As of the last recorded data, over 20 million people visited San Francisco in a single year. Travel isn't going away anytime soon, so if you have a spare property sitting around, it may be time to turn it into a vacation rental.
Setting reasonable vacation rental rules and guidelines is crucial for both you and your guests. How can you get started? Let's talk about it.
Read on to learn some basic information about how to start coming up with and enforcing your house rules.
Keep Rules Reasonable
When you're setting property rules for your vacation property, you need to think from the perspective of your guests, not just yourself as the property owner. Remember that your guests are on vacation, and if you set unreasonable rules, you won't get more bookings.
So what's unreasonable? This depends on the types of guests you're welcoming and the type of home you're renting out, but you don't want to do anything that will limit your guests from having a reasonably good time.
You can require your guests to keep your property tidy and to limit noise after certain hours, but you likely can't set a strict curfew, for example. Guests on vacation should be able to come and go as they like.
Safety is at the Forefront
Make sure you keep the focus of your rules on safety first and foremost. Yes, the condition of your property also matters, but safety is key.
If there are any "dangerous" elements to your property, like a pool or a balcony, emphasize the safety rules surrounding these things and include information about local emergency services. Keep in mind that some of your guests may be traveling from outside of the country, so include information about how to contact 911.
Research Similar Properties
If you're struggling to come up with rules that make sense for your property, research similar nearby properties or network with other local landlords.
You can do this research online by looking at local San Francisco vacation rentals as if you were a guest. Many hosts keep some, if not all, of their house rules available online.
By doing this, you'll find what makes sense and what other hosts and guests deem reasonable.
Make Rules Clear
You need to make sure your rules are clear to your guests. You can't expect guests to follow rules that they aren't aware of.
Have rules available in your guest's "Welcome" message and keep a list of house rules somewhere on the property that's easy to find, like on the fridge. Make the rules as accessible as possible.
Time to Set Vacation Rental Rules and Guidelines
Setting vacation rental rules and guidelines doesn't have to be hard. As long as the rules are reasonable and accessible, most guests will have no issue following them. They'll have a great (and safe) vacation.
Are you looking for extra help with your vacation rental? PMI SF Peninsula is here for you! We can help you turn your vacation property into almost-passive income with our experienced property management experts.
Schedule a free consultation with us today.
