Kacey Mya, Guest Author at Turno

5 Off-Season Vacation Rental Cleaning Risks & How to Avoid Them

Kacey Mya — Thu, 24 Dec 2020 02:16:28 +0000

Owning a rental property can be a rewarding experience. You can make passive income off a one-time investment, but only when people stay at your rental regularly. When it’s not a popular time to visit your rental’s location, you should be aware of these five off-season vacation rental risks and how to avoid them. Keeping these in mind will benefit you and your vacation rental cleaning crew.

Off-seasons are inevitable, but you don’t have to worry about maintaining your property during empty periods. Prepare for potential problems by using these tips to increase security and learn how to handle challenges that come with renting a home.

Fewer Guest Bookings

Certain times of the year are better for vacationers. They won’t travel when their kids are in school or the weather isn’t right for your rental’s location. Getting through periods with fewer guest bookings is part of the rental process. Avoid any risks associated with less revenue by planning expensive renovations or upgrades during busier seasons so you conserve funds in the meantime.

Routine Maintenance Issues

It’s challenging to keep on track with maintenance if you live in a different city than your rental home. You might not notice when major storms roll through the area or temperatures plummet below the freezing point. Some weather conditions will cause routine maintenance issues that every renter should prepare for. Don’t rely on your vacation rental cleaning team to maintain pipes and fixtures. For this, you may need to take matters into your own hands.

Frozen pipes are some of the most common household problems. Don’t risk walking into your rental to find a flooded kitchen or empty faucets. Take a few precautionary steps to prevent your pipes from freezing, like opening cabinet doors or adding insulation around the pipes. You won’t have to pay a plumber for an expensive repair or replacement during slower months.

Neighborhood Break-Ins

Locals know when tourists will visit in waves, which means potential thieves know precisely when rentals will likely remain empty. They target rental home neighborhoods because no one’s there to see them break in if no one stays at the properties.

Amp up the security for your rental to avoid this major off-season risk. In addition to installing a security system, you can make helpful upgrades like replacing your garage door. A new study model will use strong steel frames to seal your home against intruders who would otherwise try to kick in the door or force it open.

Sudden Holiday Bookings

Some holidays might occur during your rental’s off-season, so you could get sudden holiday bookings. If guests arrive and find leaking pipes or damaged parts of your property, you’ll get bad reviews. Bad reviews are always a vacation rental risk, so learn how to respond to them and transform them into a future of good reviews. If you fix the issues cited by guests, you’ll prevent those issues from being a problem in the future.

Weather-Related Problems

Sometimes weather patterns will create other problems renters have to tackle. Storms might rip shingles off your roof or ruin your landscaping. Check your property regularly, even when bookings are slow so you can spot and repair any damages caused by high winds and extreme weather events. A lot of Airbnb cleaning success comes with preparation and prevention. If you can address the issue beforehand, you may save yourself from a tough mess.

Visit Your Property

These off-season vacation rental risks are avoidable if you visit your property even when bookings are few and far between. Inspect exterior and interior features, increase your security and monitor your online reviews. You’ll keep up with your property and make it the best place to stay for the few travelers who pass through the area during slower periods. Once that is all finished, you are prepared for the busier seasons. When it gets busy, you can use Turno to make things more manageable. With automated payments and scheduling, vacation rental cleaning has never been easier.

The post 5 Off-Season Vacation Rental Cleaning Risks & How to Avoid Them appeared first on Turno.

Vacation Property Maintenance 101

Kacey Mya — Sun, 22 Mar 2020 22:00:27 +0000

Unlike a typical rental, vacation properties require different kinds of maintenance. Whether you’ve been in the business for years or plan to start this summer, it’s important to identify your responsibilities. What happens if the fridge malfunctions or the pool turns a funky color? You need to consider these obligations beforehand – especially if you plan to operate from a remote location.

Establish an Agreement

First and foremost, it’s necessary to write up some type of agreement. When someone rents a vacation home, they usually only stay for two weeks or less. As such, you don’t have to make a rigid contract. Instead, think about what may happen in that amount of time. Mainly, you’ll want to establish a few rules.

Let’s say that your guests throw a party and damage your furniture. Who’s supposed to pay for that? An easy solution in this scenario is to require a deposit. In your agreement, you’d write that along with a point about additional expenses. On the other hand, it’s also essential to talk about your responsibilities. When the shower doesn’t work, you need to pay to have it fixed.

A standard vacation property agreement consists of a few factors – check-in and -out procedures, pet policies and any exclusions. Feel free to expand upon these points, but make sure that you’re aware of local laws beforehand. Some municipalities, for instance, only allow up to two paying guests at a time. Be as clear as possible to avoid confusion down the line.

Hire Reliable Homecare Services

Even though renters can make a mess, it’s up to you to maintain a tidy environment. Guests expect to walk into a spotless house, so you need to make an effort to accomplish that. Many landlords tend to hire an individual housekeeper or a company to clean for them. This way, they know that every room will look perfect.

The same sentiment goes for pool, lawn, pest and electrical maintenance. When it’s time to change an air filter or repair a gutter, you should be able to do so right away. Do some research and find a few reputable businesses. You’ll want to be able to contact others in case your first choice is unavailable. If you have connections with other property managers, don’t be afraid to ask for their opinions.

The goal here is to establish a network of homecare services. They’ll be able to help you take of your property more efficiently.

Implement Security Measures

Vacation property maintenance goes beyond cleanliness. You need to prioritize security as well. Typically, tenants have renters insurance, which protects them financially in the event of a burglary. Of course, vacation-goers don’t have that same advantage. As such, a break-in could be your fault – especially if you didn’t take the right steps to safeguard your house in the first place.

You’ll need to invest in outdoor security cameras and alarms. Smart locks make it easier for guests to come and go, as they don’t need to carry around a key. Plus, when they leave, you can update the code accordingly. Wireless systems are a terrific resource when landlords are out of town. In addition to these steps, don’t forget to install smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.

Prevent Issues Ahead of Time

Sometimes, a more substantial problem may occur, like a storm. Specific areas are at risk for certain types of weather – beach houses tend to endure water and wind damage. There’s not much you can do to help your guests in the middle of a torrential downpour. It’s necessary to prepare beforehand to avoid situations like these – no matter where your property is.

Think about your home and how a natural disaster could affect it. Before the start of hurricane season, you’ll want to take a few different measures around the house to make sure that it lasts. Install impact-resistant windows and, if you don’t have shutters, put up inexpensive plywood. For homes located on lakes, flood-prevention is necessary. Consider each scenario and prepare for suitably.

Use These Tricks to Maintain Your Rental Properly

It’s essential to know what you’re responsible for as a landlord. Use these tips to make sure that your property is adequately maintained – this way, both you and your guests are satisfied.

The post Vacation Property Maintenance 101 appeared first on Turno.

Indoor Air Quality in Rental Properties

Kacey Mya — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 00:40:35 +0000

Frequent communication is a must between landlords and tenants. Especially when it comes down to health concerns. Indoor air quality is important to consider.

Air quality is a widespread issue around the world, even if you think your city is relatively clean. Once you know what to look out for, everyone can do their part to make the community a healthier place to live.

Whether you let out property or rent your living space from someone else, the leasing process is like a balancing act. Managers must maintain their unit to attract new tenants and renters have to learn community guidelines to avoid breaking their lease.

Check for Mold

Mold is a tricky problem for both tenants and landlords. Both parties must do more than toss out old food or powerwash the outside of the rental units. Mold grows quickly indoors in a variety of settings.

Mildew thrives when condensation appears on the inside of windows or even on the bathroom walls after a shower. Residents can use dehumidifiers to reduce mold growth. Landlords should train maintenance team members on how to take care of standing water in leased units. This also means throwing away and replacing unit parts that are beyond repair.

Avoid Lead-Based Paints

The U.S. officially banned lead-based paints in 1978, but they still exist. Mostly, people use it for road markings, like lines in the street or parking lots. Possible tenants should ask about the paint used on the property before renting, but it is up to the landlord to avoid lead-based varieties for exterior work.

Check the market for water-based traffic paint that’s also lead-free to ensure the safety of every tenant. It shouldn’t cost too much more, so the budgeting for the project won’t need restructuring.

Prohibit Indoor Smoking

Some leasing units allow tenants to smoke indoors, if only in specific and limited places. Even though that limits air pollution, it still harms the people that live with them or near their open windows. Secondhand smoke is responsible for nearly 42,000 deaths each year, which mostly result from lung cancer or heart disease.

Landlords should put rules in place to prohibit indoor smoking in all units to keep the air pollution to a minimum. Tenants may choose to smoke outside away from buildings, as long as other residents aren’t affected.

Designated smoking areas are a nice touch to add to a community with strict smoking policies, as it gives a spot for people to smoke and acts as a compromise.

Choose Pesticides Carefully

Most landlords offer a monthly pesticide service with the cost of rent. It’s smart to stay ahead of bugs and keep tenants happy. While choosing pesticides, look for products that aren’t harmful when inhaled or sprayed and offer to test indoor air quality for residents after interior pest control sprays.

Compare these results to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Air Quality System (AQS) report to discover the healthy range the air quality should fall under.

If tenants have any concerns about sprays or smells, they can contact their landlord right away to discuss the pesticides in use and how the management office handles air pollution issues. It may be up to them to manage their pest problem, which gives them more room to choose products that are eco-friendly or don’t contain chemicals.

Maintain Regular Pollution Maintenance

There are other steps both landlord and tenant can take to control air pollution. The landlord can supervise the distribution of new HVAC air filters every other month, while tenants can stay aware of what’s sprayed in and around their home. Every effort helps combat pollution and makes the air cleaner for everyone to breathe.

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