Services

Vacation Home Services

I offer several services to homeowners in the area. Although the focus of these services is primarily on second homes belonging to remote owners or vacation rentals, the services are available to anyone needing them.

A little bit about me, my name is Eric Karla and I retired as a police officer in 2015. My wife and I bought our vacation home on Sonora Pass in 2000 and we have successfully operated it as a vacation rental ever since. Prior to purchasing our cabin we were avid visitors of Tuolumne County and frequently rented cabins. The experience led us to our decision to buy our second home in this county. We moved to Tuolumne County in 2023.

I have twenty-six years of experience with my STR and still love doing it. We have second generations of families arriving each year and although it has become much more difficult to operate an STR in Tuolumne County, it's still doable if you work at it.

Please scroll to the bottom of this page to contact me.

What I offer:

Emergency contact. Tuolumne County now requires a "local contact" person to be available for STRs whose owners live more than one hour away from their rental. It's important to note that this does not need to be a property management company. It may be a neighbor, friend or local resident. You may use me as a primary or secondary local contact for a fee of $100 per year. Emergency call-outs from 6am to 6pm are $75 for the first hour and $50 per subsequent hour. Call-outs from 6pm to 6 am are $100 for the first hour and $75 for subsequent hours. *
Consultation and assistance with fire and life safety inspection requirements. Consultation is free and I post all the county documents and links at the bottom of this page. If you wish for me to install the necessary fire extinguishers and CO and smoke detectors, I can do that at a cost of $50 per hour and the actual cost of the components. The fire extinguishers will be commercial grade 5lb units with a current inspection tag. *
Annual fire extinguisher recertification. All required extinguishers must have attached a current inspection tag good for one year. Tags are provided only by licensed and certified service companies. I use Cisco Fire Sprinklers Inc., located in Copperopolis. The cost of travel exceeds the amount I charge a single client and as such I will only schedule and appointment if I have two or more owners involved. The cost is $50 for one or two extinguishers to be certified or $60 for three or four. The price includes the cost of the inspection and current tag. If your extinguisher is a commercial model and is due for an internal inspection, it will be exchanged at the cost of $40. If you have a disposable extinguisher (Sentry, Kidde, First Alert) the cost for an exchange will be $75. Internal inspections are required at six-year intervals. Loaners will be provided if you have guests during recertification process. I will not provide loaners for purposes of inspections.
I shoot for March-May for recertifications as it is the slow season for rentals and most inspections are scheduled for spring and early summer. *
Fire and Life Safety Inspection Stand-in. I will stand in for you on your inspection day at a cost of $50. If the inspection finds violations, I will remedy the problems at an hourly rate of $50 and actual cost of materials. I will provide photographic proof of correction within 24 hours to the inspector and you. *
Cabin check. Your cleaner won't arrive until tomorrow. You're not sure if the guest is gone or if the doors are locked or the heat or a/c has been left on. I'll respond to your cabin, report on its condition, turn off appliances and lock everything. The fee is $25 for Long Barn and west, and $35 for properties east of Long Barn.
Propane delivery. I will deliver a filled 20lb propane cylinder for $60. Each additional cylinder is $30 with an exchange. The price for delivery without an exchange is $60 per cylinder and $30 for time and travel.
Garbage. I will roll out your bins the evening prior to pick-up and return them following pick-up. Service is available for Twain Harte, Sugar Pine, Mi Wuk Village, and Long Barn. Service may be limited due to snow. The cost is $45 per month paid in advance for up to two 95 gallon bins.

* I spend most of my time, about 90%, in Tuolumne County, and some service requests come up on short notice. I’ll do my best to respond promptly and will let you know right away if I get a request I can’t make handle. Stand-ins and fire extinguisher certifications need to be scheduled in advance.

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Direct-Book Short Term Rental Listings

Requirements for a listing as a Direct-Book vacation home:

Ownership or hosting of a short-term rental property on the SR-108 corridor between Jamestown and Kennedy Meadows Road
A Tuolumne County Transient Occupancy Certificate
Compliance with Tuolumne County Health & Safety Ordinance 8.70 (Inspection of short-term rentals)
A pledge that any booking request generated via "Stay on Sonora Pass" not be directed through a commissioned OTA

Rates

Listing fee: $75 annually. Funds pay for website and marketing SOSP. The listing fee includes property page with contact form, optional calendar, and optional website link. If you add me as an emergency contact person, the cost is discounted $25.