If you live in a popular coastal area, have a second home, or frequently spend your summers out of town, you have a lucrative opportunity in front of you – especially with a site like Airbnb. You can rent out your house for a few weeks or months while you’re away!
This provides travelers with a more comfortable environment to vacation in and puts a few extra bucks in your pocket. Before you start searching for tenants, there are a few things you’ll want to cover.
Get Covered
The very first thing you want to do is make sure that your property is protected. Since you’ll have temporary tenants on the premises, there’s a very real possibility that your homeowner’s insurance won’t cover everything.
Should something go wrong at the house, one of the tenants damage the property or get injured, you don’t want to end up having to face legal troubles or face high bills. So, make sure that you get the additional insurance protection you need.
Getting something like a Sears home warranty is always a good idea as well. It covers things like major appliances, including your washer, dryer, and refrigerator.
Increase Security
Safety is another priority that needs to be considered if you’re going to rent out your house for the summer. Though the residence will be occupied, there is still a possibility of your home being robbed or vandalized.
Beyond installing a wireless security system with cameras, lights, and sensors, you might also consider taking steps like a digital entry lock, a Ring video doorbell, and having fencing with automatic driveway gates installed to deter suspicious characters from trying to break in.
Clean Up
You want your tenants to enjoy their stay during the summer. Making them feel comfortable and at home is a very big part of this. Start by having the house cleaned thoroughly. If you don’t have the time to do so, you can always consider professional cleaning services.
Home cleaning services can include doing the dishes, dusting, vacuuming, doing the laundry, and any of the myriads of home cleaning chores that can take up your time and wear you out. You can also do some purging of clutter to ensure there’s enough room for the travelers to put their own things.
Pest Control
Providing a safe, clean, and healthy environment for residents during the summer is extremely important. Since nobody wants to deal with things like cockroaches, rats, bed bugs, and other insects or rodents, it’s a good idea to call in the pros.
Even if you don’t think that you have any sort of pest issues, it’s always a good idea to have a pest control company out to thoroughly check so that you can be confident you are starting with a clean slate.
Offer Thoughtful Amenities
While no traveler should expect a vacation home to have all the amenities that they might receive at a hotel, some things are a given.
You do want to make sure that you have enough rooms, comfortable beds, fresh linens, cookware, plates and glasses, utensils and silverware plus the usual typical accommodations like a television and a solid internet connection for your tenants to use during their stay in your Airbnb or vacation rental home.
If you want to go above and beyond (and receive glowing reviews), try these additional touches that can also help save you money in the long run:
- For the kitchen: pantry essentials like salt and pepper, sugar, paper towels, napkins, dish soap, sponge, dish towels, coffee filters for the coffee pot, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, pot holders
- For the bathroom: touchless soap dispenser for the sink, wall mounted shower essentials dispenser, a small black makeup towels (this small perk may end up saving your beautiful white towels!), a makeup mirror, a blow dryer
- For the bedroom: alarm clock charging station with USB and power outlets, a full-length mirror, white noise machine
Advertise
Once you’ve prepared your home for summer rentals it’s time to find a source to advertise. You can create your own ads and advertise through social media or online classifieds, or you can register as a host with sites like Airbnb and get placed on a database where millions of travelers are looking for the perfect vacation home.
While the latter would incur additional fees for you, it’s often a lot easier to find suitable renters for your place.
Lots of travelers are moving away from the traditional hotel and resort stays and opting for a “home away from home” in vacation rentals. If you have a second home, live in a popular area, or just want to make some extra money this summer or even just a weekend, you can turn your house into a vacation home rental and start earning right away.