All Forum Posts by: Kevin Lefeuvre

give them last minute unoccupied calendar dates, with something like a few days notice, or one week notice, when you know it's not going to be rented and ask them to do laundry etc, and put it back exactly as it was when they checked in or pay for the cleaning, etc. This way they enjoy it without you losing money.

@Peter R. Love your Home Automation architecture. Very valuable post here! Thanks for sharing.

A few comments:

- What is the total cost of everything you mentioned. As an example, instead of those wonderful Google Wifi, for $300 each, I use a chinese Wifi repeater for less than $20 each (Amazon best seller) with a slight feature difference. So curious about the ROI of the whole installation.

- I believe it will reduce the need for physical control/inspection but won't totally suppress it. How often do you (your a PM) visits the property after the automation. How often the systems require reconfiguration, adjustments, etc... from the site?

- You didn't cover video cameras. (exterior of course, especially at the entrance). Thoughts?

Thanks @Myka Artis and @Ariel Smith . 

Ariel, I tend to stay below 30 days in LA, due to all sort of tenant protection laws on long term rentals (30+ days) in the city of LA. One may hope with corporate tenants eviction issues should not exist, but that's not sure, since in case of dispute, those guys have lawyers and would use every regulation at their best interest. 

I'll check out both sites. Thanks.

@Myka Artis how do you reach those corporate renters? Where to advertise? How do they find their employees housing?

I would think they would use the same channels such as airbnb and vrbo, and I actually have had a couple reservations coming from corporate renters, but wonder if there is a more targeted way to reach them.

John, does your cleaning lady does it all ( laundry, updating supplies, shampoo, some water/drinks in the fridge, door code change, detect need for repairs, etc...), or you or someone else still needs to check in after cleaning before the next guest check in ?

I am also in favor of individual maids who are more loyal and less expensive than companies sending different maids each time.

Great question. Commenting mainly to follow the conversation and learn more, but also with a question about Big Bear: Mike, How do you deal with the HOAs in your Big Bear properties? (Assuming they are condos and not SFRs).

What exact and specific problem do they solve ? 

I hear often about them but the idea of introducing yet another intermediary in the business bothers me. So if someone can tell me their "elevator pitch" I would be grateful.

I don't think there's a big risk in your case for a two months stay. She's paid for one month already if I read you correctly. 

Isn't she rather trying to check your place and leave an option for a shorter stay if she doesn't like it? 

I would be more patient given there are 28 nights to go until the 2nd month.

@Peter R.  I maybe wrong, but I don't think so. They could have already done this but instead, they gave the $1M liability at no additional cost to keep us engaged. I think that's smart to keep us engaged to further monetize the community with new products and services. Just like airbnb. Did you notice: airbnb now offers "Places" and "Experiences" on top of "Homes" right from the home page. It's no longer just a short term rental business. And it's hot business, for now much smaller than the homes, but growing fast. The hospitality market is their target, and that is not just room bookings. Check it out.

@Andrew Wong the point is that you have access to the guest's contact info EVEN BEFORE they book. So if you avoid the instant booking feature, you are not obliged to wait until they book to be obliged to cancel. You can take them off the site BEFORE they book. No cancellation needed.
I personally think vrbo is awful in vetting guests. So I have had several cancellations this year, because I have activated the instant booking and I got a couple undesired bookings that I was obliged to cancel. Have not received anything from vrbo because of those 3 cancellations but I would not be surprised if they penalize me in my ranking. But this is really something they need to fix, and at least offer the same features as on airbnb (no instant booking with newly registered guests with no reviews, for instance, as a host's option). In LA (big city) with a lot of 2 or 3 nights guests, vetting is a real problem, more than for beach properties with mostly "weekly" guests.