Starting out
How to Start a Corporate Housing Business: A Step-by-Step Guide
How to start a corporate housing business: choose a model, pick a market and a niche, set up legally, furnish units, price for vacancy, win clients and run it well.
Most corporate housing is booked by someone who is not staying in the unit. A relocation consultant, a staffing coordinator or an insurance adjuster is solving a problem for someone else, usually on a deadline. Win those people and the bookings repeat. Here is where they are and what they look for.
Who books corporate housing
| Channel | Who you deal with | Typical stay |
|---|---|---|
| Relocation management companies | Supply chain or housing coordinators | 30 to 90 days, often extended |
| Employers directly | HR, mobility or corporate travel managers | Weeks to months |
| Healthcare | Hospital staffing offices and travel nurse agencies | About 13 weeks |
| Insurance | Adjusters and temporary housing placement firms | Weeks to many months |
| Government and military | Base housing offices, agencies, contractors | Varies with orders |
| Education | Universities and corporate intern programs | A term or a summer |
| Projects | Construction, energy and industrial project managers | Months |
| Listing platforms | Individuals on assignment | One to several months |
1. Relocation management companies
Relocation management companies (RMCs) handle moves for large employers and buy temporary housing from approved suppliers. Getting on a supplier list usually means a short onboarding: your W-9, certificate of insurance, rate sheet, a list of properties with photos, your cancellation and notice terms, and sometimes a credit check. Once you are approved, response time decides who gets the booking.
2. HR, mobility and corporate travel teams
Large local employers move people in, bring in consultants and run training classes. Their HR or travel managers often book directly. Find out who handles relocation and project travel, then offer something specific: a few units near their campus, one invoice for their whole team, and a single contact who answers the phone.
3. Hospitals and travel nurse agencies
Travel nurses and other clinicians typically take contracts of about 13 weeks and need housing close to the hospital. Some pay from a housing stipend; others are housed by their agency. Introduce yourself to hospital staffing offices and to the agencies that place clinicians in your area, and list your units where travelers search. Our page on healthcare housing covers the details.
4. Insurance adjusters and placement firms
When a home is damaged by fire, water or a storm, the homeowner's policy often pays for temporary housing. Adjusters and the placement companies that work for insurers need furnished homes fast, often pet-friendly and close to the family's school and work. It is demanding business that pays reliably. Read our guide to insurance housing.
5. Government and military
Service members on a permanent change of station or temporary duty need furnished housing that fits their lodging allowance and bends when orders change. Base housing and relocation offices are worth knowing, and so are the contractors that support local installations.
6. Universities and intern programs
Summer interns, co-op students and visiting faculty arrive in waves. Employers with intern programs often pay for housing, sometimes for several interns sharing a unit. These clients book months ahead, which helps fill your summer.
7. Project managers
Construction, energy and industrial projects bring crews for months. Find the projects (permits, local news, chamber of commerce contacts) and reach the project managers before they arrive. Crews value parking, laundry and a quiet place to sleep during day shifts.
8. Listing platforms for monthly stays
Some guests book for themselves. Listing sites that focus on monthly stays, and the monthly options on larger booking sites, reach travelers who are paying their own way. They are a useful way to fill gaps between corporate stays, but the business tends to be less repeatable than a company relationship.
9. Your own website, and the industry
Make it easy for a coordinator to say yes from their desk: a clear list of properties with photos, the areas you serve, what is included, your terms, and a fast way to ask for a quote. Then show up where the industry gathers. The Corporate Housing Providers Association (CHPA) runs events and a member directory, and many relocation and travel buyers attend industry conferences.
What every client wants from you
Keep the clients you win
Repeat business comes from small things done consistently: the unit ready on time, a welcome that works the first time, maintenance fixed fast, extensions handled in a reply, and invoices that match what was agreed. Track where each inquiry came from, how many quotes turn into bookings, and which clients come back. A CRM tied to your bookings, like Staylio's, shows you which channels are worth your time.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get corporate housing contracts?
Start by getting approved as a supplier with relocation management companies, staffing agencies and insurance placement firms in your market, and by approaching large local employers directly. Contracts follow a good record: fast quotes, units that match the photos and clean invoicing.
What do corporate clients ask for before they book?
Usually a W-9, a certificate of insurance, a rate sheet, photos and details of the units, your notice and cancellation terms, and confirmation that you can bill them directly. Some also run a credit or vendor check.
Is it better to work with relocation companies or with employers directly?
Both. Relocation companies bring volume from many employers but set their own terms; direct employer relationships take longer to build and tend to be more loyal. Most established providers have both.