If you’re considering the possibility of putting up some property on the short term rental market, you’re probably looking at utilizing some of the common vacation rental platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO. Utilizing these platforms has made it much easier for hosts to get exposure for their properties, hence making the process a little less daunting.
This doesn’t mean that there isn’t still a lot of work that needs to go into becoming an Airbnb host. Below is an informative guideline on how to become an Airbnb host, provided by an experienced and successful Airbnb management company in Southern California.
Remember that there is no set formula for success on how to become an Airbnb host, which means there are many variables to consider!
Determine Feasibility
Before even looking into how to become an Airbnb host, it is important to find out if it is feasible for your property. This could involve obvious considerations such as whether your landlord (if you are renting), HOA covenant, or even your city or county jurisdiction allows short term rentals for the property in question. The answer, in some cases, may depend on whether you are renting out the entire property or just part of the home you are residing in.
Once you’ve determined that your property is eligible, you’ll also want to investigate whether your property neighborhood or town is attractive enough to potential guests. If you have access to reliable market data, this will provide a realistic outlook of whether your property might be successful as an Airbnb rental. Depending on the extent of the data, you may even be able to project a fairly accurate income potential to help you decide whether it’s worth moving forward!
If such data isn’t available to you, we recommend scouring the major short term rental platforms for listings in your neighborhood to see if there are many other rentals, what their rates are, and compare your property to theirs to see how it may compete. Also, check out some tourism and visitor sites to get some solid and current information about the tourism market in your area. If you know anyone in your neighborhood who is already renting short term, sit down over coffee or a meal to listen to their experience. The more information you have, the better equipped you’ll be!
Finally, look up the long term rental listings in the area to see how their rates compare to the short term listings you have found. This is another step to help you decide whether the extra work required for short term rental is worth your time or not!
Once you’ve determined that your property is eligible and financially feasible for short term rental, you’re ready to really look into how to become an Airbnb host! The first stage that you’ll need to work on is setup. The setup stage includes setup of your property, photography, and setting up your listing.
When setting up your property, focus on creating a pleasant atmosphere with some character of its own without going too overboard. While aesthetics is highly important, so is functionality. Keep things simple yet pay attention to the details. Make sure you’re providing all the basic amenities you would expect out of upscale hotel-standard accommodation, then think about the things you might desire for a better stay and add them in if you can. If you have a yard, patio, or other outdoor space, don’t forget to set these up too!
Once your property is set up, taking professional quality real estate photos is next on your to do list. If you don’t own professional camera equipment and don’t have the skills and experience to take high quality photos, we highly recommend hiring someone for this portion. Remember that most potential guests will initially be attracted to a listing based on the cover photo!
Finally, it’s now time to create your listings. Each listing will consist of a heading, the photographs, a description of the property, a list of amenities, rates and fees, prior guest reviews, and any terms and conditions. Each component should be carefully considered with an appropriate keyword strategy to attract your potential guests while protecting yourself and your property from any misuse or abuse. When deciding on rates and fees, you should draw on any information and data collected during the initial research phase to determine the best rate that will maximize your income.
You may choose to limit your listing to a single rental platform such as Airbnb to help streamline your bookings, or list on all the major platforms to help maximize your exposure and increase occupancy. Keep in mind that your listings should be monitored and revised on an ongoing basis to keep them relevant and up to date. It’s also important to keep an eye on market rates to ensure that your rates remain competitive while maximizing your returns!
From check-in and check-out to bookings and payments and all guest communications, guest services are the essence of any hospitality business. If you keep in mind that hospitality is a big part of how to become an Airbnb host, you’re already well on your way toward success!
While some guest services such as check-in & check-out, and bookings & payments may be automated, it’s possible to add a personal touch to make guests feel more welcome and comfortable. You may contact them prior to check-in to inform them of the parking situation, include a welcome note with a welcome drink or snacks, or provide written information about local resources and attractions. If possible, paying them a short visit after they’ve had a chance to settle in can be a nice touch – though preferences may be different case by case for each guest.
The most challenging component of guest services for many Airbnb hosts is a variety of unexpected guest communications. These may come in the form of further questions about the property and its amenities or the neighborhood requests to repair an overlooked broken appliance or unexpected plumbing problem, or a range of complaints based on unmet expectations.
These calls may come in at inconvenient times, and it is important to respond courteously, efficiently, and within reason. While most guests will be respectful and reasonable, if you do encounter a guest with unreasonable requests or expectations, knowing how to deal with these respectfully but firmly is a skill that will take you a long way. Unfortunately, even one negative review can make a difference to the integrity of your listing, so it’s worth thinking about how to tackle these types of cases before they arise.
That being said, we believe another important part of “guest services” is the screening process and protecting yourself and your property from potential “undesirable guests”. While it may take some extra time, we recommend at least going through host reviews of each guest before confirming a new booking. If you’re uncomfortable with a particular booking, you can also contact the guest through the platform to get more information and reject the booking if necessary.
Keeping the rental property in tip-top shape for guests will be a huge factor in maintaining positive reviews and good standing. Property upkeep for a short term rental not only includes regular maintenance and repairs and professional cleaning and housekeeping. It also involves the constant monitoring and restocking of replenishable items.
Since many of your guests will be on vacation during their stay, upkeep of the property is even more important than for a long term rental. While your long term tenant is likely to be okay with delaying the fall cleanup for a week or two, this is not likely to be well received by vacationers looking for a pleasant environment for their short time away from home.
Plan ahead to ensure seasonal maintenance tasks are taken care of in a timely manner, remembering that you need to work around guest bookings. If you are hiring third party housekeepers to take care of the cleaning, make sure they are available during the window that the property is vacant between bookings. Finally, check replenishable items such as paper goods, toiletries, basic cooking supplies, and linens between each guest to see what needs to be restocked.
As you’ve just read, the answer to the question of “how to become an Airbnb host” is not a short and simple one. Becoming an Airbnb host involves many moving parts that require a high level of coordination. There are people who thrive on this type of challenge, those who are overwhelmed by it, and then the majority of people who are somewhere in between.
Hiring a professional Airbnb management company not only means that the tasks discussed above will be taken off your hands. It also means that they’ll be handled by experienced professionals with proven results to increase your chances of success. By hiring a quality management company that produces great results for a reasonable rate, it is highly likely that you can balance out the additional cost of hiring the company by the increased revenue brought on by their expertise. Since there’s no set formula on how to become an Airbnb host successfully, leaving it in the hands of experts is your best bet!
Speed Keyz is an experienced and reputable Airbnb management company based in the SoCal region. With services starting with thorough market research to determine the feasibility of full setup, guest services, and ongoing property upkeep, we can take the load off your hands so you can enjoy passive income with peace of mind!
