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9 Property Manager Roles and Responsibilities Airbnb Owners Look For
Are you one of the Airbnb hosts who hire property managers or property management companies to manage their Airbnb rental units for them? If this is something you’re considering, there are several roles and property manager duties you should make sure your candidates are clear on.
There’s a lot more to a property manager’s job than just making sure the bedsheets are changed.
Here, we’ll take you through nine Airbnb duties and how to make sure that you pick the very best property managers for your Airbnb.
9 Airbnb Property Manager Roles and Responsibilities
Here are nine of the most important responsibilities property managers should have:
1. Handles guest inquiries and communication
Good, quick communication is one of the key features of an Airbnb host. The faster you can reply to guest inquiries and communications, the more time you will have to build a rapport.
You also show that you are an attentive and dedicated host who takes guest communication seriously. All of this is great for getting guests who come back again and again.
This is also vital when resolving guest or tenant complaints. Unhappy guests will be less likely to leave a negative review if they feel as though their concerns were listened to and dealt with efficiently and emphatically.
2. Housekeeping and maintenance
Your property managers need to take housekeeping and maintenance and all associated costs seriously.
Make sure that your property is always in a good state of repair, that all appliances and electrical items work, that the heating or aircon functions as it should, and so on. Your property manager organizes regular maintenance checks.
If there are any maintenance requests, they should be handled quickly. Minor repairs should not need direct management oversight from you.
Similarly, either the landlord or the property manager should visit after every guest has left and after cleaners to check on the cleanliness of the rental property, and generally make sure it’s spotless for the next guest.
3. Handles guest arrivals and departures
Arrivals and departures are a frequent friction point for Airbnb guests. A property manager should ensure that every guest knows how to access the rental property and understands when and how to leave.
They should also be prepared to consider any new and different requests regarding access (for example, providing a ramp for wheelchair users).
Other property and community manager responsibilities include making sure there is enough time between one guest leaving and another arriving to clean the property and prepare it for the next guests, as well as communicating any issues or changes on arrival.
4. Takes care of Airbnb listings and marketing
Keeping your Airbnb listing attractive and up to date is a big part of Airbnb property management.
A property manager oversees things such as:
- Updating the listing with any new, relevant information.
- Taking updated photos.
- Sets and adjust prices
- Add and remove information about attractions and services in your property’s locale as they become relevant/irrelevant.
- Keeping an eye on top listing trends and using them for your own listing to improve ranking.
5. Sets competitive pricing and seasonal promotion
Managing a successful Airbnb isn’t just a case of “Build it, and they will come.” Any Airbnb host needs to work at making their Airbnb competitive.
Good Airbnb property managers will have a good grasp of your market and be able to come up with good strategies for pricing, promotion, and more. They will be able to spot business opportunities when they arise and capitalize on them.
For example, they will be able to look at seasonal trends for your listing and make competitive suggestions based on these, such as suggesting lower prices to attract guests when you have vacant units or a kids’ discount to bring in families during school vacations.
6. Screens guests
Screening tenants and guests is a big part of any property manager’s job.
Good property managers will screen and talk to prospective tenants and perhaps even check relevant databases to make sure that they are a good fit for both your property and the community and services surrounding it.
On platforms like Airbnb, managers should be aware of accepting guests with bad reviews.
7. Implements and communicates guest safety measures
Accepting ownership of your responsibility for guest safety is vital for any Airbnb property manager. If a guest hurts themselves on your property, not only will they have the kind of bad experience, but you may also find yourself liable.
While insurance services can reduce your risk in such cases, guest injury is still something you really don’t want to happen.
A property manager will make sure that your rental properties are as safe as possible for your guests. They will also inform guests of any important safety measures (for example, letting them know where any fire exits are, warning them of slippery steps, and so on).
8. Oversees expenses and inventory management
As a property owner, you know it’s not cheap to run an Airbnb. Cleaning, laundry, refilling inventory, repairs, maintenance…it all adds up.
A big responsibility of a property manager is overseeing property expenses and managing your property’s inventory.
This entails things such as managing maintenance costs, operating budget management software, keeping on top of operating expenses, and generally making sure that the property always has everything it needs with enough money left in the bank to restock inventory and fix any breakages.
9. Compliance with local laws and legal requirements
Housing laws and short term rental regulations vary a lot from place to place, and they may affect how you run your Airbnb.
If you have a number of Airbnb properties spread over different locations, make sure that the manager of each property is familiar with local laws and understands how to keep the property compliant with legal requirements.
Top Tips When Hiring Airbnb Property Managers
Here are some things to look for and consider when hiring an Airbnb property manager or an Airbnb property management company:
Factor in financial skills
As with any real estate work, financial skills are a huge help in property management. Your potential property manager should understand basic business administration: things like how to price the listing competitively, how to budget, how to keep expenses reasonable, how to go about collecting rent, and so on.
It’s definitely beneficial if your potential property manager has a working understanding of accounting and expense management software, such as order fulfillment software, inventory management tools, and smilar solutions.
Seek candidates with strong communication skills
Strong communicators should be able to make potential guests feel at ease and welcome while giving them all the information they need and vetting them for appropriateness.
Remember, your property manager or property managers should also be able to maintain a productive relationship with you, the landlord. So don’t pick someone you don’t think you can communicate with or work with well!
Understand the fees property managers charge
How are you going to pay the property manager? When it comes to fee structures, there are two common options. You either pay the manager a fixed monthly fee or they take a commission. A flat fee is more common for long-term rentals, while the commission model is typical for short-term rentals.
The percentage varies and can range from 10% to as much as 40% of the rental income, depending on the services provided. Be sure to review the contract carefully to understand whether any additional fees apply.
Look for good problem-solving abilities and adaptability
Property management, in general, is prone to throwing up unexpected challenges and surprises. Throw in the guest hosting element, and you’ve got a recipe for a job that will regularly require problem-solving.
So, when hiring a property manager or property management company, make sure to include adaptability, in-depth knowledge of both real estate skills, and great problem-solving abilities in the property manager job description.
Check awareness of legal requirements and regulations
Your property manager or commercial property management company will either take care of all legal requirements for you or, if they can’t, let you know quickly of any regulations coming in that you need to be aware of.
Your potential Airbnb property manager must be aware and up to date of all relevant legal requirements and regulations regarding real estate, landlords, tenants, and the latest short-term rental regulations.
Check references to assess the candidate's track record and reliability
If you can, check your candidate’s references to make sure that they know what they’re doing, that their experience is relevant to your needs, that they’re reliable, and that other property owners have had good experiences with them.
If your candidate is just starting out in property management, that’s not necessarily a problem. If you can, check that their prior experience is relevant to what you need. For example, they may have previous experience in the real estate industry or property maintenance.
Make sure they are available for emergencies
While it is sometimes possible to manage an Airbnb remotely, a good property manager should be able to react quickly whenever needed.
Guests may have emergencies or generally need the help of your property manager at any time, so flexible availability is a huge advantage for a good property manager.
Ideally, your property manager will have their own transport to get to your property quickly with any tools, inventory, or equipment needed.
Make Hosting Easier with iGMS
Managing property on Airbnb, Vrbo and similar platforms depends on the property management competency, but also on a great system and tech stack. iGMS has an intuitive mobile app where you can:
- Centralize your operations with the Channel Manager, and manage multiple listings across leading booking platforms.
- Enhance guest experience using Automated Messaging and automated reviews, equipped with customizable templates.
- Coordinate tasks and schedules with Team Management, so your property is always guest-ready.
