Maintenance Tips to keep your Airbnb Vacation Rental fresh and Top Quality for your Guests
How to Keep your Airbnb vacation rental well maintained for guests
The off season is the best time to take care of the little and big maintenance items and keep your space fresh and fully cleaned from top to bottom, especially if you need to block it off for a few days for things like paint touch ups.
Your vacation rental will endure a lot of use and wear and tear throughout the year, and you may not have the opportunity to do some of the quick fixes (or bigger repairs) when you are booked solid.
While you still need to keep everything in working order for your guests, and clean and functional for your cleaning team as well, the slow seasons tend to be the best time to plan for a deep clean and a thorough maintenance once over.
I highly recommend staying in your vacation rental a couple of times each year, to live guest experience and find things that may need fixing that you won’t notice on a regular walk through or cleaning.
There are a few simple things that should be on your regular checklist for maintenance, that won’t really impact your guests most of the time but it’s better to get ahead of things before they cause other issues.
Your guests are rating your rental on Value and Amenities and overall quality. Your amenities need to line up with the price point you are charging and the type of guests you are attracting.
Your guests are rating you on overall quality for your stay which means things need to be clean and working.
Your Evolve guests are expecting a highly professional level of management and care given that your rental goes through a 3rd party manager.
Despite each platform using different wording for their rating system, it all relates to the same things for cleanliness and having a great vacation rental.
Think about it as a guest. If you check in to a rental where you’re going to spend a week, and as soon as you go to use the bathroom, the toilet handle won’t flush properly.
And then you go to use the back door but it’s sticking shut. And then you find there’s a few light bulbs out over the kitchen island….
A few little things become a bit nagging and if they aren’t sure its significant enough to mention, guests might just give you a lower ranking on value, or perhaps cleanliness, because these little things were annoying enough to make it not a perfect stay.
Especially if you market your space as luxury or a high price point, the expectations are even higher for a near perfect experience.
Many people are positively happy to be on vacation or a business trip and are content enjoying any space they have rented, and won’t be bothered by a few little things as long as its clean and functional.
But other guests may look for excuses to try and get discounts and the more things they can find, the more you (or Airbnb or VRBO) may feel that a discount is warranted to appease the guest.
Your guests want to feel they are getting value and quality for their stay, so keeping on top of your maintenance is important.
Maintenance also includes the deep clean items that get overlooked in day to day cleaning.
Quick items you should check on a regular basis, and items you should take care of when you have a couple days to spend working on your space.
Lightbulbs throughout inside and outside
Batteries in your smart door locks
Wash your exterior garbage, recycle and green waste bins
Wipe down the front door for scuffs and dirt and do a spider web clean up around exterior spaces like doors and windows
Clean all the corners of the bathroom floor, get out any grimy build up
Remote control batteries (keep a few in the home with your cleaning supplies as well)
Clean the dishwasher trap
Change furnace filter
Make sure you have door stoppers on all of your doors to prevent dents and holes in your wall
Snake your Shower Drains
Check your BBQ propane & cleanliness, make sure the brush is still useable and in good condition, same with the tools. Order a replacement brush & lighter while you’re thinking of it.
Have a vacuum on hand for guest use and make sure it is emptied and checked regularly.
Spot clean any stains on rugs, furniture and do a full carpet clean at least once annually.
When you have a couple vacant days in your rental, block them off and take the time for deep cleaning and bigger maintenance items like these:
Paint touch ups in high traffic areas and bathroom mouldings.
Check cabinet doors in the kitchen and bathroom to make sure they are all closing properly, that no hinges loose or falling off
Clean up your landscaping , weeding, freshen up mulch, fall clean up
Check your furniture for damage, loose screws or legs, threads hanging off that could snag and cause tears in fabric. Loose bed frame rails or feet are especially common
Check your home surround and hidden spaces indoors for signs of pests or rodents, better you find them than your guests
Clean fridge water filter
Clean & Descale your coffee machine
Scrub & clean grout on any grungy areas like front entrances
Clean out all kitchen cupboards, gives you a chance to make sure there are no bugs or rodents, or damaged items hiding in the depths of drawers and cabinets like that forgotten drawer in the bottom of the stove
Wipe down or wash your blinds in all rooms and clean window tracks
Change out hard to reach lightbulbs and clean fixtures that collect debris and bugs
Test your generator and sump pump
Empty vaccum canisters/bags and clean vaccum filters
Run a “clean washing machine” cycle and clean out your dishwasher trap
Test all of your mechanical items and kitchen appliances big and small
Inventory your linens, cleaning supplies, kitchen amenities to make a shopping list to replace any missing, stained and damaged items. Restock all your bulk items for amenities. You’ll likely need to replace dish towels and clothes
Keep Your Home Functioning by arranging regular service for things such as:
Service your Fire Place, Change your Furnace Filters
Service your Heat or AC systems
Schedule carpet cleaning of all area rugs and carpeted flooring
Do a protective sealing & conditioning treatment on any granite or marble countertops at least once per year
Ensure your pools and hot tubs are drained and fully serviced with filter cleaning regularly
Arrange for pressure washing of gutters, sidewalks, driveways, windows and siding on an as needed basis.
Arrange for a deep cleaning which includes under all appliances, getting bugs out of light fixtures, etc.
If your property is part of a condo/apartment/resort or strata, do a thorough check of your unit, and the access areas to your condo, and make a list of any common area items or maintenance that your strata may need to deal with Contact your Strata
For your Airbnb Safety
check your smoke detectors, C02 detectors, fire extinguishers, first aid kits
Regularly Refresh Your Linens, Towels and Amenities
Dry clean or wash your Duvets, Throws and Quilts (not just the covers)
Replace your worn or stained towels, keep a basket of worn towels and put a sign on them for guests to use for rags, dog feet, cleaning up messes, etc
Check your pillows and mattresses. Are they in good condition? Are there any stains or are the pillows too flattened out for comfort?
Get PILLOW PROTECTORS and MATTRESS ENCASEMENTS if you aren’t using them already, these are an essential, low budget investment to help protect your beds and pillows and make them last far longer. Your mattress warranty usually requires there are zero stains on your mattress as well so a protector is important.
Check all your seasonal items and outdoor supplies for any replacement needs
If you have a seasonal vacation retreat that includes outdoor amenities or items, be sure to check them on a regular basis to make sure they aren’t rusty, damaged or worn out. This might be something like coolers, beach chairs, outdoor furniture, snow shovels, bbq grills, etc.
If you have a BBQ, it’s time to check it over, do a full clean and make sure the tools are in good condition, the lighter works, there’s no mice living in it, etc.
Update your online Airbnb listing and any house guides or guest manuals.
Make a few tweaks to your online description or photo order so it keeps your listing fresh.
Change up the highlight photo if you have a second awesome photo that might generate fresh views.
Make sure that your house guide is up to date with the correct Wifi Codes, contact information or anything else that might not be up to date on your welcome guide.
We keep a stack of maps and tourism info for our local communities. It’s good to stop by your tourism centre and replenish these at least once per year so they are current.
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