Having an Airbnb property comes with many benefits, for example:
- It’s possible to generate an additional income passively
- You can set your own prices and adjust them for different seasons
- There’s lots of help available for new Airbnb hosts
- An Airbnb property is easy to manage on your own
Another attraction of running an Airbnb is that you can manage it from anywhere in the world. Running an Airbnb remotely is something that’s become very popular over the last couple of years, possibly because of the recent pandemic and all the associated restrictions.
Managing an Airbnb remotely is easier than you think. However, it’s not a case of sitting back and letting it run itself. You have to put in some work, to begin with, to ensure certain processes and procedures are in place. Once this is done, running an Airbnb remotely becomes much easier and less time-consuming.
If you’d like to learn more about how to manage your Airbnb remotely, you’ve come to the right place.
Tips on How to Run an Airbnb Remotely
With the right business processes in place, you’ll be able to manage your Airbnb from a distance. The following tips and hints will show you how to run an Airbnb remotely and how to make a success of your real estate investment.
Make Sure You’ve Got a Great Team on the Ground
It doesn’t matter where you’re physically located, being able to attend to all the needs of your guests is key. If you’re able to do this, your guests will enjoy a flawless Airbnb experience and your Airbnb business will run smoothly.
You’re not going to be able to manage your Airbnb rental all by yourself if you’re managing it remotely. However, don’t let that put you off because when you’ve got the right team on the ground it’ll make a massive difference. A big part of learning how to run an Airbnb remotely is finding the right people for the following jobs:
Cleaning and Housekeeping
One of your biggest assets, when you’re running your Airbnb property remotely, is finding the right person or company to keep the property clean.
A housekeeper performs several important roles, apart from cleaning and the person you hire could have a big part to play in the success or failure of your Airbnb business.
Aside from cleaning, your housekeeper will keep you informed should something get broken, need fixing or replacing, or get stolen. The right person will care and respect your property as if it was their own. They will also provide the very best guest experience.
There’s also the option of hiring a professional cleaning service that specializes in cleaning short-term rentals. With this option, you can be confident your vacation rental will meet the highest levels of cleanliness.
Handyman
Learning how to run an Airbnb remotely also includes finding the right handyman to become part of your team. Your Airbnb could see hundreds of people coming through the door. Such traffic means there’s often more than general wear and tear.
With a handyman on your team, they’ll be able to fix many of the general repair issues that come up and help to keep your Airbnb business running smoothly.
The ideal person for the job would be a kind of a jack-of-all-trades. They’ll be able to put their hand to any maintenance or repair task, and when problems arise, they’ll have the right attitude to fix them head-on.
Electrician and HVAC
This kind of team member is not someone you’ll need to call daily or on a regular basis. However, they will play a vital role in the running of your Airbnb property.
Part of learning how to run an Airbnb remotely includes finding a knowledgeable and trustworthy HVAC professional and electrician.
HVAC maintenance is essential if you want to keep your Airbnb warm during the winter and cool during the summer months. Unfortunately, if guests turn up at your property and it’s either too hot or too cold, you’ll soon find out via some very scathing reviews. This is not what you want if you want to make a success of your business.
Plumber
A good handyperson should be able to deal with minor issues such as a blocked toilet or sink. However, you need a skilled plumber on the end of the telephone for problems that require a specialist.
If they’re available at short notice and can get to your rental the same or the next day, it will make a significant difference to any guests that might be staying.
Co-Host
If you think you’re too busy to help with your rental management, perhaps you need someone to be your co-host. You can look for one directly on the Airbnb platform. Alternatively, you might have a family member, neighbor, or trusted friend you can ask.
Take Security Seriously
Security is something you need to take very seriously. Luckily, there are some things to do that will ensure you get a good night’s sleep. Airbnb introduced various security measures recently to protect the properties it lists, but there is still an element of risk when you’re renting a property out to complete strangers.
If you want to step up safety, here are some things you can do:
- Use a lockable mailbox: If you have any private mail delivered to your Airbnb property, it could be worth investing in a lockable mailbox.
- Install Smart locks: Consider an electronic lock that requires a code. You won’t have to worry about guests losing the door keys. It will also ensure they’re not nipping to the local key cutter to get another cut. You can change or erase the code for a Smart lock whenever you want.
- Check out insurance: Airbnb does offer a “host guarantee.” This provides some insurance and requires that guests pay a security deposit. However, it’s also wise to get in touch with an insurance company yourself. Tell them you’re renting out your property via Airbnb and see what coverage they offer.
- Remove valuables: It’s always best not to leave valuable items, family heirlooms, or essential documentation on the property.
- Check out guests thoroughly: Airbnb is a great rental platform because you can check out profiles, check references, and communicate with potential renters as often as you want.
- Use security alarms and sensors: Motion sensor alarms are triggered when activity is detected. You’ll receive a real-time push notification to alert you. This type of alarm and sensor will deter would-be burglars and intruders.
- Consider CCTV cameras: CCTV cameras are a very effective measure against burglaries, intrusions, and theft, but Airbnb does have stringent guidelines governing how you use them on your Airbnb property. You must, for example, disclose that security cameras are in use on the property.
Make the Most of Available Technology
Understanding how to run an Airbnb remotely can be challenging. Still, with the help of the latest technology, you’ll be able to control your business whether you’re traveling, sitting at home, shopping, or on the other side of the world.
Vacation rental software is a great tool to have because it allows you to manage guest communications, take bookings, and make alterations. You’ll also be able to manage and monitor daily operations closely.
Here are some of the things vacation rental software can do:
- Manage reservations and synchronize calendars
- Improve communications with your guests
- Keep guests informed throughout all stages of your booking process with the help of various automated messages
- Automate the guest feedback process
- Monitor the business success of your Airbnb with various reporting features
- Handle bookings directly
- Create financial documents such as invoices
- Receive payments safely
A Comprehensive Guestbook is Essential
When a guest arrives at your property, you need to provide a wealth of important information. Make sure your guestbook is comprehensive, and they won’t need to contact you with questions. It also helps to raise the level of your guest experience.
Consider including the following:
- Let your guests know about places they might want to visit, public transport options, restaurants, and other facilities in the area.
- Include your check-in and check-out procedures in your guestbook, as well as include them on your Airbnb listing.
- Troubleshooting tips and WiFi codes will also be handy for your guests.
- Air conditioning and heating instructions.
- Guides for any electrical appliances.
- Instructions for garbage removals.
- Where guests will be able to find spare towels and linen.
- House rules.
As well as making sure all this information is available in a guestbook, you should also email the information to your guests before checking in. Regardless of the location of your Airbnb, also offer the guestbook or welcome pack in the local language and English.
If you want guests to read this critical guestbook, place it in a prominent place, for example, on your kitchen countertop.
Include an Airbnb Welcome Basket
Customer satisfaction and good reviews are reasonable goals to have for a real estate investor. However, if you’re not there to welcome them with open arms, why not let a welcome basket do it for you? Fill it with gifts and essentials, and it will make it up to your guests for your physical absence.
Keep Your Airbnb Well-Stocked With Supplies
When you manage your Airbnb remotely, ensuring the property is always fully stocked with supplies can be challenging. For example, you can’t quickly run to the store when there’s no toilet paper left, or the guests have run out of dishwashing soap.
Because you can’t go on an emergency supplies run, it makes it all the more important to have a system in place that covers such eventualities.
Here are a couple of hints that might help:
- Order online: There are some great online stores you can use to order supplies. Amazon is one, but there’s also aBundle.com that offers discounts and free shipping if you place orders in bulk. Be smart when you order and schedule a delivery when your housekeeper or cleaner is at the property.
- Keep in contact with your cleaner/housekeeper: You could attempt to guesstimate how many toilet rolls, garbage bags, and other supplies you need. But why not ask the cleaner/housekeeper to let you know well in advance when things are running out?
Establish a Relationship With Your Guests
When you manage your Airbnb remotely, communications and interactions with your guests all take place online. This can be rather impersonal, but it is still possible to establish a good relationship with them.
By doing so, you’re inspiring trust, proving your professionalism and attentiveness, and impressing your guests so much so that they’re bound to book again.
There is a key to achieving such a relationship, and that’s creating an automated message flow that’s seamless and flawless. There are tools you can use, such as Host Tools. They will create automated messages you can personalize, send the messages at the optimum time, and you won’t have to think about them.
Here are some examples of the messages you could use for your guests:
- Booking confirmation
- Message prior to checking in
- Message upon check-in
- Check-up message
- Message when checking out
- Message following check out
- Review reminder
- Price reduction notification
You can also automate the cleaning service by including your cleaners in your automated messaging system. For example, send them a message to alert them of a new cleaning. Also, send a reminder message when guests are checking out.
Sending out these automated messages will make your guests feel cared for, plus you won’t be spending hours communicating with your guests. In addition, setting up this type of message is very quick and generally straightforward. You’ll only need to do it once.
Final Thoughts
If you want to truly enjoy your free time without having to worry constantly about your Airbnb and be on call 24/7, learning how to run an Airbnb remotely is crucial. Now you’ve got some valuable tips and hints to refer to, you should be able to escape the stresses of this type of investment successfully.