Introduction
This article contains useful sections ranging from initial advertising through to maintenance and commercial cleaning services
We have included tips on how to make sure the Guest is happy so that they leave you the all-important 5 – star review.
Whether the owner carries out all these functions himself, or as many do decide to contract out is a personal decision, certainly when dealing with more than one property delegation seems the only answer.
Advertise where the client is searching
According to our survey clients searching for short-term rental landlords use Airbnb, Booking.com, HomeAway, VRBO and Trivago as their first port of call, results from these sites seems similar, our personal preference is to advertise on all five which will ensure that you reach a larger number of potential Guests.
Bear in mind that the client is usually looking to save on expensive hotel bills and to enjoy the independence that a home to home short term rental offers, this is often the case when bookings are for multiple Guests, and it is our experience that most bookings are for three-plus persons.
These websites have a great selection of short-term rentals listed, and customers can filter their results by many factors including, location, price, and whether Wi-Fi is available, we find from previous Guest reviews that Wi-Fi is probably the deciding factor.
Our advice would be to ensure that you have a fully functional Wi-Fi system installed this will more than pay itself by the increase in bookings.
Why not try an automated listing service and advertise to reach a larger number of potential Guests services such as Logify.com will achieve this for you.
Checklists should be prepared to ensure that the following appliances are in order:
Shower, Bath, taps, no leaks
Microwave (Remove & clean inside plates.)
Cooker check hobs and knobs
Fridge/Freezer left empty check for ice build up
Television remote controls and batteries
Wi-Fi plus working codes
Heating temp controls, save electricity (research best deal)
Immersion heater turned off on exit (clear instructions left)
Iron and suitable board
Hairdryer (if applicable)
Fire alarms, fire blanket, Smoke detectors, Carbon Monoxide check batteries
Electric and water meter readings for long-term stays
Door locks/key codes are working efficiently. (Including any main gate)
Commercial Cleaning Services
A detailed clean must take place at the changeover if you are not carrying out this yourself make sure that your cleaning company has trained cleaners and that they use detailed checklists which are signed off by a supervisor on job completion.
If you wish to see a copy of our checklists let us know
Laundry and Linen service
Fresh quality linen is expected so do not skimp on pillows and duvets
A full set of pillowcases, bed linen, bathroom towels, and kitchen cloths should be made available for each changeover. It is a good idea to place some extra pillows and blankets in the linen cupboard.
Bear in mind that you will require two sets of everything at a minimum to allow for laundry.
Mid-booking linen changes
When Guests are staying for longer periods, linen changes are necessary you may need to arrange to visit the property to remove and replace duvet covers, bed linen, towels kitchen cloths and bathroom supplies.
Clean Let would be delighted to assist you with this; we also provide a laundry service for each changeover if required.
Managing short-term rental bookings
Aim to make all responses to bookings and queries within 24 hours.
When receiving inquiries, booking or questions it is important to send a follow-up email or phone call to the client, a personal telephone call is the best response and often leads to a confirmed booking. The follow-up personal phone call is often the beginning of a good client relationship and is a great way of introducing yourself.
It is a good idea to use a standard framework for all short-term rental bookings create a file of email templates to deal with guest inquiries, booking confirmation, terms, and conditions, time limitations of cancellations and preferred payment methods.
Do keep an updated calendar showing dates availability and dates booked, there is nothing worse than a double booking which will be stressful for all parties.
Keep a file of all emails and completed forms this is done electronically, but make sure that you regularly back up the system to save losing any data. If you do not use a PC that is ok, keep a clear easily retrievable record. (With automatic backup)
Booking Deposits
Decide how you wish to receive payment the preferred way is often PayPal this inspires confidence in the Guest and offers protection to both parties. A security deposit should be included, however, try to keep this realistic, we recommend 50-75€, the idea is to cover small breakages, and from experience, a larger deposit can be off-putting.
In the case of longer bookings, a larger booking deposit is necessary to cover cancellations.
Landlords often like to receive the bulk of payment in cash in that case you may decide to take a larger booking deposit by PayPal (to cover a cancellation) and the client pay the balance in cash on arrival.
PayPal can be expensive whereas a bank transfer is usually free within UK, Ireland.
If the client pays by direct transfer or cheque, do ensure funds clear before handover?
Our company always carry out a simple inventory of the property during changeovers on arrival and departure.
If there is a problem and you need to retain the security deposit that is unfortunate and should be avoided, contact the departed Guest and explain that the deposit is required to rectify specific issues.
Speaking to the Guest takes any animosity out of the situation and lessens the possibility of a poor review; happy Guests should be the focus.
A no smoking policy inside the property needs including in the terms as burns to the carpet or furniture will be expensive; most other problems are solved by our commercial cleaning service upon departure.
Vetting Guests
Most booking websites do give you the opportunity to vet potential Guests to some extent, but it is a fact that you will not always have couples who eat out, watch TV and go to bed.
Stag and hen party bookings are usually identifiable by 4 or more persons checking in, and in fairness, they rarely cause any damage or disruption so I would tend not to worry too much about that especially in a popular City location.
Door keys and codes
When renting holiday apartments, smart locks are the only way to go.
During the busy season, you will rarely be able to post keys, so the tendency now is to use programmable electronic locks these work well and are cost-effective and reprogrammed upon departure.
If you do decide to hand over keys always keep written records and spare sets, keys would feature as part of the security deposit and should be left, usually via the letterbox, on departure.
Keybuddy.ie are useful when it comes to arranging key collections and in the absence of coding is the next best thing
How to find us
Airbnb and most popular platforms will show a map giving directions to the property, however, email the client personally with a Google map, including links to major transport hubs, stations, airports, bus terminals and any recommendations for taxis/car hire, including phone numbers.
Guest information folder
Visit your local Tourist Office and pick up a good selection of “What’s On” in your area, local attractions, walks, places of interest, markets, best pubs, restaurants, theatre, and cinemas.
Tourist offices welcome short-term rental landlords as they are bringing visitors to their City.
A set of instructions must be available for main switches, fuse boxes, cookers, televisions and fridges it may be second nature to you but for many people using Sky TV when you are used to Virgin can be problematic, Wi-Fi code and instructions are also essential.
Include a list of emergency telephone numbers, Police, Fire, Hospitals, Doctor, Dentist, Vet.
Include your contact details at the top of the list, make it clear that you are the main point of call for any maintenance issues which may arise as the last thing you want is a Guest phoning some unknown Plumber or Electrician should the situation arise.
Health and safety
It is a good idea for Landlords to keep a relevant copy of Standards and Regulations for reference and to show due diligence.
Housing (Standards For Rented Houses) regulations 2017
Landlords have a legal duty to ensure that properties meet the Regulatory Requirements.
Maintenance
Maintenance can be the greatest drain on profit if not provided for and assessed on a regular basis.
Maintenance issues are inevitable, and the best way of dealing with issues is to develop a maintenance plan.
Issues may come to your attention from various sources, Janitorial services, Property Management Company, commercial cleaning services, Guests or by your inspection. Make notes and dates of all issues.
Rate the issue by severity.
Priority: deal with immediately
Moderate: resolve with within a week
Small: part of an ongoing list
Contact tradesmen.ie and locate Electrical, Plumbing, Tiling and Structural professional services, speak with up to 4 persons from each discipline and arrange a meeting to determine hourly rates and call out availability.
Use your sense of judgment or recommendation to determine which two from each trade is best suited for you.
Ideally, you should find two good all-rounders with plenty of experience.
Arrange for the tradesman, who should be within your immediate area to be available should the need arise at short notice.
Make sure that you have a backup service to allow for time schedules
Do not let the Guest call out maintenance services; this is why the phone number of the host or his representative should appear at the top of the list of contact numbers in the guest folder.
Guest complaints
All short-term rental Hosts will receive complaints from time to time it is part of the job, the important thing is to make complaints a rare occurrence.
When a Guest complains, the issue must be dealt with as soon as possible. Hopefully, if a guest has an issue that they are unhappy about, they will contact you during their stay, and a personal visit from yourself or your Representative will quickly sort it out.
If the owner is unaware of the problem, it may only come to his attention when an adverse review is written.
If this happens (as it does) always phone the Guest apologise for the issue (right or wrong) and possibly offer a discount on a return visit, ask the Guest to revise the review, from experience I can say that 9 times out 10 the Guest is happy to do so and the review turns into one of the best.
Incidentally, it seems most complaints are about Wi-Fi, remote controls, irons, key locks, hairdryers, and double check!!
Correct issues at the first opportunity, if applicable.
If we can assist, Landlords of short-term rental apartments with any of the above, please contact us we will be delighted to give you our free no obligation quote for our commercial cleaning services.
Five-star reviews and customer feedback
Five-star reviews are imperative for short-term rental landlords, and the way to achieve these is determined from the start:
How the advert is listed and how the inquiry and booking confirmations are dealt with.
Ease of key exchange, code instruction.
Cleanliness and freshness both inside and surrounding areas.
Linen and laundry, changes of towels and bedding as required, depending on the length of the stay.
Good working order, of general household and electrical equipment.
Fast response to resolve any maintenance issues which may arise.
Where it is possible any personal interaction by phone or in person will usually determine the comments that guests leave at the end of their visit.
An opportunity to call a Guest is a couple of days before arrival to confirm arrival times and date, so there is no misunderstanding which may cause problems later.
It is helpful at some stage to find out the reason for the Guest visit if they are attending an annual event such as Rugby, Concerts and Horse Shows or Punchestown racing, this leaves a perfect opportunity to remarket, by contacting the Guest later in the calendar when the event is recurring.
We hope that you enjoyed our article and found it constructive.
We would be delighted to assist you with any of the above.
www.cleanlet.solutions
www.knightfrank.co.uk – Short Lets
www.thepropertylandlord.co.uk – Rules on Letting Out Your Home for a Short Period
www.holidaylettings.co.uk – Owner advice
www.thepropertylandlord.co.uk – Landlord With Holiday Letting
www.airbnb.co.uk – How to Host
www.foxtons.co.uk – A step-by-step guide to letting your property
www.ownersdirect.co.uk – A Complete Guide to Marketing Holiday Homes Online
www.gov.uk – Do you have paying guests?
www.gov.uk – Private Landlords Survey 2010
www.investopedia.com – The Pros And Cons Of Using Airbnb
