5 Ways to Prepare Your Vacation Rental For Summer
How to Make the Most of Your Rental this Summer
Summer is almost here and for many vacation rental owners, it’s time to get their property ready for the busy season to come. Whether you’re a seasoned vacation rental owner with a slew of properties to your name or a newbie to the industry preparing your first rental for guests, there are a few steps that you can take to ensure that your property is ready for the busy summer ahead.
In this blog post, we’ll share five ways that you can prepare your vacation rental for summer in order to impress your guests and keep them returning for years to come.
#1: Schedule or Perform a Deep Clean
Deep cleaning is important, especially when you have a rental that gets a lot of use. Although most vacation rentals are cleaned thoroughly after guest stays, sometimes the cleaners may miss things that will only be caught during a deep cleaning, which is why you should schedule to do this at least a few times a year to limit wear and tear on your property.
A deep cleaning will include everything under the sun but especially focuses on spaces that don’t often get touched by regular cleans, including things like window washing, carpet and upholstery cleaning, scrubbing down appliances like the oven and refrigerator, and dusting light fixtures and art. In addition to cleaning the inside of your property, ensure that some of time is spent getting the outdoor space ready for summer visitors as well. This means taking care of landscaping tasks such as mowing the lawn, trimming the hedges and bushes, and removing any debris or clutter from the gutters.
#2: Schedule a Summer Maintenance Inspection
If you want to ensure that guest damages and wear and tear won’t destroy your property, you should already be scheduling regular maintenance inspections throughout the year. But if you haven’t scheduled an inspection for the summer season, it’s important to do so ASAP in order to take care of any issues that may have arisen on your property since your last inspection was performed.
A summer inspection should include the following, but keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list:
Replace or repair any items or appliances that have been broken or damaged
A thorough inspection for any water damage, bug infestations, plumbing leaks, or any other major issues that need to be addressed
Replacing any light bulbs and fixtures that may have burned out
Checking filters in the A/C, if applicable
#3: Refresh Your Decor
Our third tip for getting your vacation rental ready for summer is to take some time to refresh your decor, and summer is the perfect time to do so.
Everyone loves a space that feels bright and fresh when you enter it, and it’s easy to make a few changes that will liven up the home, such as repainting the walls in a bright, new color or swapping out old, worn throw pillows for some fluffy new ones.
Updating your decor doesn’t have to be time-consuming or expensive–you can make a big impact with just a few easy changes, such as adding a few colorful accent pieces to the space to give it a fresh, summery feel.
#4: Check and Freshen Up Outdoor Spaces
In addition to cleaning up your outdoor spaces for guests, another thing that you should consider doing to get ready for summer is to check out and freshen up your patio or backyard. Guests like to use outdoor spaces much more during the warm summer months, and it’s important for them to have a welcoming environment that they will enjoy spending some of their vacation time in.
Here are a few things you can do to liven up your patio or backyard in order to get it ready for your summer guests:
Replace any worn or faded furniture items, such as chair covers and cushions
Purchase some outdoor games and activities for guests to enjoy
Ensure that your hot tub or pool is clean and ready for use for visitors
Clean the grill or outdoor kitchen area
Take care of any landscaping that needs to be done, such as cutting off dead tree limbs or cleaning up leaves that have fallen in the yard
#5: Create a Summer Guest Guide
Finally, if you haven’t already created a guest guide to your home, you should think about creating one for the busy summer season ahead. In your guest guide, you can include everything under the sun that your guests need to know, including things like how to work the TV remote and where to find extra towels if they need them.
Along with this more practical information, your guest guide is also a great place to recommend local restaurants and attractions that guests should check out. Include things like travel distance and directions to the nearest bus stops to help guests find their way around town and to the attractions you’re recommending. This type of information will help your guests make the most of their time and leave them with a great impression, helping you get more five-star reviews.
More Tips for Vacation Rental Owners
Summer is the season that vacation rental owners typically look forward to the most–guests are enjoying themselves and revenue is pouring in. If you follow these tips to prepare for the summer season to come, you’ll have an edge over your competitors and give an even better experience to your guests.
Interested in learning more about how to take your vacation rental to the next level? Check out more of our blogs, including our guide to dealing with a bad review on your short-term rental and our blog on ways to make your rental a more luxurious getaway for your guests.