What to do When you Rent your Primary Home on Airbnb

Renting out a home on Airbnb is a great way to earn extra cash, but most of the time, people get stuck when trying to figure out how to start. If you don’t know which things should be moved out of sight, what should be locked away, and which items should be available to your guests, here are some tips on organizing your home before the guests arrive.

Make your home clean and tidy. 
Cleanliness translates to guest’s comfort and satisfaction during their stay. Cleaning your home is one thing you should never skip regardless of whether you live there or you rent it out. Clear away clutter such as your family photos if you don't feel like sharing that to them, or you can also leave a few to give your guests an idea of the people who live in the house. Decorations are fine but arrange them properly so guests can put things down without shoving them. You can also put away anything you don’t want broken. You can have magazines but it's best to have just the latest issues available for the guest. You can store away those that you are planning to read soon. For the toys, expect that most kids will play with them on the floor, outside, or anywhere in the house so make sure to put away anything you don’t want kids to play with. Cleaning your Airbnb is no easy task, but a good job will be rewarded with raving guest reviews.
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Make space for guests’ Personal belongings.
You don’t have to hide your clothing - this is optional but of course, you might need to consolidate or pack away some items to leave room for your guests’ clothes. Provide some empty hangers, clothing rack, and/or an empty drawer. This will not only make your guests feel more at home, but there's a less possibility of them moving your clothes around to find space for their own items. You can also put labels of the shelves so it will be easy for them to look for essentials such as blankets, linens, towels, kitchen utensils, etc. These simple steps not only makes it easier for guests to find what they need, but it means you’re more likely to return home and find that everything’s exactly where it should be.

Repair and Replace.
You may not be able to repair or replace everything that is in bad shape but the most important is to fix anything that could be dangerous, such as a broken stairs or a cabinet door that falls off when it’s opened, but if you can’t, make sure to warn your guests. Replace or fix things such as saggy and smelly mattresses, nonworking heating or air conditioning systems, cracked dishware, stained towels, squeaking doors, leaking faucets, etc. This way you’ll be sure that they are safe and satisfied. 

Safeguard your Valuables.
There's a big chances that you have some items in your home that you want to keep safe - souvenirs, artworks, class ring, jewelries, bags, shoes, etc. The easiest way is to designate an area in your home that is not accessible to your guests so you can keep your high-value possessions. You may also consider storing important items in a safe deposit box or in the home of another family member or a friend.

Replenish your Home.
The guest always look forward to feel at home while staying at your property so one of the things you should make sure is that your home is equipped with the basic things they’ll need. You should be able to provide linens, towels, dishes/silverwares, basic kitchen appliances such as the refrigerator, coffee maker and microwave, television (not necessarily in all the rooms but at least in the living room), basic seasonings, cleaning supplies, fan (if there’s no AC), etc. Most of the guests also expect Wifi to be available but if not, you can also offer them a pocket Wifi. Having these basic things is great but having more is exceptional and would really make your guests happy. Some even prepare welcome gifts for guests.

Give Detailed Instructions.
The most important thing is giving a complete information to your guest about the property – from check in up until they check out. Giving them a heads-up on what to expect, special instructions, how to access things such as the Wifi, House rules and security system. This way it will lessen the time they will consume figuring out how and what to do during their stay but of course it’s always best to send them your contact information incase anything comes up and they badly need your help.

Treat your guests the way you treat your family or a friend at home. Surely they’ll do the same for you.