Introduction
Listing a property on Air BnB for the first time without any experience can lead to disasters.
We’ve all heard of trashed homes, angry neighbours and council woes let alone dealing with body corporate or a leasehold property.
Rest assured and confidant with an experienced and professional management team.
What are the Pitfalls and mistakes?
Short term rental is accommodation with a Online Travel agent such as Air BnB can be quite safe and accommodating both to you as a property owner and the guests that visit and stay. Air BnB do provide a good level of cover against damages and things that go wrong, but this only goes so far. The right insurance and set up of the property including its promotion as a Vacation/Staycation is crucial to avoiding problems. You still need to have general insurance like any normal home that covers natural disasters and events such as flooding, fire or theft. Terry Sheer is a highly recommended option that provides cover for example when your normal home items are stored away on site. Air BnB have a strict ‘no party policy’ and we exclusively promote ‘No Schoolies or parties and events’. There are plenty of legitimate travellers and quality guests to meet our needs without allowing anyone and everyone to book. This is complimented with the right pricing strategy that includes considerations like 5 night minimum stays and a reasonable bond that usually would cover the excess charged by an insurer.
Possibly the biggest mistake is to not bring a property up to full code regardless of the area’s regulations. Smoke detectors as mandated, Co2 emission detectors, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, fire blanket, anti slip mats, mobility aids such as hand rails in bathrooms, safety tested appliances, circuit breakers and other important considerations that insurers like and look favourably apon.
The mistakes made with Short Term Rental
Common mistakes that adversely affect a listing include poor communication with guests from inquiries to support up to and for the duration of their stay if not afterwards. When guests check out it is imperative to gauge a review from the guests, look for feedback if there was something you could do better or improve on, recently we had an excellent request from a guest that we provide 2 of the same keys for the property so as either parent could come and go as needed during their stay.
We do use touch pad keypads for a lot of properties and this negates keys and copies of keys being made. It is vital to success of the property that we provide a review of the guests and let them know if there was anything they could of done better. Air BnB respect and endorse this understanding, not reviewing and communicating leads to problems with your listing and issues with guests.
How to avoid pitfalls
- Utilise a reputable management agency such as Host Easy BnB
- Allow us to do what we do best and guide you through the best practices
- Set all locks in the home to the one key, lots of keys makes replacement costly
- Actively maintain your own comprehensive insurance for your asset
- List and market the listing to the right guests asking for I.D, proven track record and valid profile
- Don’t ask us to throw open the gates to anyone at any price just to get bookings.
- Allow the management team to upkeep the property and keep it in safe and good order.
Resources
https://www.shorttermrentalsolutions.com.au/
Closing
The first consideration must always be safety then cover followed by guest vetting, ignore these must do’s from the get go and disaster may always loom around the next booking down the track.
Contact us now for a friendly chat, you will be amazed with what you will learn in the first 5 minutes! There’s no lock in contracts, no obligation and you are free to talk to us as much as you want. Contact Host Easy BnB now! You won’t be disappointed.