Standbyhousing.com offers free listings through Sept. 30

Fort Myers-based Standbyhousing.com is waiving its fee for property listings for those who post an available property for rent from now until Sept. 30.

"As people around the country are learning about standbyhousing.com, we are getting new listings added every day to our site, but our supply is still below demand," said JoAnne Holt, founder of Standbyhousing.com. "Our goal is to help find temporary housing for those in need of it and that is why we are offering free listings until the end of the month. Hopefully, our supply will begin to catch up to the demand that is out there."

Standbyhousing.com is a Web site offering short-term housing options due to separation, divorce and domestic issues, in addition to those seeking relocation or corporate housing for employees. The site puts owners of available rentals together with renters nationwide.

The United States has the highest divorce rate of any country, with just under 1.5 million divorces or dissolutions of marriage per year. More than 2,500 of those divorces occur in Lee County.

These are statistics that Holt, a forensic accountant and family law specialist, faces each day with her clients. Holt has seen what divorce, separation and domestic disputes have done to families and how a sudden need to vacate a marital residence affects all parties involved. She saw a need to offer these families an alternative and better solution and her experience led her to the creation of standbyhousing.com.

"We have had a tremendous response from the community, including families in transition, attorneys, judges and mental health professionals," said Holt. "Now what we really need is additional inventory. There is a market for every range of financial ability."

Adding an available listing to standbyhousing. com is quick and easy. Interested renters commit to a minimum 30-day rental (or weekly if the owner's property restrictions allow). Once on the homepage, users should click the red burst that says "Start Your Free Trial." From there, they are asked to create a user profile, select a listing package, enter property information and upload any property photos they choose. Renters nationwide can shop for a property that meets their needs on the site.

Holt has waived the annual rental fee until Sept. 30, but normally the yearly fee listings start at $170 to advertise on the site. Currently there are listings on the site from across Southwest Florida as well as out of state including Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina and New York.

For more information, call (239) 896- 8495 or visit www.standbyhousing.com