Managing an Airbnb: How to Create the Ultimate Rental

Airbnb is a wonderful way to make passive income, utilize some of the space you’re sitting on, and even meet new people. 

As it goes with all hotels, though, some stand out from the rest. If you want to make the most of your Airbnb and get a little extra money for your effort, you’ll have to do a few things. 

We’re going to look at some ideas on managing an Airbnb property in this article, giving you some ideas on how you can create an amazing place to stay. 

Let’s get started.

How to Be an Airbnb Property Manager

The first thing to hammer out is getting everything up to code. If people are going to stay in your home, garage, cabin, tiny house, etc., you have to make sure that they’re safe. 

This is a legal issue as well as one that improves the quality and comfort of the stay. That means having an inspection done to make sure things are sound and that there aren’t any violations of your area’s fire code. 

Those issues don’t come up too often unless you built the structure yourself. Additionally, older buildings might have a few significant flaws to deal with.

Update The Features

A great Airbnb feels like a luxurious private hotel. In many cases, the foundation of that atmosphere comes from updated features. Unless your appeal is a woods cabin, it’s a good idea to invest a little bit in flooring, paint jobs, and the like. 

Countertops, appliances, lighting, and functionality are all things to work out. These don’t have to be top-of-the-line additions, they just have to look good and work. Long-term rentals might do well to invest in higher-quality appliances because the individual will be using them for long periods of time. 

When it comes to short-term rentals, though, many of the appliances in the space might not get used every time. The key is to create an atmosphere that’s comfortable and modern. 

Naturally, there are different appeals to work with. You don’t have to just get the newest thing and install it. A quirky, personalized space will often get rented before the more updated one. 

Work with a Theme

Once you’ve got the building blocks of a nice apartment in place, you can start to flesh out the finer points. 

Paint jobs, furniture, works of art, and more are all up to your discretion. You’ll be able to rent your space if you throw a few things together and create a comfortable environment. In a lot of cases, the particular Airbnb is chosen because of its proximity to something else that the guest wants to do. 

You might pick an Airbnb that’s closest to your favorite National Park, for example. 

That said, rentals in areas near attraction face a lot of competition. When you’re competing, you want to stand out. An Airbnb with a clear theme will often get chosen over one that doesn’t have any particular motif. 

A theme could be anything from “oceanside” to a general idea that runs throughout the rental. This is where you can get creative and explore your personality a little bit. 

Try envisioning a place that you’d like to get away to. Somewhere that you can feel relaxed and truly enjoy the peace and quiet of a vacation or short getaway. Create the apartment you’d want to live in if you didn’t have to account for all of the other factors in your life. 

Cleanliness

It’s very important that you’re aware of the cleanliness of your Airbnb. Cleaning is a requirement for listing your rental, but a lot of hosts don’t clean as deeply as they should. 

It’s a good idea to hire a cleaning service to cover your rentals. It’s a little extra money to do it this way, but the reward is well worth it. Additionally, the cleaning fee can get incorporated into the cost that the guest pays, so you’re just investing in the rental’s value. 

A cleaner environment can fetch a higher rate, and guests will be happy to pay those fees. 

This is a place where hosts get hung up because they often imagine hosting as if they’re letting a friend stay in their apartment for a day or two. The difference is that a friend doesn’t pay you to stay and they know who you are. 

They won’t be as disturbed by one of your old socks sitting under the bed, for example. Instead, guests are entering into a variation of a hotel and expect the place to be as tidy as one. 

In most cases, they’re paying a higher amount of money than they’d pay for a hotel of the same size. When you keep the place cleaned by a professional, you’ll have happy guests that leave great reviews.

Be Very Accommodating

The lifeblood of your rental is the review. Guests leave ratings and reviews on your profile when they leave, and these are what direct other people to your site. 

Here more than almost anywhere else, reviews are priceless. Higher reviews send you higher in the search results, and they play a big part in the impression and rental of your place. 

The best way to get great reviews is to go above and beyond. Just make sure that you’re communicative and you do your best to help the guest however they’d like to be helped. 

In some cases, that means keeping your distance. Some people don’t want to be bothered while they’re on vacation, and that’s totally okay. Other people would prefer to have fireside chats and engage with their host, which is something that you could do if you have it in you. 

Over time, a consistent approach to your rental will generate a buzz and positive reviews. 

Want to Learn More about Managing an Airbnb

Managing an Airbnb is exciting, but there’s a lot more you have to factor in. We’re here to help you explore those ideas. We’re also here to help you clean. 

Explore our site or contact us for ideas and options on cleaning services that will keep your rental space spotless.