Do you have an apartment/ house you want to rent out this summer? You can take advantage of the usual summer travel boom to get bookings for your short term rental property.
Airbnb reported that over 17 million guests stayed in their properties last summer (2015). That is a lot of money changing hands from guests to hosts. If you have properties for rent, you can capitalise on the lucrative summer season by putting certain measures in place to prepare your short term rental property for the summer.
This article discusses tips for preparing your apartment for the summer boom.
Improve the Property
In order to improve the value of your property/apartment to guests, it is necessary to make improvements. This is the time to give the home deep and thorough cleaning. You want the home to be in the best possible condition. If possible, you can re-paint and retouch the more visible parts of the apartment. This would make it more valuable to your guests.
Since it is summer, you should check the fans and air-conditioning system to ensure everything is in order. Invest in the necessary electrical fixtures that would make your guests comfortable. Keep the home cool by installing fans.
Upgrade your furniture so you can attract more guests. It is also a good idea to get new area rugs and rearrange the apartment to give it a more aesthetic ambience. If you are using old school TVs, you may want to get flat screen TVs or even TV boxes so as to give the apartment a modern feel.
Make the right investments in fittings and furniture. Improve the quality of the apartment and you would put yourself in a better position to benefit from the summer boom in short term rentals.
Consider Using a Management Company
It is worth the professional management cost to use specialist firms to manage your vacation rental properties. A good short term property management company would save you stress and help you maximise income from rental properties, particularly in summer which is a busy time for vacation rentals. Choose a great management firm that would help you get the best out of your property.
Take Out Insurance
If you are renting out your apartment for the summer, it is necessary to take out a specific kind of insurance: seasonal and vacation home property insurance. If the guests damage property or leave your house in worse shape than they met it, you may be able to make claims for repairs or replacements. There are few global online short term rental platforms that provide free insurance for hosting and renting. Airbnb offers free Host Protection Insurance up to AU $1,000,000, Wimdu offers free Host Insurance cover up to EUR €500,000 and 9flats offers 9flats.insurance up to EUR €500,000.
These tips would help you prepare for the influx of summer guests and in maximising the satisfaction of your guests.We also have another article about hosting in Winter.