Every summer, thousands of visitors come to Martha’s Vineyard for a week or more, and many of them stay in private homes. If you rent out your Martha’s Vineyard home for part of the year, the income can cover a good share of your carrying costs. Here is what to decide and set up before your first guest arrives.
How much of the year do you want to rent?
Start with how you want to use the house yourself. Some owners rent every summer week and use the home in the spring and fall. Others keep July for themselves and rent June and August. Peak summer weeks earn the most, and many island rentals run Saturday to Saturday.
The earlier you decide, the better. Many guests book next summer’s rental in the fall and winter, so a home that is ready to list early in the year has the widest choice of weeks to fill.
What do you need to register to rent out your Martha’s Vineyard home?
Massachusetts treats a stay of 31 days or less as a short-term rental, and the owner, called the operator, has to register with the state before renting (Mass.gov room occupancy excise). In practice that means:
- registering with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue through its online system, MassTaxConnect, which issues a certificate for each property;
- posting that certificate at the home and giving its number to any booking site you use;
- collecting room occupancy tax on each stay: the state rate is 5.7%, and towns may add a local rate of up to 6% (Mass.gov room occupancy excise, Mass.gov tax rates);
- checking whether your town has its own registration, inspection, or safety rules (Mass.gov public registry).
Tax rules change, so confirm your town’s current rate and your own obligations with an accountant. A good rental manager handles most of the registration and tax filing for you.
How should you get the house ready?
Guests compare homes online, so presentation matters:
- Photos: professional photos make the biggest difference to bookings.
- Basics: good beds, fresh linens and towels, a well-equipped kitchen, and reliable Wi-Fi.
- Beach gear: chairs, umbrellas, a cooler, and an outdoor shower are what guests look for on the island.
- Safety: working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, and clear instructions for the house.
How do you set the right price?
Rates depend on the town, how close the home is to the water or a village, the number of bedrooms, and features like a pool or a water view. A home within walking distance of Edgartown or Oak Bluffs, or near a beach, usually earns more than a similar house inland. Prices also change through the season, with July and August at the top.
Not sure what your home could earn? Ask us, and we’ll give you a realistic range based on comparable homes we manage.
Who handles the bookings and the guests?
This is where most of the work is: answering inquiries, keeping a calendar up to date, collecting deposits and payments, handling check-in, arranging cleaning between stays, and answering the phone when something breaks. You can do it yourself, but most owners who live off-island use a rental manager.
When you rent with Portfolio Properties, your home is listed on our site with an up-to-date availability calendar. Guests send an inquiry, or book online if you choose to allow instant booking for your home. We handle questions, contracts, payments, and coordination with cleaners and caretakers. You can see the homes we already manage on our Martha’s Vineyard rentals page. Guests often ask how to get here and around, so our guide to getting around Martha’s Vineyard is a useful link to share with them.
How do you protect the house?
- Talk to your insurance agent about coverage for a home you rent out.
- Use a written rental agreement with clear house rules, a security deposit, and a cancellation policy.
- Have a local caretaker who can respond quickly to problems.
Rent another season, or sell?
Some owners reach a point where the rental income no longer outweighs the work. If you’re weighing another season against a sale, it helps to know what the home is worth today alongside what it earns. Our sellers page explains how we price and market an island home, and we’re glad to put both numbers side by side.
Ready to get started?
We’ll walk you through the season ahead, from registration to the first booking. Ask about renting your home with us.