Leaving Your 30A Rental Program: The Owner's Checklist

What the rental company was quietly doing

Nobody calls it home watch, but a rental program is full of it. Housekeepers go through every room after every stay, someone checks the house before the next guests arrive, and maintenance shows up when a guest reports a drip or a warm AC. Problems get found within days because the house is never empty for long.

When the program ends, all of that stops at once. A personal second home on 30A can sit closed for a month or more between visits, and that is when small problems turn into big ones.

• People inside the house every few days
• Water running, toilets flushed, the house opened up and aired out
• A check that the AC is running and keeping humidity down
• Someone to call a plumber or the AC company when something fails
• Trash, mail and packages handled
• A report when something looks wrong

Before you give notice

A few questions to settle with the rental company first, so nothing falls through the cracks.

• Read your management agreement for the notice it requires and what happens to stays already booked
• Ask which future bookings will be honored and who those guest payments go to
• List what belongs to you and what belongs to the company: linens, supplies, smart locks, lockboxes, signs
• Find out which accounts are in the company's name: internet, TV, pest control, pool service, alarm monitoring
• Ask for your last owner statements and any open repair tickets
• Ask whether the company files the rental taxes under its account or yours

Handoff week at the house

Do these before the company's last day, while someone there can answer questions.

• Change every door code, smart lock code and garage code
• Collect every key, gate card and garage remote
• Change the Wi-Fi password and take over the thermostat and camera apps
• Walk the house and photograph every room, with the date, so you have a starting record
• Run every faucet and shower, and confirm the AC and water heater work
• Take down the lockbox and any rental signs
• Confirm the listing is off every rental site

Close the rental tax accounts

A rental in South Walton, south of the Choctawhatchee Bay, collects 12% in tax: 6% Florida sales tax and 1% Walton County surtax, which go to the Florida Department of Revenue, and 5% tourist development tax, which goes to the Walton County Clerk of Court. If any of these accounts are in your name, close them when the renting stops. The county expects a return every month, even a month with no rentals, until the account is closed.

What changes for an empty house

A rental gets opened up every few days. A personal second home can sit closed for weeks, and on 30A that changes what goes wrong: humidity builds when the AC is set too high, a slow leak runs until someone happens to walk in, and nobody sees storm or freeze damage until you arrive.

• Set the AC for an empty house, not a rented one: cool enough to keep humidity down
• Consider a smart water shutoff valve that closes the main line on its own when it senses a leak
• Decide who checks the house between your trips, and how often
• Know who goes to the house before a storm and before a hard freeze

Who watches the house now

Coastal Home Management 30A picks up where the rental program leaves off. Our local team visits on a set schedule, inside and out, sends photos and a written report after every visit, and calls you right away if something is wrong. Freeze checks are included on every plan, and pre-arrival prep is included on Coastal Elite, so the house is ready when you walk in. Plans start at $250 a month.

We do not do rental management, so the home stays yours: no guests, no listings, just someone local keeping an eye on it.