What Every Remote Owner Needs to Know About Airbnb Housekeeping
A dirty home is every vacation rental guests’ nightmare! No matter how well it’s staged or how accessible amenities are within the home—a vacation rental that hasn’t been properly cleaned will spook even the most understanding of guests.
Cleanliness is always a top priority for travelers no matter where they’re visiting from or how long they’re staying. Guests notice a lack of cleanliness almost immediately, so if it’s not thorough, you’ll be hearing about it—as will future potential guests!
However, when you’re managing one or more vacation rentals remotely, staying on top of cleaning services can be a challenge. Position your rental for success by making sure your properties are spotless upon entry even as a remote owner.
Here’s everything you need to know about managing vacation rental housekeeping at a distance:
How to Organize Vacation Rental Cleaning Services
Finding the right housekeeper, keeping them long-term, and managing the completion of their services is essential to your success as a vacation rental owner. This is especially true for remote owners who won’t be able to stock last minute supplies or do a final walk-through of the property before guests arrive.
Vacation rental cleaning is a major logistical task for property managers and comes with a special set of challenges such as:
Vetting and locating professional cleaners.
Developing a standardized procedure for cleaning that meets guest expectations.
Coordinating cleaning schedules so as to optimize turnaround times.
Ensure cleaning is Covid-compliant and thorough.
Making sure cleaning materials are fully stocked and available for use when needed.
Managing automated access for the housekeeping team and ensuring safety and security of the property.
Learn How to Vet A Vacation Rental Housekeeper or Housekeeping Company
The first and perhaps most important step in effective vacation rental housekeeping is choosing the right housekeeper. Whether you decide to hire just one or a team of housekeepers, take the time to properly vet them across the following categories:
Licensed & Reputable
A housekeeper or housekeeping company with a proper cleaning license is much more likely to provide professional cleaning services. They should also have established at least a small-scale reputation whether it be in the community or online. You should be able to easily access their website as well as company reviews on other sites.
Established cleaning companies, such as the ones found on TurnoverBnB, are usually bonded, insured, and conduct background checks on their employees. They also tend to have multiple staff members available to fill in at various times, as needed.
Reliable, Accountable, & Flexible
Before choosing a vacation rental housekeeping to work with, figure out if they are available when you need them. Address their availability and timeline for requesting services in the first conversation.
Vacation rental cleaners should be able to accommodate late check-outs, early check-ins, and everything in between. Make sure that the individual or company you choose to work with will be readily available when you call on them.
Capable of Handling Specific Needs
The last qualification you want to consider is if a housekeeping company can address cleaning needs that are unique to your property. Does your vacation rental come with a pool, or a hot tub? Are guests allowed to use the grill outside? Will the fireplace need soot removed?
Not every cleaning company will be able to provide every kind of cleaning service. It's very important you assess your property, make a list of special requests, and ask housekeeping companies if they can fulfill those requests. The best Airbnb cleaning service company will do everything possible to accommodate your property’s needs.
Know Where to Look for Vacation Rental Housekeeping Services
Now that we’ve gone over how to properly screen a vacation rental housekeeping company, let’s cover the three main ways you’ll come into contact with them:
Referrals: A personal recommendation from a fellow vacation rental owner or manager will be your safest best. Reach out to your network of vacation rental professionals and ask if they would recommend any providers. Don’t forget to mention any special property features that would require personalized cleaning services.
Cleaning apps: You may be surprised to find out that there are multiple cleaning apps available for property owners to use. You can often search, schedule, and pay for Airbnb house cleaning services right on the app. Some apps allow users to select specially-designed services such as laundry, oven-cleaning, or handyman tasks. Apps such as Handy, Cleanzy, MaidThis, AirTasker, Properly, and TurnoverBnB are available on most smartphones.
Online listings: Lastly, searching Google is also an option. Even if you don’t have a network of referrals to reference, or if you can’t find what you’re looking for on a cleaning app, Google is sure to produce some results for you. Just make sure to check for licenses and reviews before moving forward with any kind of payment.
Provide Cleaners with a Vacation Rental Cleaning Checklist
Once you’ve found the right cleaning company for your vacation rental, you want to create a master Airbnb cleaning list. While most professional cleaning services will have a Standard Operation Procedure, you want to make sure that your vision for cleanliness matches theirs.
You know your property best, so you alone will be able to inform the housekeeping team of what areas need to be paid attention to. You may also want to include special notes about specific appliances in the home such as the microwave, coffeemaker, or dishwasher. This will help orient new cleaners to your home and its items.
Schedule Regular Deep Cleans and Inspections
Another key aspect of vacation rental housekeeping you want to take into account is to schedule regular deep cleans and inspections. Given that you may not be able to regularly visit the property, you’ll want your trusted team of cleaners to do so on your behalf.
Make sure you choose a company that’s capable of doing deep cleans at least twice a year, preferably four times a year. The frequency of how many deep cleans your vacation rental needs will ultimately depend on how much traction your Vrbo rental is getting from guests.
Contracting a Full-Service Vacation Rental Management Company
Running a remote vacation rental business is an exciting and lucrative opportunity. However, managing a remote property can get challenging, especially if you host more than one.
Improve your business operations by hiring a full-service vacation rental management company. MB Experiences is a boutique rental management company, offering personalized services that are guaranteed to set your property apart from the competition. Call us today to get started!
