Tips For Turning Your Apartment into a Vacation Rental


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The life of an apartment isn’t as predictable as we often believe. Not all of them start out and continue being comfy homes for typical families. Sometimes, people turn their apartments into vacation rentals. An apartment doesn’t have to waste away just because you moved. If you don’t want to rent it out monthly, you can always turn it into a vacation rental.

This way, you’ll be able to make a lot more money, and you’ll get to meet a lot of different people from a lot of different countries. This is especially likely if you live in a touristy place that people like to visit often. By simply converting your apartment into a vacation rental, you’re contributing to advancing the tourism in your town, as well as making a few extra bucks per month. Of course, for this plan to succeed, you’ll need to make the apartment into something special.

1. Change the locks

The lock on your apartment is fine when it’s just you living there, but giving the keys to your renters isn’t always possible. People come from all over the world, and you can’t always count on travelling timetables to be correct. After a long journey, the last thing people want is not to be able to get into their rental apartment right away. 

You’ll either end up wasting your day waiting for them, or they’ll have to wait for ages for you to come there. This can even be awkward as most people don’t really want to meet the person they’re renting from. Things are further complicated if you’re travelling while you have visitors, or if you’re working from somewhere far away.

One simple way to counter all of this is to change the lock into a deadbolt with a passcode. You can leave the keys inside and simply let your guests know what the passcode for the apartment is. This way, your rental property is secure and you don’t have to arrange an impossible meet-up with the renters. Another idea is to put the key into a mailbox right next to the door. Of course, the mailbox will also be protected with a passcode.

2. Take good pics

room with brick wall, wooden blinks and large painting

You could have the perfect rental apartment, but without proper pics, people won’t know that. Too often, you see vacation rentals online that don’t show you virtually anything. You don’t know what the bedroom looks like, you can’t see if the place has an AC, the pictures are blurry, and often enough, pics of some rooms are missing. This isn’t a method that will bring you more guests.

Instead, you should snap some gorgeous pics that will impress potential guests and make them want to book their stay with you. Make sure that no pics are blurry, make the whole place visible, take pics of all the rooms, and even include pics of some details you think the guests will like. The better the camera, the better the pics, of course.

If you have a friend that’s into photography, you can even ask them to take the pics for you. In cases when you’re feeling extra, you can hire a photographer for some truly amazing pics. This won’t cost you as much as you think and will surely be a valuable investment. Awesome pics are half of a decent ad that brings in new guests.

3. Include the basics

jars with spices

As well as comfy furniture and a tastefully decorated space, you should offer your guests a little something extra. Since most people are only staying for a few days at a time, they don’t benefit from buying oil, spices, coffee, tea, toilet paper, and other toiletries. They’ll just end up wasting money and throwing the things away, as there’s no way they can use them in a span of a few days. Alas, most guests have to do just that, as rental owners usually don’t include such things in the apartment.

You can. Including the aforementioned necessities can be the thing to set you aside from others who rent out their apartments. You’ll be the famous owner who really includes everything in the price. The guests are bound to appreciate your generosity and give you excellent reviews.

This method even pays off, as you can always keep the apartment stocked. People won’t use much of the ingredients, so the ones that rent the place after them will get to enjoy the same treatment without you having to spend more money.

4. Keep it clean

lady mopping kitchen floor

A lot of people are bound to go through the apartment. The most important thing you can do is to keep it clean. Nobody wants to stay in someone else’s filth. Just put yourself in your guests’ shoes. Would you want to stay in an unclean space where you can just tell what the person before you did by the way they left things? Probably not. 

If you don’t want to clean the place yourself, you can always hire someone to do it for you. Wash the sheets and the towels (and maybe even the blankets), clean the bathroom thoroughly, and don’t leave anything unvacuumed. This will take you roughly one afternoon but it will leave your guests with a pristine space they’ll surely enjoy visiting again.

You can even keep track of how often the place is cleaned so that your guests know exactly how fresh it is. Put up the information on a wall in the apartment, and write down the last date of cleaning.

The scent of the apartment is also something you should maintain. Airing out the place regularly is an excellent idea, but also includes scented candles and incense sticks. The apartment will have a unique aroma that your guests will like, and you’ll get rid of unpleasant scents for good. For example, non-smokers won’t have to put up with the leftover traces of smoke from previous renters.

5. Keep communication channels open

Even though the renters deserve their privacy, you should still keep communication channels open. Leave them your number in the apartment, and install Viber or WhatsApp. This way, they’ll be able to easily reach you for free thanks to the internet.

Being in contact with your guests can help you react accordingly if they have a problem or need any extra information. It’ll be like they have a friend they can turn to in this new and unfamiliar place. That helps guests feel more comfortable and safer in a completely unfamiliar environment.

On the other hand, this also increases the chances that your apartment will stay completely intact. When renters are in contact with the owner, they feel more responsibility to actually take care of the apartment they’re renting. No matter how responsible you think someone is, it’s likely that they’ll be loud and unclean just because they’re letting their habits go while vacationing. Sometimes, renters can even leave permanent damage on apartments. If you have their numbers and passport numbers, you’ll be able to check on them without imposing and hold them accountable if they end up destroying anything.

6. Include necessary appliances

black and white kitchen

If your home has all the necessary appliances included, people are likely to stay for longer and pay more. A comfortable stay is something everyone is after, and appliances bring comfort to a whole new level. If you have a working washing machine and dryer, people don’t have to worry about getting dirty or not having enough clothes to wear while on vacation. TVs are excellent additions as your guests can relax in the evenings and catch up on their favourite shows or discover local entertainment.

An oven means that your guests will get to cook and make their favourite meals, which most people actually prefer on vacation. After all, this way they get to keep up with their nutritional habits and eat the way they’re supposed to. You can also include a microwave so that they can make popcorn and heat up meals more easily.

As pro coffee makers, BluePod coffee machines are also very useful in a vacation rental. Chances are, your guests drink coffee. After all, most people today do. You can give them the experience of a lifetime by including a quality coffee maker that will make all of the dreams of a coffee lover come true. Your guests can get their daily dose of caffeine simply by pressing a button.  This little detail won’t cost you much, but it will pay off a lot.

7. Make a map

People on vacation will always need help from locals, and you’re the local. It’s likely your guests won’t have their own WiFi to check the Google maps and plan out their journeys, as it is likely they won’t even know how to start planning. You can help them out by making a map. Print out a Google Map and mark where all the interesting things are in pen or pencil. The bus station and bus routes are the most important things you need to mark on the map.

Also include valuable information about the best places to eat, the best entertainment, and any local tourist attractions. Your guests will now have a basis of a plan and will know where to start exploring the city. When you’re completely new to the place, you appreciate every little piece of information you can get your hands on.

If you’re feeling creative, this map can turn into a mini touristic guide for your guests. Include the price of bus and taxi fares, as well as information on how to hail taxis (as each city generally has a different method). If the rest of your amazing home doesn’t get you a good review, this detail certainly will.

Conclusion

As you can see, turning your apartment into a vacation rental can be a lot of work. Still, it’s definitely worth it. IF you advertise right and give your visitors something nice to talk about, you’ll always have renters lining up to stay at your home. Alternative accommodation has become increasingly popular in the last few years. People are simply fed up with overpaying for hotels. It’s the perfect time to use this to your advantage and give them a vacation of their lifetime, all the while making a profit yourself.

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