages are handled. It sits alongside the rental agreement. Have a local attorney review it before you use it.
How do I avoid noise complaints at a wedding?
Set a music cutoff at or before local quiet hours and write it into the event addendum. Give the band or DJ the cutoff in writing, point speakers away from neighbors, tell neighbors the date ahead of time, and give them a number to call on the night. A noise monitoring sensor can alert you if sound stays loud.
How long should I leave after a wedding before the next guests arrive?
Leave at least a buffer day before the next arrival. An event leaves more to clean and more to check than an ordinary stay, and the crew needs time to photograph every room so you can settle the damage deposit with a record.