Your beach rental. Your guests. No fees in between.
Beach Town Homes is a free place to list a beach home and hear straight from the people looking for one. No listing fee, no commission, and no middleman reading your messages.
- Cost to list
- $0
- Beach towns covered
- 1,512
- Coastal states
- 23
What Beach Town Homes is
A listing site built only for beach towns. People searching here already want the shore, so your home sits next to the right neighbors instead of among every apartment and cabin in the country. You publish a listing with photos, rates and rules. Visitors browse by state and town, save homes they like, and set alerts for new ones.
Free to use
Creating an account, listing a home and messaging guests all cost nothing. There is no commission on your stays, now or per booking.
Direct communication
Property seekers message you live from your listing. You answer questions, screen guests and agree terms in your own words, with nobody between you.
Rent all year
Show in-season nightly and weekly rates, off-season rates, a long-term lease or a sale price on the same listing.
Beach Town Homes vs Airbnb, VRBO and Houfy
The big platforms are built to take the booking, the payment and a share of every stay. We do something narrower: we introduce you to the guest and get out of the way.
| Feature | Beach Town Homes | Airbnb | VRBO | Houfy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to list | Free | Free to list | Free to list, or an annual subscription | Free to list |
| Fee on each stay | None. We never take a cut | Service fee taken from every booking | Commission and payment processing, or subscription | Commission-free for hosts |
| Who talks to the guest | You, directly, from your listing | You, inside Airbnb messaging | You, inside VRBO messaging | You, inside Houfy messaging |
| Who sets the terms | You: rates, minimum stay, house rules, who you rent to | You, within Airbnb policies and cancellation rules | You, within VRBO policies | You, with more freedom than the big two |
| Focus | Beach towns only. Every listing is checked against a coastal ZIP | Everywhere, every kind of stay | Whole-home vacation rentals everywhere | Whole-home rentals everywhere |
| Rent in season, off season, long term or sell | All of them, on one listing | Short stays; monthly discounts available | Mostly short stays | Mostly short stays |
| Bookings and payments | Not handled. You arrange these with the guest yourself | Built in | Built in | Built in |
Based on how each platform publicly describes itself. Fees, plans and features change, so check their current terms before you decide. Airbnb, VRBO and Houfy are trademarks of their owners and are not affiliated with Beach Town Homes.
What we don't do
Beach Town Homes is not a booking engine. We don't take payments, hold deposits or run a calendar-sync and review system, and we don't offer host protection programs. You and the guest agree dates, payment and a lease or rental agreement between yourselves. If you want that part handled for you, keep your Airbnb, VRBO or Houfy listing and add this one alongside it.
Airbnb hosts, with one property or many
You don't have to leave Airbnb to use Beach Town Homes. Most hosts add a second place for guests to find them.
If you host one property
- Airbnb's service fee comes out of every stay you book. A single home that fills mostly with repeat guests can send them here and keep that money.
- Fill the gaps. Off-season weeks that sit empty on Airbnb can go to a monthly or long-term renter who finds you here.
- Build a relationship. Guests who message you directly are easier to rebook next summer.
- Setup takes one sitting: a short application, then one listing with your photos and rates.
If you host several properties
- Fees add up fastest on a portfolio. With no commission here, every direct guest is margin you keep across all your homes.
- Bulk-import your listings from a CSV instead of retyping each one, then edit them from one vendor dashboard.
- One inbox for every property. Messages from all your listings arrive in the same place.
- Vendor analytics show which of your homes get the views, saves and questions.
- Mix strategies by property: nightly rentals on one, a lease on another, a sale listing on a third.
How it works
-
1
Create a free account and verify your email.
-
2
Apply to become a vendor and tell us about your home or homes.
-
3
Once approved, add each listing with its rates, photos and details, or import many from a CSV.
-
4
Reply to guests and renters from your dashboard and agree terms directly.
Questions
Can I list my own home without an agent?
Yes. Home owners can apply to become a vendor and list their home for sale, for lease or as a vacation rental.
Can I rent my home in season and lease it off season?
Yes. Each listing has separate in-season and off-season rates, plus a monthly rate, so you can show both on one listing.
Why can't I list my home?
We only list homes in coastal towns. If your ZIP code is not accepted but your home is on or near the coast, contact us and we will take a look.
Do I need a rental permit?
Many beach towns require a permit or license for short-term rentals. Check with your town, and add the permit number to your listing so renters know it is licensed.