In our recent posts, we have been exploring the idea of using a park model home as a rental. Park model homes make excellent rentals for a variety of reasons, including their portability, versatility, and relatively easy maintenance.
Last month, we discussed how you can start a tiny house rental business. But how do you choose a tiny house to rent out? Let’s go over some key features and considerations when you are selecting a floor plan for this purpose. Note that in this post, we will focus mainly on choosing a park model home for short-term rentals, rather than long-term rentals. By the time you finish reading, you should have plenty of ideas and inspiration for your own tiny house rental project.
- Multiple sleeping spaces
If you want to have the option of hosting more than 1-2 people at a time in your rental, you should choose a model that offers multiple sleeping spaces. A great example is the Silvercrest Athens ATH-06 park model home.
Many tiny houses do not feature a downstairs bedroom, but this one does (in fact, this is one of our specialties; the majority of our park model homes include this feature).
As you can see, this floor plan also features an impressive double loft. A family of four, five, or even six could sleep in this tiny house comfortably. The adults could take the downstairs bedroom, and you could put a couple of kids in each loft.
- Indoor-outdoor living
Many people vacation to enjoy the great outdoors. A tiny house as a rental is ideal for beautiful outdoor settings, because small homes keep the focus on the scenery around them.
If you are placing your tiny rental somewhere that includes appealing outdoor spaces, make sure it incorporates features that integrate indoor and outdoor living, such as a spacious porch. The one you see here is one of the standout features of the Athens Champion APH 527 Mono-Slope.
- Big windows
Speaking of features that make the most of the outdoors, be sure to pick a park model home that includes large windows. That way even from inside the home, vacationers can enjoy the views.
This may be especially important if the climate is harsh, as spending too much time outside may be unpleasant (i.e. a really hot desert, or a cold, windy coast).
4. Plenty of customization options
What attracts someone to stay in a tiny house, rather than in a regular hotel or motel? Well, there are a lot of answers to that question. But for many, it is the chance to stay in a beautifully appointed tiny abode that has been furnished, decorated, and customized into a one-of-a-kind space that captures their imagination.
So, when you are shopping for a park model home to turn into a rental, make sure that you pick one that includes ample customization options.
We offer you numerous ways you can customize your tiny house, including options for the porch, siding, roof, doors, insulation, loft, cabinets, shower and bathtub, electric fireplace, and appliances.
Try to think ahead to the color scheme, décor and theme you have planned for your interior. These can help guide your choices of interior and exterior finishes as you design your custom park model house rental.
- Comfortable amenities
Another of the reasons why some people choose to stay in a tiny house rather than in a hotel room is because they are looking for more amenities than a typical hotel room offers.
They want to be able to not only shower and sleep in their accommodation, but prepare full meals in a proper kitchen.
Pictured here is the kitchen for the Athens Champion APH 527 Mono-Slope—the same model we featured before with the large porch.
As you can see, guests in this tiny house could prepare meals as comfortably as they could in their own home kitchens.
A roomy and accommodating kitchen is an especially important feature if you are looking to attract guests for slightly longer stays (i.e. a couple of weeks or months, rather than just a couple of days).
- Easy to clean and maintain
One more thing you should have on your mind when you are choosing a park model home to rent out is the routine work you will need to do to clean and maintain it.
Guests at hotels and motels are notorious for leaving behind complete disasters. Alas, guests in tiny houses can sometimes be no different. You would be amazed what a mess just one or two people can create in a matter of a day or less.
So, choose a floor plan for your rental that will be as easy to clean as possible. The park model home layouts that we specialize in have an open flow of space, especially in the kitchen/living room. We typically use hardwood for the downstairs flooring, rather than carpet. You can literally start at the back end of the home and sweep all the way to the front end, rapidly getting dust and debris out the door.
You will notice that we favor closed cabinets rather than open shelves in the kitchen as well. The interiors are protected from dust more than open shelves would be, which also reduces the amount of regular cleaning you need to do to keep your interior fresh and pristine.
Get Started with Your Own Park Model Rental
By now, perhaps you can already start to visualize your tiny rental and some of the features you want in your floor plan. If you are interested in any of the park model home models we showcased in this list, or if you need help choosing a floor plan from our catalog, please contact us. We would love to help you customize the perfect tiny house rental.
