At More Homes, Every Square Foot Is a Stage (for Rent by the Hour)

Before tenants list rental homes for commercial use, they should look closely at their leases, according to Joshua Krefetz, a real estate lawyer at Ligris, a firm in Newton, Mass., who specializes in landlord-tenant litigation. “The laws are different in every state, but the main thing is the language of the lease,” Mr. Krefetz said.

He has not worked on any cases involving disputes arising from this type of short-term rental but explained that, generally, “full disclosure and consent should avoid problems with the landlord.” Hosts should also consider getting liability insurance before listing it, he added, even if they rent rather than own.

Hattie Kolp, 30, a special-education teacher in New York who writes a blog about lifestyle and design, has lived in the same two-bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan since she was 10. She took over the lease from her parents about four years ago and now rents the apartment for $1,300 a month.

In January 2021, Ms. Kolp began advertising her apartment for hourly rentals on Home Studio List after someone from the platform, which lists only residential properties, contacted her. Having lived there for most of her life, she was “comfortable doing this,” she said, because “I know no one is going to have a problem with it.” In March, she created a second listing, on Peerspace, where her place has since been booked for photo and video shoots.

Decorated in what she describes as a Parisian style, the apartment is furnished with jewel-toned furniture and gold accents. Those elements, Ms. Kolp said, are meant to complement the roughly 130-year-old unit’s bones. Built in 1892, its features from that era include a 25-foot-long hallway, pocket doors and a butler’s pantry with a dumbwaiter.