AIRBNB HOSTS: Hours you put into your vacation rentals?

Question

Hi there! I'm thinking to foray into the world of short term vacation rentals as a way to create some (relatively) passive income.

Once your place is bought and furnished, and your listing is set up, how much time would you say you spend weekly managing your properties? (Assuming you manage remotely and have a cleaner and handyman)

Also, are you expected to respond to your renters promptly? How many times a day are you checking your phone to see if your renter needs something? I would hate to be "on call" like that. It defeats the "passive" aspect.

Thank you!

Mindy Jensen · Answer

Short term rentals are not passive. If you're looking for passive income, hire the management out or look for other ways to invest.Not every guest will need you every stay, but if you're looking for passive income, it will be far more time consuming than you want it to be. It's like running a hotel.

Paul Sandhu · Answer

You can't use the word passive and short term rental in the same sentence. Unless the sentence is "Short term rentals are not passive income."

Michael Baum · Answer

I spend about 5 hours a week on ours. I communicate a lot with our guests and love it. I self manage and answer guests texts myself.Having said that, our home is very well equipped and maintenance is done regularly. That cuts down on guest problem calls. Despite what @Jane S. is yelling at us, it is real estate investing. I am making money doing it and have a great time doing it.

Sunny Alexander · Answer

Suppose you have a good cleaner and handyman that takes some of the pain away. As far as correspondence, we are always on call. We have the Airbnb app installed and we are notified if a guest has a question/issue. It is all about the reviews, so responding quickly and dealing with problems promptly is essential. The STR space is becoming more competitive, so working on your SEO and keeping your reviews high and frequent is important. In this space, I see that to become successful, you will have to step up your game, which will result in more of your time. Good luck!!!!!

Bruce Woodruff · Answer

Yeah, the STR is not a passive income model. Having said that - we own our own 2 places and do everything ourselves, including cleaning and repairs, and I doubt we have more than 5 hrs a week put towards them.Get involved with your guests without being intrusive...I ask them to message or text me when they arrive (I want them to say in writing that the place is ok). Then I check in about half way through their stay. I also have them text me when they leave.

Christian Ehlers · Answer

Hey @David Babayev once my STR was furnished (out of state) when I was first got started I probably spent a few hours per week on the property because I was setting up all the systems, testing them and checking prices and messages all the time as I wanted to be sure I wasn't missing anything. After the first couple months where the pricing strategy was all set I now only spend maybe an hour or two per week on the STR. I use Guesty for hosts to send automatic messages for checkin/out instructions, middle of stay check ins to see if they need anything, and post stay messages asking for reviews. The system also automatically messages and reminds my cleaners when a guest is checking in/out. As an agent my schedule is flexible enough that I can check messages often, but with these things in place there shouldn't be much for you to do besides answer simple questions and check to make sure they had a great stay, and help them get items they've left behind.

Lisa Graesser · Answer

Short term rentals are far from passive, at least in my world. Some that have VA's or assistants that do bookkeeping and answer calls for them will not spend the hours I do. I have 4 homes that I manage remotely. If you want to have great reviews and great guest experiences, you need to keep up with answering messages promptly. Also keeping organized, knowing who is coming and going, making sure cleaners are there a done. Maintenance issues responded to promptly, booking keeping, answering inquiries and promoting your listing if you want direct bookings. I spend between 15-20 hours/week on all the above, but everything runs smoothly and my end of the year accounting is easy as long as I keep up with throughout the year.

Scott E. · Answer

As somebody who owned 3 vacation rentals from 2017-2020 (sold them all when the pandemic hit), I'll echo what the other posters in this thread have said.Even with a property manager, these properties were still nowhere near passive income for me.Operating a vacation rental means your stepping into the hospitality business. You ask are you expected to respond to your renters promptly? The answer is a loud HECK YES YOU ARE! You need to be available for them around the clock to ensure their experience is equal to or better than a hotel.If you don't want to be that involved you can hire a property manager, but they will take 20-25% of your gross rents.

Jerry W. · Answer

@David Babayev, it varies a lot for me. Our peak season takes a lot more time than off season, and we also manage about 40 long term rentals as well as being self employed in a totally unrelated business. I would guess that I am spending about an hour a day while running 4 STRs. When something like the central air conditioner going out on a 102 degree day takes up a LOT of time, many days I just check messages to make sure the cleaner sends the message on what units are ready. I have automated a fair number of messages, but really should do more automation. My 2 I just opened in June are only listed on one platform so that is much easier, but I will change that soon.

Trish Mccoy · Answer

I probably spend 3-5 hours per day or more on my STR's. I self manage and do all my own booking etc.. I do have cleaners but do laundry and make beds and check all properties, coordinate maintenance, purchase supplies. I also do all the record keeping my revenue and expenses. It's definitely almost a full time job.