Airbnb rentals are a great source of extra passive income when your apartment is vacant, and you are away enjoying your holidays, or it can be a unique experience to get to know people from different backgrounds as you share your house and local culture. You might have different reasons why you want to start your Airbnb in the first place. But since you are already convinced that the idea of Airbnb is a good start, for now, you should learn how to do things right as you dive through the Airbnb world! Our team of hosting experts will guide you through the basic steps and tips to get started with your Airbnb.
Rental property
There are options where you own the property or you are considering renting it from others and then you list it on Airbnb. Some rental contracts have limitations in subletting or hosting, even if you rent the accommodation without permission of the owner, you will eventually get in trouble and have to face legal issues. First, get your landlord’s consent and make arrangements to legally rent the property. Try to convince your landlord with the Airbnb business model. Otherwise, you can have the option to purchase a property in order to invest in a short-term rental.
Insurance coverage and property protection
As part of Airbnb, AirCover for Hosts gives free insurance for damage protection and liability insurance. However, it is not an alternative to the homeowners’ insurance that covers the property according to the rental agreement. That means your standard insurance by a landlord will not cover any damages when you rent your place as part of an Airbnb business. Thus, it’s better to review the insurance policies that you have to understand the coverage and limitations of your case.
Legal issues
You probably do not want to have an unpleasant experience with penalties or fines. Best thing to do is to check the local laws in Turkey and follow the Airbnb hosting policies; we also wrote a full article regarding the legality of Airbnb in Turkey and some tips to stay on the safe side.
Choose a location: Where do you want to Airbnb?
First thing first, do market research; learning what kind of customer types are there that can be potential guests can help you determine which area you want to Airbnb. Some cities could have more market demand than others as well as it differs in the areas inside the city. Some neighborhoods could be more profitable for families while others can attract single travelers more. Check our blog “The most attractive cities to invest in short-term rentals -Turkey”. You can also use our service “We invest for you” as we have local market specialists that can help you choose the right place and property size. Second, research how competitive the market is, note as you check similar Airbnb listings and especially the one that has high-level reviews, try to understand the average and minimum prices per night as you can also look at their photos and description to understand what type of offering they have.
Create your listing
Determine the type of place you want to rent if it is completely vacant and you are renting the entire property or you want to use just a part of it as a private room. then think about scheduling the availability of your house/ apartment. Consider certain seasons or parts of the weeks or even special days to get more bookings. As we mentioned above about the market research, it is crucial to define what sort of guests you want to host based on your property type and size. Whether you want to rent to families, single backpackers, couples, students, or business travelers This will also give you an idea of how to design, manage and list your property based on the customers you want to target.
Set Competitive and smart pricing
You can set your price based on different factors such as the area, seasonality, and if you are providing anything extra that can add value to your apartment. Track the local demand as you also compare with prices of similar Airbnb listings (comparing the property type and if it is in the same area). It can take some thorough research to learn how to price your listing but it is worth the effort.
Now you can easily register on the Airbnb website and fill in the information needed for your rental ad/announcement. Welcome Concierge team shares some useful tips to successfully continue this process:
- Provide all essential amenities and products to use.
- Housekeeping: clean the house including bed linens, towels, kitchen… or you can apply for high-quality cleaning services so your guests will be satisfied once they arrive.
- Interior Design: if you want to make your house look more appealing, you can hire interior designers for refurbishment and decoration.
- Photography: photos play a crucial role to attract customers, try to take professional pictures that can perfectly showcase your house. Fake or misleading photos can ruin your ad which may lead to bad reviews.
- Attractive title and description: that is a great start for your first booking, write a catchy title with clear and concise information that can help guests understand exactly what they are looking for.
- Clear rules: you can set some rules or a guide for your guests to minimize potential problems. Not that you have to be strict but the idea of house rules can help your guests understand your expectations from the beginning.
- Reviews: we can’t stress enough how important are good reviews to succeed in Airbnb. It is all about being responsive, reliable, and providing a comfortable experience for your guests. Communicating with your guests and being available to answer their calls and inquiries, dealing with bookings, and welcoming them nicely are all necessary points that you should consider.
- Authentic experience: little details make a big difference, it would be great if you can offer some local guide to traveling sights or small welcome cakes, you can be creative in ideas or even go beyond the standard Airbnb experience. The goal is to satisfy your guests and gain high-quality reviews as much as possible which can eventually help you gain a Superhost status.
Managing your property can indeed be quite challenging but if you want a hassle-free process, there are professionals to help you such as a rental management company “Welcome Concierge” that provides various services. If you want to get more details and information, “Book an appointment” with us.
