Day to day vacation rental management is something that many new property investors fail to truly understand. Far too many property owners believe that management entails bookings, enquiries and guest relations, while failing to take into account all the other daily tasks involved along the way. The DIY approach to short term rentals is certainly popular these days. Doing it alone may bring you some positive results if you are lucky or able to devote your time to keeping your guests happy. But for most people who don’t have the luxury of being on-call 24 hours a day, management can be a major challenge.

If you’re not 100% sure what it means to manage your property, you’re in luck. Today on the blog, we are taking a closer look at what day to day vacation rental management really entails.

Why Your Property Needs Daily Vacation Rental Management

From housekeeping to maintenance; concierge to security, managing a vacation rental is no small feat. This is where professional short term property managers come in to save the day. Here at Totalstay,we provide a comprehensive one-stop-shop approach to the management process. In addition to providing marketing strategies across multiple channels, we also assist with all of the day to day runnings of your property. Whether it is round the clock concierge to help your guests book a car, tour or flight; personal chefs or butlers; guest relations or even maintenance or repairs, having a dedicated manager on-board can take your booking success from zero to hero.

Still not convinced? Here is an overview of daily vacation rental management tasks that typically apply…

• Housekeeping. Even self-catered accommodation includes housekeeping. After all, the last thing your guests feel like doing on their vacation is cleaning. Floors need to be vacuumed and mopped, surfaces need to be dusted, beds need to be changed, laundry needs to be done, dishes need to be tidied, plants need to be watered. Your choices here are simple. You could handle housekeeping yourself a few days a week. You could outsource a cleaning company. Or, you could leave it to your dedicated rental manager, who will ensure that your property stays sparkly clean at all times.
• Guest services. Unless you are leaving your guests totally on their own, chances are good that you will be on call to assist with various tasks. You may need to help guests hire a car, book restaurants or concert tickets, find their way to certain landmarks, get dry cleaning done, find a babysitter, organise an Uber, try a tour of the area or any number of other tasks. You could either assist personally, or leave it to your rental manager. If you do not have a day job and enjoy dealing with people, this may be a fun task. If on the other hand you have other things to do, it can be incredibly frustrating to be on call 24-7.
• Complaints. No one likes to think of guests (or neighbours) complaining, but it happens from time to time. You might have a particular guest with very high expectations, or your property may be old with a few quirks that annoy guests. Your guests may be on the noisy side, leading your neighbours to complain. Whatever the case, now and then you may need to deal with an irate person. Not too keen on dealing with this yourself? All the more reason to hire that manager.
• Breaks, leaks and other disasters. What happens if a plumbing problem arises? Who can guests call if there is a leak? What is the procedure for a green swimming pool, or a broken appliance? It’s not a pleasant thought, but sometimes, bad things happen. Will you be on call to deal with such challenges, or will you leave it to the professionals to handle? A rental manager provides peace of mind even at the very worst times.
• Regular upkeep. Between bookings, what are you doing to keep your property in prime condition? Do you outsource gardeners, cleaning services and renovators separately as needed? Do you perform checks after guests have left to ensure that everything is in working order? Having a dedicated manager on board will enable your property to maintain its grading all year round, whether off season or peak season.

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It may seem that dedicated vacation rental management services are an added expense. But when you stop to consider the value that a manager provides, you will soon see that management is an investment that can help you increase bookings consistently. To learn more about management solutions offered by Totalstay, contact us today for an evaluation.