Short-Term Rentals Don’t Require Real Estate License

Question: We live in a neighborhood of high-end homes in south Chandler. One of our neighbors has done short-term rentals of her own home for the past two years. She has recently started doing short-term rentals for two other high-end homes in our neighborhood. She is collecting money, paying for repairs, and advertising the homes as short-term rentals. We own a property management company that manages more than 100 rental homes with mostly one-year or two-year leases. Our property management company is required to have a real estate license. We know that our neighbor does not have a real estate license. Can she act as a property manager for short-term rentals without a real estate license?

Answer: Yes. Under A.R.S. §32-2121(A)(15), a real estate license is not required for a person who, on behalf of the owner of a home, does short term rentals of 31 days or less. Therefore, your neighbor is not required to have a real estate license to do short-term rentals, unless she does a short-term rental of a home for longer than 31 days.