Management
FAQ

Our agreements cover a wide variety of topics and legal aspects — the goal is to address all expectations you have regarding our services. This includes pricing, amenities, services, management fees, security deposits, and more.

Typically our agreements span one year, but they can vary based on negotiations, trial periods, and other factors. If you have questions about contract length or what it entails, please call us at (619) 800-1468 or request a free rental analysis.

The fee varies but is firmly competitive in the San Diego vacation rental management marketplace. We keep close tabs on competitors, their rates, and the services they provide — and we price accordingly.

The fee also varies based on your needs as an owner. For example, if you only want to use us as a booking agent, the fee will be lower than full-service management. Contact us for a specific quote.

We hold all monies in escrow until the completion of a reservation. Any reservation that overlaps months can be paid out in the arrival month if the reservation is completed by the time of our monthly accounting. If not, it rolls over to the following month’s statement and disbursement.

TOT (Transient Occupancy Tax) is calculated as a percentage of rent for the occupancy of a structure or any portion of the structure. The law requires that operators collect the tax from transients, hold TOT revenues in trust, and remit them to the City Treasurer every month.

If the operator fails to collect the tax, the operator is liable to the City for the amount of tax due. For full details, visit the City of San Diego TOT page.

Additionally, all third-party listing sites (Airbnb, VRBO, etc.) remit tax on our behalf for reservations booked through their platforms. We have a strong history of on-time filings — owners never need to worry about late or incorrect submissions.

Yes. Per the California Franchise Tax Board, property managers are required to withhold 7% of gross rent or lease payments in excess of $1,500 per calendar year for owners who reside outside of California. This applies to:

• Individuals who reside outside of California
• Corporations, partnerships, and LLCs without a permanent place of business in California or not registered with the California Secretary of State
• Trusts without a resident grantor, beneficiary, or trustee, or estates where the decedent was not a California resident

For full details, visit the California FTB withholding page.

Yes, certain owners may qualify for an exemption or reduced withholding:

• California residents
• Corporations, Partnerships, and LLCs registered with the California Secretary of State or with a permanent California place of business
• Estates where the deceased was a California resident
• Nonresident owners whose gross payments do not exceed $1,500 in a calendar year

Yes — per our vacation rental management agreement, we will send a 1099 to all owners for year-end tax purposes. Keep in mind that 1099 forms will show all rental income, which in some cases may also include cleaning fees.

We have a full breakdown of the San Diego STRO licensing requirements. San Diego uses a tiered licensing system. Tier 3 licenses cover whole-home rentals citywide and are currently available on a first-come, first-served basis, up to a 1% cap on city housing units. Mission Beach is a special case — it falls under Tier 4, which has a higher 30% cap, but all licenses have been issued. Importantly, Tier 4 licenses are not transferable and cannot be acquired through a property purchase. The only path to a Mission Beach STRO license is joining the city waitlist.

All short-term rentals also require a TOT certificate approved by the City of San Diego. We will apply for this on your behalf and handle monthly TOT tax payments. For properties outside San Diego city limits, we can assist with the correct licenses and permits for your area.

The City of San Diego requires specific host signage posted visibly at the property. It must include the STRO license number, TOT certificate number, and local contact name and phone number.

Download the official City of San Diego STRO host signage template here.

All owners must carry property damage and liability insurance, and must name Titan Beach Rentals as additionally insured.

Our setup process consists of:

• Property evaluation within the local market before signing a management agreement
• Suggested items for upgrades or remodel
• Cleaning quotes from our approved vendor network
• Property listing setup on our website and all major third-party platforms
• Development of a customized marketing plan
• Going live

We work with professional photography vendors and can provide competitive pricing. Professional photos are required for all properties — without them, the marketing effectiveness of your listing would be severely impacted.

We take a multi-channel approach to marketing your property:

• Listed on multiple third-party platforms plus our own website
• Professional photos uploaded to all listings
• SEO-optimized property descriptions
• Social media promotion
• Custom retargeting ad campaigns
• Email campaigns to our guest database

We list across all major third-party platforms including Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, Homeaway, Google Vacation Rentals, Hopper, and more — in addition to our own website.

We use AI across multiple areas of our business, including revenue management, SEO and keyword optimization, review management, automated guest messaging and responses, and photo placement optimization.

Using our customer database, we market your property through our monthly email newsletter, targeted emails to guests who have rented similar properties in the past, and custom retargeting campaigns to re-engage previous visitors.

Per our vacation rental management agreement, we can pay all bills except mortgages.

Repairs under a pre-agreed dollar threshold are approved and handled by us directly. Any estimate beyond that threshold is sent to you for approval or recommendations first.

We perform routine departure and arrival inspections to keep the property in ideal condition — checking all utilities, electronics, exterior, and more.

All vendors must submit an application to be reviewed for proper insurance, licenses, and relevant qualifications before being approved to work on our properties.

If you have a personal cleaner you’d like to use, they can submit the proper forms through our vendor approval process. As long as they meet our standards, we can absolutely work with your cleaner.

Yes — we actually encourage it. If you have specific cleaning requirements for your property, please provide them and we’ll incorporate them into the cleaning protocol. If not, we’ll develop our own thorough checklist.

Our cleaners provide fresh linens and towels at no cost to owners. Damaged or soiled items are replaced automatically during each cleaning.

We also provide a starter kit stocked each cleaning: one roll of paper towels, dish and hand soap, scrub brush, two trash bags, two rolls of toilet paper per bathroom, and bath soap. We periodically restock trash bags, dish soap, and laundry soap.

If there are specialty items you’d like restocked during each cleaning, we can set that up as well.

We enforce strict screening standards on every reservation:

• Minimum booking age of 25 (unless traveling with family or guardian)
• No parties of any kind — including bachelor/bachelorette (small approved gatherings excepted with written permission)
• Strict occupancy limits enforced per listing
• Noise ordinance enforced 10 PM – 8 AM
• No smoking of any kind at any property
• No pets at non-pet-friendly properties
• All guests must follow the San Diego Good Neighbor Policy

Yes. All guests must sign the vacation rental agreement before a reservation is confirmed. You can review the full guest rental terms here.