How Do You Keep Your Vacation Rental Home in Good Shape?
Purchasing a home to rent it out as a holiday rental is both appealing and a potentially lucrative investment. It is also vital to keep in mind that it can be challenging and time-consuming. You will soon find yourself juggling many responsibilities, such as maintenance and repairs, which will result in additional costs.
1. Set Up A Regular Maintenance Work Schedule
An important maintenance tip for vacation rentals is to prioritize maintenance work. This is the most effective strategy to avoid any potential problems at your holiday home.
Creating a detailed maintenance checklist is essential to ensure that your maintenance team follows your instructions and nothing is neglected like cleaning out your gutters, HVAC tune-ups, maintaining the caulk on your windows, trimming the trees and plants, etc. Moreover, if you wish to minimize your burden, set up timely maintenance plans like weekly, monthly and annual.
2. Keep Your Rental Home Clean At All Times
Regular cleaning is required to fulfill customer expectations as they are paying for the comfort and utilization of the property. Moreover, this will aid in maintaining your property and avoid serious damage, say, from prolonged exposure to dust. Regular upkeep can be a challenging concern, especially if you do not live nearby.
The simplest and most efficient approach is to establish a regular cleaning plan with a reliable cleaning team that does impeccable work and can also handle inspections. The team should know how to report and remove broken items as well as contact a handyman for things like broken faucet handles, loose lighting fixtures, and so on.
Furthermore, it is also useful to request a touch-up cleaning service before your tenants arrive. Any layperson can see the difference between a home that has been cleaned lately and one that has not been inspected in the last few days. Ultimately, there is no such thing as “too clean.”
3. Keep Your Vacation Rental Home Secure
The safety of your vacation rental must be your number one priority. Installing some key security systems like surveillance cameras, motion sensors, and burglar alarms is essential for the security of your rental home.
Many of these systems are compatible with your smartphone or PC. When the alarm is activated your smartphone will be notified and you will be able to view your live camera.
In addition, it is advisable to invest in superior-quality locks and bolts for primary doors, window locks (if the windows in the surrounding area are vulnerable), and indoor safes.
Installing smart lighting systems or motion-activated lights is also a good idea. Timer lights give the impression that someone is inside the house and deter snooping. Smart light bulbs can be set to switch on or off at particular times, which can help you save money on your electricity bill.
You should also ensure that the following items are present in the house:
- A fully stocked First-aid kit
- Fire extinguishers
- Smoke/ Carbon monoxide detectors
4. Maintain Your Outdoors
Do not neglect to maintain the property’s outdoor area. After all, it is the first thing your guests see, and first impressions are always crucial.
Seasonal yard work is recommended, as it can be a daunting task if not done regularly.
Here are a few of the most popular tasks needed to keep your outside areas in good shape:
- Clear debris and leaves from gutters and downspouts regularly.
- Look for damaged wood or pest infestation in the external caulk and walls.
- When necessary, repaint the outside perimeter wall, gates, fences, and other faded areas.
- Keep the grass green and short, the flower shrubs trimmed, the gutters clean, and the dry leaves raked.
- Maintain any outdoor amenities like decks, balconies, furniture, or pools. For example, examine the filtration system of the pool twice or thrice a week in the summer season and once a week during the winter season.
- Inspect the trees on the premises for any possibly hazardous branches that need to be removed.
Conclusion
Keeping your vacation rental property clean, secure, and well maintained, will keep it in top form- and you may even be able to boost your pricing as your guests will be happy. Also, once you have taken care of all your upkeep tasks you will have more time to focus on the many other ways you can deliver a great experience for your guests.
