Rental Maintenance by Property Managers

If you have decided to hire a rental management company than maintaining you vacation rental will be considerably easier.  Please note easier is the term we chose to use, not hands free.  For the most part a management company will take care of the day to day maintenance of your home, condo, cabin, or villa.  They generally also follow up after each guest to make sure there are no damages.  Your job as an owner is the more severe maintenance of the vacation rental. We have broken out the basics of what is required of you with your partnership with a property manager or rental company.  Each company does vary on their services so the following will just point you in the right direction.  If you think we've missed something be sure to contact us, we'd love to hear from you!

Deep Cleans and Housekeeping

Some vacation management companies will write this into their annual contract.  Generally the price for a deep clean is much more significant than a normal departure clean.  So what is a deep clean and why is it important?  A deep clean is exactly as it sounds, a through clean of the entire property.  This can consist of dusting base boards and fans, professionally cleaning carpets and furniture, laundering comforters and floor mats, and pretty much combing the entire rental property from the floor up. On average a rental company will recommend this annually. We suggest doing it at least twice a year.  Although it is an added cost it will keep your guests coming back and spreading the word about your well maintained property.  Guest tend to treat a property better if they feel the owners has pride in ownership.  There is no easier way to display this pride than with simple maintenance.  Best of all, you've hired a pro!  No need to get down and dirty like owners maintaining rental properties.

Annual Property Maintenance

In addition to a deep clean and general housekeeping proper annual property maintenance is a must.  Since you've just read the previous section you realize that this doesn't mean dusting the ceiling fans.  Every year we recommend owners walk their vacation rental and look for ways to improve the experience of their guests. The easiest task that will impact return guests and ultimately your overall revenue is repainting high trafficked areas, if not the whole house.  This is something that can be done with the family or consider having it contracted out.  Your rental company will have some suggestions for professional painters.  We also strongly advise inspecting carpeted areas for stains, rips, or tears.  In our rentals we actually replace all carpeting with tile.  It's more durable and no chance of staining.  Combine fresh paint and well kept floors and guest will feel as if your property in brand new.  This is the time of year we also recommend updating electronics and taking inventory of kitchen items. Set a week and make sure you follow through annually. A little thought and effort will go a long way and add to your bottom line.

Service Contracts

If you've breezed through Deep Cleans and Annual Property Maintenance.  You will not want to skim this section.  The most costly repair items take place in the middle of the night or on holidays.  That translates to twice the price (if not more) for hours specialized service workers.  Most rental companies will offer referrals of vendors if they do not have an in house crew.  We recommend contacting these vendors and have them directly inspecting and maintaining your property.  The most pertinent item is the cooling/heating system. An uncomfortable guest is an unhappy guest.  That leads to discounting and negative feelings toward your property.  This system can also be the most costly items to replace.  Property maintenance will save your money in the long run.  Other service contracts we recommend are landscaping, pool service, plumbers, golf car service, or anything else with a potential high cost involved.  The more preventive maintenance the better!