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How to prepare your home for a temporary rental

By Isabelle Ladouceur-Séguin|6 min|December 2021

Your first temporary rental is coming up? Here's how to prepare your home before guests arrive.

If you're just starting out in the temporary rental business, you may be wondering how to meet the needs of your customers. And that's a good thing. The more satisfied your guests are, the easier it will be to make your rental unit profitable!

That said, your guests' experience is closely linked to yours as a host. The more positive experiences you have, the more motivated you will be to provide excellent service.

To make sure you have the best possible chance of success, follow these tips.

Store your fragile or valuable items in a safe place

Preparing your home well also means protecting your belongings. Accidents are more common than you think!

To avoid losing items that are important to you, store them in a safe place. For example, in a locked room or in a mini storage unit.

In particular, remember to keep the following items safe

delicate china

  • crystal ware
  • souvenirs and fragile decorations
  • jewellery (ideally in a safe inside a locked room)
  • important, personal or confidential documents

Declutter the space

To make your tenants feel at home, your accommodation should be as neutral as possible. Avoid leaving personal items behind, such as family photos, mail or a scribbled calendar. You should also avoid putting up too many decorations. Your tenants may not have the same taste as you!

If you have real plants in your rental unit, consider moving them. Not all tenants know how to care for plants, and some may forget to water them. If you still want to decorate with greenery, why not opt for artificial plants? These days, some are so convincing that you can hardly tell the difference.

Provide the essentials

While decluttering is important, don't get rid of everything! Provide guests with the essentials for cooking, cleaning and personal care.

Kitchen

Leave plenty of dishes in the cupboards and enough utensils in the drawers.

Also provide cooking utensils, pots, pans, baking trays and oven dishes. Don't forget small appliances like a toaster, a microwave and a coffee machine.

In addition, consider providing staples such as cooking oils, spices and herbs. Tenants are unlikely to want to buy them for just a few weeks’ stay. If you're feeling particularly generous, you can also leave some butter, milk and juice in the fridge.

Cleaning

Make sure guests have everything they need to keep the accommodation clean. This includes a vaccum, mop, duster, toilet brush and rags, as well as a selection of household products:

all-purpose, glass, floor and bathroom cleaners

laundry and dish soap

disinfectants

Hygiene and Toiletries

Tenants appreciate not having to buy toilet paper, hand soap and tissues. But they're even happier when they have access to products like bar soap, shampoo, conditioner and moisturiser.

Also, consider providing a hair dryer, iron and ironing board.

Linen and bedding

Towels, hand towels and washcloths are other essential supplies. You should also leave a bath mat and spare sheets for your guests.

Finally, be sure to equip the rooms with allergy-friendly bedding. For example, pillows and duvets with synthetic rather than feather fillings.

Do a thorough cleaning

Allow enough time to complete it before the tenants arrive. Otherwise, you may be forced to delay their check-in.

Your home should show no signs of its previous occupants. Make surfaces and plumbing shine, and get rid of any dust. Change the sheets and towels, and don't forget to refill soap dispensers.

If you want, you can hire a cleaning company to do these tasks. However, try to be there during the cleaning if you can. That way you can check that the work meets your standards.

Remember: you are responsible for providing a clean environment for your guests. Cleaning the accommodation yourself or supervising any cleaners you hire can save you a lot of trouble.

Leave instructions

Like most people, you have probably struggled to use unknown appliances. To save your tenants a headache, it's a good idea to leave instructions. For example, on how to turn on the TV, connect to the wi-fi network or use your espresso machine.

Take this opportunity to provide emergency numbers: local police station and fire department, your cellphone number, etc. And also, to share any house rules (smoking and cannabis use inside, parties, etc.). If there isn’t a lot of information to share, a sheet of paper on the counter or a post-it note on the fridge can do the trick. But if you have a lot to explain, a complete guide may be more appropriate.

Prevention is key

To ensure the success of your temporary rental business, it's best to keep your customers happy. Not only does it help to get positive reviews, but it's also essential for building a great reputation as a host.

Looking to expand your client base? Host disaster victims with Sinistar! Benefit from competitive earnings, without all the administrative constraints that come with hosting tourists.

Become a Sinistar host

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