Why bother with long-term rentals at all?

Short Term and Co-Rooming are all the rage, but...

Author

Roger Blankenship
September 04, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

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Why Rent Long Term?

With all the extra income you can make from short-term rentals or co-rooming, why would anyone still do a long-term rental?

Here’s the pro-level answer: because wealth isn’t built on volatility — it’s built on consistency.

Short-term rentals can outperform on monthly cash flow, but they come with higher risk: changing regulations, management headaches, and income swings. Long-term rentals may not produce eye-popping numbers today, but they deliver something the flashy models don’t:

  1. Amortization: Tenants quietly pay down your loan every month. In 15 years, you’ve got a pile of equity whether rents spiked or not.

  2. Appreciation: A modest 3% annual increase doubles property value in about 24 years — while you slept.

  3. Tax Benefits: Depreciation and interest deductions create invisible returns that short-term landlords often overlook.

  4. Predictability: Cash flow might not wow you, but it shows up — month after month, year after year.

So, why do long-term rentals? Because while others chase “hot” strategies, you’re building slow, steady, and compounding wealth.

The smart investor asks, “What does this make me now?” The wise investor asks, “What will this build me over time?”

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