State of Florida is Amending Vacation Rental Home Requirements

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) May 6, 2008 -- Traveling2Florida.com, a website offering hundreds of vacation rental home listings for the state of Florida, became aware at a recent convention that the state of Florida has been prompted to amend Chapter 509 of the Florida Statutes relating to Public Lodging & Food Service Establishments, which includes vacation rental properties. For the most part, these changes to Florida rental laws are easily compliable, but some changes have led to confusion. Traveling2Florida.com wants to reassure its customers that it has worked to make sure that all of the listed vacation rental home properties are fully compliant.

"For the state to mandate such changes to Florida rental laws is understandable," said Fraser Hannah, owner of Traveling2Florida.com. "What concerns us is that some of these amendments permit the possibility of undercutting by larger rental businesses, with individual homeowners being taken advantage of. The best way to prevent this occurrence, however, is to get the word out and make sure that everyone knows what is required to comply with the changes."

While many of these changes to Florida rental laws are based on actual events gone awry, some vacation rental home owners and rental guests are concerned about rental security, including the guest register requirement, which could lead to rampant identity theft as well as targeting visitors with emails and letters. Some of the larger rental companies require that the lead guest provide the full guest names for each member of the party, the lead guest's home address and contact details, the cost paid to the home owner, and a copy of the lead guest's ID - pretty much everything they will need to build a database and steal vacation rental home owners' repeat bookings. According to Dee O'Bryan of Osceola County, "All you need to be compliant with Florida rental laws is a register signed by the guest, dates they stayed there and how many guests in unit. That is all. Then send a copy to your management company."

In addition, Florida rental laws are requiring a second lock on the final exit door accessible only to management, allowing them to lock out guests should there ever be a dispute over payment. The concern is that in order to be compliant with the fire regulations, doors cannot require more than two motions to exit the living unit, as too many locks on a door may impede the means of escape. If you add an extra lock to your door, you are in danger of having three movements to exit the building, bringing you into dispute with the fire department.

Fraser ends with the following tip to vacation rental home owners: "While it's necessary to follow these new amendments to Florida rental laws, be wise with your business dealings, stress rental security, and make sure to keep your properties guest-friendly so visitors continue to come to Florida!" For help planning your Florida vacation or to begin searching for a vacation rental home, visit www.traveling2florida.com.

About Traveling2Florida

Traveling2florida.com was founded in 2003 in response to the frustration felt at the lack of vision shown by many of the existing vacation rental sites. Traveling2Florida.com now connects thousands of travelers directly with the owners of high-quality vacation rentals in Florida (http://www.traveling2florida.com), from Orlando to the Florida Keys. For more information about listing rental properties on the site or about finding a property to rent, please visit www.traveling2florida.com.

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