Daily Operations

[Tiffany233]

Hello!

I am exploring the idea of renting a condo my family owns in Florida that goes unused most of the year except for the few weeks members of my family go down. I have found a lot of great tips in this community! One thing I am having a hard time getting my head around is setting up the daily operations (cleaning, washing linens, and anything else that might need to be done (any suggestions that I might not think of on this are welcome, too). This will be a rental that I think we will operate remotely as far as letting people in and out (any suggestions for resources on this are needed, as well)!

But I digress. Back to daily operations. Could some of you share with me how you went about finding the people you use, how you pay them (is there a service you use?), and any other pertinent information - especially if you rent a place that is far from where you live? I am completely ignorant of anything having to do with renting through AirBnB or in any way for that matter. 

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

[Donna240]

Please search the community board for people who have experienced damages before embarking on this venture. Remote hosts seem to have the worst experiences, as well as those who rent to large groups. You become a faceless entity to guests and don't even have the advantage of having met them to build up a bit of rapport. Buy specialized insurance for the property as  homeowner's insurance will not cover damages when you turn your property into a business by taking money from guests. This is particularly important, since the host guarantee through Airbnb seems to fail more hosts than it helps, so read every word of it. As I stated your homeowners insurance will be of no help. I received this information from our insurance agent and have never seen it mentioned on a rental website.

That being said, if you have a neighbor who might be interested in acting as a cohost, for compensation, then you have someone who could look after the property, handle hiring a cleaning crew or cleaning it themselves. Better yet, guests generally behave better when they know the management is within hearing distance. If you can limit the number of guests, you will be less likely to encourage partying which seems to be at the epicenter of most damage. 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Tiffany233

Based on my personal hosting experience..... I wouldn't jump into being a remote host easily. Imo, just too much potential for things to go wrong and nothing I can do if I can't be there in person. 

If you have a relative or friend who lives very close by to your condo, who is willing and able to act as your "on-site presence" and be your co-host then you should explore the possibility with your potential co-host. The regular cleaning services or turnover services will not be enough on their own.

Do your homework, understand the pros and cons of hosting, understand the policies and TOS, do a bit of market research of the neighborhood (are there other ABBs  nearby, what type of guests do they seem to attract, what's the average nightly rate etc.), check with your insurance, check local laws/regulations about STL before you make a decision or invest any money. 

Good luck~! 

[Linda-And-Richard0]

@Tiffany233  I have the advantage of living next door to my Airbnb listing.  No way would I list a property where I could  not be "hands on" for the daily operations.  I have read too many stories of an off-site host discovering house rules were broken or the property trashed only after the guests have checked out.  In the event you do go forward with listing your vacation proeprty, please find someone local to greet guests upon arrival and check in with them during the stay.