Airbnb managment

[James Miller]

Hello,  

My wife and I found a property that is in a desirable vacation destination.  It is not far from our house geographically but it separated by a ferry boat.  We would like to find a way to have it managed and I was wondering if any one has had any luck finding a way to get there airbnb properties managed.  What are you paying for management services.  There is one company claiming vacation rental services in this destination but they are already proving not responsive.  Any tips.  I'm really interested to see what other people have done.  Can you manage it from a distance.  When we used vrbo we never met with the owner they just gave us the combo a few hours before check in.  I have yet to use airbnb so I am unsure how that works.  Thanks

James

[John Dirgo Deweese]

It depends on what you mean by "management".  

If you mean someone that can help provide the housekeeping and maintenance services as well as being the 'in-area' emergency contact, there's a number of companies that can do that.  Pillowhomes, Superhost, Beyond Stays and a thousand others are out there doing that with varying degrees of success and cost. Some use local people and some are entirely remote.

Beware that many of these AirBNB-assistance companies are either getting close to the line or crossing the line when it comes to genuine management -- which in many places requires a licensed real estate broker. If they are managing your online listings (whether AirBNB or VRBO or whatever) and having any involvement in collecting funds or acting as the property manager, they have crossed that line.  They are operating illegally at that point.  

If your goal is to own the property but have essentially no day-to-day involvement in the business of the vacation rental -- you don't talk to potential guests, you don't maintain the calendar, you don't coordinate housekeeping -- hire a real legal licensed vacation rental manager.  They will handle everything for you.  Look on VRBO for properties that show as "managed" (not owner-operated) in the area where your house is located. Contact those managers to see if they are interested in managing your property. 

If you are going to answer guest inquiries, collect payment, maintain the calendar and generally 'manage' the property, but want a single point of contact to call for housekeeping & maintenance and for the guests to call in the event of a lockout -- keep looking for someone that is local to the property and that you feel comfortable with. 

Tangental note: be sure to know the local laws and regulations on short-term rentals including any "hospitality tax" or "hotel tax" and follow those laws precisely. Check if the area where the house is located has any rules or zoning restrictions on vacation rentals and follow those as well (you did check for any laws like that before you bought, didn't you?).