Do you have an inventory of the supplies for your accommodation?

[Paula]

Hello everyone 😊

Successfully managing an Airbnb certainly requires a lot of preparation. One of the challenges Hosts often face is managing the physical inventory of the property—such as tracking the number of utensils, sheets, towels, tables, and more.

Keeping a detailed inventory helps ensure that all items are in their proper place, simplifies the check-in and check-out process, and makes cleaning more efficient by clearly knowing what the property has and what it might be missing.

Do you keep an inventory for your property? Which items are most frequently missing when you check your inventory?

I look forward to reading your comments!

[Paula]

Hello @Mark5677, That’s great! What format do you use?

Would you be willing to share your template?

Regards,

[Marie-Ange65]

Bonjour,

Nous avons un inventaire, mais nous ne l'utilisons jamais avec les locataires qui sont tous très attentionnés.

Je vous informe également que nous comptons interrompre cette activité et la mise en location de notre gîte à compter du 1er septembre 2024.

Cordialement.

------------------

Hello,

We have an inventory, but we never use it with the tenants who are all very attentive.

I also inform you that we intend to stop this activity and the rental of our cottage from September 1, 2024.

Best regards.

[Google translation added by Community Manager]

[Paula]

Thanks for sharing this @Marie-Ange65 

[Chris19307]

I have invested in high-quality furniture and the kitchen but do not keep an inventory.

I have considered keeping one for AirCover in case of an extreme event.

But in their daily work, the cleaners don't have the time or the eye to check all the inventory.

And even if something was damaged, broken, or missing, What do I do? 

1. How do you want to prove it was the last guest? 
2. If you try charging guests, will you get slammed in the review? 
3. Is it worth it? 

So far, I can report frequent minor damages, such as broken glass, dirty towels, and carpet stains.

Once the freezer was damaged - but fixable. 

I am interested in the experience of others. 

[Paula]

Hello @Chris19307, great questions.

I’m tagging a few of our experienced Hosts here to see if they’d like to share their opinions on your questions.: @Guy991, @Shelley159, @Elena4354 and @Dee32 

Regards,

[Shelley159]

Hi @Chris19307 

It looks like my approach is in line with yours. I also don't have a formal inventory (outside of my head), and when I notice something missing or broken, I just replace it. In my experience such issues are also usually minor.

[Mary1523]

Hi @Chris19307 

I don't bother with an inventory either. My cleaner misses things so it's exactly as you say, how do you know and do you want to bother proving it was the last guest.

Most of the time its minor and replaceable or fixable. So it's not worth it. Cost of doing business.

I just have to keep on top of drinking glasses (and top them up as they magically do seem to disappear) and do a regular review of everything in kitchen to see what needs replacing.

I did have to replace my fridge, even though it was working perfectedly fine, when one guest broke a shelf, then broke a drawer. And I couldn't get replacement parts. That was annoying, but the fridge was nearing 15 years old.

All the best, MK

[Nathan3900]

I usually have a cabinet to store all the items like towels, blankets, sheets, pillowcases, etc., locked carefully and a note "do not open" stuck on the cabinet, and I put other amenities in another cabinet and guests can use them if they want.

[Paula]

Hello @Nathan3900, thank you so much for sharing this.

What do you do when an item is lost? Do you contact the guest or just replace it?

Regards,

[Nathan3900]

Hi Paula, 
Usually those places are just a few rolls of toilet paper, towels, trash bags, ... things of little value and not often lost, so I can ignore and replace them. For items of greater value, I will contact the customer. Did they bring the wrong item? If they took my item by mistake, they can send it back to me or pay for me to buy another one. If they inform me that they did not take my item by mistake, I will not argue to avoid making a bad impression.
Best regards,

[Paula]

Thanks for sharing @Nathan3900 😊

[Bob297]

I don't have an inventory, so when one of my guests reports something missing or broken, I just replace or add it. In my experience, such issues are also usually minor.

[Paula]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience @Bob297 😊