Summer Rental Inspection Checklist
Renting out your summer vacation home may be a great source of additional income, but it is important to keep your property in tip-top shape, so your guests will enjoy their stay and be more likely to return for another visit.
Why Use Checklists?
Sometimes remembering everything that should be taken care of between renters can be overwhelming. You can be distracted, and you might overlook potential issues that could hamper the comfort of your guests, which can also affect return visits to your summer rental property. As such, using a checklist that is specifically for summer rentals can help to ensure that your property is ready for your guests.
What Should be on the Checklist?
Imagine you are checking into a hotel. What are some of the things that you notice, which the hotel employees may have overlooked when it comes to cleanliness or maintenance? Those are precisely the items that should be on your summer rental inspection checklist. Additionally, steps to ensure that your property is safe, clean, and ready for guests should be outlined in your checklist to make sure that nothing is overlooked.
Cleaning
The seasons help to identify what cleaning chores should be completed prior to renting out your summer rental property. For instance, during the summer, it may be a good idea to switch out the linens, as well as the drapery to reflect the warmer weather. Cleaning the air conditioner vents, replacing filters in the air conditioner and furnace, and closing the chimney damper, if applicable, are all pre-rental inspection and cleaning tasks that can help to ensure that your summer rental is ready for guests. The folks over at HomeAway have a great checklist to ensure that everything is addressed before your guests arrive.
Pre-Stay Checklist
Guests will often bring only the essentials, so it is wise to provide items such as toiletries, towels, and dishes, all of which will help to make your guests feel at home. The day before a guest arrives, it is recommended by the Evolve Vacation Rental Network to do a walk through the day prior to your guest’s check-in, if possible. This way you can see if anything needs additional attention between the time your previous guests checked out and the arrival of your new guests. It is also wise to double check to make sure that the key unlocks the door, as this can put a serious dent in the comfort of your guests.
Post-Stay Checklist
After your guests have checked out, it is a good time to inspect your summer rental for anything that needs additional attention. Items such as burnt out light bulbs and safety precautions, such as a fire extinguisher, should be inspected after your guests have departed to ensure that the next guests arrive feeling welcomed. It is also wise to conduct an inventory count to make sure that your next guests can enjoy your summer rental property to the fullest.
Maintenance
Completing maintenance on a regular schedule can help to ensure that your guests are comfortable during their stay, as well as keeping up on any issues that may arise. Some maintenance tips for the summer months include cleaning the refrigerator coils and lubricating the door gaskets of the refrigerator to help in keeping the cold air where it belongs. It is also a good idea to inspect the weather stripping on the windows and doors to keep the warm summer air out of the comfort of an air-conditioned home.
Conclusion
What makes you feel at home? Those are the same things that you should ensure are tended to prior to renting out your summer vacation home to guests. Although it may sound daunting, taking these steps can help to ensure that your guests are comfortable during their stay and wouldn’t give a second thought to visiting next year. While these checklist ideas may not cover everything, they certainly help to give you an idea of what to tend to prior to the arrival of your guests. Hiring a property management company to tend to these items can help to relieve your stress and time commitments. It also ensures that your guests and summer rental property are well taken care of, often at a very affordable rate.
References
Evolve Vacation Rental Network. (2017, January 20). 4 Essential Property Standards for Your Vacation Rental. Retrieved from https://blog.evolvevacationrental.com/4-vacation-rental-property-standards/
HomeAway. (n.d.). Cleaning and maintenance checklist. Retrieved from https://community.homeaway.com/docs/DOC-4122
