tips for success
Once you’ve decided to take the plunge and become a host, you can take steps to reduce your risk of headaches and increase the chances that your guests will go home happy.
1. Present your property in its best light. Use as many high-quality photos as possible to showcase its best features. A dozen is not too many. People want to see themselves there. Airbnb, Vrbo and other sites offer help.
2. To reach a larger audience, sign up on multiple sites. Yes, it can be confusing, but there is software that can help you manage bookings from multiple sites. Host Toolsfor example, can sync rental calendars, send front door lock codes and welcome messages to guests, and text cleaners for $8-$12 per month. Guest Is similar.
3. Make sure your space is ready for travelers. This includes easy to use locks, comfortable mattresses and pillows, quality linens and properly functioning appliances, heating and air conditioning, televisions and sound systems. Declutter. Remember, you’re competing with many other properties, and increasingly guests want an “ambitious experience that’s better than their own home,” says Californian Superhost Kate Shaw, 38. Digital locks allow guests to let themselves into the property, though many hosts like to meet their tenants. Hosts must disclose if they use noise monitors or security cameras in public areas or entrances (some may do this to ensure rules are followed, but potential guests may be deterred by such intrusions ).
4. Obey local regulations on short-term rentals. You may need a permit or an inspection. In an apartment building, check if renting for short stays is allowed. Don’t force guests to sneak into a service elevator or pretend to visit friends.
5. Define the ownership rules. In a shared space, clearly indicate whether the kitchen, laundry room and public areas can be used. Maybe you don’t want bachelor parties or bachelor parties in your house or candles burning. You may want guests to take out the trash before leaving. Clearly state whether you will provide linens and towels.
6. Accept guests with care. Verify them beforehand by phone or ask them to submit ID images. Maybe google them. On some sites, hosts rate guests and other hosts can see reviews. A low-rated Airbnb customer cannot instantly book their properties, Krones says. Host Cindy Vinson keeps a “naughty list” of past guests she won’t let back.
7. Communicate with guests before, during and after a stay. This goes a long way in ensuring satisfaction and resolving issues. Vinson personally calls customers after check-in to ensure everything is satisfactory. If not, she takes action. One downside (for hosts) to the home rental boom is that customers have become more demanding, she says.
8. Leave a notebook or binder detailing house rules, emergency contacts, and property management tips. This includes how to operate things like heating and air conditioning, and Wi-Fi passwords. Provide contact numbers for yourself, your management company, or a local caretaker. Suggesting your favorite restaurants, markets and local attractions is a very good idea.
9. Set a welcoming tone. This could mean a gift basket containing snacks, fruit, chocolates or a bottle of wine. Guests also appreciate a kitchen stocked with a coffee maker, a variety of pots, pans, and utensils, as well as basic condiments and staples such as oil and vinegar, spices, sugar, toilet paper, garbage bags, laundry detergent and paper towels. Wine glasses and a corkscrew are thoughtful touches.
10. Encourage customers to leave reviews if their experience was positive. These are important marketing tools to attract future bookings. Ratings are often the first thing potential tenants consider.
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