Lodging & short-term rentals
Books and taxes for extended stay and corporate housing.
A relocation company that pays on 30-day invoice terms, furnished units billed monthly instead of nightly, utilities bundled into the rate, and stays that run months instead of a weekend. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
March came in at $19,200. Two units turned over between corporate assignments, and I kept the furniture replacement cost separate from routine turnover cleaning.
- Relocation company invoice paymentMonthly stay revenue
- Direct corporate client paymentMonthly stay revenue
- Furniture replacement, unit 7Furniture and fixtures
- Turnover cleaning, two unitsCleaning cost
- Bundled utilities, all unitsUtilities
Why your books are different
A corporate housing operator's books go wrong in the same few places.
You are not running a hotel with nightly turnover, you are running furnished apartments with corporate clients who pay on invoice terms and stays that run for months. A generalist expects daily bookings. Your business needs invoice timing and long stays tracked their own way, or the numbers never quite line up.
-
1
Invoice payment timing does not match the stay
A relocation company might pay a 30-day invoice weeks after the stay actually started, so the cash landing in a given month often belongs to a different month's occupancy.
What we doTracks revenue against the stay period it belongs to, not just the date the invoice clears, so occupancy and cash timing do not get confused. -
2
Bundled utilities hide the real cost per unit
When rent quoted to a corporate client already includes utilities, it is easy to lose track of what each unit actually costs to run once the utility bill and the rent are lumped together.
What we doKeeps utility costs on their own line against the units they serve, so you can see if a bundled rate is still profitable. -
3
Furniture wears out faster than a typical rental
Furnished units see more turnover of different tenants than a standard apartment, and furniture and appliances wear down faster than a landlord used to unfurnished units expects.
What we doTracks furniture and fixture replacement on its own line so a heavy replacement month reads as expected upkeep, not a random expense. -
4
A short corporate stay is not the same as a long-term lease
A stay of six weeks for a relocating employee has different tax and accounting treatment than either a nightly hotel stay or a year-long apartment lease, and treating it like one or the other misses what actually applies.
What we doTracks each stay's length so the accountant can apply the right treatment rather than defaulting to a hotel or landlord template.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a corporate housing operator.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Monthly stay revenueRent from relocation companies and direct corporate clients.
- Extension and short-notice feesCharges for extending a stay or booking on short notice.
- Damage and cleaning chargesFees kept from a deposit for actual damage or excess cleaning.
- Furnishing packagesAny add-on charges for upgraded furniture or amenities.
Money out
- Furniture and fixturesBeds, couches, and appliances across furnished units.
- Cleaning costTurnover cleaning between corporate stays.
- UtilitiesElectric, water, gas, and internet, often bundled into the client rate.
- Property management softwareSystems tracking stays, invoices, and unit turnover.
- Rent or mortgage on unitsThe carrying cost of each leased or owned unit.
- InsuranceCoverage for furnished short and mid-term rental use.
What we watch for you
- Occupancy rate
Units occupied against units available, tracked by month rather than by night.
- Average stay length
How long clients typically stay, useful for planning turnover and furniture wear.
- Utility cost per unit
What each unit actually costs to run, especially when utilities are bundled into the rate.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things corporate housing operators ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
I track it against February, when the stay actually happened, not March when the payment cleared. That keeps occupancy and revenue lined up correctly.
I keep utility costs on their own line against each unit, so you can see exactly what the bundled rate is actually netting you after utilities.
Often yes, since furniture and fixtures usually qualify for full write-off in the year placed in service. I logged it separately so the accountant confirms with your whole year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of running corporate housing.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing. Invoice payments, stay lengths, and furniture replacement all move on their own schedule, and the return misses what it should catch when they are not tracked to the right period.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Bonus depreciation on furniture and fixturesFurniture, mattresses, and appliances for furnished units can often be written off in full in the year placed in service, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Revenue recognized by stay period, not invoice dateIncome from a corporate stay is generally counted for the period the stay covers, not simply when the invoice happens to be paid, which matters most with relocation companies on longer payment terms.
- Contractor 1099sA cleaner, furniture mover, or maintenance vendor not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- The pass-through deductionMost profitable corporate housing operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, with limits above $201,750 taxable income single or $403,500 joint. It comes out right when stay timing and unit costs are tracked cleanly all year.
Deductions extended stay and corporate housing operators miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Furniture and mattress replacement
- Appliance repairs and replacement
- Turnover cleaning service
- Bundled utility costs
- Property management software
- Relocation company account fees
- Renters or landlord insurance
- Mileage between units
- Linens and kitchenware
- Internet and cable service
- Locksmith and rekeying costs
- Local business license fees
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A corporate housing year, kept every month.
Relocation season often follows corporate hiring cycles rather than the weather. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, vendor 1099s go out, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether relocation season this year is running ahead of or behind last year.
- October
Before year end
A look at furniture replacement or unit upgrades worth doing before December, and how the year will close.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for extended stay and corporate housing operators. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions corporate housing operators ask first.
A relocation company pays us on 30-day terms. Does that mess up our monthly numbers?
No. Gus tracks revenue against the period the stay actually covers, not the date the invoice clears, so occupancy and revenue stay lined up even with delayed payment terms.
Our rate includes utilities. Can Gus tell if that is still profitable?
Yes. Utility costs are tracked on their own line against each unit, so you can see what a bundled rate nets you after utilities rather than guessing.
How is a corporate stay different from a regular rental for tax purposes?
Stay length and how it is billed both matter. Gus tracks each stay's length and payer, and the accountant applies the treatment that actually fits rather than defaulting to a hotel or long-term lease template.
We furnish every unit ourselves. Does that all get written off the same way?
Furniture and appliances often qualify for full write-off in the year placed in service, though the accountant makes that call with your whole year in view. Gus flags every purchase as it happens.
Our books mix relocation company invoices with direct client payments. Can Gus untangle that?
Yes. Send the statements you have. Gus sorts revenue by client type and by stay period, the accountant checks it, and most operators know where they stand inside a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in lodging & short-term rentals
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Bed & breakfasts
- Country inns & lodges
- Event venues with on-site lodging
- Farm stays
- Hostels
- Independent motels
- Mid-term rental operators (travel nurses)
- Wellness & retreat centers
- Airbnb co-hosting businesses
- Boutique hotels
- Luxury villa rentals
- Short-term rental hosts (Airbnb / VRBO)
- Short-term rental property managers
- Vacation rental management (beach / mountain)
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever