How To Choose An Airbnb Property Management Service

New short term rental opportunities may open up for property owners who decide to register their vacation homes on Airbnb. 

The Airbnb platform is the leading and most popular online marketplace for people looking for homestay accommodation. The platform can be accessed via the website or mobile app and has over a hundred million users worldwide, so it has the potential to bring in more income. This is especially true since most people visiting new or foreign places for tourism purposes prefer Airbnb over staying in hotels. 

However, most hosts spend long hours working on activities managing an Airbnb property. These activities include marketing the vacation home, responding to queries from potential clients, managing guest booking, cleaning the property before and after it’s occupied, and taking care of on-field responsibilities like crucial management and coordination as well as the organization of check-ins and check-outs. 

All these activities take a significant amount of time for property owners. In addition, a professional host will have systems and processes to maximise your short-term rental returns.  

If you plan to host your property on Airbnb but lack the time or maybe don’t have the experience and skills to manage a vacation rental yourself, hiring an Airbnb property management service could be a better choice. To help you out, here are some tips to keep in mind when choosing an Airbnb property management service:

Check The Property Manager’s Website And Portfolio

Airbnb allows guests to rate their hosts based on their experience while staying in the accommodation. So, this should be one of the first things you need to check when looking for a property management service provider. 

You have to look at the properties they manage, then assess their standings with the platform. If they’re rated highly, then it’s an indication of how effective the property manager is. It’s also a reflection of the experience that the management company has under its belt. Keep in mind that you need someone experienced to generate a good return on your investment and garner positive reviews. 

Here are other things to check when looking at an Airbnb property management service provider’s portfolio:

• The amount of time they devote to their managed properties. It doesn’t matter if they prefer to be contacted through text, mail, or any other means of communication. What matters most is the property management service provider makes themselves available to clients and their clients’ guests as much as possible, even beyond regular business hours.

• The manager’s verbal and written communication skills. Excellent communication skills are a vital ingredient of a truly optimized guest experience and becoming highly-rated in Airbnb. It’s essential to hire a property manager who can communicate with you and your guests well. 

In addition to messaging with guests, information sharing and booking confirmations online are delegated to Airbnb managers if you hire one. This requires proactive communication to increase guest satisfaction and loyalty. 

• How they optimize an Airbnb listing – both text and images. An Airbnb property manager also handles the optimization of your listing.  Review the listings of the Airbnb Host and analyse the descriptions and images to ensure they are selling the relevant properties. 

• The strategy they implement for pricing a listing competitively. The Airbnb property manager you hire should also know how to analyze factors that affect the optimum price for a specific listing, including competitors, season, and demand. Discuss with your potential Airbnb Hosts to better understand how they would price your property during the year.

• How they maintain the property. When looking at a property management company’s portfolio, the most important thing to do is to assess whether or not they look after their clients’ properties as their own. How do they manage the property cleaning and maintenance? 

It doesn’t matter how they go about it; what’s most important is that they have a maintenance process in place. Reviews from guests can reflect how the company maintains the property and whether they can keep it in its best condition.

Only sign an agreement with an Airbnb property manager, like HomeHost, after you’ve completed your due diligence. 

Ask About The Rate And What It Covers 

Some companies offer an Airbnb property management service that already covers property listing and marketing, maintenance, as well as guest management. Others provide a more limited service, depending on the pricing option you choose. That’s why it’s essential to understand what’s included when you request a quotation from your prospective Airbnb property manager. 

Here are tips to keep in mind when checking the management service fees: 

• Don’t be tempted to go cheap if you want to achieve high occupancy rates and the best ROI. 
• Look into the reputation of other service providers or subcontractors your prospective property management company works with for completing routine tasks, like cleaning and repairs. That way, you’ll know whether you’re getting your money’s worth.