Furnished Finder for Owners: How It Works for 30-Day Stays

Furnished Finder is where many 30-day renters start their search, and it works very differently from Airbnb. There is no booking button, no commission taken out of each stay and no payout from the platform. If you are thinking about moving your short-term rental to mid-term stays this winter, here is how the site works from the owner’s side and what to set up before you list.

What is Furnished Finder?

Furnished Finder is a listing marketplace for furnished rentals of a month or more. It is not a property manager. Owners create the listing, set the rent, answer inquiries and sign their own lease with the renter. Every listing has to offer a minimum stay of at least 30 days, and owners can set a longer minimum, such as 60 or 90 days.

Who rents on Furnished Finder?

The site started with traveling nurses, and nurses on hospital contracts are still a core part of its demand. Furnished Finder now says its renters also include business travelers, people relocating for a new job, visiting faculty and military families. That mix matters in Texas: a home near a hospital district or a large employer can stay full through the slow months when nightly bookings drop.

How does Furnished Finder charge owners?

Owners pay a flat annual listing subscription that renews automatically. Furnished Finder takes no commission on bookings, and renters pay no booking or service fee. The trade off is that the platform does less of the work for you. By default it does not process payments or pay you out, so rent collection is on you or your manager.

How do bookings and rent payments work?

A renter sends a booking inquiry, which is not a commitment and costs them nothing. You reply, agree on dates and rent, and sign a lease. Furnished Finder does not process bookings or collect rent. Rent goes from the renter to you, by bank transfer, payment link or your own processor. If you want online rent collection, Furnished Finder offers it as an optional tool through its sister company, KeyCheck, along with state-specific lease templates.

Renters often contact several owners at once, so the first clear reply usually wins. Answer inquiries the same day, with the dates you can do, the full monthly rent, the deposit and what is included.

Does Furnished Finder screen tenants?

Not by default. Furnished Finder verifies the identity of landlords, but it does not screen renters unless the landlord asks. A landlord can request a screening through KeyCheck, which covers credit, criminal background and eviction history, and the renter pays for it by default. Whether you use it is your call, and your lease should say what happens if a renter does not pass.

What should you set up before you list?

• Minimum stay. Set 30 nights or more. In Texas, 30 consecutive days is also the line for the state hotel occupancy tax exemption.
• Deposit and cleaning fee. The common setup is a refundable security deposit plus a cleaning fee, both collected when the lease is signed. Keep the deposit refundable.
• Utilities and internet. Put what is included, and any monthly cap, in the lease.
• Calendar sync. Connect your Furnished Finder calendar to Airbnb and Vrbo by iCal so a 30-day stay never overlaps a nightly booking.
• Access. Give each renter a new door code, and rekey anything a past renter had a physical key to.
• Turnover. Clean before move in the same way you would for a nightly guest, and write what the renter is responsible for at move out into the lease.

How does a 30-day stay change taxes in Texas?

In Texas, a guest who stays 30 or more consecutive days is a permanent resident for hotel tax purposes, so the 6% state hotel occupancy tax does not apply. With written notice at the start of the stay it is exempt from day one; otherwise tax is due on the first 30 days. Airbnb calls stays of 28 nights or more “monthly”, so a 28-night Airbnb booking is still a short-term stay. We cover the full picture, including city rules and income tax, in Mid-Term vs Short-Term Rentals in Texas: Tax, Rules and Income.

How does HostStarter run Furnished Finder stays?

We already run 30-day stays through Furnished Finder and our own direct booking site, alongside nightly bookings on Airbnb and Vrbo. We list the home, answer inquiries, provide the lease and do high level guest vetting. We do not run background or credit checks. Our fee is the same for nightly and 30-day stays: 12.5% of revenue plus $99 a month, month-to-month with 30 days’ notice. Furnished Finder’s listing fee is passed through at cost, with no markup.

Wondering whether your home would do better with 30-day stays this winter? Get a free revenue projection, and ask us about mid-term stays when we send it.

Frequently asked questions

Does Furnished Finder charge owners a commission?

No. Owners pay a flat annual listing subscription, and Furnished Finder takes no commission on bookings. Renters pay no booking fee.

What is the minimum stay on Furnished Finder?

30 days. Owners can set a longer minimum, such as 60 or 90 days.

Does Furnished Finder collect rent for owners?

No. Rent goes directly from the renter to the owner. Online rent collection through KeyCheck is optional.

What does HostStarter charge to manage 30-day stays?

12.5% of revenue plus $99 a month, the same as nightly stays. Furnished Finder’s listing fee is passed through at cost. We provide the lease and do high level guest vetting; we do not run background or credit checks.