Rent to Traveling Nurses & Therapists: What You Need to Know

Finding housing as a traveling nurse or therapist is a considerable challenge. As a traveler for 15 years, I’ve had such a hard time finding units in the locations where I’m taking assignments. I find it surprising that I receive many messages from potential landlords complaining that they find it hard to rent to traveling nurses.

Renting to travelers can be simple.

However, the lack of affordable housing in the mid-term space has ultimately pushed me out of travel and into a permanent position. Check out the YouTube video below to learn more about my personal story. If you are still interested in renting to travel nurses and travel therapists, read on to learn more.

If you are new to travel healthcare, please understand that the market is not strong for travelers now, and many travelers have left to pursue permanent positions. The rising cost of housing, along with the lower rates from hospital systems, contributed to this switch. Please know that travelers just don’t have the budgets for expensive units like we did during the pandemic.

If you are a landlord who can’t find travelers for your unit, I’m here to help you avoid some of the common mistakes I see from landlords or have difficulty hosting travel nurses.

Here are my tips for helping you rent to traveling nurses and other traveling healthcare professionals.

The Basics To Know When You Rent to Traveling Nurses

Here are 5 basics to keep in mind when you rent to traveling nurses.

1. List Your Unit on Mid-Term Housing Websites

If you want to list your rental only by word of mouth or your own marketing, expect to put a lot of work and potentially money into getting your unit rented.

A common misconception I hear from landlords is that they believe that they can do their own marketing for their unit through Facebook and other social media sites and it really doesn’t work like that.

Travelers rent through trusted, established websites. They don’t trust Craigslist, Facebook, and social media. If they find you through those sites, they are going to be weary that you are a scammer and may not want to send a deposit or want to rent from you at all.

Save yourself time and stress and list your unit for rent on a housing website. Furnished Finder has become the #1 place for traveling healthcare professionals with over 200,000 units on their site. You can supplement your listing with word of mouth and social media marketing if wanted.

I DO NOT list housing units on this website. Please don’t email me and ask to list your unit on my website.

Furnished Finder Review: I have a personal review of Furnished Finder from a travelers perspective

Here are my top websites to rent to traveling nurses:

1. Furnished Finder
2. Airbnb

2. Price Your Unit Affordably – The Travel Nursing Market is In a Decline

I’ll shout this one from the ceiling. Landlords who have affordable priced units rent them out.

If you got into renting to healthcare professionals because you want to charge top dollar, you’re in the wrong niche.

Overwhelmingly, travel nurses and other traveling healthcare professionals don’t want luxury and don’t want to pay luxury prices.

Many travelers, including myself, have LEFT TRAVEL because we couldn’t accommodate the increased housing prices along with hospitals dropping our pay rates.

Cheaper wins when it comes to most travelers. If there’s a cheaper unit in town, or a traveler can stay in an Extended Stay Hotel for less money, they will.

And yes, many Extended Stay America hotel stays with coupon codes end up being less than the cost of many units I’m seeing advertised online.

Don’t believe me? Go into any travel nursing housing group on Facebook and attempt to rent a high-priced unit.

3. Fully Furnished with Basic Home goods

As I mentioned above, travelers don’t want luxury. They want solid basics. Travel nurses are looking for fully-furnished units with some basic home goods.

I once heard traveling healthcare professionals described as:

“Modern-day hippies who are looking to travel and live easily. You don’t want a lot of stuff, just the basics.”

I find this description to be helpful when thinking about design and aesthetics for travelers. We are more minimalistic and basic in our needs, wants, and travel necessities.

If you wonder what things to put in a unit, take a moment to think about everything that you use daily in your house. Dishes, towels, rags, brooms, etc. Those are the things that we appreciate having in our units.

Here are some things I recommend travel nursing hosts have in their units:

• Fully furnished (bed, sofa, table, etc)
• TV with either cable or Roku access
• Basic kitchen home goods including plates, cups, mugs, etc
• Small appliances like a blender and coffee pot
• Cleaning supplies such as a vacuum, dish soap, broom, rags, sponges, etc.
• Tupperware and/or a to-go cup for coffee
• Soaps and a few rolls of toilet paper in the bathroom for when we move in
• Some spices in the kitchen cabinet, like salt and pepper
• Hangers in the closet
• A welcome book with information about the unit, house rules, recommendations for the area, and any favorite to-go restaurant menus
• A full-length mirror
• Black out blinds in the bedroom. This is for the travelers who work night shifts and need to sleep during the day.
• A solid mattress in good shape (not old)

Travel Nurses Want Private Spaces

You may be thinking about the layout and design of your home, and how it is compatible with hosting travelers. Perhaps you are renovating a home or basement space to list.

First and foremost, most travelers tend to look for a private space. This would include a private apartment or in-law suite/casita with a separate entrance. If affordable private accommodation is not in the market, then more people branch out into looking for shared accommodations with roommates.

In a roommate situation, a private bathroom is going to be far more appealing than a shared bathroom. If you have shared accommodations and can configure your house to offer a private bathroom, that is definitely more appealing than shared.

Lastly, a shared apartment with a shared bathroom would be attractive at the right price and location. If your unit is a private room with a shared bathroom, I recommend pricing it lower to get more views and interest in it. I have absolutely stayed in units with shared bathrooms, but they were the cheapest units that I’ve ever stayed in.

Good Rest Is Important for Travelers

Getting a good sleep is important for travelers whether they are working day shift or night shift.

Creating a space for travelers to have restful sleep is helpful, especially for night shift travelers.

Blackout shades are a must, and a sound machine is a nice bonus to any room.

It’s also essential to keep tabs on your mattress and switch it out when it’s old. Some of the most uncomfortable places I’ve stayed had mattresses that felt 20 years old.

If you don’t know where to start when buying a mattress, you don’t need something crazy expensive. My favorite mattress was a $200 Mubulily mattress from Amazon. I liked it so much that I found the exact one to buy for myself at home. I also enjoy Nectar Mattresses, which are slightly more expensive but have a range of options to choose from.

4. Make House Rules Concise & Clear Upfront

We don’t want a lawless society, and I understand the need for rules. Especially ones that may affect the cleanliness of your home, like smoking and pets.

Make sure that you have made those rules clear upfront.

Mention the house rules when you are interviewing at the potential tenant. You can also leave a copy of the house rules for your traveler when they move into the unit.

Please limit unnecessary rules. Too many rules will make travelers pass on your unit.

I’ve met hosts who have no alcohol rules, curfews for when travelers can enter/exit the house, and a strict no-guest policy. Also, I’ve seen time restrictions on when travelers can use shared rooms of the house, like the kitchen, during the day.

It’s your house, so obviously your rules. Just know the more rules you have, the fewer guests you’ll find who may agree to your terms.

I have kindly passed on staying with hosts who have a million rules or seemingly dumb rules. If you have too many rules listed in your ad, it sets a bad tone and I often won’t reach out at all.

For example, if you scroll down on this page and read the comment section on this post, somebody commented that they don’t allow any alcohol, fragrances, guests, or smoking on their property. While personally, I don’t drink, smoke, and can live without a candle, seeing that in a post would be a big turn-off because too many rules make you feel like you’re always walking on eggshells in your own home.

Travel healthcare professionals are here for an extended amount of time. They want to feel as at home in your home as you do. If the rules are not clear up front, you may also have unhappy travelers who could leave potentially bad reviews. Set your rules, and expectations, clearly in your housing advertisement. Then, you can host a guest who matches your needs.

5. Introduce the Travelers to Your Hometown

When a traveler comes to stay with you, they might be completely new to your area.

Make them feel at home by introducing them to some of your town’s “must-see” spots. You could make a list or brochure of your favorite places to include in a welcome packet.

Or, just be available to answer questions and give them your favorite recommendations.

Making a traveler feel at home can help ease the traveler’s mind about being in a new place, and it can give you a chance to help them get adjusted to their new surroundings.

Hosting traveling nurses, travel therapists, and other traveling healthcare professionals is a great way to make income off of extra space in your home. Hopefully, these tips have helped you understand how to create and market space for traveling therapists! Best of luck with your housing endeavors!

Rent to Traveling Nurses Recap

Renting to travel nurses can be a mutually beneficial experience for you as the landlord and the healthcare professional.

However, since the travel nursing market is in decline, travelers will not have the resources to pay top dollar for units.

If you still want to rent to travelers, create a welcoming environment that feels like home.