Brace Yourself

The air’s getting warmer, the days are getting longer, and booking requests are pouring into your inbox like it’s the hottest new club in town.

It can only mean one thing: summer is right around the corner.

If you’re a property manager with rentals in Miami, Cancun or pretty much any place with beach access, the long-established traditions associated with this time of year probably stir up some mixed emotions.

Because while the annual influx of enthusiastic, ready-to-spend college students and families means more profit, it also entails handing your keys over to guests with a serious case of cabin fever who are ready to do whatever it takes to shake off those winter blues.

Hate to “break” it to you.

We won’t sugarcoat it – this time of year, travelers are notorious for going all out, which can understandably raise some concerns about making your properties their home base.

Don’t be scared. Be prepared.

Still, we think you’ll find the potential profit worth the trouble. You’ll definitely want to leave your rental doors open and grab a piece of the pie without your hair going grey in the process. It’s simply all about proper preparation.

Party Proofing Guide

At Guesty, we’re all about setting property managers up for success, and part of that is avoiding those literal and figurative messes! That’s why we’ve compiled a list of must-have resources to protect your rentals with. Load up on these and enjoy the dollar signs without the worry lines.

Party-Proofing Tool: NoiseAware

In a nutshell: NoiseAware is a privacy-safe, smart home device that monitors noise levels at your properties and alerts you when they’ve exceeded reasonable volumes. It’s a must for rentals that have neighbors within earshot or for those just interested in keeping things low key.

Why this will help you sleep at night: If the noise at your property hits worrisome levels, you’ll be instantly notified and can take immediate action to prevent a potentially disastrous situation. With NoiseAware, there’s no need to stay awake all night wondering if your neighbors are going to break down the door to your rental and confront your guests or worse, call the police.

Party-Proofing Tool: Ring

In a nutshell: Ring offers a range of smart security devices, including video doorbells, and several different kinds of cameras that can be installed all around your property, creating a ‘ring’ of security.

Why this will help you sleep at night: Four people have paid for a spot in your rental, but how many are actually sleeping there? With a video doorbell like Ring, you’ll be able to confirm that your guests are paying guests. Additionally, the company’s sophisticated surveillance system also allows you to check in on the happenings around your property whenever those “what ifs” start to intrude on your peace of mind.

Party-Proofing Tool: Nest Protect

In a nutshell: A smart smoke detection device, Nest Protect sends alerts straight to your phone so you’re the first to know about a potentially hazardous situation on your property. The alarm tests its functionality hundreds of times a day so you can be sure it’s always in working order.

Why this will help you sleep at night: Whether it’s a strict no-smoking policy you’d like to enforce or you’re just nervous about leaving a bunch of revved up vacationers around your fully equipped kitchen, Nest Protect is on it. Should there be any cause for concern, you’ll get an immediate update to your phone with all the specifics.

Party-Proofing Tool: Keyless Entry Technologies

In a nutshell: Keyless access systems like VirtualKEY, Vikey, Operto, PointCentral (which is cellular-based) and RemoteLock enable you to skip the hassle of key exchanges by providing your guests with temporary passcodes they can use to enter your properties. It also means ensuring your rentals are secure as previous guests won’t be able to use their access codes post-stay.

Why this will help you sleep at night: There’s something about handing over a physical key to a property you’ve been entrusted (and paid) to take care of that puts knots in your stomach, especially when the recipient is holding a six-pack. With keyless entry, you don’t have to agonize over lost keys after a wild night out, and if things go really downhill, you can remotely change the passcode to your rental so booted guests can’t trespass.

Party-Proofing Tool: Operto

In a nutshell: Operto not only provides keyless entry solutions, it also helps property managers remotely monitor their guests’ compliance with a property’s rules by measuring temperature, CO2 levels, decibels and more, which can all indicate undesirable behavior.

Why this will help you sleep at night: If you’ve got certain house rules in place regarding occupancy, noise, or open windows, Operto can notify you when there’s reason to believe your guests may be disregarding them. Through CO2 readings, for example, Operto can estimate how many people are occupying a unit. If you have a two person reservation and your CO2 readings are off the charts, that’s a strong indication that the unit is over-occupied.

Party-Proofing Tool: Party Squasher

In a nutshell: Party Squasher is a device that property managers can connect to their internet routers in order to monitor the number of mobile phones being used in their rentals.
Why this will help you sleep at night: By assigning specific thresholds to each property you manage, you can assure you’ll be notified whenever the limits are breached and there are too many occupants in your rentals. Once alerted, you can contact your guests and address the situation so your properties don’t become party pads.

Party-Proofing Tool: Properly

In a nutshell: Properly is a vacation rental cleaning service that utilizes innovative solutions – like photo-based checklists and real time problem reports – to ensure your cleaners always get the job done according to your standards.

Why this will help you sleep at night: When renting out properties to summer travelers, a lot of the dread comes from what state you’ll find your place in when you head over after they’ve departed. Properly completely removes those unpleasant surprises from the equation.

Party-Proofing Tool: Lemonade

In a nutshell: Lemonade has a new take on property insurance, one that enables you to insure your home within minutes and get paid instantly in the event that something is damaged.

Why this will help you sleep at night: It’s always great to have a backup plan. Rest assured knowing that even if the measures you’ve put in place have fallen short, you’ve made arrangements for this sort of thing. Lemonade’s innovative model ensures that you get paid right when you need to, so quit worrying and get some sleep.

Party-Proof All Year Round

Want to learn more about how to better manage your rentals for every season? The pros at Guesty will show you how utilizing an end-to-end property management platform like Guesty can foster the growth of your short-term rental business.