A transient house is essentially the Philippine equivalent of a vacation rental or Airbnb listing, and the terms are often used interchangeably, but “transient house” is the locally established term used in the Philippines to describe short-term residential rentals. The key distinction is cultural and regulatory: transient houses operate within Philippine tourism and local government frameworks, and many are registered with the Department of Tourism (DOT) or local government units (LGUs), while Airbnb is simply a global booking platform through which some transient houses may also be listed.