What To Look for When Choosing Airbnb Property Management Software

Managing a successful Airbnb business is a complex process. With bookings, cleanings, maintenance, and more, there is a lot to keep up with when managing multiple short-term rental properties. Even if you feel you are on top of everything, with one unexpected emergency or unforeseen cost, it's easy for something else to slip through the cracks. The good news is that you don't have to handle all of the nuts and bolts of Airbnb property management on your own. All of the moving parts of the short term rental industry can work in synchronicity with the right property management software.

Why Consider Airbnb Property Management Software

There are tools out there to make your job easier, so why not put them to work? From billing to booking, to cleaning, to accounting, running an Airbnb is not for the faint of heart. Using a quality Airbnb property management solution can not only save you time and money, but it can also provide a professional edge to your rental business.

5 Essential Features of an Airbnb Property Management Solution

When you're ready to find an Airbnb property management solution, what should you look for to ensure that it meets your needs? A few key elements are essential to keep an eye out for when comparing property management software.

Streamlines Repetitive Tasks and Daily Operations With Automation

First, you'll want to find software that will help you streamline all of the daily operational tasks of running an Airbnb and reduce the risk of human error. Tasks that software can help with include:

• Booking through multiple channels
• Automating guest messaging, by sending info such as thank you messages and check-in info, throughout the booking process and beyond
• Prompting past guests to leave a review
• Collecting deposits and full payments and sending receipts
• Scheduling cleanings when your guests depart and before new guests arrive
• Setting up automated discount days or special offers
• Keeping track of specific maintenance needs
• Keeping track of assets, income, and expense

Knowing that these repetitive tasks are taken care of will free you up to focus on growth and other big picture concerns.

Inventory Management and Asset Tracking

Next, you'll want to ensure that the software can manage your vacation rental inventory and assets. The software should also have a simple way to track your expenses so that you know exactly how much you have spent on things like appliance upgrades, repair costs, and amenities to sustain each property.

You should be able to view profit and loss information for each property easily so that you know which properties are most profitable and which may need extra attention or a change in pricing. You should also be able to sort by location, owner, or other parameters if required.

Key Integrations for Messaging, Payments, and More

Next, you want to ensure that the software allows you to communicate easily with both potential guests and current guests, has a method of processing payments, and integrates easily with other platforms you use. Many property management software options also allow you to easily incorporate these features into your website, so guests have a single platform option and never have to leave your home site for services like online booking and payment processing.

A few features that popular property management software may offer:

• Automated notification of new direct bookings, messages, or payments and multiple options for receiving such notifications to make sure that you never miss a communication
• A mobile app for easy communication and convenient funnelling into a unified inbox for messages received from multiple channels
• Payment processing and easy options for raising and lowering rates based on seasonal needs or demand
• Automated syncing to simultaneously put up listings across top sites like Airbnb, as well as smaller niche sites
• Features to aid in scalability; good software should work well for managing any number of rental properties.
• A means of contacting past guests with discount opportunities or other updates.

Centralized Dashboard With Metric and Reporting Features

You'll want to make sure that the dashboard of the property management software is intuitive and easy to operate. It should tell you key metrics upfront, have easy access to technical support if needed, and provide a way to track website visits. It should also tell display the health of your key metrics compared to industry standards.

A quality dashboard will have easy-to-interpret analytics that sync with main booking sites, such as Airbnb and VRBO, and tell you where most of your bookings originate. This way, you know what marketing channels are working for you and where you might need to invest additional energy.

If you manage properties you do not own, your chosen software should provide an easy way to send the owners an updated report with all the critical information they need.

Some software even offers owner dashboards where owners can log in to check on their properties and how they perform, receive an overview of expenses, and book owner stays. Booking an owner's stay will remove those dates from the calendar, as Airbnb would not be available to outside guests.

Booking Calendar Synchronization

When using multiple booking sites, it's essential to avoid double bookings. The last thing you want is two sets of guests to show up at your Airbnb simultaneously. Airbnb property management software will synchronize your calendars, so you never have to worry about double booking.

If you manage multiple properties, quality property management software should provide options for viewing your bookings at a glance or searching for availability in all of your listings at once.

Rental Property Management Software That Works For You

Once you find a rental property management software that works for you, consider integrating it with a property maintenance solution like TIDY. TIDY ensures that all your cleaning and maintenance needs are taken care of in the most efficient way possible.

With the ability to automatically schedule cleaners for turnover days, customize deep cleaning checklists for specific properties, and handle payments to your cleaning and maintenance crew, TIDY ensures your Airbnb is clean and ready to provide an optimal guest experience at the drop of a hat.

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