Is renting to a corportate housing company a good idea?

[Alissa Engel]

I was just contacted by Fox Corporate Housing about a property I currently have for rent.  They stated that they were hired by an insurance company to find temporary housing for a client whose house was damaged.  The terms are: 6 month lease then month-to-month thereafter. They will pay $300 over the normal rent to compensate for the short term option.  This sounds fine to me given that 6 months puts us in the Spring when it is much easier to rent Montana properties!

They also want the lease in the company's name.....this is where I became leery.  I'm worried that we would have to go after a big company if the tenants damaged the property.  Also, what will motivate the tenant to take care of the property if they are not on the lease? 

Does anyone have experience with this company or a similar company?

What additional consequences/benefits are there for putting the lease in the company's name?

I asked all of our normal prescreening questions, and they meet our criteria.  I did a quick google search and the company looks legit.  I also asked for references of local landlords that the company has worked with in the past. 

[Nathan Gesner]

Investigate the company. If they are legit,  you should be fine. Take an extra-large deposit (if law allows) to mitigate the additional risk.