July 1, 2026 | Written By Melia McDaris | Marketing ManagerWister Joins the Right to Rent Collaborative
Why Early Advocacy Matters for Short-Term Rental Managers
Short-term rental manager insurance protects your business from huge exposure: lawsuits, guest injuries, property damage, and finger-pointing homeowner claims. But there's another category of risk to pay attention to in the STR industry: regulation.
Permit caps. Restrictive zoning. New taxes and licensing rules written by people who've never managed a property. And in the worst case, an ordinance that makes professional STR management illegal in a market you've spent years building. There's no claim to file when that happens.
Rules are written whether or not the industry shows up. The only question is whether short-term rental managers, and other active participants in the industry, have a voice when they do.
That's why Wister Insurance has officially joined as a partner of the Right to Rent Collaborative (R2RC). We built insurance exclusively for short-term rental managers. Now we're helping fund the advocacy infrastructure that makes sure managers are represented where STR policy actually gets decided.
What is the Right to Rent Collaborative?
The Right to Rent Collaborative is an independent, 501(c)(6)-pending organization founded in October 2024. Here's the important thing to understand: R2RC doesn't lobby, and it doesn't take policy positions. It's the funding engine behind the people who do, pooling contributions from across the industry and granting them to state and local STR associations through an independent, transparent review process.
Why does that model matter? Because short-term rental policy should be decided by our community, at city council meetings, county commissions, and state legislative sessions. And the pattern is well documented: when a strong, organized local association exists before a regulatory debate starts, policymakers hear balanced perspectives and better rules get written. When there's no organized representation, entire markets get regulated without a single manager or host in the room, and that's how restrictive, poorly designed policy happens.
The problem has never been commitment. It's scale. Most local STR associations run on volunteer energy and thin budgets. R2RC exists to change that math, and the results are already real:
$187,000 granted to STR associations to date
16 grants awarded to statewide and local associations
618,410 short-term rentals represented by recipient associations
6 paid executive director positions created, turning volunteer groups into professionally staffed advocacy organizations
The long-term vision: 50 fully staffed, always-active state STR associations, engaging policymakers early and coordinating across markets, so the industry shapes common-sense rules instead of reacting to bad ones.
Why Wister, The Agency Behind Short-Term Rental Manager Insurance, Is Funding Advocacy.
If R2RC sounds familiar, there's a reason. Our sister company, Proper Insurance, is a founding member and top 2026 contributor, right alongside Airbnb and Vrbo. Supporting STR advocacy runs in the family.
But our reason goes deeper than family ties. Wister exists exclusively to serve short-term rental managers, co-hosts, and property management companies. We don't insure restaurants. We don't insure retail. When STR markets are governed by smart, workable rules, our clients grow. When markets get regulated badly, or banned outright, no amount of short-term rental manager insurance can undo it.
Think of it this way:
Your insurance protects your business from the risks inside it. Advocacy protects your business from the risks around it. A serious vacation rental manager needs both.
We already cover the first half: E&O when a homeowner blames you for a bad outcome, general liability when a guest gets hurt, and everything else that's included in a Wister policy. Joining R2RC is how we show up for the second half.
What Short-Term Rental Managers Should Do Next.
If you manage vacation rentals professionally, you have more play in this game than almost anyone. You're not just protecting your own business, you're protecting the portfolio of every homeowner who trusts you to manage their property. Here's how to act on that:
Join R2RC as a Property Manager Member
Dues are eligible for a business tax deduction, and your contribution funds advocacy in the exact markets where you operate. Start at r2rcollaborative.org.
Turn your bookings into advocacy through your PMS.
This is the original Right to Rent idea, launched in 2020: property managers opt in to collect a small amount (starting at $1) per reservation, and those funds flow to advocacy. The Right to Rent Program is now integrated with Guesty, Hospitable, Hostfully, OwnerRez, Track, and CiiRUS, meaning every booking can automatically support the industry, at no real cost to you.
Plug into your state association.
R2RC grants are professionalizing associations across the country. A funded, staffed association in your state means the industry is at the table before the rules get written, not protesting after.
Audit the risks insurance can solve.
Regulation is the risk you address collectively. Lawsuits, E&O claims, and coverage gaps are the risks you handle today, and most property managers are carrying more exposure than they realize.
Joining the Right to Rent Collaborative is Wister putting money where our mission is. Wister will keep doing what we do best: providing short-term rental manager insurance built for the real risks of professional STR management, backed by Lloyd's of London. And now we're also funding the network that makes sure every STR community has a voice in its own future.
"We built Wister because vacation rental managers deserved insurance designed for them. Supporting R2RC is the same instinct, this industry deserves representation that's funded like it matters. Because it does. — Darren Pettyjohn, Co-Founder, Wister Insurance
Ready to lock down the half of the risk equation we control? Get a quote from Wister, the insurance agency built exclusively for short-term rental managers and co-hosts.
Protecting the Industry We Insure
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Right to Rent Collaborative?
The Right to Rent Collaborative (R2RC) is an independent, 501(c)(6)-pending organization founded in October 2024 that funds state and local short-term rental associations. R2RC does not lobby or take policy positions itself, it grants pooled industry contributions to qualified STR associations through an independent review process. To date, R2RC has granted $187,000 across 16 grants to associations representing more than 618,000 STRs.
What does R2RC-funded advocacy really do?
R2RC-funded associations represent short-term rental managers, hosts, and owners in local and state policy decisions, engaging policymakers early on issues like permits, caps, zoning, taxes, and licensing. The goal is common-sense, balanced STR regulation shaped with industry input, and preventing restrictive rules or bans written without it.
Why did Wister Insurance join R2RC?
Wister provides insurance built exclusively for short-term rental managers, so the health of the STR industry is the health of Wister's clients. Insurance protects a vacation rental manager from lawsuits and claims, but only advocacy can address regulatory risks like permit caps, restrictive zoning, and bans. Wister's sister company, Proper Insurance, is a founding member of R2RC.
Does short-term rental manager insurance cover regulatory changes or bans?
No. No insurance policy covers a market being restricted or regulated out of existence, that's why industry advocacy matters. Short-term rental manager insurance covers operational risks like professional liability (errors & omissions), and general liability claims. Regulatory risk has to be addressed through organized representation, which is what R2RC funds.
How can STR property managers support short-term rental advocacy?
Property managers can join R2RC as members (dues are business tax-deductible), enable the Right to Rent Program: a per-reservation contribution starting at $1, integrated with PMS platforms like Guesty, Hospitable, Hostfully, OwnerRez, Track, and CiiRUS, and get involved with their state STR association.
What insurance does a short-term rental manager actually need?
A professional STR manager or co-host typically needs professional liability (errors & omissions), general liability, and related coverages. Being listed as ‘additional insured’ on a homeowner's policy is not enough. And neither is piecing together supplemental generic policies. Wister provides these coverages in one place, underwritten through Lloyd's of London (AM Best A+ rated).
For more insights and tips for vacation rental managers and co-hosts, visit our Blog →
Melia McDaris | Marketing Manager
Melia McDaris is the Marketing Manager at Wister Insurance®, where she leads brand strategy, digital marketing, and content across the company’s portfolio. Her work focuses on translating complex insurance concepts into clear, approachable messaging that resonates with short-term rental managers and co-hosts nationwide. Melia plays a key role in shaping Wister’s voice and visibility, ensuring the brand remains trustworthy, modern, and human-first in a highly regulated industry.
