Vacation Rentals

As a vacation rental owner or manager, you want to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for your guests, while also protecting your property. In bear country, this means you and your guests must do your parts to prevent human-bear conflicts.

You can do your part by providing guests with the tools and information they need. Below, we offer a few key steps you can take to keep your guests and your property safe.

Keep Bears Out of Garbage

Garbage is one of the biggest draws for a bear to residential areas. All waste, including recycling and compost, needs to be stored in a way that bears can’t access it.

If your rental uses a trash hauling service, request a bear-resistant garbage can from your hauler. Ideally, this can should be stored in a locked, hard-sided building or bear-resistant enclosure until close to your rental’s trash pickup time.

If you haul trash to a dump or transfer station yourself, store it in a locked, hard-sided building; in a bear-resistant enclosure; or in a bear-resistant garbage can that is ideally kept in a building or enclosure until you’re ready to dispose of it.

If you ask guests to empty garbage when they’re checking out, or they need to empty it during their stay, ask them to store it in one of these secure spots. If you have a bear-resistant garbage can, make sure guests know how to open and properly close it. Add a sticker on the can or a sign near it to remind guests to lock the lid.

Secure Other Items with Food Odors

If your rental has an outdoor space, make sure you remove all bear attractants (items with an odor that can draw in bears). Look to our Securing Household Attractants page to learn more.

Instruct guests to secure their attractants, too. Coolers, pet food and bowls, and any other odorous items should be kept inside.

If your rental has a grill, require guests to clean it after each use to remove food remnants and odors. The same goes for firepits—have guests remove any food scraps or garbage.

If there’s an outdoor eating area, let guests know food should never be left unattended.

Get Guests “In the Know”

Consider that your guests might not know anything bears or bear safety practices. This might be their first visit to bear country, and while they’ve hopefully done research ahead of their trip, you can help make sure they have information they need to stay safe.

Guests should be informed that bears may be in the area, that they are responsible for not attracting bears, and of other safety information like what to do if they see a bear near the rental. You might also want to share information about recreating in bear country. Don’t forget to share information that is relevant to your rental and the systems you have in place (for example, how to properly store garbage or clean up grills).

Add bear safety information to your welcome binder or kit if you have one. If you share welcome information digitally, include some links that cover bear safety basics. Add information and reminders around the rental, too, like on the fridge or by doors. There are plenty of printable resources available online. Explore this website for links to some of these resources including at the bottom of this page under “More Resources.”

Ask guests to let you know of any bear activity on the property. This will help you stay informed, and if needed, you can pass information on to your local wildlife management agency.

More Resources