STR COMPETITION THROUGH CLEANING FEES!

[Chuck Patel]

iN THIS COMPETATIVE MARKET I SEE QUITE A FEW FOLKS CHARGING A LOW CLEANING FEE TO NO FEE AT ALL. TO ME IT SEEMS YOU ARE BUYING A JOB AS A HOUSEKEEPER. I AM IN A SMALLER MARKET IN GEORGIA AND IN THE PAST YEAR MULTIPLE STR'S HAVE BEEN OPENED BY LOCAL HOME OWNERS. ANYBODY ELSE THROUGH THIS AND HOW TO COMPETE WITH THESE FOLKS? THANKS

[Luke Stewart]

I have 2 properties, and both are MTR. But I have no cleaning fee and I say it in my title. I even eliminated pet fees unless you have more than 2 (i usually turn more than 2 pets down anyway). End of the day I just eat the cleaning fee but I have close to zero vacancy. And with the MTR if I get someone for longer terms like 3-4 months it ends up being a small slice of the cash flow. I also upped my daily rate by $10 when I eliminated the fee, people seem happier that there are no hidden fees eventhough they are paying for it. Transparency is key.