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Hopefully ok to ask this here of other hosts. What's the drawback to converting a personal PayPal to business.
It's it just you can't to fee free transfers to friends to split a meal outing or wherever
Or did business PayPal actually change how much PayPal costs and operates for general purchasing?
I have Stripe for payment processing. So should I connect Paypal thru Stripe or thru OR or both?
Connect PayPal directly to OR, not through Stripe. Then, OR will use both payment methods side by side but prefer the Stripe one for CC stuff.
I have Stripe for payment processing. So should I connect Paypal thru Stripe or thru OR or both?
This week’s roundup covers Airbnb’s New Year’s Eve anti-party measures, Expedia’s move to deepen its experiences business, rising World Cup-driven demand in Los Angeles, and a key legal ruling in Nevada that could reshape local short-term rental enforcement. Let’s dive in.
Airbnb is activating heightened anti-party technology in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, the UK, France, Spain, and Australia to help reduce the risk of disruptive parties during New Year’s Eve this year. The company says the system is designed to identify and block higher-risk bookings while steering guests toward lower-risk accommodations, such as private rooms or hotel rooms. Airbnb says that last New Year’s Eve, similar measures prevented over 20,000 people in the U.S. and more than 3,000 people in Canada from booking an entire home listing. The continued rollout of this technology during holiday weekends is designed to support positive stays and help vacation rental operators protect their homes and surrounding communities during peak travel periods.
Expedia announced an agreement to acquire Tiqets, an Amsterdam-based platform for museum and attraction tickets, following an extended sales process that drew interest from multiple travel companies, including Airbnb. The deal gives Expedia more direct access to major European attractions and reduces its reliance on third-party partners as it continues to expand its experiences business. In announcing the acquisition, Expedia said the move supports its broader travel strategy. “The Tiqets integration is a key step toward our vision to build the most comprehensive, global travel solution,” said Alfonso Paredes, President of B2B at Expedia Group. For vacation rental operators, the deal signals continued investment across the travel industry in experiences as a growing part of how guests plan and book trips.
The Los Angeles Times released an article highlighting the increased pricing and demand for short-term rentals in Los Angeles ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The article spotlights one Airbnb host near SoFi Stadium who raised their rates from $1,000 to $10,000 for a two-night stay. The article notes that currently more than 70 percent of short-term rentals in the Inglewood area are already booked for June 12th, the night of the opening match, representing a 58 percent increase compared to typical reservation rates. The World Cup is also being viewed as an early test case for the 2028 Olympics, which are expected to bring an estimated 15 million visitors to the region. This surge in demand is great news for vacation rental operators in the area, presenting an excellent opportunity to maximize revenue during the global event through seasonal rates or dynamic pricing.
In a recent ruling, Nevada District Court Judge Miranda Du paused fines, penalties, and liens against Clark County homeowners for short-term rental activity, signaling that the Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association and its co-plaintiff, Airbnb, are likely to succeed in a legal battle that dates back to 2021. Judge Du ruled that prohibiting property owners from renting their homes likely violates due process protections under the 14th Amendment. Under the injunction, Clark County is temporarily barred from requiring short-term rental licenses, issuing fines or liens, and declaring short-term rentals a public nuisance. For vacation rental operators, the ruling represents a significant win amid the ongoing efforts of local governments to regulate short-term rentals.
With upcoming global events and ongoing regulatory discussions shaping the vacation rental market, expect continued changes across the rental landscape as we near the end of 2025. Check back next week for the latest news.
Some additional points of clarification:
What the "upgrade" langage means
The "upgrade" language simply means to upgrade the connection, not the PayPal account itself. You can use the same PayPal account you already connected with before. You only need to re-connect it. Nothing different is needed on the PayPal side.
Using your existing credit card processor side by side with PayPal
To repeat what Bri said - your existing other credit card processor (Stripe, Lynnbrook, Authorize.Net) will continue to work side by side with PayPal and will be the top preferred option, if you have both. PayPal and Venmo will work beside it, and the internal PayPal credit card fields will not be an option if you have your own. So no worries on that.
Security deposits (RDD and holds)
Yes, these both work with the new PayPal. It was one of the final pieces of work we did in recent weeks to be able to release this. There are new guest forms for taking payments and security deposits/holds that are both out and working. So you are good to go on that end. If you have a standalone credit card option, it will offer that as an option as well, or just use the CC one for cards that are already on file, just like before.
What about security deposits? Can PayPal do these? If we disconnect stripe?
I'd be interested in how others have solved an upcoming and growing dilemma. How do you handle a deposit (or Hold)? Using these non-traditional gateways means we do not get the cc info to do a hold. Or we burden the guest with an added step or submitted more than one real payment method in the process. Have most moved away from deposit holds? Moved to an actual deposit and refund? or none?
"Please be aware that all accounts using the current PayPal connection must upgrade to gain access to the new PayPal. The upgrade is easy! All you need to do is connect your PayPal account again if you connected previously, and if you've never used PayPal, it's never been easier. More details on how to get connected here."
This language is confusing to me. I currently have a Paypal account. It says all I need to do is to "connect to my Paypal account again". I just need to open the account? The blog post says I must upgrade my current account. Upgrade to what? I already have a business account and I don't see any button or link that says "upgrade". Can you be more specific about what I need to do and how to do it?
Thank you for clarifying
This is a great podcast for folks thinking about joining the short term rental business, already in the business or a veteran of the business such as me and husband since 2011. It is a validation of my experience....the ups and downs....and can be quite successful IF you know what it takes. I appreciate having the point of view from the creators of the OwnerRez and knowing that one of you (something about 'dogging it'...I got it with the explanation!) has their own short term rentals/management. I am a big fan of OwnerRez; it literally changed my work life for the better!
Hi everyone! Wanted to jump in here and answer what questions I could.
PayPal accepts businesses with a business address and bank location in the following locations.
They offer short-term, interest-free payments that allow guests to buy now and pay later, while hosts receive payment upfront. You can read more on that topic here.
As for credit card processing, if you have a processor configured we will prefer that over PayPal during the checkout process. This is to say that if your guest chooses to pay by card and you have (let's say) Stripe configured as well as PayPal, Stripe should be the credit card processor in use at the time of checkout. If no credit card processor is configured, we fall back to PayPal.
We use Lynnbrook for CC processing. They offer Venmo, Paypal pay later, apple pay, etc. Can OwnerRez please enable their wallet function so we can use these payment methods? Lynnbrook already offer it to PMs on Streamline and other PMS software providers. We have friends on Streamline and they've been using it for months. Please enable "wallets" for Lynnbrook. Thank you! :)
THIS!!!!! Please enable wallets for your preferred partner, Lynnbrook!
https://www.ownerrez.com/forums/requests/mobile-pay-w-digital-wallet-apple-pay-venmo-zelle-crypto
This week’s roundup covers Lisbon reversing course on short-term rental restrictions, the Spanish government fining Airbnb, Maui finalizing its vacation rental phase-out after months of debate, and Anchorage voting down a proposed vacation rental tax. Let’s dive in.
Lisbon has recently rolled back tightened short-term rental restrictions after city officials determined that the rules failed to reduce housing costs or improve overall affordability. Airbnb welcomed the decision this week, saying the policies limited hosting opportunities for residents without addressing the city’s underlying housing challenges. According to Airbnb, since Lisbon began imposing restrictions in 2019, the annual growth rate of home prices in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area has nearly doubled, while annual rent increases accelerated from 5.7 percent to 9.2 percent. Over the same period, hotel prices climbed sharply, rising by 30 percent between 2022 and 2024 alone. Under the revised policy, short-term rentals will be allowed to increase from 5 percent to 10 percent of the local housing supply as the city looks to better balance housing needs with tourism demand.
The Spanish government has fined Airbnb 64 million euros, or about $75 million, after regulators said the platform advertised a large number of short-term rentals without valid licenses or accurate registration information. Officials said some of the affected listings also included properties in popular tourist destinations that were banned from being rented altogether. An Airbnb spokesperson said the company has been working in collaboration with the Spanish government since new short-term rental rules took effect in July and plans to challenge the decision in court, despite the Consumer Affairs Ministry stating that the fine cannot be appealed.
In continued coverage of Maui County’s vacation rental phase-out, previously reported in Industry News on June 6th, June 13th, July 4th, August 1st, August 29th, and October 17th, Bill 9 has now been officially signed into law by Mayor Richard Bissen following final approval by the Maui County Council. This hotly debated decision will phase out thousands of vacation rentals in apartment-zoned districts, starting in West Maui in 2028 and expanding countywide by 2030. Supporters argue that the law will reintroduce housing units to the long-term market, making things more affordable. At the same time, opponents continue to raise concerns about property rights, real economic impacts, and potential legal challenges. With implementation still several years away, uncertainty remains around how the law will ultimately reshape Maui’s vacation rental market.
The Anchorage Assembly in Alaska voted this week not to advance a vacation rental-specific tax to voters as a ballot measure. The proposed five percent tax on short-term rentals was introduced in September and would have been added to the existing 12 percent room tax that already applies to hotels and short-term rentals. A majority of Assembly members said it was not the right time to pursue an additional tax. While the proposal was rejected, the Assembly approved a separate ordinance requiring short-term rental owners to register their properties with the city, which officials say will improve tracking and help inform future policy decisions.
As governments continue to revisit and refine short-term rental restrictions, the vacation rental landscape continues to evolve. Check back next week for the latest news.
What is the adoption rate they are seeing with those other payment methods?
We use Lynnbrook for CC processing. They offer Venmo, Paypal pay later, apple pay, etc. Can OwnerRez please enable their wallet function so we can use these payment methods? Lynnbrook already offer it to PMs on Streamline and other PMS software providers. We have friends on Streamline and they've been using it for months. Please enable "wallets" for Lynnbrook. Thank you! :)
We need the option to direct standard CC payments to our primary processor and use PayPal to only process PayPal and Venmo.
I don't see the option to configure it that way. Our primary credit card processor is way cheaper than PayPal for standard cards, but offering the Venmo/PayPal option would be great.
This is key.
Prefer default stripe processing to reduce fees. PayPal is 1.4% + 10p more expensive for a GBP payment & 2.64% + 10p more expensive for an international payment.
Will we get funds right away if guest selects PayPal pay later?
Can PayPal do security deposits? Stripe is failing for scheduled security holds right now.
Is it available in UK?
How will Apple and Google pay stack up against other options!
We need the option to direct standard CC payments to our primary processor and use PayPal to only process PayPal and Venmo.
I don't see the option to configure it that way. Our primary credit card processor is way cheaper than PayPal for standard cards, but offering the Venmo/PayPal option would be great.
Exactly 3% is pricey but Venmo would be great
We need the option to direct standard CC payments to our primary processor and use PayPal to only process PayPal and Venmo.
I don't see the option to configure it that way. Our primary credit card processor is way cheaper than PayPal for standard cards, but offering the Venmo/PayPal option would be great.
if we don't want to upgrade or personal PayPal to a biz account (therefore I will delete my PayPal payment option) will that effect our ability to keep taking Venmo?
I believe the old/existing PayPal connection also required business PayPal accounts, so nothing should have changed on that front. It will work with the same PayPal account you had in place already, just have to connect it again.
Venmo is only available with this new PayPal connection. There is no Venmo-only type of connection unfortunately. Generally speaking, Venmo does not connect with merchants directly outside of PayPal except for native mobile apps.
Can the new Paypal be used for security deposit holds?
Also, is it available to UK customers?
if we don't want to upgrade or personal PayPal to a biz account (therefore I will delete my PayPal payment option) will that effect our ability to keep taking Venmo?
Should be the standard paypal and venmo for business rates which are roughly 3%
And what's the charge on the transaction? I think I missed that in the lengthy blog post
Really interesting
it is true...harder to make money now
i've been doing that for 5 years and now i get the help of my two daugthers
my cottage rental site is www.3forestlodge.ca
i think there should be a owner of short term rental association or group exchange of idea. There is not anough community feel in the business
thank you for your help. Ownerez reallt helps my business!
I don't follow... we use this feature, and upon the checkout date the guest selects, it logs out of all the apps that were downloaded and logged into and returns the screen back to the "select checkout date" page for the next guest to add their date, apps, and login.
We have not had an issue with the feature completely logging out of the ROKU account and requiring us to log back in.
Is yours completely wiping the account clean, requiring you to log back into a new ROKU account for verification?
Meet Cindy Lathan, founder of C Crest Property Management, a vacation rental management company based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. After a career in social services and many years serving her community as a Coroner’s Investigator, Cindy stepped into vacation rentals after early retirement. What started with three homes and no prior experience has grown into a successful business built around her love of working with people and helping families find the perfect place for their vacation.
I am a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a degree in Criminal Justice. I always resided in the state, and this southern girl doesn't ever want to leave!
My early background was in social services and loss prevention/asset protection. I never thought about property management/real estate.
This is my 1st career after early retirement. I was previously a Coroner's Investigator in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. I investigated unattended, unnatural deaths. I truly was dedicated to this position; it humbled me to be able to serve a grieving family. From notification to issuance of a death certificate after the investigation was complete, I was honored to serve them at one of the most difficult times in their lives. Obviously, you see things that you never want to see, but I realize the decedent was a person too, and treat them with dignity and respect.
I am originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. I have had a vacation home in Myrtle Beach since 2007 and moved here full-time in 2019. When I moved here, I was looking for something 'to do' (Vacation rental management never entered my mind!) After exploring the option, I found that a class on Real Estate Property Management just happened to be immediately available, so I took that as a sign. I completed the class in the late fall, worked hard to open the business, and actually got three homes to manage with zero experience! I got my first few reservations and was thrilled, only to have to cancel the VERY first one due to COVID-19 closures. I started 2020 with three homes, and now I will accept no more than 30 a year.
Myrtle Beach had always been a family vacation destination, but we were only able to come for 2-3 nights, maybe once every 2-4 years. I always enjoyed the beach, as I became an adult with a car, I could come more often and found out there was more to the area than that one motel we always stayed at. Since living here full-time, I have realized that there is something to do all the time! The beach never closes, but even in the winter, there is excitement that abounds.
I enjoy meeting the homeowners, explaining to them the advantages/disadvantages of sharing their vacation property with others. I have met wonderful families from all over the US. I enjoy being able to assist families in choosing their vacation home and try to encourage them to get out and explore the other areas when they can. I love to hear when families are looking for multiple homes for a reunion or birthday celebration. I try to go the extra mile with information regarding things they may want/need during that stay (cakes, balloons, catering, etc).
I feel like I enter every ounce of information that I can onto the website and in correspondence. I am a person who wants details down to the tee when I receive instructions/directions/what to do, etc. My major dislike is guests who receive the information and then call and ask the exact same questions that has been covered 2 or 3 times with them over different mediums. My 2nd dislike is turnover day, when guests call and want an early check-in. Again, I basically beg them not to call or text me on a turnover day (it is crazy busy!) I inform them that as soon as the house is ready, I will let them know. Basically, a perfect guest would read the information that is sent to them; it isn't that difficult. Finally - I have to throw this in, guest who come, stay, you never hear a peep from them, and then they call their credit card company and say the card was used fraudulently. I provide signatures, license, video/pictures of the guests arriving/leaving, etc., only to have it approved by the processor and denied by the bank. Obviously, I can pursue further, but that is at my cost, and as a single business owner, it is cheaper to pay for their vacation than to fight it. That's the disheartening part.
OwnerRez is my go-to for the entire business except for advertising. Website, inquiry, reservations, payments, reviews etc.
To me, the payment options are the most helpful. I don't have to worry about handling cash or card payments; everything is processed, security deposits are returned, etc. It is the best feature for me. The ability to merge OwnerRez with other booking platforms is wonderful too; no double work is involved.
Cindy’s people first approach and genuine love for what she does continue to shape C Crest Property Management. With OwnerRez supporting her day to day operations, we look forward to seeing her continued success as she grows her business in Myrtle Beach.
We’re excited to share the third episode of our new podcast, Walk ’n Talk: The Business Behind Vacation Rentals.
How do you build and operate a thriving company in the vacation rental space? This podcast answers that by drawing from the real, unfiltered conversations between OwnerRez co-founders Paul Waldschmidt and Chris Hynes. Their habit of taking weekly walks, pausing work to think through problems, debate strategy, and reset their perspective, became the foundation for the show. Now, those same discussions offer listeners a rare view into the decisions and lessons that shape OwnerRez.
In Episode Three, Paul and Chris take a look at some of the biggest myths versus realities in the vacation rental industry. They talk through how the industry has shifted over the years from a hobbyist side gig into a competitive, professionalized market where standing out requires true hospitality, well-run operations, and a long-term mindset.
Drawing on Paul’s experience running Shenrent with his wife, along with years of watching thousands of OwnerRez users grow, they share what new owners often misunderstand, why a genuine interest in hospitality matters more than most people expect, and how having the right systems in place plays a major role in long-term success.
You’ll hear about:
Walk ’n Talk: The Business Behind Vacation Rentals is available on:
We’ve already started on the next episodes, and we can’t wait to share them with you.
A new year is here, making January the perfect time to revisit your vacation rental operations and take a fresh look at your OwnerRez setup. 🎆 As plans for the year ahead come together, we’ve put together a strong lineup of webinars to help you review, refine, and improve your day-to-day workflows.
This month’s webinar schedule includes live Demos, Q&A sessions, and Focus Sessions covering topics such as tags and tag automations, and the new Rezzy AI support features. Whether you are fine-tuning your existing operations or looking to learn something new, there is a session for you this January. Get signed up today!
PMv2 is the next evolution of Property Management in OwnerRez, rebuilt from the ground up to deliver clearer statements, more accurate payouts, flexible reporting, and a stronger foundation for future enhancements. In this webinar, we’ll walk through the major improvements introduced in PMv2, show how it streamlines your financial workflows, and provide a preview of the powerful features it unlocks moving forward.
Join us for a live demo of OwnerRez! Our client engagement team will give a high-level demonstration of how OwnerRez looks across all of its menus and features.
Join us for a live Q&A! Please write in questions prior to the webinar so we can start off by answering those right away.
Join us for a live demo of OwnerRez! Our client engagement team will give a high-level demonstration of how OwnerRez looks across all of its menus and features.
Join us for a live webinar on tags and tag automations inside OwnerRez. In this Focus Session, we will walk through how tags work, where they are used throughout the system, and how automation can be applied to streamline your vacation rental business. We will also highlight some of the exciting enhancements made to these features over the last year.
Join us for a live demo of OwnerRez! Our client engagement team will give a high-level demonstration of how OwnerRez looks across all of its menus and features.
Join us for a live Q&A! Please write in questions prior to the webinar so we can start off by answering those right away.
Join us for a live webinar on the brand new Rezzy Support features inside OwnerRez. In this Focus Session, we will demonstrate how Rezzy AI can help troubleshoot common issues, provide step-by-step instructions, and direct you to detailed support documentation, all designed to help you quickly find the answers you need.
Join us for a live demo of OwnerRez! Our client engagement team will give a high-level demonstration of how OwnerRez looks across all of its menus and features.
Meet Ryan Gulesserian, founder of San Pedro Square Apartments. With a background in finance, tech, and real estate, Ryan has built a successful management business that includes short-term and long-term rentals, as well as commercial properties across California. His approach centers on maintaining high occupancy and delivering a superior product to his guests, using OwnerRez to streamline his daily operations.
I began my career as a real estate sales agent specializing in the residential market, assisting both buyers and sellers in finding their ideal homes. Over time, as my clients grew their portfolios and began exploring investment opportunities, I recognized the potential to expand my own professional path. This led me to establish my own real estate brokerage, where I successfully transitioned from residential sales to working as a commercial real estate broker.
I obtained a BS in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Straight out of college, I took a job with a financial brokerage company, where I was a stock options broker, facilitating financial asset trades on financial exchanges. Serving corporate clients and executives of high-tech companies, I quickly realized the greatest opportunities were in their sector. Therefore, roughly three years into my career, I pivoted and began working in sales for a software solutions company that provided secure authentication and encryption technologies, an imperative requirement as businesses transitioned from traditional “brick and mortar” to online. Fast forward another ten years in that field, where I worked my way into business development during the “.com” era, and I was able to build my own opportunities outside of work by buying property myself. This paved the way for me to pursue my real estate sales license, as I became increasingly involved with real estate investment opportunities.
This is my 3rd career. My career path was never stagnant in any one particular field. I always left myself open to new opportunities. Looking back, taking on career changes so many times naturally entails risk; however, with risk there is reward. The rewards in my case were impactful because they were directly tied to my clients' gains. This was a recipe for success.
Now that I own a property management company, I can continue to serve my clients while also working on my own real estate portfolio. I strive to maintain high occupancy while delivering a superior product to my guests and tenants. I am responsible for vacation rentals, apartment rentals (both furnished and unfurnished), and I manage commercial tenants in the retail and office space.
OwnerRez allows me to work in a hybrid environment. I could work entirely remotely; however, I choose to get one-on-one time with staff and tenants as much as possible. With the tools of OwnerRez at my disposal, I am pleased to say that I have the option of being entirely mobile if I choose. My work often leaves me in a position where I must be extremely flexible. My portfolio of real estate locations spans from vacation rentals in Lake Tahoe to Sacramento to the Bay Area and as far south as San Diego, California.
Nothing really drew me to any particular area, other than looking at the financial profile of a specific real estate opportunity. If the investment opportunity looks right, so long as the property is within a short flight or drive, I will pursue it.
Being able to serve our guests to near-perfect satisfaction is what drives me. Naturally, we can not get a 100% success rate, but the goal is there nonetheless. The common theme of all my jobs has been to serve the customer to the best of my ability. The product changes, but the service remains the same.
I love how the vacation rental business has evolved. I’ve tried about 3-4 other versions of vacation rental and property management software, and have found that OwnerRez not only solves the most pain points but also continues to evolve with me, addressing future challenges proactively. The hospitality space is an ever-changing and dynamic environment that relies on good property management/vacation rental software solutions. While I currently use roughly 3-4 different software platforms to accomplish my day-to-day tasks, I am encouraged by the verticalization that is taking place, which allows me to have one “go-to” platform for the universal management of my business services.
OwnerRez manages about half of my bookings, and I use the OwnerRez plug-in to integrate with my WordPress website. I also use the payment systems, calendar functionality, universal inbox, automatic reviews, 3rd-party integrations with partners, and more.
The most important feature is OwnerRez acting as the heart of the booking process.
Ryan Gulesserian has built a strong and diversified business that consistently delivers excellent stays. We are excited to continue supporting his day-to-day operations, giving him more time to focus on growing his business.
