How to Manage a Vacation Rental From Out of State

You do not have to live near your rental to run it well. Here is the system that lets your cleaners do it right without you standing there.

By JueliaSuperhost for 5 years. Hosted in California, Oregon and Tennessee.

I have managed my rentals from other states, and I think most people do not realize how doable that is. You do not need to live nearby, and you do not need to hand 20% of your bookings to a property manager.

Remote hosting works when your cleaners know exactly what you expect and you can see that it got done without being there. Here is a simple system that makes that possible.

Train every cleaner the same way

Before a new cleaner does their first turnover, give them one written guide with everything they need:

• The address, door code, parking, WiFi and where supplies and laundry are kept.
• Checkout and check in times, and how they will be told about each job.
• What guest ready means for your home. The home should look like the listing photos.
• What to do with damage, lost items and anything unsafe.
• Pay, how and when they are paid, and how much notice to give if they cannot make a job.
• House rules for cleaners, like never sharing the door code.

Writing it down once saves you from explaining it again with every new person, and it gives you something to point to when a step gets skipped.

Use photos as your eyes

Ask for photos of any damage before cleaning starts and photos of every room when the cleaner finishes. Before photos protect the cleaner and you if a guest caused damage. After photos let you see the home is ready without driving over.

Set minimums for supplies

Decide the least you want on hand of every item, like 12 rolls of toilet paper or 20 trash bags. When the count drops below that minimum, the cleaner tells you the same day. This one habit ends most of the emergency store runs.

Keep pay simple and on time

Log every job with the date, the property and the amount, and mark it paid when you pay. Cleaners who are paid correctly and on time stay, and good cleaners are the hardest part of hosting to replace.