Hard-to-place units. Placed — and performing.

Yes — and we'll prove it before we sign anything. We hold a valid San Diego STRO (Short-Term Residential Occupancy) license, which is required to legally operate short-term rentals in the city. We also register for Transient Occupancy Tax, which Airbnb collects and remits automatically on our behalf. We'll share all documentation — license number, insurance certificate, and TOT registration — before any lease is executed. You'll never be in a position of having placed a unit with an unlicensed operator.

Unincorporated San Diego County operates under different rules — and we're familiar with both. The county doesn't require an STR license the way the city does, but TOT registration and zoning compliance are still required. We handle all of it and will walk you through what applies to a specific address before we commit.

It's a straightforward one-page addendum to a standard California residential lease that explicitly authorizes short-term rental use. We've structured it to be as non-threatening as possible to ownership — it doesn't change rent terms, doesn't waive any of their rights, and doesn't expose them to any liability. Many owners, once they understand the arrangement, prefer it to a traditional tenant. We're happy to walk ownership through the document on a call if that helps the placement move faster.

They call me directly. Not a call center, not a junior coordinator — me. I'm the operator of record, the licensee, and the person whose name is on everything. I give every owner and every leasing agent I work with my direct contact. If something happens, it gets resolved fast because there's no queue, no ticket, no transfer. That's not a feature — it's the whole point of being owner-operated.

We prevent them before they happen. Every property we operate has a noise monitoring device installed (NoiseAware or equivalent) that alerts us in real time if decibel levels exceed thresholds — before a neighbor ever needs to call. We enforce strict quiet hours from 10pm–8am, post house rules prominently in every property, and introduce ourselves to immediate neighbors before a single guest checks in. If a neighbor issue ever does arise, it comes to us — not to you, not to ownership, not to the city.

The opposite. Once a unit is placed with us, your involvement is minimal. We send rent on the 1st, we handle all guest operations, we manage any property issues, and we communicate proactively. You're not fielding maintenance calls, coordinating cleaners, or chasing payments. The only time you hear from us is when we're updating you on something you should know — not asking you to solve something.

However they prefer. Some owners want monthly updates. Some want to hear nothing unless there's an issue. We adapt to the communication style that works for the owner and for you. What we don't do is go silent — you'll always know the status of a unit we operate.

Leasing agents and property managers have relationships we'd take years to build on our own — especially with owners who have multiple properties. We'd rather grow by being the most reliable operator a leasing agent has ever worked with than by cold-calling landlords. If you bring us a unit and we perform, you have a partner you can call again. That's the relationship we're building.

Usually not — and honestly, that's often where we add the most value. Units that are hard to place through traditional channels frequently work very well for corporate housing. Different layout, higher price point, slower foot traffic neighborhood — these things matter less to business travelers and relocating professionals than they do to the typical long-term renter. Bring us the unit. We'll tell you honestly within 48 hours whether it works for us.

Yes. We sign a standard lease with all the same legal protections ownership would have with any tenant. If we ever needed to exit, ownership has the full force of a California residential lease behind them — and frankly, we have every incentive to never reach that situation. Our entire business model depends on maintaining strong operator relationships. An exit would end us. That's a stronger guarantee than most tenants can offer.

Large operators manage hundreds of units across large teams. When issues arise — and they do — they get logged, routed, and passed between people who've never seen the property. Look up reviews for most large STR management companies and you'll find a consistent pattern: slow response, impersonal service, and owners who feel like a number. With Design Theory, there is one operator. One phone number. One person who knows your unit, your owner, and what's expected — and who has everything to lose if they don't deliver. That's the difference between a company and a partner.