5 things you didn’t know about managing a property during summer holidays

Summer holidays: it’s that time of the year again! With no doubt, the summer season brings a lot of joy to most. Hot weather, sun, and, of course, vacations. However, managing rental properties while getting ready to enjoy those wonderful days, on the other hand, is not always easy.

Here are five things you should know about managing a property during the summer.

1. Pictures matter

Photos sell a holiday stay, so your photos need to be top-quality. Don't get us wrong though; as debatable as it may be, top-quality photographs do not necessarily result from spending a lot of money and using the most attractive linen bed sheets on the photo shoot day.

So here's what we suggest: consider adding raw and authentic photographs to your well-taken photos and even sharing some user-generated content. This way, not only will you be able to set realistic expectations for your guests' experience, allowing them to picture themselves at your property and location, but you will also build trust between you as an owner and the tenants and, therefore, secure a better review.

Keep in mind that this is one of the best investments you can make and will pay dividends!

2. Third-party management is *kind of* vital for your success

As a landlord, you probably know that summer is a difficult time to be in charge of your property.

Platforms like Checkfirst have expertise managing properties just like yours and can assist you with reports for routine inspections, cleaning, maintenance and the check-in/check-out procedure, with you at peace.

We know you'll have a lot on your plate, so, in this case, using a third-party platform will serve you best.

3. Some tenants may leave your property quite messy

We know how frustrating it can be if you're a landlord or a manager and you've recently dealt with a tenant who left your property in disrepair. Sometimes it can be a smooth stay and everything goes according to plan, or it can be a bit of a nightmare to deal with.

To prevent that, have your guests take a Checkfirst report once they move in, showing the state of the property, and another one at checkout. This will save you time and keep accountability between you and your tenants through a third-party platform that you can blame when needed. While you may think your guests will never want to accept doing those reports, they might actually feel protected, because it works as proof for securing their deposit too, we’ve seen it happen multiple times!

This way, neither you nor the renter will be able to argue against the other regarding the state your asset was left in and, if such is the case, the measures will be taken care of seamlessly.

4. Marketing might be your biggest key to attract the right tenants

If you don't advertise your summer holiday house effectively, it might sit empty for weeks at a time. And who wants that? Not us...

Therefore, in order to find the best tenants for your summer rental houses, you'll need a marketing plan that can assist you in reaching your target audience and informing them about your property.

On that note, we suggest you get to know all the platforms to market your rental, as well as conventional and digital channels for sharing with potential tenants.

5. Travel expenses can be a little too high compared to your desire

Did you know that 80% of property managers are involved in maintenance/repairs activities, as well as rent and fee collections?* That often includes a lot of time and money on commuting to the property.

Right... when it comes to travel costs, from you or your staff, numbers can get a bit exorbitant.

Thankfully, there are a variety of tools you can now use to make managing your property budget friendlier and less time-consuming.

If you made it to the end of this article, hopefully, you can now better understand why. When managing a property, it's important that you keep track of everything going on with it. Whether it's repairs, maintenance, or other issues, it's important that they get fixed as soon as possible so they don't turn into bigger problems later down the road.

And to every story, there shall be a happy ending:

During the past few years, our team came together with the exact intention of bridging that gap. Our software helps you keep track of all those details through visual reports so there are no surprises when it comes time for an inspection or review.

Also, with Checkfirst all of your records will be stored in one place, so you can keep track of everything via smartphone without having to go through various files or spreadsheets every time something changes with your properties, and you're now declared to freely travel and manage your properties from any corner of the world!

* Via https://ipropertymanagement.com/research/property-management-industry-statistics