Is the likelihood of damage to your short term rental property overblown?
The first thought that enters a property owner's mind when considering whether to adopt a short term rental strategy is: “what happens if a guest damages my property?” It's an obvious question, and one that requires careful consideration for anyone listing their property on channels like Airbnb.
For the uninitiated, it can feel like a property owner is at the mercy of any guest who chooses to behave badly while occupying a short-let property. Luckily, there are proactive steps that can be taken to ensure your property is optimized for short-term rental protection.
What follows is a list of steps you (or your operator) should be implementing to protect your property from poorly behaved guests. Keep in mind, most of these protocols are implemented well before the guest ever arrives, thus the old adage, ‘failing to plan, is planning to fail’ firmly applies here.
Short-Term Rental Protection
There are many different ways that property management companies in Dubai can help with your short-term rental protection. Even though poorly behaved guests are few and far between, it is essential to have a detailed set of protections in place, should an incident occur. Here are just a few ways an Airbnb management agency can make it easier for you:
Building Support: By speaking with neighbors and building security, an operator can create an immense amount of good will in your building. It’s much better to get a call or Whatsapp from a neighbor, than from the police (and most guests will respond well to a friendly but stern message to tone things down).
Guest Vetting: No one wants to miss out on the opportunity to host a guest, however, to make sure you maintain a high quality of visitors there’s a fair amount of time spent vetting guests before they even reserve your property. It can be helpful to inquire more about the reason the guest is traveling, who they are travelling with, etc. etc. If anything seems amiss, the Host (or operator) can always “decline” the reservation.
Rental Agreement & Security Deposit: Every guest stay should have a Rental Agreement & Security Deposit attached to it. The Rental Agreement should explicitly detail what happens in the event of bad behaviour by the guests. Below are just a few examples of what might be included in the Rental Agreement:
“If building security is called or neighbour noise complaints are reported, the Guest automatically forfeits their entire Security Deposit. Absolutely no exceptions will be made. This is a residential community, and we have a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY for parties and noise complaints”
“If the Police are called for any reason whatsoever, the guests will be asked to vacate the premises, with NO CHANCE WHATSOEVER for a refund. The property owner / short term rental operator reserves the right to remove a guests without prior notice if the Police are called for any reason”
Removal of expensive items: It may seem obvious, but one way of protecting one’s property is to ensure that there are limited valuables to protect in the 1st place.
Recovering Damages: While damage to property is an incredibly rare occurrence, you want to be sure that your property is well-protected. In the event that there is damage to property, it’s important to document the damage with photos and retain any invoices associated with repairs or replacement. This will ensure the claim you make with Airbnb goes smoothly and your compensation is handled in a timely manner.
How Does Airbnb Manage Bad Guests?
The secret insurance you didn't know you had!
Over the years, Airbnb has managed to create fair and effective policies that help hosts deal with “Bad guests”. Airbnb allows hosts to file a claim with them if a guest damages or tampers with the property in any way. These claims can extend up to $1 million! However, to avoid such instances, Airbnb provides the necessary tools to all its users such as the tracking of guests that have a history of negative reviews or bad behavior at any of their stays. Airbnb has also added an urgent support line which is able to quickly assist hosts with customer related issues. These tools help Airbnb management agencies ensure the protection of your property.
Why Use Property Management Companies In Dubai
Dubai is a country rich in culture, entertainment and history making it a prime destination for tourists from across the world. In our experience, many of the guests we have are mindful and respectful individuals and the likelihood of guests damaging the property in any way is very low. However, when dealing with such a diverse set of individuals it is no surprise that issues can occasionally arise.
In a city known for its stringent laws and high regard for law enforcement, property owners strive to prevent any situation that may involve police intervention regarding their estates. As a reputable Airbnb property management agency, we employ a comprehensive approach to ensure that the guests we accommodate are well-suited for your property. By adhering to the aforementioned steps, including rigorous guest vetting and continuous monitoring throughout their stay, we aim to mitigate potential issues and maintain a harmonious environment. Recent data reveals that properties managed with such vigilance experience up to a 40% reduction in disturbances and neighbor complaints which ultimately leads to positive reviews.
Our proactive measures aim to uphold a standard of excellence in property management, safeguarding both property owners and guests, and fostering a positive relationship within the community and helps us maintain our "superhost" status.
Legal issues are not the only issues that can arise during a guests stay. Dealing with noise complaints and minor maintenance issues reported by guests can occasionally come up and as a host it can be time consuming to always have to deal with these issues. Therefore, for you to maximize your profits while having the peace of mind that your property is well looked after, finding a reputable Airbnb management agency in Dubai is probably the right way to go.
The Bottom Line
Short-term rentals are a great source of income and are very rewarding to both the guests and the hosts of these properties. While problems are not a common occurrence, it is essential to protect your property and your reputation. Running your Airbnb property through an agency in Dubai ensures that your property is well-cared for, professionally managed and properly protected.