WACO, Texas – Chip and Joanna Gaines have become household names with their HGTV show "Fixer Upper," but the hosts are having to rethink client contracts moving forward after finding out homeowners are listing their homes on rental sites.
Chip and Joanna flip old and run down homes in the Waco area. While Chip manages the construction, Joanna handles the design.
Their show has turned the couple into local celebrities and has tourists flocking to Waco. But they discovered that at least six of the "Fixer Upper" homes are showing up on popular rental sites like Airbnb and VRBO.
According to the Waco Tribune, the people who have been listing their homes on Airbnb and VRBO say that they did not go on "Fixer Upper" with the intention of renting out the home.
Magnolia Homes spokesperson Brock Murphy released a statement on behalf of Chip and Joanna:
"We have no problems with our clients' interest in using sites like VRBO and Airbnb to rent out their homes. In fact, we get it. But we are going to be more strict with our contracts involving Fixer Upper clients moving forward. We want to honor our national viewing audience," he continued. "We want to do remodels for clients' homes. That's the true intent of our show, and we want to ensure that does not get lost in this new vacation rental trend. What started off with perfectly understandable intentions could cast a shadow of a doubt on the much bigger picture, and we are going to do our best to protect that moving forward."
Chip and Joanna recently visited the Houston area to promote Joanna's new furniture collection, Magnolia Homes. Watch the KPRC 2 interview here with the "Fixer Upper" couple.
Look! It's Chip and Joanna Gaines of HGTV's Fixer Upper! MORE-->http://bit.ly/2aqpCDJ
Posted by KPRC2 / Click2Houston on Thursday, July 28, 2016