How To Find Short Term Rentals (Tips from a Decade of Travel)

Are you planning a getaway for the holidays? Well, you may want to consider spicing things up by renting a short-term furnished apartment instead of the hotel room you booked last year. Modern travel-friendly rentals offer ample living space and privacy, along with all the utilities and services you may need to create that desirable home away from home.

That said, landing a short-term apartment, especially during the holidays is never easy. More often than not, the options with the best reviews on TripAdvisor will either be occupied or too expensive for your budget.

Nevertheless, you can better your chances of finding a decent, pocket-friendly furnished rental with these simple tips.

1. Book early

The “first come, first serve” rule means a lot when booking a short-term apartment. You may have an easy time getting a cheap rental in the off-season, but if you’re vacationing over the holidays, start researching for options a month or two before your travel date.

2. Choose a local provider

Ask any frequent renter and they’ll tell you that local apartment providers often offer better rates than national providers. If you’re planning to vacation in a new city, therefore, start your apartment search with local-based agents. These providers also tend to be a reliable source of information about the area and will likely help you find the apartment that best suits your priorities, such as a gym, room service, and proximity to shopping malls and restaurants.

3. Avoid corporate housing

Condos and co-ops are among the best places to stay when on vacation, but neither will be the best option if you’re on a budget. In addition to being more expensive than standard rental buildings, most condos and co-ops hardly allow lease terms that are less than a month.

Perhaps even better than standard rentals are privately-owned homes. Owners of basement apartments and single-family houses don’t need to abide by condo/co-op rules and can, therefore, present affordable options for short-term renters.

4. Go the distance

A furnished apartment in the outskirts is always cheaper than a rental in the city center. Sure, you won’t have the finest dining spots a stone-throw away from your house, but if want to spend as little as possible on accommodation, that trade-off will be worth it.

5. Watch out for scams

For obvious reasons, low-budget travelers are frequently targeted by scammers. Don’t let your desperation for a cheap apartment leave you vulnerable to renting scams.

Scammers are particularly known to entice potential victims with irresistible subletting deals. Furnished apartments Vancouver, for instance, rarely allow subleasing. So, if you find a sublet apartment in the city, insist that the leaseholder proves to you they have permission to sublease it. Of course, you will be better off just getting your short-term housing from a trusted source, or contacting a real estate professional for help.

Conclusion

Accommodation is usually the most demanding expense for urban travelers. A tighter budget will always make it difficult to land the furnished apartment that will tick all the boxes, but you’ll have better luck if you consider the tips above.