First time STR host

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There is really no “must have” in a rental, as listings run from simple and basic budget-priced to expensive high end luxury. The important thing is to set reasonable expectations for what you provide in your listing ad.

You should also identify your target market. “Must haves” are dependent on your target demographic. Appealing to digital nomads means you should have a proper, comfortable desk and chair, plenty of electrical outlets and good desk lighting. If you are catering to families on vacation, you might provide some kid-friendly amenities like a high chair, a pack n play, a box of toys, etc.

Do not try to appeal to anyone and everyone, it’s best to market towards the guests who will be a good “fit”.

There are a few errors I see new hosts make, which apply to pretty much all types of rentals:

There should be bedside tables on both sides of a bed intended for 2 people, with a reading lamp on each table. Just because a couple shares a bed doesn’t mean they have the same habits. One might like to stay up and read in bed, the other turns his light out and goes straight to sleep, etc.

Make sure your maximum guest count corresponds to more than how many beds you have. If you list for 8, make sure you have a dining table and seating for 8, as well as that 8 can sit comfortably in the living room. Don’t expect 6 people to share one bathroom. Resist the temptation to try to cram more guests in by using sleeper sofas, etc.

Furnish with items that are easy to clean and not too expensive. Guests can be hard on things. Stay away from “sets” of things like dishes and bedding that will require you to buy another entire set if things get broken or stained beyond redemption. For instance, you could go with dishes that can be purchased by the piece to match what you already have, like at Ikea. Keep spares on hand, packed away, so you can quickly replace if you find the guests have broken 2 plates out of a set of 8.

You could go with all white bedding and towels, so if your bottom sheets wear out before the top sheets, you can just buy new fitted sheets. Or a color scheme, like various shades of grey, or blue, or whatever, so you can mix and match and it still looks purposeful.

Stay away from purely decorative items, aside from wall art. Guests aren’t interested in knicknacks or clutter- they want a place to put their own stuff without having to move a useless vase of dried flowers or some little statue. And you don’t want to increase needed cleaning time with shelves full of things that have no practical purpose that are just dust collectors.

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What does the ‘experienced property manager’ suggest? Since the PM will be dealing with changeovers, etc, you should be discussing that with them - for example, are there laundry facilities on site? Is the changeover assuming that all linens etc will be reused on the next guests or will you be rotating?

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Thank you! That was super helpful!!

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He is someone who manages other properties and came recommended by another friend. We have yet to meet him but per your recommendation we will reach out and see what he suggests

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I suggest you read this post carefully: Property manager says 30% but fees come to 65-80% of nightly rate
Read and understand your agreement with the property manager. Ask questions before you sign. Post on here if there is a question that you are uncomfortable asking the property manager.

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Welcome! I would suggest getting three sets of sheets for each bed. Buy all the same color and design so if a sheet gets damaged you can still use the pillow cases.

If you’re hosting 8 guests make sure you have 10 plates, 10 forks, 10 cups, etc. Don’t just get 8 because you might be short for the following guests if your previous guests broke a plate or glass.

In addition to the first aid kit, put in the medicine chest extra band aids, aspirins, burn ointment, etc.

Also leave extra rolls of toilet paper as well as an extra roll of paper towels.

Depending on your price point, you might want to provide a basket with some snacks.

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STR insurance. Yes, it costs a lot more than household insurance but it’s essential.

In some areas, you won’t get your business license without showing your STR insurance.

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Thank you for letting me know, i hadnt thought of that at all. We will be meeting with him soon and ill make sure to review to contract carefully :pray:

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You’ve received a lot of great comments here.

Think through your maximum occupancy and make sure ‘it works.’ That is, will guests be comfortable? Maybe you can fit in room for 10-12 to sleep, but if it’s one bathroom and a dining table/seating for four it doesn’t ‘work.’ So set the maximum occupancy appropriately and make sure that your seating and dining match that. [Oops! I see @muddy made this point. Great minds. . .]

Make sure you have two bed pillows per person. So it sounds like 4 x 2 x 2 = 16 pillows.

Get kitchen gear and appliances, like a coffee maker, that are easy to operate and is consistent with what you’re offering, with who you’re seeking to attract.

On towels, folks here have suggested having spare hand towels, wash cloths, bath towels so people who want to change more frequently or use an extra one to dry hair have it available. Most guests won’t ask for more, but have it available, like in a plastic marked bin in a closet.

Make sure your mattresses and all your pillows have protectors from dust mites, bed bugs, stains. I use this brand but I’m sure there are other good ones: Protect-A-Bed AllerZip Smooth Waterproof Pillow Protector, Blocks Bed Bugs, Dust Mites and Allergens, Machine Washable.

Make sure you have an extra duvet cover for each bedroom.

Stay a few might at the STR. Live there for a few days and find what’s missing and what works well. Invite a friend to stay a couple of nights without you. See what they say.

Does the House Manual tell them what they need to know?

Should you label things for the guests who don’t want to read the manual?

Are they comfortable?

Is it super clean?

Is there anything missing that your target market would likely expect?

Is your property safe? Check this out: Is Your Property Safe? Take the Challenge -- A 75-Point Safety Checklist

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Then I would ask your property manager . @kurrutia13 - that’s part of what you are paying them for .

By the way never sign up with a property manager who wants to put your listing under their profile.

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Consider these for outside, especially the smaller solar-powered motion-activated units near stairs.

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Welcome, @kurrutia13 , congratulations on beginning your journey. You will learn just about everything you need to know by reading as much as you can on this forum. Just make it a daily habit to read the new topics every day. Search random terms. Be advised, however, that many of the people posting here are experienced, opinionated and don’t give a hoot if someone else doesn’t agree with them about anything under the sun. I “stomped off” early on when my feelings got hurt but realized I was “cutting off my nose to spite my face.” I attribute any success I’ve had to a) excruciatingly hard work and b) wisdom gleaned here.

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And despite many posters here seeming to be jerks/tedious/arrogant/etc., after almost 8 years here, I really believe all the regular posters have good intentions to help others be successful and to improve the hosting pool. We aren’t a support group; some “hosts” take actions that should not be supported.

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I, too, have found great help on this forum. I started out just reading, some years ago. After you’ve read for a while you can identify whose answers you can most likely trust.

I suggest that any new forum member learn the way around here by a lot of reading. You might be able to find a “renegade” answer here to some issue you encounter, but make sure it seems to be supported by people whose advice seems solid.

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I provide two pillows per person and four bath towels per person. Why? Because I use two pillows and two bath towels myself. I have ample towel bars and drying hooks so towels can be reused. I keep baskets of hand towels and wash clothes in each bathroom so guests can change out as needed.

All my sheets and towels are white and linens go to a professional laundry. To date I had to throw out one kitchen towel and one hand towel because of stubborn stains.

Utensils, dishes, mugs, drinking glasses, etc. are the number of heads plus two. I have a six person rental and have service for eight. Expect to replace non-stick pots and pans every year or maybe more as guests will not treat them as you. They are cheap enough to replace so don’t obsess over it.

Do not underestimate the laziness/stupidity of guests. The stories I could tell about guests not being able to operate a simple (in my opinion) coffee maker, see the emergency #s posted on neon yellow paper by the front door, etc.

Invite any friends, family and acquaintances who will be honest with you to stay (for free). I was surprised by some of their ideas which included a coffee grinder, door stops for exterior doors (for unloading the cars).

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Yes, it’s the ‘little things’ like this – and there are likely many more – that make the property a really comfortable ‘home’ for your guests. They will notice the difference.

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Ha! Me, too. But I realized responding to the posts that didn’t agree with me just kept the “fight” going, so the smartest thing to do was read what they had to say, wait a bit to let my emotions settle, then either respond if I had something constructive to say, or drop it if I did not. Even this old dog can learn a new trick!

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This ^^ is really important. I’m going into my ninth year of renting our vacation home out, and people still surprise me with their laziness/stupidity/selfishness. So hope for the best, but have a plan for the worst. As much as you can, keep things simple, and buy backups. Things will disappear - get broken or lost or stolen.

If possible, budget for damage and put some aside so when a guest does $20US of damage you don’t have to stress about going after them for that. But if they do something stupid like use all your towels to wash their car and destroy them? Yeah, they get charged for that.

I disagree with @cleobeach, though, on the number of utensils. Our place sleeps six so I have service for 12. That way they can get through two meals without having to wash dishes. Less water and electricity use, and if a plate or two gets broken the next guests still have extras and you don’t stress about replacing them during turnaround.

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@PitonView makes an excellent point about not sweating the small stuff. Things will get broken, lost and stolen. My kitchen stuff is sourced from a common source so it is easy to replace a glass or two, a fork, etc. from my supply in the owner’s closet. Ikea is an excellent source for glassware. I use Fiestaware for dishes/mugs and the stuff is fantastic for a rental, no chips in 10 years.

Piton shares my husband’s view of stocking a kitchen but because of environment, I actually want the dishwasher run regularly due to bugs.

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Hey kurrutia13! Welcome and congrats on starting your venture!

We started our STR in July of 2022, since then we have learned so much! We’re on our third cleaning company and second laundry service. You may have a property manager, but when meeting them, make sure they align with what you want your brand to stand for. Also, I agree with the comments here - be careful if they want to do it under their profile only.

We can have up to 6 guests at our place and have 3 sets of everything. Why? Because when you have back-to-back bookings, you don’t want to run out. We do provide two pillows for guests also, have a bath towel, hand towel, wash cloth and makeup towel, plus bath mats per bathroom. We also provide basic cleaning supplies and laundry detergent, as we find that when guests have those things on hand, they will tend to keep the place tidier. We do have the extra towels available, but we find that guests like the idea of having them at their disposal, but don’t tend to use them.

Other must haves are mattress encasements and protectors, as well as pillow protectors. If you host 4 guests, have utensils and plates for 6-8, depending on how often you want them running the dishwasher. We have wine glasses and water glasses as well. We also have a coffee machine and kettle. What you offer depends on who your target demographic is.

We went keyless for our entry and that eliminates anyone having to be present for check-in. We send our manual and their PIN code the day before.

What you should have inside your place depends where you’re located, your target demographic, and what you aspire your STR to become. Do you want to be luxe or just offer the necessities? Will you cater to families with younger children, families with teens or older children or adults only? These are things to consider because if you’re going to be higher end, you have to make sure you add little things like hand cream, room sprays, etc. If you cater to families with younger children you may want some easy-clean toys, you’ll need a pack-n-play and high chair as well as kid plates and utensils and maybe baby blankets. If you have families with teens, you may want to consider an Xbox or board games. Books and board games for adults.

There’s essential questions to ask yourself: will this be a place to cook dinners and hang out or will it be a base for tourism where they take off for the day then come back and sleep?

Once you know this, we can help more on the extras that are must-haves for you to provide.

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