'Fixer Upper' stars upset homes becoming vacation rentals
Fox411: Chip and Joanna Gaines plan to change show's rules
Joanna and Chip Gaines, of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper,” aren't too happy that some of the homes they have remodeled in Waco, Texas, are being marketed as vacation rentals.
The Waco Tribune reported that at least six of the Gaines’ remodeled homes are on the rental sites Airbnb and VRBO. One more Gaines' remodeled home will reportedly be listed in the near future.
"Fixer Upper" follows the Gaines as they find wannabe homeowners in need of a new place who can't afford a home with all the bells and whistles. The couple then works to remodel an older home.
The couple, according to a spokesperson, say never intended for their remodeled homes to be used for financial gain. The Gaines actually have a bed and breakfast of their own in Waco, called the Magnolia House.
Magnolia rep Brock Murphy told The Waco Tribune, “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.”
Murphy said creating vacation rentals is not the intention of the show.
“We want to honor our national viewing audience. 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.”
The homeowners, however, say they rent out their "Fixer Upper" properties because the houses have drawn attention from the show.
One couple told The Waco Tribune they rented their home because cars would stop outside the property and people would get out to take photos with the HGTV-featured property.
“They’re mostly women in their 50s and tend to be big ‘Fixer Upper’ fans or Baylor-oriented,” homeowner Dave Morrow said.
The Gaines did not immediately return FOX411's request for comment.
New episodes of “Fixer Upper” will air on HGTV in the fall.
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