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Short-term rentals can leave you with a consistent flow of guests opting in and out of your listings. While this can keep you absolutely busy, there are some effective ways by which you can minimise your workload.

If done correctly, you’ll end up with a happy set of guests and homeowners too. Having said that, it will take a little while for you to set things in motion even when you’re employing the right strategies.

However, most of it will simply be polishing what you are currently doing. In addition to that, you’ll also be able to expand your business to scale better heights and reach probable clients faster.

9 Ways to Delegate Your Vacation Rental Management Tasks

1. Maintain an Optimized Listing

This is the first step to planning and implementation. Maintaining an optimized listing gives you a clear perspective on your property and improves your conversion rate as well. In other words, there’s less confusion regarding the queries you get right from the start. Remember to re-optimize your listings frequently, at least semi-annually.

2. Setup Automated Software

There are various software and apps on the market that come with useful automation features. They save you time by automating various aspects of the management process, including up to 90% of guest communication.

Some other software tools also allow you to create messages that will automatically be sent to your staff updating them regarding any new bookings or canceled reservations. Ensure you use auto-management tools that don’t need frequent maintenance and updating in order to save you time and effort.

3. Setup Hostfully

An electronic guidebook is the best to help your guests make the most of their stay while saving paper in addition to reducing your time and effort. It also makes things more professional and organised on your front. This resource Hostfully will not need much updating and maintenance. What’s more? You can plan your guidebook to be sent to your guests via Guesty a couple of days before check-in.

4. Setup NoiseAware

This software is so that your neighbors are equally satisfied with your service along with your guests. This precise, little gadget notifies you when the noise level in your home exceeds a certain limit and when it starts creating a nuisance for the neighbors.

By recognising and addressing this issue right at the start, you will save yourself time, money, and effort in the long run. After the initial setup, all you need to do is send a message or make a phone call to your guest if you receive an alert regarding an exceeded noise limit.

5. Setup PriceLabs

Maximising occupancy and regulating night rates is the crux of any Airbnb business. And in order to do that, you need a smart pricing tool as well. The best one happens to be PriceLabs in this regard.

These tools automatically update your calendar in addition to offering multiple customizations like enabling a guest to make a one-night booking or cancellation.

It also increases your nightly minimum for reservations far into the future. This resource takes about a minute of monitoring each week after the initial setup which is pretty much automatic.

6. Install an Electronic Lock

An electronic lock is more than a necessity in today’s times, especially in Airbnb listings. Companies like Slickspaces and VirtualKEY have features like a keyless entry that makes guest access hassle-free and removes the need to coordinate key exchanges between parties. This works by giving each guest a unique code that allows them access to the rental. This code expires upon checkout so that the property remains safe and secure.

7. Hire a Cleaner

This is, perhaps, the most crucial part of the entire process of automating your Airbnb process. In addition to being a cleaner, they must be responsible, punctual, efficient, and reliable to be able to do this job to the optimum best. Hiring the right people for this job will lift a huge burden off of your shoulders which will keep your involvement minimal.

In addition to that, a cleaner must be able to look after other aspects as well as changing bed linens, purchasing and restocking consumables and disposable amenities.

Do not consider budget here since their job is extremely demanding and time-consuming. Consider this as an investment for your business which will only fetch you maximum returns in the future.

• Low-quality cleaning
• Late or missed cleanings
• Use of stained or mismatched linens
• Lack of attention to details, like folded towels and presentation
• Failure to complete essential tasks specific to vacation rentals like restocking supplies, checking for damage, and opening windows so your guest can enter to natural light.

All of these aspects will take a heavy toll on your time and your business.

8. Have an Emergency Contact

This is an aspect that most people usually overlook. True that you may be the homeowner, but you cannot do everything by yourself which may get in the way of your regular management responsibilities. Under such rare circumstances, it is best to have a backup of an emergency contact that is equally familiar with the property as you are.

This can be a member of your staff or a separately appointed person who will back you up as an emergency contact in times of need. This will save you the trouble of rushing to find a temporary replacement if an emergency comes up.

9. Hire a Repairs and Maintenance Team

Every homeowner wants their property to be in the best shape at all times, but that is seldom possible. Sometimes, things tend to go differently than planned and not in a pleasant way.

In such scenarios, you need to have a repair and maintenance team at your beck and call. You will have to strike a deal with them to summon them during weekends, off-hours, and during urgencies whenever the time calls for it.

This may be a little daunting at the beginning, especially with the recruiting, hiring, and assembling of such a reliable team. But once it’s set up it is worth every effort and always better than your guests having a bad experience.

In addition to that, you can even hire local handymen to come to aid for smaller issues instantly. Here are some common issues and the professionals to hire accordingly.

• Issues with Wi-Fi or cable– Emergency contact or handyman, that is only after you’ve already done some troubleshooting and assured everything is properly plugged in
• Issues with heating or A/C – HVAC repairman
• No hot water – plumber
• Clogged drains – plumber
• No light – electrician
• Lock issues – locksmith

Summing it up:

Managing properties cannot completely rely on technology without a bit of human touch. However, one can always employ technology to speed up the process thereby minimising the effort and increasing the accuracy of the process in the long run.

Using these resources in the right manner will save you a huge chunk of time and effort which can be used to take on more listings and expanding your business over a period of time.

Your guests make it to your Airbnb property after a long period of budgeting and planning their vacation and are often looking for a while away from home to relax and rewind.

Most of your guests aren’t looking for human interactions at this point since that defeats the entire purpose of the holiday. People looking for extra service will most often opt for hotel rooms but those craving a bit of solitude and their own company arrive at an Airbnb.

Here is where self-check-in enters the picture. Not only does it reduce human interaction but it also sets up your process easily and automatically without having to worry about hiring extra staff. Your guests can also check-in according to their will without a hassle.

The reasons that self-check-in is taking over the tourism industry as one of the top property management solutions are obvious:

• No lock-picking
• No arranged meetings, schedule conflicts, or awkward small talk
• Latest security technology making things convenient for guests

But is self-check-in even possible? The latest trends these days are allowing guests to check themselves in which is revolutionizing privacy, security, and their travel experience.

Here’s everything you need to know about preparing your Airbnb for the self-check-in process.

Lockboxes & Key Safes

A lockbox or key safe attached to your door handle or wall can allow another inside the property by entering a safety code. This can be given to the guests at the time of booking anytime before they get onto the property. As an Airbnb owner, one needs to consider a few aspects ahead of time.

1. Placement

A good, sturdy lockbox is quite a challenge to break into, especially for burglars without any prior locksmith experience. in order to get in forcefully, one may need to break down the door, which is an even bigger hassle. Lockboxes are already pretty secure.

A strong lockbox can easily withstand about 45 minutes of banging with a hammer which is bound to attract attention before the lock can give away. The placement of the lockbox plays a key role to reduce any potential risk of theft or forceful entry.

• In an apartment or other building complexes, place the lockbox within the building or beyond the first gate or door so that it isn’t visible or accessible from the street.
• If you have a house, keep your lockbox out of sight from the main road, probably the side of the house, the backyard fence, or the garden.

2. Security

Lockboxes can either be attached to a wall with screws or hung by a metal loop around a secure surface such as a door or railing. Although both are very secure, screws in a wall are thought to be targeted less. Make sure you change the code after each guest leaves. Or even better, set up a code that expires upon checkout of the guest.

3. Lock Size

Lockboxes come in a variety of strengths, sizes, and dial formats, such as:

• Push-button locks: Allow you to set a combination you can punch in any order.
• Wheel models: This model has four scrolling wheels with numbers or letters to form a combination.
• Dial models: Similar to a classic high school locker padlock, with one rotating dial for entering a combination.

Dial models have been proven as the hardest to break into. The right kind of lockbox is not just easy-to-use but also strong enough. Make sure you find the perfect blend of all benefits that even include placement as well.

Virtual Keys

This concept uses a door that requires no material object to open like a key or card. A secret code or a private scan is all that it takes to gain entry onto the property. There’s no doubt technology will continue to evolve beyond this, but it’s honestly hard to see how with tools already so convenient. Such convenient tools make it even better, safer, and easier both for guests and Airbnb owners.

Time equals money for any property manager or a homeowner looking to acquire additional properties and expanding their business. And trends like these can not only go easy on your pocket but save you ample time as well. Brands VirtualKey and SlickSpaces work the best in this regard. They even offer services like temperature regulations, automated staff alerts in addition to many more.

Property managers have a variety of smart lock technology to choose from, offering all kinds of beneficial features including:

• completely removing keys from the equation
• automatically sending uniquely generated codes for each guest, ensuring maximum privacy
• detecting vacancy and schedule maintenance accordingly

If correctly set up and implemented, these services will save you substantial time and money. It even automates your process making it simple and easy thereby reducing manual error as well.  Smart lock technology is one of the biggest tools we have in the modern age today that is only bound to get better and more advanced with time.

Summing it up:

Proper installation and preparation of automated self-check-in systems have the potential to make your Airbnb incredibly safe and convenient. Not only that, it even simplifies your guest’s entry and stays aspects of your guests’ stay with regards to more privacy and a flexible schedule for them. In addition to that, you will have to hire fewer staffs for the same.

Want to make the most out of your investment property and earn a healthy passive income?

If you are new to the world of renting and being a landlord, there quite a lot of things you need to decide on and consider as well. Previously, long-term rentals were the standard. But with modern options, such as Airbnb, short-term rentals have become extremely popular.

Many people believe that renting out your property on a short-term basis is a foolish decision. Often assuming that you’ll be unnecessarily busy, have low occupancy rates, and overall a lower rental income.

However, this is not true. Both short and long-term have their pros and cons. And in a lot of situations, you can actually earn more through short-term rent periods.

But it is important to inform yourself before making any kind of decision. So first, let’s make sure you completely understand short-term rentals.

What exactly is a short-term rental?

Put simply, anything that is rented from a few days up to a month is considered short-term. Anything more than a month is seen as long-term.

In recent years, short-term rental has become synonymous with Airbnb. This platform allows property owners to list their properties online. Potential guests can then browse by location, price, features, and more. Through Airbnb, hosts are able to safely receive money from the guests. Both parties receive the benefits of having Airbnb as the medium between the two.

Benefits of short term rental

Let’s see some of the advantages of the short-term before focusing on how much money it can bring you:

• Frequent tenant traffic – This is good if you come across a rather lousy tenant, this means they won’t stay for long!
• Less big repairs – You will be encouraged to clean and maintain the property after every tenant. Due to this regular maintenance, there will be less wear and tear.
• Personal use – if you decide on short-term rental it means that the property won’t be completely booked in most cases. So if you decide to stay in it for whatever reason, you’re able to do so easily. This is especially useful if your investment property is in a holiday location.
• Higher-income potential – Short-term rentals usually mean higher rent. This is because long-term tenants are locked into a longer contract and this is made up for by decreasing rent. However, if you retain high occupancy rates while also maintaining the higher rent from short-term rentals, you’ll have a higher total rental income.

How you can earn more with short-term rentals

People who are looking for a place to stay short-term see this opportunity as a one-time expense. For example, they could be booking a place for a holiday, a business trip, and a whole variety of reasons. Because of this, you can increase the price of your property without worry.

While this increase in price is beneficial to you, the guests also receive the benefits of a short-term stay with no long-term commitment — without paying hundreds of dollars a night for a hotel.

Additionally, short-term rental allows you to adjust the price. If you own a property on a beach, during the summer you can increase your rent to match the growing demand. While you’re earning more, the property owners who rented out long-term will be stuck with their predetermined low rate. And during the off-season, you can lower your rent to boost occupancy rates.

You can also do this for weeknights vs. weekends. Offer a lower price during the week and increase it for weekends. This is especially the case for locations where weekend nightlife is popular.

Drawbacks of short-term rentals

Unlike long-term tenants who pay their utility bills, as a short-term tenant who is only staying for a few nights, it would be unreasonable for them to pay this. Because of this, you will be expected to pay all utility bills, including all repairs and cleaning.

Additionally, you will have little time to research a tenant, so if you’re not comfortable with opening up your property to complete strangers that short-term might not be for you.

Who is long-term rental for?

Everyone is different. Everyone seeks different things when they want to invest in property. If you are seeking more security by having an occupied property at all times, maybe long-term is the right choice for you.

Firstly, you will be protected by the lease and by a set security deposit. Most of the time, you won’t have to worry about furnishing the place, since tenants will usually bring their own furniture.

Some will say that this kind of rental provides a more regular income than the short-term. This is namely because your tenants will pay you every month for the period they are staying, which means consistent cash flow.

It needs to be emphasized that since you get the money regularly, the prices will have to be lower than those of short-term rentals.

Short-term rentals require more advertising, and with long-term, you don’t have to do that as much, since in most cases you will always have someone staying in your property. You won’t have to worry about constant tenant turnover and constantly reviewing potential tenants.

Ultimately, the main drawback to short-term rentals and why long-term rentals appear to be better would be because you’re less tied to managing or maintaining your property and that there are higher occupancy rates.

The solution to short-term rental problems

But with all this said, there is a way to overcome the struggles of short-term rental properties and still earn more than a long-term rental can.

Airbnb property managers can maintain your property for you, including the cleaning and servicing between tenants. They can also style it, manage your listing, provide customer service, and help maximise your occupancy rates.

With all these problems solved, you would have removed the majority of the problems with short-term rentals — while still earning a higher rental income.

Want to start earning more from your investment property?

Discover how you can earn greater passive income through short-term rentals with Oasis Stay, Australia’s leading Airbnb property management provider.

Click here to get in touch with us today.

Want to spend less time managing your Airbnb?

It shouldn’t take hours to clean your property after a guest leaves and you shouldn’t have to spend hours answering questions you’ve been asked hundreds of times before.

Investment properties are supposed to be as hands-off as possible. After all, you’re trying to generate a passive income. You want to spend more time with your family and friends, instead of catering to every guest’s needs, right?

To help you cut down the time spent managing your Airbnb property, we have provided you with 10 tips that will make management a breeze.

#1. Keep it simple

If you follow just one thing in this list, this is the one to follow. It’s too easy to complicate everything from the way you hand over the keys to how you clean up the house after they leave.

When you’re trying to make a decision, ask yourself which one is simpler. Both you and your guests will appreciate this in the long run.

#2. Include instructions

Just like how you want to keep things simple, you want to make everything easy for your guests as well. This means leaving instructions on how to use your complicated washing machine, giving them a quick guide on how to get to the station, and any other information that might help them.

One effective way to do this is to leave a stick-it note where they’re more likely to need this information.

#3. Provide exceptional customer service

Huge problems that can lead to massive headaches, poor reviews, and canceled bookings, can oftentimes be avoided by one simple thing — communication.

If your guests have a problem, you want to be easy to reach. You also want to respond as quickly as possible.

By effectively communicating, you avoid any potential management headaches and allows you to develop rapport with your guests.

#4. Give yourself enough time

Unrealistic expectations, like the amount of time it’ll take you to clean a house before you book another guest in, can make managing your Airbnb property a headache.

Give yourself enough buffer time between guests to allow you to comfortably prepare the property. If you own multiple properties, you also want to give yourself plenty of time to travel and prepare to check-in or check-out guests in your other locations.

#5. Use a security lockbox

One easy and affordable way to save time with checking in or checking out guests is to use a security lockbox. This is also convenient for your guests and might even earn you a positive review.

Basically, instead of traveling to your Airbnb property to give your guests keys, you can just supply the code to a safe or lock. Inside this will be the keys to the property. This allows you to spend time relaxing at home, instead of traveling back and forth.

#6. Or a keyless lock

Similar to a security lockbox, you can simply install a keyless lock for your door. This allows for guests to check themselves in and out, for cleaners to come in and prepare the property, and for the new guests to arrive without a hassle. Notice how you didn’t have to visit the site at all?

#7. Hire a cleaner

It’s tempting to handle all the cleaning and preparation for a new guest yourself. But then, your investment property has just become a workplace for your new job — a cleaner.

Instead, hire a professional to handle this task. They have the necessary equipment to clean your property in a portion of the time and to a better standard. Plus, this allows you to spend more time on other tasks which could generate you more money than you’d spend hiring a cleaner. Remember, you’re now an investor building your passive income.

#8. Leave extras of everything

While your guest is in your property, they’re probably in a completely new area. It’s difficult for them to head out to purchase a towel, toilet paper, or any other basic essentials. But for you, it’s easy to leave a few extra rolled-up towels in a drawer, an extra tube of toothpaste on the sink, and even an emergency box of cereal on the kitchen counter.

By leaving extras of any essentials you think your guests might require, you decrease the chances of them needing to contact you for help and boost the likelihood of receiving a positive review.

#9.  Follow a process

Even if you follow all the previous tips, you don’t want this to take up too much time or energy. This is why you should create a process so that you don’t have to spend hours thinking about what you need to do before every new guest.

You could create a simple checklist to follow every time. Or you could even hand this checklist off to someone else to manage for you.

#10. Hire an Airbnb property manager

If you want to make Airbnb rental management in Australia as easy as possible, hiring an Airbnb property manager can save you hours every single day.

They can handle tasks like:

• Cleaning your property after guests leave
• Checking to make sure keys are returned
• Inspecting your property for any damage
• And so much more…

But, do you need a property manager for your Airbnb?

That depends on how hands-off you want your investment property to be. By simply investing just 15% of your rental income, Oasis Stay’s property management service can handle your Airbnb listing, property management tasks, customer service, property styling, and more. This leaves you tens of hours saved a week, that you can spend with your family and friends.