Six questions worth asking.

Question one: which city, and can a permit be issued?

A manager working this market should know that Anaheim states new short-term rentals are prohibited, that Laguna Beach no longer allows the use in R-1, R-2 and R-3, that Newport Beach caps active permits at 1,550 and was issuing none when last checked, and that Huntington Beach allows whole-home rental only in Sunset Beach. If the first answer you get is about Orange County as a whole, keep asking.

Question two: who responds, and how fast?

Laguna Beach requires a local contact available 24/7 who can respond to complaints within 60 minutes, plus a posted nuisance response plan and a complaint log. Ask who that person is, where they are based, and what the escalation path is at 2am on a holiday weekend. Ask to see the complaint log format. A manager who cannot describe this concretely is describing a call centre.

Question three: what is the filing calendar?

Ask them to recite it. Newport Beach mails renewal and transient occupancy tax forms at the end of September with both due back by 31 October, and does not accept postmarked mail. Laguna Beach requires quarterly transient occupancy tax filings even in a quarter with no rentals. Anaheim permits run one year from issue. These are hard dates, and missing one is an avoidable, expensive mistake.

Question four: what have you read of my documents?

A manager who has not asked for the recorded CC&Rs has not done the work. In Dana Point the City will not issue a permit without evidence the association does not legally prohibit the use. In Newport Beach the City tells owners to review their CC&Rs and follow up with the association before advertising or applying. Ask what they found and what they still need.

Question five: how is the projection built?

Ask to see nights available before nights sold, with owner use deducted, and ask which of the assumed minimum stays are city requirements rather than choices. Our own approach is set out in the projection methodology guide; hold us to it as well.

Question six: what does the agreement actually commit you to?

Read the term, the notice period, what happens to forward bookings if you leave, who owns the listing and the reviews, who holds the permit relationship with the city, and what is included versus billed. Fee questions get answered for your specific property in the Owner Portal rather than on a public page, because the answer depends on the home and the services selected.