How do I rent my furnished place to traveling nurses?
To rent to a traveling nurse, offer a furnished unit on a fixed-term lease that matches the length of the assignment, and put in writing what happens if the assignment ends early or is extended. Ask every applicant for the same documents, and do not treat applicants differently because of who they are. The rest is ordinary landlord work: an inventory, a deposit that follows your state's rule and a clear move-out date.
Why traveling nurses look for furnished rentals
A traveling nurse takes a temporary assignment at a hospital, often in a city far from home. They carry a suitcase, not a houseful of furniture, and they need a place for the length of the contract. That is why a furnished home on a lease of a few months fits: it saves them from buying furniture they will leave behind.
For you the appeal is a fixed end date and rent for the whole term. The tradeoff is more turnover than a standard lease. Plan for cleaning, restocking and inspection between stays.
Match the lease to the assignment
Ask for the start and end dates of the assignment. Set the lease to cover the same period, not a round number that leaves you with an empty unit or the tenant with a gap. Two clauses protect both sides.
- Early termination: say what notice is needed and whether any fee applies if the hospital cancels the assignment. A short notice period and a clear fee are easier to enforce than silence.
- Extension: say that an extension is possible by written agreement and at what rent. Without it, a nurse whose contract is extended may ask on the day the lease ends.
Example a made-up assignment runs from the 3rd of June to the 30th of August. The owner writes a lease for exactly those dates, with 30 days notice and one month of rent as the early-end fee, and an option to extend month to month at the same rent if both sign by August 1.
Screening without breaking fair housing law
Use the same written criteria for every applicant: proof of income or an assignment letter, ID, and a rental or credit check you apply the same way each time. Do not set a different rule for someone because of a protected characteristic. The Fair Housing Act is federal, and your state or city may add more protections. HUD publishes an overview of what is covered.
It is fine to ask for a copy of the assignment contract as proof of income. It is not fine to refuse a family or a person with a disability different terms than you give others.
Deposit, rent and how you are paid
Your state decides how much deposit you can take and when you must return it. A few states give a different limit for furnished units: Kansas lets a landlord take up to one and one-half months of rent when the tenant uses the landlord's furniture, and Rhode Island lets a landlord charge a separate furniture deposit of up to one month in some cases. Most states do not. See security deposits for furnished rentals.
Collect the first month and the deposit before the keys change hands. Rent you receive before the period it covers is advance rent, which the IRS counts as income in the year you receive it, so keep clear records of what each payment covers.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your state, your city and your own documents decide what applies, so confirm with the statute and a local attorney or tax preparer.
Get the unit ready
- Take dated photos of every room and item at move-in and have the tenant sign the inventory.
- List what is included: linens, kitchen items, internet speed and the utilities you pay.
- Give the tenant the house rules: parking, trash, guests and quiet hours.
- Provide a repair contact and say how fast you reply. Nurses on night shifts may sleep days, so agree when you can enter for repairs.
- Plan the move-out walk-through for a day and time that suits a shift worker.
How DoorKeeping handles it
DoorKeeping helps you run the lease side of a mid-term rental: an e-signed lease with the exact dates, rent deposits matched to the lease from your bank feed, repairs tracked as work orders and email to the tenant. Each property has its own books. DoorKeeping never holds your money and sends a payment only when you approve it. DoorKeeping is built for long-term rentals. It does not take nightly bookings, run a booking calendar or message guests, so it is not a tool for stays booked by the night.
Sources
- HUD, Housing Discrimination Under the Fair Housing Act, read Oct 31, 2026
- Kansas Statutes, 58-2550 (security deposits; furnished units), read Oct 31, 2026
- Rhode Island General Laws, 34-18-19 (security deposits; furniture security deposit), read Oct 31, 2026
- IRS Publication 527, Residential Rental Property, read Oct 31, 2026
Questions
- How long should a lease for a traveling nurse be?
- Match the assignment dates. Ask for the contract start and end dates and write the lease for that period, with an option to extend if the assignment is renewed.
- Can I ask a traveling nurse for a copy of their assignment contract?
- Yes, as proof of income, as long as you ask every applicant for the same kind of proof and apply your criteria the same way.
- What if the hospital cancels the assignment early?
- Put it in the lease. Many owners require written notice and a stated fee, such as one month of rent. Check your state for limits on fees and on how a tenant may end a lease.