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I rent out a recently built studio in a tropical island destination. We consistently get great reviews, > 95% five stars. I also have another 2 bedroom condo near a great beach on the same island. But this condo is old, furniture is worn out. However, we rent it for a similar price as the studio although it has 3x more space. Although our pricing is much lower than the market average for the 2BR condo, we don’t get consistently great reviews. People mention it was good value but I have received a couple of 3 and 4*. This is over a sample size of 20 guests.
I assumed that if you price it low and provide appropriate disclosures, people would not complain. But people complain even though we send them disclosures after booking as well. I have pictures of worn-out carpet, furniture, and an old bathroom. I don’t sugarcoat anything.
I was hoping that we could continue renting the old condo without spending money on renovation, and there would be a market segment that would be willing to accept an old but clean condo at low rates. This could be a consideration because of the location we are in. It’s an expensive destination and lodging is probably only a small fraction of the total money people spend on the trip.
I plan to renovate the condo, charge high rates and hopefully get good reviews. Maybe this is a reason why there aren’t as many affordable listings on Airbnb anymore compared to when I started using Airbnb in 2010. Users keep downvoting affordable listings even though hosts like me do their best to disclose the actual condition of the property.
I’m curious to hear feedback from people who rent out older properties. How do you ensure that you get consistently great reviews?
As a guest, I don’t mind old furniture but it should be in good shape. I want to feel pampered and not like I’m staying at a dorm.
If it were I, I would start replacing little by little the worn out furniture. Use your earnings from your successful studio to bring back to life the two bedroom condo. You also might be able to refinish some of your furniture.
I live in a 33 year old home with a ton of inherited furniture. I’ve refinished it to a coastal vibe and spent my earnings on upgrading sheets, pillows, blankets, and making people feel that while I have a more classic older home, they’re getting a very clean, comfortable, and pleasant stay.
If the rugs are worn out, toss them. They’ll look dirty no matter how clean they are. Shabby anything except distressed furniture feels grubby.
All linens should be in like-new condition. Even my older bathroom gets good reviews because it’s clean.
Start renovating. My listing is affordable, there are plenty that are, you’re in a luxury destination and expecting 5* reviews for what people see as a 3* type of place (I don’t mean this in a bad way - without access to your listing I can’t review the feedback)
You don’t need to renovate the unit to get better reviews, you just need to spiff up what is there. Old worn carpet is not something any guests will be okay with. Nor dinged up furniture. A fresh coat of paint, new carpets or throw rugs, repaint furniture or pick up some better stuff second hand. You can do a lot with little money, just some time, effort and care.
I use accurate pictures and don’t use superlatives in my description. Oddly the only comment I’ve ever had about the age and condition of my 210 year old house in over a decade was that the outside could use a coat of paint, lol. Mine is a very affordable home share. Most people just care that the bed is comfortable, it’s not too noisy, and the place is clean.
Details matter; For the bathroom, for example, sit on your toilet seat and see what the guests see - you might find that they look at dirty caulking, dusty molding, and other easily cleaned surfaces. Do a deep clean of the seat area, and maybe replace it. Look up to see if the lights are bright and that the covers are clean and do not contain dust or bugs. The undersides of things need cleaning as well.
All contact surfaces need to be spotless and clean. One easy quick fix is replacing the light switch plates, the covers that people look at constantly when going into or leaving every room.
While these are in some ways merely minor cosmetics, that are important to the guest’s experience and every little detail will ultimately count. A tangled light cord signals inattention, dirty blinds telegraph ‘dirty house’.
One of our rentals was built in 1949, the other in 1950. One has the original kitchen and bathroom. Because they are beautifully MCM, they are not going to be renovated.
To get great reviews with an older property, the place must be sparkling clean. Everything must be in good order. Anything that is worn should be replaced. All linens should be in as-new condition. Books, magazines, china, cutlery, cooking stuff, inside all cupboards / closets / must be clean and damage free …
Lots of attention to detail is required although another important issue is ensuring the guests have everything they could possibly need and receive friendly service.
The 4 star is the quality rating. If the listing is tired with worn out furnishings and thread bare floor coverings - why would you expect a 5?
The ratings are not on price alone.
I was wrong in my expectations. But it does not matter what I expect. Guests are not giving me five stars with the current set up, so I will have to get rid of this affordable listing, spend some money to make it nice like my other studio and double my rates. I know people are willing to pay those rates and still give five star ratings.
Affordable listings are feasible (aka possible or practical). What you’re asking about is the reviews. I don’t know what your overall average is but the obvious goal is to stay over 4.8 for the superhost designation. However, I see listings all the time below that.
I think many guests conflate cleanliness with new appearance. If a carpet is clean but “worn” they are going to think it’s not clean. The idea of any kind of carpet in a beachy, tropical location sounds gross to me. What kind of floors are under the carpet? Start there. Look around for other obvious but relatively inexpensive fixes. Do a few at a time and see if ratings improve.
Given the cost of materials and the shortage of labor this isn’t a great time to do major renovations. But if there are things you can do yourself like replace faucets or refinish furniture, then do that. Are there things that are rusted, corroded, warped? Some paint can do wonders. Are the windows sparkling clean?
Finally, if you do decide to go with a major overhaul you’ll be better off to start with a brand new listing and scrap the old one with the 3s and 4s. It’s a lot of work to bring up the average after it’s started too low.
Give the guest a story. I ran out of money doing my renovation so it took years to complete it. I wrote The Story of the Condo and posted it on the refrigerator.
I wrote about: why Dad & I purchased it, the background of taking it back to the sheetrock and doing/having/ continuing the renovations as we had time & $$$, & being grateful to friends who helped. I invited guests to come back & join us to see how things progressed. Great reviews even when the laundry room was crap.
I wish that reviews could be designated “Per value only”, as in “I’m rating this 5 stars because at the price, no one should expect fancier digs than this. If it cost twice as much, I’d rate it much lower.”
I’m hoping to travel soon and find some bargain accommodations like this.
Our rental is a 1954 Spartan Manor aluminum trailer. It is far from perfect. I show pride of ownership and urge my guests to listen when I tell them it is collectible, special and deserves their respect. This little talk I think really gets them on the way to realizing that in fact it is SPECIAL.
That really shouldn’t be necessary though. As long as the host has described the place accurately, and priced it accordingly, the criteria for ratings is the same across the board.
And when guests understand the rating system and are appreciative people, they are just as likely to rate a very simple private room offering at 5s as a 5 bedroom high-end home at 5s.
One of the problems is that guests often rate according to a mental comparison they are making with other places they’ve stayed, or their own expections. When the only comparison they should be making is between how the place was advertised and how it actually was.
