The 3 biggest challenges in vacation rental management and how to solve them

Your ad is online and your first guests check in and rate your apartment. But your personal organizing efforts are increasing. The following tips will save you time and money.

Key collection and self check-in

If you don't live near the property or can't be on call, handing over keys to guests can become a nerve-wracking task. Fortunately, you can automate the handover of keys in a number of ways.

If you have only recently become a host, we recommend that you perform at least five personal key handovers. Getting initial feedback from guests helps to better adapt to their needs. Maybe they're having a hard time finding a place to stay, or maybe the apartment is missing a few little things your guests still need to start their vacation worry-free. However, after five meetings, you should have received enough information from your guests to switch to self-check-in.

At this point, many landlords hide their keys in a specific location next to the front door. This variant is not recommended due to high uncertainty. Alternatively, the key can be passed on to a trusted acquaintance, or a company can be used to hand your key to a guest. It is much more convenient to use an electronic door lock, such as the airEkey Smart Lock or a key safe.

Cleaning the accommodation

Especially when your holiday accommodation is fully booked, cleaning can take up most of your available time. Of course, this process will leave more funds in your account, but you can also use the time you free up in other ways. For example when optimizing your ads.

If you don't want to clean it yourself, you can hire a cleaner. It's both important and difficult to find someone who can work the way you want, and who can also schedule more time in a short period of time if necessary.

Probably the most expensive option is to hire a professional cleaning company. Bottlenecks can be solved here without any problems. However, the staff of a professional cleaning company may not be as individually responsive to your needs as the cleaners who are already familiar with your space.

Before you decide on an option, you should look at the cost/benefit ratio relative to your individual needs. Whether you're renting one or 20 accommodations can make a big difference here.

Professional communication and handling of complaints