Capitalizing on the need for film locations, many homeowners have listed their private residences, vacation properties, or businesses for rent to film productions. If you’re on the fence about whether this is a venture you’d like to take on, here are seven simple reasons to help you decide.

1. GOOD EXTRA INCOME

If you often wonder how much your home or place of business can earn you as a film production, the quick and general answer is between $3000 to $15,000 per day. How to arrive at that number? The industry rate per day is generally your monthly mortgage or rental payment. For example, if your monthly mortgage + taxes is $3,000, then your rental fee as a film location will be roughly $3,000 per day. Other factors such as production size, how long the film crew need to be in your house, whether filming occurs outside or inside your home, your property’s ZIP code, etc., can likely shift your earnings as well.

2. TAX-FREE EARNINGS

What’s better than making additional income without having to do much on your part and not having to pay taxes on it at all? If the house you’re renting is your personal residence and you rent it for less than 14 days a year, you may not have to pay federal taxes on the additional income - depending on the current tax law.

Please consult with your accountant regarding the current tax laws prior to your first rental day.

3. UNEXPECTED HOME OR PROPERTY IMPROVEMENT

Industry regulations / standards require that production companies treat your property with care. They should leave the property in the same condition as when they found it. If the property incurs any damages, the production company will be required to reimburse to cover the repair costs.

Sometimes a production will come into your home and ask to make changes such as painting a room or updating the flooring to be able to get the atheistic they require. This could be an unexpected home improvement with the cost covered by the production.

4. FREE HOTEL STAY

When a production is filming in your house for multiple days in a row, you will sometimes need another place to stay for the duration of the filming. If there are no other viable alternatives, a hotel stay is often included in the rental contract.

5. CONTINUED SOURCE OF INCOME

Once your property is used as a film location and the experience is a smooth one for all parties involved, it won’t be long until another production comes calling. If the crew and filmmakers like you, they most likely will recommend your place to other industry professionals. This in turn can attract more film bookings for your home or business.

6. BEHIND THE SCENES

Often times, if you are on site while the production is shooting you get to rub elbows with all sorts of different people including crew and talent. If you aren’t in the industry yourself, it could be a fun way to learn something new and get a sneak peek behind the scenes of what it really is like shooting that magazine cover or hit tv series.

7. THE COOL FACTOR

Yes. Cool! How impressed would your friends be when you tell them that your house or business was featured on the cover of Vogue or was in a new televisions series?

INTERESTED?

If you're interested in earning extra income with your home or property, list your location for filming with White Wall Locations! For more information on contracts, rates, liability, how to make your property film-friendly, and any other film industry related questions, send us an email!