Summer months are the most stressful time for vacation rental owners. Not only is it the busiest time for owners, having to make sure that homes are restocked, pools are maintained, and rentals are kept up on, cleaning is a very important aspect during this time. This is the time of year where everyone wants to travel with their family and just have a nice gateway. Since we live in Arizona, we have nice weather year-round so vacationing here is a must. The summer months include May through September. The weather during these months can get up to 120 degrees but hey, it is a dry heat so no worries about all the humidity. This is the time of year where people use their pools the most. Pool maintenance should always be up to date during these months, so it is easy for your guest to use it with no hassle. During summer months we also have a monsoon season (June- September). The temperatures usually start dropping during the monsoon season, but not much. Temperatures usually range from 80 to 105 degrees. This is the season where our rain comes from the most. Rainfall usually averages from 0.66 inches to 2 inches of rain for the whole year. So vacationing during this, it might rain one day which doesn’t ruin your whole vacation.
Getting your pool ready for guests.
Having a private pool for your vacation rental home is a huge benefit while living in Arizona. When guests rent your property out, they want to have their vacation hassle-free, so be sure to get your pool ready for them so they can enjoy their vacation. The first step into making sure your pools are ready, is to get rid of any debris. Even if you use a pool cover, although being located in Arizona, pool covers aren’t really necessary, you will want to make sure you have all the twigs, leaves, and bugs cleared out. Next to making sure that all your pool equipment is working properly is also part of getting your pool ready. Pool equipment includes pool pumps, hoses, filters, diving boards, steps, and ladders making sure that there aren’t any damage or safety hazards. Third, you are going to want to check the water for these three things, total alkalinity, PH levels, and Chlorine levels. If any of these are too high, it will cause your pool to be uncomfortable to swim in. Finally vacuuming the pool is the last and final step to getting your pool ready. Vacuuming will remove any debris that is left at the bottom of your pool. Once you have done all four things, your pool is ready for guests to swim safely. If you arent interested in doing these things yourself we recommend reaching out to a pool company for your pool service needs, one of the companies we know and trust is Aquaman pools!
Restocking your home
Restocking your home for the summer months will help you deal with certain unexpected elements that could keep you indoors including monsoon season in Arizona. Having your home restocked will ensure that your guest won’t suffer from any inconveniences. We all know that when we go on vacation, we don’t want to go to the store right away. You will also have to consider that most guests are coming from different states, so flying makes it hard to bring certain things, so it is thoughtful to have basic amenities on hand when they check-in. Basic amenities include things such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion to get started in each bathroom.
Being a vacation rental owner most definitely has its challenges, but the more you are prepared, the more smoothly your renting season will go. As vacation rental cleaners, we are always up for new ideas to improve and make the next renter’s stay go even more smoothly. You can contact Moxie Girl or STRM to get into contact with Amanda to take about any cleaning improvements that are needed.
Is anyone starting to feel that cabin fever kick in after being inside for so long? With CDC( Centers for Disease Control) basically restricting any travel for everyone throughout the US. All governors have started closing unessential business and putting restrictions on staying at home and going out only when needed. With all the guidelines and restrictions in place, people are scared to travel or even leave their houses. This pandemic has caused everyone to go into a panic and has everyone worried about doing any sort of travel causing the travel lines to reduce air travel and take extra precautions.
The Effects of Covid-19
So you may be asking, what has the Covid-19 pandemic caused in the Vacation Rental Industry. Well for starters, the decrease in travel has caused multiple properties to lose travelers and causing most property managers to lose future travelers as well as seeing their current travelers canceling or departing earlier than intended. Even with travel violations, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy your staycations whether they are at home or at a local Vacation rental. There are tons of pros of staying at a vacation rental, especially when you’re keeping it local.
Traveling During a Pandemic
Vacation rental properties are places to travel during this pandemic while staying close to home and getting out of your house, but still maintaining social distancing. They provide quick getaways while being stuck at home without having to worry about being in close quarters with others like you would be staying in a hotel room. Some vacation rental homes provide private pools which is a huge advantage during this time, especially living in the Arizona heat when all public pools are being shut down for precautionary reasons due to Covid-19
Clean & Sanitary Staycations
Vacation Rentals also provide a clean and comfortable environment for your family during your stay. Moxie Girl is one of the vacation rental cleaning businesses located in Arizona. Moxie girl employees use disinfectant every time we clean a vacation rental to ensure that you and your family are well taken care of during your stay, focusing on those high-touch areas like Remotes, light plate switches, door handles, etc. Moxie girl’s first priority is the safety of all guests and the cleanliness of every vacation rental property we service. Short term rental properties are great for all types of families no matter how big or small they are. They can accommodate your families needs to sleep pretty much as many people as you want or need. So if you want to support Vacation Rentals, there are multiple ways to book your staycations. To get directly what you are looking for in a vacation home with certain amenities you can contact Moxie Girl or STRM about booking directly instead of booking through a third-party booking website, avoiding those third party booking fees.
If you currently own a vacation rental home here in the Phoenix metropolitan area and are looking to take some things off your plate, Moxie Girl can help you relieve some of the stress of running your rental property.
Did you know many vacation rental home owners periodically book stays in their own vacation rental homes? Whether it’s just to “check on things” or take advantage of their Phoenix “investment” during perfect weather, these visits are never bad idea.
And regardless of your the reason, it’s always a good idea to mentally prepare yourself for an “in-between-guests” visit to your operating vacation rental home. In other words…various and multiple virtual strangers have been almost continually occupying your home since your last visit, so it may not look exactly as you left it last time you staged it yourself.
Loved, But Also Lived In
Moxie Girl, your vacation rental specialist, makes a point of alerting our clients immediately to theft, es or anything in obvious need of repair when we turn a home, but everyday wear-and-tear in a busy rental home is quite different than that of the home you live in full time.
Paint may seem a little dull compared to last season, and throw rugs and sofa pillows might look less than brand new – bed and bath linens could feel slightly less than luxurious to you this time around. Wow, it’s a good thing you dropped in! Now could be the perfect time to replace your soft goods and maybe even consider planning some more extensive updates such as paint, flooring or window coverings (during “off season” of course!)
A “Turn” Clean is Not a Deep Clean
Moxie Girl services many vacation rental homes that offer back-to-back availability, limiting the time we can spend making the home guest-ready. Our “window” to completely turn a home, including laundry, is often a matter of a few hours. So, while we certainly don’t skimp on the cleaning – we want your home looking top-notch, too! – there simply isn’t time to get to “deep cleaning.”
Things such as hard water build-up, stained grouting and other issues that slowly become an issue over time really SHOULD be addressed, whether it be during your visit or by scheduling a deep clean with Moxie Girl as your property’s schedule allows. But the point here is, yes, you might see some things that need attention, but they will generally be the type of things that would fall under the deep cleaning category.
Why is This HERE???
Are you sitting down? And is your chair exactly where you left it last? If so, great! But if you’re walking into your vacation rental home for the first time in a while, this may not be the case. We’re not sure why, and the reasons may be many, but brace yourself for this bit of news: GUESTS MOVE THINGS!
Weird, right? And yet, it’s absolutely not uncommon. Moxie Girl, being who we are, takes care to beautifully stage your vacation rental home as soon as we’re done cleaning, but even WE sometimes just don’t know where a chair (or a nightstand, or a this or a that) actually belongs according to your original plan. So, we do our best.
And you know if guests are relocating furniture, chances are the items in your kitchen cupboards and drawers have definitely been moved! Again, Moxie Girl does take care to make sure these areas are clean, neat and organized, but maybe not exactly as YOU would have them arranged.
P.S. You’re absolutely welcome to arrange them as you wish during your stay!
What Can You Do?
As a vacation rental home owner there are steps you can take during your visits that will help you (and us) keep your investment looking its best for your guests. Remember, proper maintenance of your vacation rental home and its contents help keep your ratings high…which helps keep your calendar full…which gives you higher return on your investment!
Meredith Willis of Arizona Getaways, a Phoenix vacation rental management service, understands that between-guest attention, even by professionals, is on a strict time limit and advises vacation rental home owners to visit their properties regularly to check out the wear-and-tear and make needed repairs and provide routine maintenance to household systems.
As we mentioned in our blog “Minimizing Your Liabilities as a Vacation Rental Homeowner” keeping your home in good repair not only LOOKS better but greatly reduces the chance of accident or injury to guests, and ta-da! – minimizes your liability. Brilliant!
Meredith says this is also a great time to check all the linens! Even if your property rotates multiple sets of sheets and towels, these items are heavily used and laundered much more so that in regular residential use, and everything from kitchen towels to duvet covers are bound to take some mild abuse.
In short, nobody sees things in quite the same way you do, so it’s best you make it a point to do regular inspections of your vacation rental yourself. If we’re not doing things quite the way you’d like, let us know and Moxie Girl will make an effort to accommodate all reasonable requests.
Contact Us!
Looking for reliable, professional vacation rental service? Moxie Girl is here to help with everything from converting an existing home to a vacation rental to in-between-guest turns, including same day services! Contact us today for a FREE CONSULTATION!
If you own and operate a vacation rental home, Moxie Girl knows you already have plenty to think about – and that can lead to important details falling through the cracks. Heaven forbid something unfortunate happens on your property during a guest’s stay, but accidents do happen. Moxie Girl has a few tips – don’t we always? – to help protect yourself and your vacation rental home.
Proper Insurance is Essential!
Make an appointment with your insurance agent to discuss what the appropriate coverage is for your vacation rental property. Be sure to accurately disclose all details of your property and provide historical data if it is available regarding guest activity – such as the number of days rented per month, the average number of guests per stay, etc. – as all of this may affect coverage and rates.
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Have an Air-tight Rental Agreement
All details regarding the terms of rental of your vacation home – check-in and check-out times, deposit requirements, late stay and extended-stay procedures, fees for damages and so forth – should all be stated clearly and concisely in your rental agreement.
Unless you are willing and prepared to deal with the aftermath, you should also make it clear that parties or events during guest stay(s), beyond reasonable and size-appropriate get-togethers with in- town friends or family, are prohibited, as well as any illegal activity.
By ensuring your guests understand what’s expected of them and what to expect of you, should there be an incident, you greatly increase the probability of your guests being more respectful of the rules and of your vacation rental home in general. If they aren’t, or just happen to have an accident, at least you’ll have some legal recourse or protection against liability.
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What’s Your Sign?
We know you don’t want to overload guests with written instructions once they arrive – they are there on vacation after all, not for a reading assignment. But as we discussed in our fireside chat with Chad from Aquaman Pools, we strongly recommend posting a “pool rules” sign as close to the pool as possible. You can read our chat with Chad here
“No Diving, No Unattended Children or Pets, No Running on Pool Deck and NO GLASS in Pool Area” should always be included on your pool rules sign. Our blog, “Five Sizzling Tips for Vacation Rental Homes with Pools” has some suggestions for encouraging your guests to adhere to the No glass rule in particular! Posting pool rules may not only get you a break in premiums but may even be required by your insurance company or local statutes regarding vacation rental homes. At minimum, you will have peace of mind knowing you did your part to promote a safe experience for your guests.
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While not required of course, posting simple, easy-to-follow instructions near any appliances that aren’t particularly user-friendly may be helpful to both you and your guests. A guest who can figure out how to start your fancy dishwasher, probably will – saving you time and effort in preparing for your next guests.
Many vacation rental homeowners keep a professional-looking binder prominently displayed in the home, which contains house rules, emergency numbers, Wi-Fi passwords and other pertinent info, and direct their guests in advance to check the binder for anything they may need to know. The binder is also a great place to keep any keys required for pool gates or laundry rooms. See our Moxie blog “That’s a Nice Touch!” for more ways to make your guests feel welcome and comfortable.
Technology: Good and Good for You!
From keyless entry systems to lockable thermostats, technology is at the ready to help protect your vacation rental home investment. Old-fashioned lockboxes can be tricky and if the code isn’t scrambled after opening or closing, the keys inside are vulnerable and may be used to gain an authorized entry by anyone. You also give your guests one less thing to keep track of by installing a keyless entry system on your property.
Many keyless systems can have multiple entry codes (for example one for your guests, and one for your cleaning crew or other service crews) and can be accessed, monitored and controlled from your smartphone.
As we pointed out in our blog “Tips for a Successful Summer as a Vacation Rental Homeowner” a lockable thermostat prevents your guests from excessive AC use, lowering your power bill and keeping your AC unit operating at its most efficient.
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Maintenance and Repairs
Many of us work around “issues” in our personal residences for a variety of reasons. We know to step over that loose tile at the top of the stairs, or maybe we’ve just been too busy to take a hammer to that carpet tack that has made its way to the surface of the bedroom threshold. However, those little issues should not go unattended when it comes to your vacation rental home!
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Conduct a thorough walk-through of your property on a regular basis and take care of any issues that may have come up. Those walk-throughs are also a great time to do monthly maintenance like changing AC or water filters in the home. By keeping your vacation rental home meticulously maintained, you lower the chances of any incidents or injuries on your property – and increase the probability of a great guest review!
Need help with your vacation rental home? From expert set-up to professional cleaning, Moxie Girl leads the way in quality, reliable care for your vacation rental property. Contact us for a free consultation and see what Moxie Girl can do for you!
