🎟️ STR AI SUMMIT — Sept 29–30 | Freedom Factory
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Two days building real AI tools WITH us — revenue manager, listing optimizer, bookkeeping + lead gen — installed in your business before you leave.👉 Grab tickets: strsecrets.com/aisummit2

Justin is the most trusted safety expert in the short-term rental world. He served in the Coast Guard, spent 15 years as a firefighter, and once ran one of the largest vacation rental companies in the country before a safety incident nearly cost him everything. Now he helps operators protect their guests, their businesses, and themselves. In this episode, he sits down with Mike Sjogren and Mike Reilly to walk through the dangers hiding in almost every rental, and the simple fixes that keep you out of court.

Inside this episode:

Why bunk beds send nearly 70,000 people to the ER every year, and the federal law most hosts don’t know they’re breaking

The lithium battery threat that’s quietly burning down properties

Why pools, dryers, and grills are among the top causes of serious injuries and fires

The insurance trap that leaves hosts uncovered right when they need it most

The simple documentation habit that turns a lawsuit into a defensible accident

Justin’s roughly $400 safety setup that protects an entire property

This is the episode that makes you stop, look around your rental, and fix the things you never knew were dangerous. It’s not about fear. It’s about protecting the business you worked so hard to build.

Justin is also sharing his full safety checklist with our listeners. Details on how to grab it are in the episode.

 

Justin Ford’s Bio

Justin Ford is one of the world’s leading experts on short-term rental safety and the Director of Safety & Certification Programs at Breezeway. A former U.S. Coast Guard Quartermaster and 15-year firefighter, Justin has spent nearly three decades in the vacation rental industry and has become a trusted voice on risk management, life safety, and operational excellence.

After building and operating one of Maine’s largest vacation rental management companies, Justin shifted his focus to helping the industry prevent tragedies before they happen. Since joining Breezeway in 2019, he has developed the Short-Term Rental Safety Inspector (STRSI) certification program, which has educated more than 10,000 professionals and helped drive more than 100,000 documented safety inspections across the industry.

Justin has been featured by ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s Today Show, HGTV, and numerous national and international media outlets. He is a frequent keynote speaker at industry conferences around the world, where his engaging presentations blend real-world incident investigations, practical operational guidance, and compelling storytelling. His message is simple: Safety is Hospitality.

As one of the industry’s most recognized safety experts, Justin also serves as an expert witness in short-term rental litigation, helping courts, attorneys, insurers, and operators understand how preventable hazards, building code deficiencies, and operational failures contribute to serious incidents.

Whether he’s teaching operators how to identify hidden hazards, advising legislators and tourism organizations, or helping property managers build stronger safety cultures, Justin’s mission remains the same: ensuring every guest returns home safely and every operator is equipped to provide safer accommodations.

 

Connect with Justin

shorttermrentalsafety on IG, Linkedin, FB