On the reality show Fixer Upper, Joanna and Chip Gaines take over run-down homes in Waco, Texas and make them beautiful. Their goal has been to help give the residents nice places to live, but they've recently found out their hard work is being used for a different purpose.
Almost a dozen of the apartments have been listed on VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) and Airbnb. One was going for $1,200 a night, though most were between $250 and $350.
"We want to do remodels for clients’ homes," Brock Murphy, a spokesman for the couples' business Magnolia, told The Waco Tribune. "That’s the true intent of our show, and we want to ensure that does not get lost in this new vacation rental trend."
There's a lot of debate over the legality of making money off apartments using sites like Airbnb. Waco's Director of Planning Services Clint Peters told The Waco Tribune that Waco residents actually need permits to do this, and most don't have them.
Legal disputes aside, the Fixer Upper stars don't want the houses they've worked on to be used this way, so they're going to start imposing stricter standards on applicants.
Still, they understand why people have used the houses for profit. Because of the show, they've become something of a tourist attraction. “We have no problems with our clients’ interest in using sites like VRBO and Airbnb to rent out their homes," Murphy said. "In fact, we get it. But we are going to be more strict with our contracts involving Fixer Upper clients moving forward."
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