We sat down with our newest property manager Braella Skinger. Braella is an experienced property manager in central Florida; managing in Sarasota County, Manatee County, and the surrounding areas. Braella shared with us her top 5 insider tips homeowners and investors need to know about their short-term rental property manager.
Your short-term rental property management company has the capability to invest time and resources into thoroughly vetting potential guests. However, they often choose not to, perceiving any proceeds as invaluable - even if it means placing your property at risk. This can lead to guests booking who might not be the best fit, who have a history of complaints or other issues, and may even incur costly damages to your home or personal property.
Preventative maintenance for your home often costs significantly less than emergency repairs. Nevertheless, short-term rental property management companies often overlook these measures, opting to just "hope for the best" rather than taking the proactive approach and schedule routine maintenance of your primary residential systems. This negligence can lead to larger and more expensive problems in the future – which undoubtedly impacts the guests' stay, and costs you twice as much in the long run.
Although property management businesses are often referred to as 'management companies', they generally do not employ senior level managers with extensive experience and knowledge in managing staff. This can result in higher turnover rates, potentially affecting the quality of service provided to your home and reducing trust.
Most short-term rental property management companies prioritize their bottom line above all else - at their own expense! They may choose to gamble owner retention by slipping some new hidden fees in, hoping that you don’t notice. It’s a risk they’re willing to take - as they rely on the fact that all new owners will soon be joining to replace any of the ones who’ve had enough. Watch your statements if you’re signed up with some of the larger named brands – they’ll find a way to pass the cost on to you before they’ll ever let their CEO’s lose a dime!
Nearly 8 out of 10 negative reviews you receive could have been prevented by your short-term rental property management company by just doing the basics. They have the ability to enforce terms and conditions, or have specific unfavorable reviews removed, but many don’t as it takes time to investigate and construct an appeal.
This lack of response will negatively impact your property's reputation, overall financial success, and could even result in the permanent removal of your listing from Airbnb or other OTA
