Six Reasons to Pull Your Inauguration Rental Ad

You may want to consider removing your posting for these reasons

By RUTH SAMUELSON

Updated 9:46 AM EST, Tue, Nov 25, 2008

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From the Washington City Paper blog Housing Complex

I must admit: with all the stories I’ve posted about inauguration rentals, I’ve started to mull over the process myself. And I quickly realized there was a lot to contemplate—and a lot to do. And a lot to worry about never seeing again: my furniture, my plates and glasses, my many sizable collection of sweatshirts (winter’s here—I need them!). The Washington Post’s Elizabeth Razzi took some time to consider all the things renters were doing poorly, and probably would do poorly in the future. I’ll do a roundup:

You’re probably not putting enough time and effort into your advertisement, and no one’s paying attention to it: “There’s no excuse not to post interior and exterior shots of the home, including the all-important bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen. Craigslist doesn’t charge for posting photos, so I can’t fathom why so many people advertising their inauguration rentals haven’t bothered to include them.”
The photos in your advertisement are likely terrible anyway: “Take some of the knickknacks out of the shots so it doesn’t look like renters will be crashing at grandma’s house for 20 grand.”
You may have already posted your actual address in your Craigslist advertisement in which case people know about your big screen TVs and fancy appliances—and about the fact that you’re not going to be around for a week to properly lock up. “That’s a big mistake.”
If you’re smart, you’ll call your home insurance company. That’s never entirely pleasant.
You may have to negotiate everything: “If you object to your renters hosting a weekend bash, for example, spell that out in your ad and include it in the lease. Your expectations about smoking, pets, additional guests and trash removal need to be detailed.”
Before guests arrive, you’ll need to clean out the fridge.