AirBnB has given many people the chance to rent out property they own to clients who build a ‘trustworthiness ranking’ via the app, which often takes the form of reviews and star ratings. This way, the service hopes to make booking, stays, payments, and feedback a solid enough process that property owners and temporary tenants (or guests) alike can find comfort and a sense of security throughout this relationship.

That said, just like working as a full time landlord, being shrewd in who you allow into your property, setting ground rules, and making sure that we do everything to code is absolutely essential. In this post, then, we’ll discuss a few measures by which you can achieve that, and how to pre-empt some of the issues you may experience ahead of time.

After all, letting anyone into your property brings with it the chance of risk, and so it should be up to you to make sure that these are countered and your terms are properly expressed to the client ahead of time. Without further ado, consider our advice for getting the best out of this process:

Use A Management Service

Using a management service like OptiNest to care for your home in the interim can help you maintain it properly, book guests as appropriate, have issues reported as necessary, and rent out without having to micromanage every single element of your space. This way, you can take a fairly hands-off approach without being absent or a lacking property owner, instead, your time can be managed properly. This also helps if you have multiple property elements to let out.

Protect The Property With Exterior Cameras

While it’s essential to make sure the privacy of your guests is paramount, it’s also wise to protect your property. Note that this is not an excuse to place cameras inside of the property as some AirBnB property owners have been caught doing, but making sure that the exterior elements are covered can be key - such as the driveway or ginnel on the outside of your property. Make it VERY clear where these cameras are to your guests. This way, you can make sure that accountability is enforced where appropriate, such as if they bring many people to party at your home despite that going against the terms you had originally agreed on. However, the main utility of this is making sure the home is safe against theft and break ins.

Clearly State Your Terms

It’s essential to clearly state your terms in the contract. Perhaps you don’t want smoking on your property at all, even on the balcony area. Maybe you simply won’t accept pets. Perhaps you will only rent to those above the age of thirty. Make sure that your stipulations aren’t overbearing, but whatever they are, be sure to clearly state them and do so in a manner in which they cannot be misunderstood. If you do that, they’re much more likely to be followed.

With this advice, you’re sure to get the best out of renting with a service like AirBnB.