Investing in vacation rentals is profitable and extremely attractive. But it is not a set-it-and-forget-it business, and sooner or later, you will find yourself engaged with too many tasks, including upkeep and repair, which would lead to extra expenses. Keep in mind that properties that function as advertised drive trusted brands, better reviews, and higher guests’ turnover. Hence, you should take property maintenance seriously. Property maintenance does cost you some, but you agree that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Therefore, we want to offer you some essential vacation rentals maintenance tips you may find useful to prevent possible damages, decrease related costs, boost your performance, and stay on top of your business.

Keep the Property Clean

Regular cleaning is not only necessary to meet clients’ expectations but also helps to keep your place in an acceptable condition and prevent significant damages with regards to, for example, long-term dust exposure. Thanks to technology, this part of work has been enormously facilitated. There are various housekeeping software integrated with professional cleaning companies ready to give you a hand and ensure that your property stays tidy and clean.

Secure Your Property

Don’t need to mention that your top priority in property management business and a vacation rentals maintenance tip, is to keep your property safe and secure as your clients hate facing a problem while on vacation. To prepare a safe stay for your guests, as well as providing preservative care for your rental, you must equip your property with advanced security systems. Concerning that, it is a must to implement some instruments in your rentals, such as security cameras, fire alarms, smoke detectors, and first aid kits, to name a few. You may also go beyond that and apply for “landlord insurance” to stay prepared for the rainy day.

Define Guests’ Responsibilities

Most of the small damages to the property occur due to tenants’ destructive behaviours, especially during longer stays. Besides considering an appropriate deposit for possible damage costs, it is recommended to specify rules and establish responsibilities for your guest to ensure that they are aware of your concerns and inform you immediately if they face any issue. You can notify them of their responsibilities by sending emails beforehand or handing in prepared guidelines once they move in.

Set a Vacation Rental Maintenance Work Schedule

A significant vacation rental maintenance tip is prioritising the maintenance duties in which you put essential items first and leave time-consuming tasks for the off-season. Moreover, define maintenance frequency plans (e.g. weekly, monthly, annual) should you want to avoid overloading. When you want to assure that your maintenance team follows your expectations, and nothing is overlooked, a detailed maintenance checklist becomes crucial. Here are some suggested maintenance tasks that you may consider in your unique inventory.

Weekly Tasks

• Always check for missing or broken items after a guest’s departure.
• Check door and window locks.
• Check water taps and pipes in case of leaking. Check for warm water.
• Check power connection and if light bulbs work well.
• Check all technology, remote controls, and Wi-Fi connection.

Monthly Tasks

• Examine electrical appliances, e.g. fridge, microwave, etc.
• Fire safety check, including fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, as well as first aid kit.
• Check security systems, e.g. cameras and alarms.
• Check kitchen accessories. 
• Check for exterior damage.
• Check pathways and stairs for possible hazards.
• Check plumbing fixtures.
• Gardening maintenance.

Annual Tasks

• Replace remotes/clocks’ batteries.
• Unblock clogged gutters.
• Bleed radiators, change conditioner filter and drain water heaters.
• Repaint or refresh the coat.

Plan for High Season

In the competitive market of vacation rentals, keeping up with the workload requires a clear plan. Based on the type of your property and its location, your vacation rental will get higher demands in some seasons. To manage rapid guest’ turnovers during high season and to keep possible damages as small as it can be, your vacation rental maintenance crew or contracting party must be organised and given a prepared plan for handling the situation swiftly.

Automate the Process

Operating vacation rentals means dealing with several tasks and staff. Although you want to run your business fitly, you avoid drowning in the bulk of duties. To have seamless property management yet not spend too much time on work, using an all-in-one system that features housekeeping software, cleaning tools, or repair apps seems crucial.

Document Your Work

For easier tracking of the completed or upcoming vacation rentals maintenance tasks, documentation can help you provide a clear picture of your property situation and make it easy to determine the next step. Retaining the evidence of taken actions brings transparency in work and prevents erroneous charges. You will also find those parts of the process that cost you more and need taking severe steps.

By applying vacation rentals maintenance tips, you will successfully prevent turning small problems into large expenses. To better manage the workload, you may hire plumbers, housekeepers, or troubleshooters from different companies and give them a regular schedule for better cooperation. However, another option is partnering up with a property manager that supervises all the cleaning and maintenance work, overseas emergencies, and free up your time.