How to Manage Your Vacation Rental Remotely
Running a vacation rental property is a great way to generate passive income where you can set your own prices. You can run them anywhere in the world; you are not limited to your current physical location. However, you will need to do some work to ensure it can run remotely, to ensure everything runs smoothly before you can fully operate a remote vacation rental. Here is our guide to run a vacation rental remotely.
Local Vendors
One of the first things you need when running your remote vacation rental is to find dependable local vendors to help you manage everything.
Find Cleaners You Can Trust
Your rental needs to be cleaned well between guests, and you need to find a company you can trust to clean the property for you. They will not only need to clean everything, but they will also be in charge of letting you know if something is broken, needs to be repaired, or was stolen. They will care about your property like you do and your guests' experience.
Find a Landscaper
You will not be around to mow the lawn and water the flowers, so you need to find a landscaper who will do all of that for you. The last thing you want is for your lawn to die in the middle of summer, making your property less attractive to your guests.
Find Maintenance Vendors You Can Trust
There are a few different types of maintenance vendors you will need on your remote team:
- Handyman
- Electrician
- HVAC maintenance and repair
- Plumber
- Pool maintenance, if you have a pool or hot tub
- Pest control
Each of these team members plays a vital role in ensuring that your property stays in top shape. Your cleaning company should have the contact information for each of these vendors so that they can work together when something needs to be repaired.
A Local Co-Host
Vacation rental platforms like Airbnb allow you to add co-hosts to your listings that can help locally with your listings, making things easier on you and your guests. A co-host can:
- Meet guests in person
- Work with your local vendors for cleaning and maintenance
- Ensure the home is fully stocked with supplies
- Check the mail
- Manage reservations
- Help guests during their stay
Stock up on Supplies
It is not easy to make sure your vacation rental is fully stocked when you are running it remotely. You will not be doing a walkthrough between guests to make sure there is enough toilet paper, for example, and you cannot just run to the store to buy some. This means you need to have a system in place to keep everything stocked.
Work with your cleaning team to have them keep you appraised of when you are getting low on supplies and order the supplies online to restock. You can coordinate with your cleaners to make sure someone is there to receive the delivery of supplies. There are plenty of online retailers that you can order from to keep stocked up.
Automate as Much as You Can
There is a lot of technology out there that can help you streamline your property management and help you run it remotely. Even if you are not running it remotely, these things can make your life much easier. Some of the things you can automate include:
- Install smart locks to allow for self check-ins
- Create automated messages and templates for each stage of the rental process
- Manage reservations
- Sync bookings to your cleaning service
- Dynamic pricing
- Guest feedback process
- Create invoices
Take Security Seriously
When running a vacation rental, you want to take security seriously, especially if you are running it from a remote location. There are a few things you can do to help ensure that your property remains secure:
- Get a lockable mailbox
- Install smart locks
- Use alarms and sensors
- Get CCTV cameras
- Get insurance coverage
- Remove valuables from the property
Set Clear Expectations and Guidelines for Guests
Your house is going to have some rules you want your guests to follow, so you need to lay all of that information out clearly and concisely.
Make Your House Rules Clear
No matter what the rules are for your house, make sure they are clearly spelled out to the guests. Try to use positive language with them instead of negative language in your rules. For example, instead of saying "don't make noise after 11 PM," try saying "please keep the noise down after 11 PM." It will humanize you more with your guests and make them more likely to respect the space and its rules. You will appear less strict and polite, which is good.
A Comprehensive Welcome Book is Essential
A welcome book can make things easier for your guests and so they have fewer questions for you. Your welcome book needs to be comprehensive and cover anything you think they might need to know about your property. Some things to include in your welcome book are:
- Wi-Fi information and troubleshooting tips
- How to use appliances
- How to use the HVAC system
- Check-in and check-out procedures
- Where to find towels and linens
- Places they might like to visit, including attractions and restaurants
- Who to contact in case of emergencies
- House rules
The welcome book should be somewhere obvious in the house, and you should also email a copy to guests before their stay. Be sure to check out our Airbnb Welcome Book guide for more details.
Final Thoughts
While it can take a little bit of work to get your remote rental up and running, once you have your system in place, you should be good to go. These tips will help you get started successfully running it remotely, which can give you a lucrative passive income.