How to Prepare Your Vacation Rental Home for Guests
Cleaning and preparing the rental home before guests arrive and during their stay are essential factors to ensure a positive renting experience, enabling them to get good client reviews, attain business and customer referrals. Nevertheless, it is not always easy to decipher what needs to be done to make this process easy and smooth. This article explores the best practices to help you get started.
Things to prepare
Preparing your vacation home for leasing can be a daunting task if you are not clear on how to do it. The first step is to make an all-inclusive checklist of all the things that need to be done. Here are a few key things that you should put into consideration:
a. Clean the house
Your home should be spotless and ready for your guest to check-in. You will need to vacuum, sweep, mop, dust and clean everything from the walls to the appliances. Make sure that all furniture is dusted and arranged tidily. Also, the bathrooms, kitchen and other most used spaces such as the bedrooms should be spic and span.
To keep your bedroom more aesthetically pleasing for the guests, consider furnishing it with neutral colors, such as plain white for bed linens. You can also consider hanging decorative items such as art and picture frames around the house to bring a new vibe to the rental space and help your guests adjust to the new environment.
b. Prepare handouts and instructions lists
You should also prepare handouts and instruction lists for the guests as part of your preparation. The handouts may include basic information about your vacation rental property, such as the location and amenities. The instruction lists can cover all the details concerning the cleaning policies, check-in and check-out details, rules and regulations that need to be followed during the guest’s stay, instructions on operating major appliances in the rental property, emergency contact information, etc.
c. Fix any hazards
Any good vacation rental home should be free of any hazards such as defective electrical wiring and leaky pipes. You will want to check for these items and fix them where necessary to ensure the safety of your guests. Keep in mind that goal is to keep the guests happy and free from any worry; hence avoid putting them in any situation that could result in them being injured or sick while on your vacation rental home.
d. Equip the home for guests
Think about what equipment and amenities you can offer your guests to help them make their stay more pleasant. For instance, you can consider giving your guests access to a VCR or DVD player or give them access to the internet. In the kitchen, supply them with the basic utensils they will need, such as pots, pans, dishes, silverware, potholders, etc. Your vacation rental home should also have basic kitchen appliances such as a refrigerator, microwave oven, coffee maker, teapot, toaster, etc. It is also considered a common courtesy to provide your guests with basic seasonings and food items like butter, salt, sugar, tea, milk, cereal or coffee.
Rugs should be rolled out in the guest bedrooms to help reduce slipping hazards, and you should provide your guests with sufficient clean towels, linens, blankets, an ironing board and iron, and basic toiletries such as toilet papers, paper towels and tissues. Make sure to also equip your vacation rental spaces with working first-aid kits, fire extinguishers, functioning smoke detectors, trash can liners, fans, extra light bulbs, and guidebooks and maps to the area. Finally, don’t forget to stock up on essential cleaning supplies and disinfectants.
e. Safeguard your valuables
Before letting guests into your vacation rental home, it is essential that you take and keep an inventory of the belongings that you want to safeguard. A detailed list of these valuables will be crucial in case of a burglary. One great way to safeguard your extremely valuable items is putting them in a safe deposit box at the bank or storing them in a locked closet or separate locked room if you have one. You may also consider renting an off-site storage space and using it as storage for your important belongings.
In addition to having an inventory of your valuable items and keeping them in secure locations, it is also crucial to perform a thorough inspection of major items in the rental space, such as appliances, furnishings and fixtures, and note down the guest’s responsibility of protecting them in a detailed vacation rental lease agreement, which the guests should sign before check-in. This way, you will be able to fully communicate your leasing terms to the renter, and in case of any lease term violations and damage to the property, you will have all the necessary documentation to prove your case and help you get reimbursed for damages.
f. Help your guests keep the space clean
As part of your duties as a property manager and rental service provider, you should make your guest’s stay more enjoyable by ensuring keeping the guest’s spaces clean. Consider hiring reliable cleaners to help freshen up the guest rooms and bathrooms daily. Ensure that your guests also keep their bathrooms tidy by making sure that they are supplied with enough toiletries and essential cleaning supplies daily. Additionally, make it a point to issue your cleaners with a checklist of the kind of maintenance and room service they need to provide such that you are sure everything is for your guests.