Frequently Asked Questions

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Location services such as Spot On Locations act as agents between production companies and property owners. Our history and established relationship with the producers allow us to represent these locations to a variety of different productions; from Commercials to TV shows and even Feature Films. There is no specific look that a location needs to meet for it to be perfect for a project. Some productions look for polished, newly renovated type locations, while others may look for dated locations that offer a specific look, texture and feel. If you're interested, please contact us so we can assess the style of location you own and determine how to categorize and promote the property for filming. We will drive by your property to make sure the streets and neighborhood can  accommodate the equipment vehicles that are needed for filming. If you meet these initial qualifications, we’ll set up an appointment  to professionally photograph your home. You will receive a copy of the  photos in the “start up” package we will send to you.

The truth is that there is no perfect science or formula to setting location rental costs. We consider a variety of factors when determining the price of a property, including geographic location, property condition, and recent rentals of similar properties for certain filming projects. Some properties can rent from $2000.00 a day and go up to more than $20,000+ per day. All of it depends on the scale and scope of the production, the scale and condition of the property and the potential impact it may cause to the home or business owner. Every property owner has the ability to set the terms and rate that makes sense for them as long as the terms are within reason. The key is to be fair and not price your property out of contention. Please contact us so we can help assess a fair and accurate rental price for your property. 

We will market your  property to location scouts, production companies and directors. We will add your property to our online database of filming locations. Your name/address will never be posted online. When someone is interested in seeing your property, we will contact you to see if you’re interested and available for the proposed dates. If you are interested and available, then a location scout will most likely want to come to your property in order to shoot  their own specific photos. If there is further interest, there will be  another visit or two by the director/producers before they finally decide which property to select for the project. 

When your property is selected, we will draft a rental agreement for boh parties to approve and sign. Once the general terms are agreed to, the production company will come back one more time with the various department heads. This visit is to make decisions about where they are filming and what equipment they will need in order to have an efficient and successful shoot. We may have to revise the agreement to include new terms based on information received from the tech scout which is also contingent on property owner approval. The next step is the filming itself. We always send a site representative to be present during all aspects of the production. Their job is to insure that all goes as planned based on what was agreed upon. Site reps are also there to watch over your home so you don’t have to be present the whole time.

Each production will have some sort of impact associated with filming.  Things to consider are; Is it a one day shoot or multiple day shoot? Single day filming usually is completed within a 14 hour shoot day, usually starting at 7am and ending no later than 9pm. Any filming past 14 hours usually constitutes an hourly overtime charge. Multiple day film projects in residential homes will sometimes allow homeowners to request to be put up at a local hotel or Airbnb of their choice within reason. Commercial and retail properties are assessed differently. Will a business need to be shut down for filming and if/so, what is the inconvenience and loss of business fee that will need to be met for it to be an attractive proposition for a business owner? Sometimes filming can happen while a business remains open to the public to minimize the inconvenience and loss of business to their clients. Other times a production may request to shut down a business for the duration of filming and they will be willing to accept the inconvenience and loss of business fees associated with having that kind of control. Each project has different needs and all the details are worked out and agreed to in a binding rental agreement prior to filming. 

All productions are required to take precautionary measures to minimize the possibility of damage to any filming location. They will protect residential and commercial floors with cardboard or rubber floor mats as well as line some walls with corrugated cardboard or bubble wrap. Concrete floors and walls are not usually required to be covered and protected unless the property owner specifies ahead of time and is agreed upon by the producers. Although most precautionary measures are taken, sometimes property damage can still occur. Every production company will provide a security deposit that we hold onto. The security deposit would only be used if there is any damage resulting from the production. The production company will also name you as“additionally insured” on their policy. This releases property owners from any liability in the unlikely event that someone is injured during the filming at your property. Full payment and insurance will be required to be delivered or deposited prior to any film crew member setting foot on the property.

This is indeed legitimate and written in the IRS tax code, Topic 415, regarding rental property use and minimal rental use. [  https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc415  ] We recommend that all homeowners confirm this with their accountant, but to our knowledge a homeowner can rent their primary residence home 14 days a year and be exempt from declaring the income earned from those 14 days. If the residence is rented for 15 days or more, then it becomes a commercial venture and the homeowner is liable to pay taxes on all the days that revenue is earned.

Just like any agent or service provider, Spot On Locations adds a commission fee when a project is booked. Usually the commission is added on top of the rental charge that the property owners agree to prior to filming.

Yes, we require property owners to sign a listing agreement outlining our services and fees. Spot On Locations prefers to sign exclusive representation agreements with property owners, but we're willing to consider a general listing agreement for the right properties. We will only represent properties that have listing agreements signed and on file. This helps to ensure that both parties understand the terms of our agreement.