When you own a vacation rental home, it might seem as if the property magically keeps itself in perfect order. However, when you buy a vacation rental property, you quickly discover that regular cleaning, maintenance, and attention to detail are necessary to keep your rental running smoothly. Building a strong relationship with a variety of people is important in helping you accomplish all of this work. From cleaners to property managers, these people can impact the appearance of your home, the success of your rental strategy, and the extent to which you and your renters enjoy the rental experience.

CLEANING SERVICES

The number one key to impressing your renters is to keep your vacation rental home spotless. Neglecting even small details (such as your shower drains) can be enough to damage your reputation. In addition, asking renters to do chores themselves is likely to lose you renters, because people on vacation want to be pampered, not put to work.

You will likely need to hire a professional cleaning service to help you maintain this kind of sparkling home. These services should include regular cleaning (i.e. scrubbing bathrooms), deep cleaning (i.e. cleaning out tub drains), periodic cleaning (i.e. monthly oven cleaning) and laundry services. Look for a company that is prompt, thorough, and skilled. By building a strong relationship with them, you can maintain a rental space that keeps renters coming back.

MAINTENANCE SERVICES

Your renters will also want to enjoy a space that is well-maintained, and you will want to know who to call when emergencies do pop up. That way, you can calmly respond to that panicked midnight call from a renter who discovered a mouse in your kitchen.

In order to prevent emergencies, stay on top of regular maintenance for your home. This will probably mean relying on a local caretaker who will perform routine maintenance for you. Finding someone with experience and a solid reputation in the field can help you keep up with your home’s maintenance.

You should also assemble a list of professionals (such as plumbers, electricians, etc.) whom you can call when a problem arises. Becoming familiar with these professionals, and knowing which ones will respond after hours, can help you to react more effectively when issues do arise.

UTILITY COMPANY

When you buy a vacation rental property, you should expect to provide and pay for all of the utilities. These include electricity, heating/cooling, water, Internet, cable, and phone services. In order to ensure that you are both providing reliable services to your renters and getting the best deal you may want to become familiar with your utility options.

Sometimes, you will find a smaller provider that can give you better or less expensive services. At other times, you may find that you can bundle services (like cable and Internet) to get a better deal. Finally, being familiar with your utilities can help you to determine best practices to communicate to your renters (for instance, a small hot water tank might mean alerting renters to the possibility of cold showers).

NEIGHBORS

Vacation rentals can make neighbors nervous. There are many instances of neighbors calling police with noise or vandalism complaints because of next-door renters. If you are not careful, concerns over noise, property maintenance, and safety can quickly sour your relationship with your neighbors.

The best steps you can take to maintain good relationships with your neighbors is to 1) follow your community’s rules and 2) carefully screen rental guests in order to avoid problems. In addition, take the time to get to know your neighbors and listen to their concerns. If you consistently do so, your neighbors will, over time, come to trust your ability to competently manage your rental property.

See also: Define the Persona of Your Ideal Renter

HOMEOWNER’S ASSOCIATION

If you own a townhouse or a condo, familiarize yourself with the homeowner’s association (HOA). The HOA is an organization that oversees the management of the condo or townhouse community. Their management of your community almost always includes rules that govern the appearance or use of your property.

In order to manage a successful vacation rental, you will need to become familiar with the HOA rules for your home, and make sure to stay within those rules while renting. Building positive relationships with members of the HOA can also give you contacts when things go wrong or you have questions.

LOCAL SERVICES

Part of providing a pleasant experience for your renters is being familiar with the area and helping them to navigate it. Many of your renters will be new to the area and looking for help finding the best transportation, dining, and recreational options during their stay. Big hotels and bed and breakfasts often make this information easily accessible.

You can make your vacation rental home stand out by similarly researching and providing this information for your guests. In addition, you may be able to earn special deals for your renters by building relationships with certain local services. For example, discounts at restaurants, free parking passes, and more might be available if you take the time to learn about your options and speak with these local services.

PROPERTY MANAGERS

Perhaps the best friend you can make when you buy and own a vacation rental property is a property manager. Often, you will end up purchasing a home that is at a distance from your primary residence. As such, you will have difficulty making the commute to advertise your property, screen and hire renters, handle problem renters, check the work of your cleaning services, manage requests from renters, deal with emergencies, conduct basic maintenance, and so forth. A property manager will help you to handle these tasks.

Make sure you hire someone who has lots of experience and positive recommendations, who listens to you and responds quickly, and who does not already have many rental properties they are managing. By doing so, you can create a much more positive and profitable renting experience for yourself.

Choosing the right friends can make a big difference in many areas of your life. When you buy a vacation rental property, the same holds true. By building good relationships with cleaning services, maintenance services, utility companies, neighbors, the homeowner’s association, local services, and a great property manager, you can more smoothly run a successful vacation rental property.