What is a Vacation Rental Checklist?
A vacation rental checklist is a tool used by property managers and owners in listing and verifying the availability of stocks and supplies in their vacation rental properties. It is also used for cleaning, maintaining, and inspecting the condition of vacation rentals to ensure they are ready for occupancy by guests.
Why Use This Checklist
Having processes in place to maintain and clean your vacation rental properties before and after guests occupy them is a must to ensure safety and quality service. Also, it helps streamline the process of checking and maintaining the stocks and supplies in your vacation rentals.
Using this tool also allows you to spot areas you need to repair, replace, or remove to improve guest experience and satisfaction during their stay. Some areas might need quick fixes and cleaning, but others might need deep cleaning and major repairs that involve professional help. Overlooking these things might jeopardize the quality of your service and cost you more in the long run.
3 Major Aspects to Check in Your Vacation Rental
Now, what do you have to focus on when checking and inspecting your vacation rental property? Here are the 3 major aspects you must not forget:
Cleaning and Maintenance
When renting out a vacation home or property, it’s important to keep it clean and in good condition. In this aspect, creating and using a dedicated vacation rental cleaning checklist is encouraged. For housekeeping, make sure to sweep and mop the floors, clean the bathrooms, and vacuum the carpets. It’s also a must to stock up on supplies like toilet paper, paper towels, and dishwashing detergent.
For maintenance, check the smoke detectors, change the air filters, and test the plumbing and electrical systems. If any issues arise, be sure to address them as quickly as possible. By following these tips, you can help ensure that your vacation rental home is clean and in good condition for your guests.
Inventory
A vacation rental inventory checklist comes in handy for this aspect. You may dedicate a separate cabinet or storage room for paper products, cleaning supplies, and other household items. You can also assign a specific person to take charge of regularly restocking essentials in your vacation rental property.
Listing
It’s also a must to ensure that your vacation rental listing is met when the guests arrive at your property for their stay. After doing renovations, repairs, and maintenance tasks on your property, make sure that these are reflected in your listing to help inform your potential guests what they should expect.
How to Use and What to Include in a Vacation Rental Checklist
Make sure your vacation rental checklist form has the following sections and elements to ensure a comprehensive walkthrough and inspection:
- Title Page – The first page of your checklist must include the date of the inspection, the name of the inspector, the name of the vacation rental property, and its location.
- General Home Area – Before proceeding with the specific areas, do a general check of the property, including walls, lights, Heating, Ventilation, and Airconditioning (HVAC) system, and doors.
- Bathrooms – Check essential supplies found in bathrooms to see their quality and quantity. Also, verify if all equipment is in good working order.
- Bedrooms – Inspect the condition of bed linens, clothes hangers, and lights. See if there are enough spare supplies.
- Kitchen – Verify if kitchen equipment and appliances are working properly and free from scratches. Check if cutlery, plates, and other eating necessities are complete.
- Laundry Area – See if there are spare towels available, the floors are free from damage and slip hazards, and appliances are readily available for use.
- Dining Room – Ensure that the dining table and chairs are working and safe to use.
- Living Room – Double-check if all electronics are in working order as designed and if all furniture is free from damage.
- Exterior – This includes the pool area and patio. Check if outdoor furniture and equipment are working and if there are sufficient supplies.
- Health and Safety – Do a thorough check on the property if it’s disinfected, it has working smoke detectors and alarms, and it has an available fire extinguisher.
- Additional Notes – For any other observations, recommendations, and findings, use this space for additional notes, photo documentation, and needed actions.
FAQs About Vacation Rentals
Vacation rental properties must be able to meet the most basic and even the advanced demands of the paying public to maintain their credibility and status in the market. The minimum amenities your rental property must have include:
- HVAC system
- Fast wi-fi
- Well-stocked and equipped kitchen
- Free parking
- Clean bedrooms and bathrooms
Other popular amenities and additional inclusions that guests look for are:
- Keyless entry
- Smart TV
- Pool
- BBQ grills
Apart from the most basic amenities and additional facilities, guests want to feel comfortable, relaxed, and safe in their rented vacation homes. The most notable things that guests look for are the following:
- Reasonable rates
- Modern amenities
- Set cleaning fees
- Flexible terms
Having separate checklists for each area or amenity in your vacation rental property can be a helpful way for you to ensure you won’t miss anything in stocking up on the essentials. The kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living room areas are usually the ones that must be well-stocked due to the guests using them more often than the other amenities.
Patricia Guevara