How To Prep Your Vacation Rental For Short-Term Renters

Posted by: KHTS Articles in News Articles April 12, 2021 - 12:22 pm 0 281 Views

As the world begins to open up post COVID-19 pandemic, many formerly cooped up people will be wanting to get out and travel. That translates into some serious financial opportunities for those of you who either own a home in a popular vacation destination or are looking to invest in a vacation home.

If you reside in a nice tourist destination like Cape Cod in the east, or San Francisco in the west, offering your home as a rental, is a terrific way to earn extra cash. What you’ll need to do to make this happen is to prep your rental by doing everything from securing your valuables to making necessary repairs. These repairs could include everything from bathroom fixture maintenance to renting a commercial pressure washer like those available from Hotsy, for thoroughly cleaning the home’s exterior siding. It’s important to keep in mind that you need to see your rental property not through your eyes, but through the eyes of a paying renter.

Here’s what else you’ll need to do.

Locked Storage

Find a room in either the attic or the basement that can serve as locked storage. You’ll want to put your valuable china in there, also your keepsakes, and anything else you don’t want stolen or broken. If you have electronic equipment you don’t wish your renters to have access to, put them in locked storage also.

Go a step further, and store your important paperwork, jewelry, silverware, and other irreplaceable valuables in safety deposit box at your bank. You might also want to think about renting a commercial self-storage space for your valuable stuff.

Pretest the Kitchen

Once you’ve successfully stored all your valuables away for safe-keeping, test your kitchen. Make sure you’ve left behind enough cooking utensils, pots, and pans, plates, bowls, and more for your guests to prepare and dine on any kind of meal they wish. Also make sure guests have access to a toaster, a microwave oven, and a coffee maker.

Keep staples in your cupboards like salt, pepper, ketchup, and mustard. You can even go so far as to provide your guests with milk, butter, fruit juices, and more to make them feel right at home.

Linen Closet

One nice idea is to leave the linen closet door open so that your paying guests know precisely where to find bath towels, beach towels (if your rental property is located on or near the beach), plus fresh bedding and extra comforters and blankets for those cool and/or cold nights.

You’ll want to cover your mattresses with a mattress pad while fitting pillows with pillow protectors. Two types of pillows for all bedrooms are ideal—foam and feather. Make sure bedside lamps are equipped with fresh lightbulbs and make double certain your bathroom fixtures are not only properly maintained, but squeaky clean. Guests also appreciate complimentary toiletries like soap, shampoo, and body wash.

Reading Material

For some very busy individuals, the only time they get to enjoy the luxury of reading a novel is while on vacation. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep the bookshelves filled with some of the latest bestsellers and older classics. You can place a nice assortment of magazines and periodicals on the coffee and end tables. It’s also nice to have some board games and decks of cards available.

Leave instructions for using both the television and also for rebooting the WiFi should that be required. Maps of the local area are very much appreciated along with an easy-to-read list of grocery stores, liquor/package stores, gas stations, diners, restaurants, popular bars and more.

Also make a list of phone numbers that might be required in case of emergency like police, EMTs, fire professionals, hospitals, and urgent care facilities.

Multiple Rentals

With Airbnb becoming so popular you might want to consider listing not one rental property on the site, but several, thus increasing your profits. Again, your multiple rentals must be thoroughly and routinely maintained. You must also keep them freshly painted and make sure the roofs don’t leak, and that all appliances are in working order. Make sure the air conditioning works in summer, and the heat operates in the winter months. If you’re renting out ski chalets, make sure you’ve hired a reliable professional to plow the driveways and salt the walkways when it snows.

Owning short-term vacation rental properties is an excellent way to earn passive income. Just make sure the properties cater to a paying guest’s every need. That way, your properties will always be rented and always making you cash.