How to Prepare a European Short-Term Property for Renters

For each short-term rental you own, you’ll have to go through a process of preparing it for future guests. You can keep this process from becoming overwhelming by creating a list of guidelines to use with each rental. A comprehensive list should cover everything from maintaining the physical condition of the property to marketing the rentals. 

Start With a Thorough Maintenance Inspection

Maintenance is the most important part of preparing house for Airbnb use. Any vacation rental needs to be safe and habitable for renters. When a guest departs, a handyman or maintenance professional should inspect the unit. 

The inspection should verify that safety features, such as railings and hallway lights, are in good condition. Make sure the HVAC system, appliances, and other electric equipment work well. Inspect smoke detectors, security systems, door locks, and windows. Replace or repair any damaged items, fixtures, or furnishings.

Give Each Rental a Deep Cleaning

The next step in preparing a property for rent is to ensure it’s clean. This involves more than removing surface dirt and debris. It’s also important to prevent the transmission of disease as much as possible by eliminating germs and bacteria left behind by previous guests. 

Use a disinfecting cleaning agent to wipe down countertops, appliances, and furnishings. Launder tablecloths, linen, and curtains. Mop floors and shampoo carpeting. Disinfect outlet and light switch covers since guests will frequently touch these surfaces.

Market Your Rental

After physically preparing a property for rent, you’re ready to start marketing your vacancies. There are a variety of OTA (online travel agents) that host listings from private and commercial vacation property owners. These sites reach people who are actively searching for short-term rentals.

In addition, use your social media accounts to broaden your reach. Relevant keywords and hashtags will make your social media posts, blog posts, and listings more visible. Whether you’re writing a listing or a social media post, use selling points like amenities or local attractions to grab the attention of your audience.

Consider Using a Guest Verification Service

Preparing a property for rent should include verification of guest identity to avoid fraud and possible mis-use of your rental and subsequent damages.  A brief inspection of a guest’s identification will help you avoid renting to a problematic individual. Supplement this service by knowing how to spot potential red flags. For example, a large group of unrelated adults can indicate a group in search of a place to party. You can prevent damage and disruptions by refusing service to large groups. 

Stay aware of other red flags, such as on-the-spot bookings, poor reviews from other vacation rental companies, and inaccurate credit card details.

Create a Warm Welcome 

Once you confirm a reservation, know how to get a rental ready to host by preparing for the guest’s arrival. Aside from updating and cleaning the rental, you’ll want to look for ways to make the guests feel special. Providing a few small extras can help your guests feel pampered and valued.

Start with a guest welcome book. You can find decorative folders or books at any stationary store, or you can design welcome books to suit your own tastes. In each book, include information about the rental, a cable guide, lists of local restaurants, and coupons. 

Supplement the welcome book with a basket of treats. Leave a small basket with a few chocolates, fresh fruit, or mints.

Set Up a Pricing Schedule

When preparing a property for rent, know how much you’ll charge. Set up standard nightly and weekly rates to cover every situation. You might also need to set up basic and premium rates if your rentals offer different levels of luxury or premium amenities. Set up lower rates for off-season periods and establish a date range that specifically covers those periods.

When you create your pricing schedule, take a variety of factors into account. Keep your rates within the short-term rental market range for your area. Charging too much can mean losing guests to more moderately priced rentals in the community. The size of the rental and property features can also affect the rental price. 

Review Short-Term Rental Laws

Legal issues often arise when preparing a property for rent. While you don’t have to revisit short-term rental laws every time a new guest reserves a stay, you should familiarise yourself with relevant laws on an annual basis. This will help you stay informed about changes in a timely manner.

As more people enter the short-term rental industry, municipalities enact new laws that specifically address vacation rentals. These laws prohibit short-term rentals in certain neighbourhoods, regulate taxes, establish safety standards, and offer specific guest protections. Keep up with these laws to ensure all of your properties remain compliant.

Establish Prompt and Effective Communication

A guest might need to contact you prior to their arrival or during their stay. They may want to ask about changing or cancelling a reservation, or they might want to know about special services. To meet this need for communication, you should set up convenient communication methods.

If you provide an email address, set up push notifications to let you know about emails as soon as you receive them. Many short-term rental property managers prefer to use direct messaging apps since this type of communication is instantaneous. Make sure to provide a phone number as well. Ideally, someone should answer phone calls promptly. 

Notify guests of communication procedures. If you’re available via phone only during normal business hours, provide an after-hours method of communication. While you don’t have to respond immediately, you should ensure guests receive responses as soon as possible. A responsive host will earn a more positive reputation among guests.

Need Guest Verification Help? 

CoverCat offers guest verification services included with our short-term rental insurance coverage. Use our guest verification services to maintain tighter control over who rents your vacation properties. Knowing more about your guests will help you protect your property against potential damages and theft. Learn more when you contact us today.