Ownership of a vacation rental comes with complications, particularly if your home has a high value. Many people are sometimes prevented from becoming owners and enjoying the extra income that comes with having a second home because of their anxiety about leaving their home in the care of an utter stranger.
Rarely do things go according to plan, and you don’t want to end regret having a holiday rental like the owners of these Airbnb horror stories did. Although you should always maintain a cheerful attitude when dealing with challenging guests, you can do a few things to be well-prepared.
List the various kinds of visitors.
To begin with, it’s usually a good idea to determine the various visitor’s kinds who stay in vacation rentals and research who often stays in your area. It’s not always simple to predict how visitors will act, but there is typically a behavior pattern with each kind of visitor who stays at your house:
1. Elderly roadtrippers
Most likely, senior visitors who are on a hobby vacation or fleeing the winter weather won’t create any harm or disturbances. They meet the ideal requirements for quiet visitors because they want a pleasant and tranquil vacation.
2. Visitors going on business trips
Because they spend most of their time working outside the home and frequently travel alone, businesspeople and women are also not a burden. They want to unwind after a long day of work when they are on the property.
3. Families or visitors that bring pets
Visitors who bring their families or dogs could cause some damage. Even while it’s quite rare that they’ll throw a party on your property, they have the potential to damage even little items. For instance, if young children handle or play with something they shouldn’t, if pets aren’t properly trained to relieve themselves outside, or if they bite furniture. There are several methods to make your vacation rental pet-friendly if you allow pets.
The simplest course of action would be to request a larger deposit and reimburse it when you have confirmed the visitors haven’t damaged or harmed anything.
4. Millennials
Millennials are a recent addition to society. Young people are choosing to stay in vacation rentals to have more flexibility to unwind, explore, and even prepare meals. They don’t necessarily have to be considered a threat unless they belong to the following kind of guests: gatherings of friends.
5. Huge crowds
What does a bunch of pals want? Large residences, gatherings, a pool, a low price, drinking games, and even a property where there are no adjacent neighbors to prevent complaints about excessive noise are all desirable. Young people who travel in groups want to have a good time. Therefore they are more prone to plan loud, unruly parties.
6. Couples
Despite their propensity for quietness, couples have the potential to cause problems. Very loud couples have previously caused issues for several hosts (both because they love and hate each other.)
So, which visitors should you not invite?
Since it’s hard to predict each visitor’s genuine objectives, it’s impossible to generalize about each type of guest. But occasionally, it’s more clear. For instance, don’t let someone remain if they want to hold a party. Since you would need to make fewer bookings, staying away from all the groups that can pose problems is impossible.
Consider yourself a visitor looking for a vacation property; try to imagine all the things they could want that might cause problems. If your home is roomy, describe it in a way that appeals to families. For example, rather than describing your backyard as perfect for hosting large barbecues, say that it is ideal for children to play safely there. Similarly, rather than mentioning your sofa bed and additional beds, say that the house is ideal for a family with kids who want to enjoy the comfort of a home.
Safety precautions
Here are some safety measures you can put in place before troublemakers arrive if you’ve done everything you can to keep them away and they still show up:
1. Construct a leasing contract
A rental agreement can provide you added peace of mind when renting your second home to strangers and will protect you and the guest in case of a discrepancy or conflict. Maximum occupancy restrictions, checking in and out terms, and cancellation procedures are options. You might specify in the contract that you have the right to immediately cancel the reservation if visitors breach any terms or that they must pay for any damage with their deposit.
2. Security payment
One of the major worries and fears of owners of holiday rentals is that visitors may wreck their place. The greatest way to feel secure is to charge a security damage deposit. By requesting a refundable deposit up the advance, owners have a fund they may draw from and remove money from if any damage is done to the property.
3. Restrictions within the home
Establishing house rules will help your visitors understand your expectations and how your home should be treated. Rules like “no noise after 11:00 p.m.,” “keep the property tidy,” or “no smoking” should be included. But be careful not to overwhelm them; else, they might write a bad review.
4. Create a list of all of your possessions.
To prevent having pricey items in your vacation rental property, it is strongly advised to prepare a list of all the products and amenities your guests will have access to. Make sure everything is still there before visitors depart your residence.
5. Use encrypted payments
Before visitors depart your house, always collect the whole payment. The safest and most dependable form of payment is credit cards. Use Lodgify’s software to accept payments securely and instantly for your holiday rental starting on the first day. You may accept payments in any currency.
6. Check online evaluations from past visitors
Check the reviews that prior tenants who want to stay in your property have left if you are listing on Airbnb. You can steer clear of visitors who have caused issues in the past in this way.
7. Purchase insurance
The best method to rest easy at night is probably to purchase insurance, which will protect you even if your tenants are a nightmare. There are numerous insurance solutions available on many platforms, including HomeAway and Airbnb. There are a lot of additional choices available if your vacation rental is not featured on these websites. Innovative businesses are upending the traditional insurance market as it is being increasingly disrupted by the vacation rental industry. It never hurts to inquire about the possibility of adding coverage for your holiday rental to your existing house insurance.
There is always a danger involved when allowing strangers to stay on your property. Always keep in mind that little issues like noise or accidents can happen. You must always be ready since you never know what will happen to any given visitor.
