Airbnb - Property Management

Airbnb Property Management

You have furnished your vacation rental, created an irresistible listing, and uploaded the perfect pictures. Now the most crucial part begins.

What you do now will determine whether you end up busting your ass for spare change or able to grow a steady, passive income. Needless to say, this is the part where most people fail.

Airbnb Property Management

When the bookings start to roll in, your primary goal is to separate your time from your income stream. I spend less than two hours per week managing each property.

The key is to automate as many tasks as possible. Airbnb property management includes cleaning, restocking household goods, checking in guests, and accepting new reservations.

When you start out, owning every aspect of property management helps you learn what is working and what is taking too much time. You quickly figure out what you’re willing to do versus what you’d rather outsource. Do you want to spend your time scrubbing toilets or would you prefer to pay someone else to do it?

Follow the advice in this Airbnb 101 guide and you’ll easily attract multiple 5-star reviews. Then, when you begin outsourcing responsibilities, you’ll have a benchmark to compare future performance against.

Sync up your Airbnb Calendar to Google

You can automate the transfer of information and scheduling of services by syncing your Airbnb Calendar to a Google Calendar.

Property Management Outsourcing Services

Whether you want to delegate reservation management or have someone pick up cleaning supplies, outsourcing of some Airbnb property management services allows you to manage your rental property from any

Keeping Inventory

The cost of re-stocking soap, laundry detergent, kleenex, cleaning supplies, etc. can add up. Further, if not managed correctly, these supplies will run out leaving you with unhappy guests.

Guest Check-in

Automated check-in and check-out processes are the best way. Make sure you send your guests check-in instructions prior to their arrival. Also document directions to your property and answer frequently asked questions.

Airbnb House Guide

A thorough house guide is the best defense against time-consuming questions. Everything should be painstakingly detailed in your guide.

The Key Exchange

There are various products that allow you to securely automate your check-in process. You can provide remote check-in by installing a smart lock or lock box. These allow your guests to access your property without needing you, or anyone else, to be present.

Hiring a Full-Service Property Manager

How efficiently you manage (or outsource the management) of your property is crucial to your profitability and your sanity. One option is to outsource all aspects of property management to one or more third party companies. The typical cost for end-to-end management is 20% of total bookings.

You can follow this guide and manage your place more effectively than a traditional property manager. But in case you don’t want to deal with the hassle, below are some outsourcing options.

Rented.com offers a unique service whereby property managers bid for your property. This competitive exchange guarantees you the best rates for your home.

Use this coupon code and gets bids for your place for free: “rentingyourplace-VF”

If you prefer to contract direct with a third party, here’s a list of companies that offer dedicated vacation rental management services:

  • The popularity of Airbnb has led to an increase in cleaning services that specialize in short-term rental properties. Below are some options for outsourcing your cleaning:

    Get Maid – Currently service the New York area but they may expand across the nation in the future.

    Hostwise – This is the service that I use in the Los Angeles market. They specialize in short-term rental turnovers. The cleaning crew brings fresh sheets, towels, and bath goodies for each guest.

    Handy – Allow you to book professional home cleaners and handymen at a moment’s notice.

    When selecting a cleaning service keep in mind that you want to track your business expenses. You may pay a premium for a bigger company, but they typically offer easy-to-use reporting and expense tracking. The bigger companies also have a larger team that can respond to your tight schedule.