The current revenue model for National Event Rental, a vacation rental listing service dedicated to short term events, consists of listing fees paid by the landlords. Since we are not currently partnered with a licensed broker, we are careful not to compromise any Realtor licensing laws, including taking a commission of the rent or handling any of the money transacted. However, we've noticed that some similar sites are charging booking fees, and they appear to have no Realtor licenses.

Is anybody familiar enough in this area to offer any comments? Is it legal to take a booking fee if you are unlicensed? How does the internet play a role, when many vacation rental sites list across states and countries, and each state has their own set of rules? Can you be based in California and charge a booking fee for a property in Texas? Your feedback is appreciated.