Airbnb Host and Investors Forum General Advice 1 2 3 4 5 … 9 Next » A Short Term Rental (STR) Forum Community

[HIDDY]

I have a 1 bed 1 bath extra unit that is sitting vacant. I am in the process of getting it permitted for short term rental, which is legal but regulated in my part of Cleveland.
What should I expect? I think I will hire a cleaner to be on call and do the restocking, cleaning, etc etc instead of myself. I don’t know if I will get a lot of bookings for the winter season here but I guess time will tell. Anything else I should be know? Thank you!

[Smilez]

Expect it to be hands on. Here is what you should expect, you are now in the hospitality business. It is not easy but can be rewarding. You should hire a cleaner that has done STR’s in the past and understands what a sane day turnaround means and can do it. Is your property close to attractions? That will help you get bookings during the slow seasons. I would start listening to podcasts about STR’s. There is a lot to this business and it is going through a transition.

[ChrisFromTheOC]

You will have a 'bump' in listings for the first 30 days you are 'live', so use that wisely and make sure you are 100% ready - bad reviews at the start will disproportionately affect your overall rating and make it harder to climb out of that hole..

[tomdodo]

As a new host its the time to be ultra-cautious in accepting requests because scammers look for the n00b hosts. If you search the forum for "new host" you can find info on the partiers and people trying to cram in extra guests. Make it clear that you are on-site or nearby (even if you are not) and have exterior cameras, that should help.

[YYH05]

The best advice you will get on this forum from other Airbnb hosts is to never accept a discount seeker. Just decline them, even if they eventually agree to pay full price.

[NegativeNancy]

Turn off instant-book, especially for the first few months until you get a hang of it. It'll be worth it to have some nights open but not deal with guest that will be a nightmare. Don't give in to people asking for discounts. And if someone starts asking a million questions, especially if something is already answered in the listing, that's another red flag.