At Living Intent, our customers use our products for any number of purposes; living spaces both temporary and long-term, yoga studios, meditation rooms, bathrooms, or a place to keep your mother-in-law. We provide the space, you fill it with whatever vision you might have, even if that vision involves a brisk walk between Mother dearest and your living room. We don’t ask questions.
One thing we have been hearing more and more from our customers is that they are interested in, or already are, using their yurts as vacation rentals in order to boost their income. With the surge in interest in tiny homes, alternative living, and a general back-to-nature ethos that has seeped into the national consciousness of late, nature retreats, especially glamping, or glamour-camping, are more popular than ever. State and national parks across the country host yurts as lodging options, and many retreat centers are built around, or incorporate yurts into their business in some way.
So, how can you get your yurt to work for you?
You have some land, anywhere from one acre to a thousand, and whether you dream of starting the next great California yurt resort or not, you are open to the idea of sharing your slice of paradise with vacationers. Two major online platforms, one of which you definitely know unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, and one which you might not, are a great way to get started with this idea.
AirBnb, while generally geared towards homes and apartments, hosts a range of camping, glamping, and yes, yurt rentals on their website.
Hipcamp functions in about the same manner as AirBnb, but is specifically targeted at camping, glamping, and other more “natural” accommodations. While we’re not directly affiliated with either of these companies, we often encourage customers who are interested in using their yurts as vacation rentals to check out both of these sites for a glimpse of the possibilities.
Is this legal?
As always, you should check your local county guidelines before embarking on any sort of yurtventure, rental or otherwise. However, due to the ease of set-up and take-down of our yurts, they typically qualify as temporary structures, foregoing the restrictions of many zoning ordinances.* The aforementioned two major hosting platforms, AirBnb & Hipcamp, offer insurance plans for hosts that can supplement any sort of current property insurance you have to cover rentals as well.
How can you get started using yurts as vacation rentals?
In future posts, we’ll be following up with individual clients to ask them about their experiences using their Living Intent yurts as vacation rentals. We’ll be asking them about the whole process, from starting out to wherever they may be in building their very own yurtopia to share with the world. If you have any specific questions you’d like us to get answered, drop us a line and we’ll be sure to include your questions in our interviews.
If you really want to get started using a yurt as a vacation rental and generating income each month from land you already have, but can’t afford the full price tag right now, be sure to check out our financing plan, where you can make monthly payments through our third party partner until the list price is paid in full.
*Living Intent Yurt is not providing legal advice when it comes to yurt set-up or rentals, and as such is not responsible for any legal troubles that may result from setting up your yurt or using it as a rental, or any will and testament rewrites that may result from putting your mother-in-law in a "tent". It is a damn nice tent, but pertaining these issues, our advice is anecdotal, and comes from the mouths of the many clients we’ve worked with throughout the years. Always check your local laws before set-up.
