Representative Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) has landed himself in hot water after he failed to report rental income earned from a villa owned in the Dominican Republic. Since 1988, Rangel has earned as much as $75,000 on the beachfront home located in the Punta Cana Yacht Club on the island’s eastern tip, but did not report the income to the I.R.S.

Given the high cost of maintaining a second home that might only be used for a few weeks out of the year, many owners end up renting out their properties. Rangel never made much of a profit out of the arrangement after the cuts taken by the management company and taxes paid to Dominican authorities. The state and federal taxes Rangel owed may have been something that got overlooked amidst all the other hassles of second home ownership.

If only Rangel had been aware of some of the other vacation real estate options currently available. If he had purchased a fractional residence, he would have never needed to rent out the property.

He might consider offloading the villa and getting in on the ground floor with a fractional at the Fairmont Roko Ki Heritage Place also in Punta Cana. When Congress isn’t in session he can jet down for some R&R and forget about any tax issues.

Or he might even consider joining a destination club, where he wouldn’t be tied down to just one property and location. Even if he has a special affinity for the Dominican Republic, destination clubs Ultimate Escapes and Quintess, LRW do have a number of properties of their own at Punta Cana. All things considered though, we imagine he might be ready for a change.