When I tell people that my husband and I run a short-term rental property management business, I usually get a lot of follow-up questions, including:
I want to get started with my own Airbnb, but how do I begin?
Like anything in life, getting started with short-term rentals can be the hardest part of the process. Between licensing, taxes, creating a listing on various websites, etc., there are a lot of up-front tasks that prevent people from even trying to start their own short-term rental.
After four years of managing 20+ properties, we’ve perfected our onboarding process.
And the best part? We do all the work while the property owners and investors get to reap the benefits of more bookings — and money 💰— with very little involvement.
Sharing our trade secrets
Whenever we onboard new properties, we make sure the right processes are in place before the first guests walk through the doors. It’s a tedious, but necessary part of onboarding that sets up property owners for success, and ensures guests rave about their stay!
1. Set up sales tax, permits, and licensing
No one loves handling taxes and contacting city government for proper licensing (except us 😆).
In Sioux Falls for example, all short-term rental owners or property managers are required to obtain a permit with the City which includes proof of state sales tax license and proof of state health department lodging.
2. Install new locks and confirm safety
Safety is a top priority for anyone staying in a short-term rental, so we make sure our properties are properly equipped with smart lock systems.
After every stay, we generate a unique code for guests so that they can feel comfortable entering our properties knowing no one else (except us) has access to the property.
3. Deep clean everything and create a cleaning checklist
We are convinced there aren’t any short-term rentals in Sioux Falls that are cleaner than SoDak Stays properties. That’s because we have a strict cleaning list that gets done after every stay, in addition to the deep cleaning day each property goes through a few times a year.
Before a property goes live, we walk through the property and inspect every nook and cranny. From here, we create a unique cleaning and inspection list to be followed between guest stays.
Even after our cleaners have finished at a property, an inspector does a final walk-through to ensure everything is ready to go before a guest arrives. We follow this process after every single stay!
4. Take professional listing photos
Airbnb reports that hosts who use professional photos in their listings can increase their earnings by nearly 20% compared to hosts who don’t use professional photos.
iPhone photos aren’t cutting it. And since I’m not a professional photographer, I always contract someone I can trust to take amazing photos of a property before it goes live.
5. Create a welcome guide unique to each property
Our welcome guides include more than the WiFi password and check-out time — they give a robust overview of the property and neighborhood with no detail left out. Here are just a few things we include in our welcome guides:
- Family-friendly activity recommendations for every season
- Nearby restaurants
- House rules and emergency procedures
- Nearest hospital information
- Contact details
Get your onboarding guide during a 1-1 coaching session
Do you have an itch to try out managing your own short-term rental but are overwhelmed getting started?
Or maybe you currently own and manage your own property but need help increasing bookings.
When you schedule a 1-1 coaching session, we’ll walk through a variety of topics including property evaluations, guest communication, taxes, time-saving tools, and more!
