Vacation rental housekeeping tips for owners

When you own a vacation rental from afar (whether from across the country or even just down the street), it’s typical to worry. Worry if your home is being taken care of. Worry if your guests are happy. Worry if your housekeepers are cleaning as diligently and thoroughly as you would.

How do you tackle your biggest cleaning concerns? By finding, keeping, and managing reliable vacation rental cleaners.

At Vacasa, we manage 2000+ housekeepers across North and Central America who thoroughly clean every vacation home and make sure they’re ready for the next guests. Here’s expert advice for working with vacation rental housekeepers and achieving the level of cleanliness that inspires guests to book again and again.

1. Set your cleaning standards high (way high)

Working with the right housekeepers matters. There’s a lot at stake—your bookings, your reviews, your bottom line. Guests are a tough audience and they arrive ready to scrutinize and write a bad review (which can drive down your Airbnb and Vrbo ratings).

The cleaning process for vacation rentals is far more extensive than cleaning your own home. Cleaning a short-term rental requires so much more—more attention to detail, more efficiency, and more cleaning tasks. So, your housekeepers must adhere to high standards.

2. Know what makes the perfect vacation rental housekeeper

There’s more to consider than just how well someone cleans. Here’s what to look for when searching for a housekeeper:

A licensed, reputable cleaning service

Instead of hiring an individual or a small business with only one or two employees, turn to a professional cleaning company for your Airbnb. The benefits alone will help you sleep better at night. Licensed cleaning companies are usually bonded and insured, conduct thorough background checks on their employees, and have multiple staff members ready to fill in as a backup if needed (after all, with vacation rentals there’s no consistent cleaning schedule).

Does more than clean

Consider areas that need extra attention beyond simply wiping down, vacuuming, or dusting. Think outdoor barbecues that need scrubbing or fireplaces that need to have soot removed—and ask cleaning companies if they can fulfill those requests.

Vacasa housekeepers do more than clean. They conduct thorough checks every time they’re in a home to ensure the next guests have a seamless experience. For example, Vacasa housekeepers:

• assess your home for any damage from previous guests
• stock your home with the essentials, like hand soap, paper towels, and more
• ensure TVs and appliances are working
• set out the remote controls
• test WiFi speeds

Flexibility and open communication

Late check-outs and last-minute bookings happen. As do housekeepers who run into traffic or get behind in cleaning another home. That’s why communication is key. You should be able to text, call, or email your housekeeping service and trust that you’ll get a quick reply. And, trust that they’ll keep you up-to-date as well.

We know from experience—housekeepers take pride in their work.

Accountability and reliability

These are the most vital traits to look for. Your house cleaning team is essential to your success. Consider sharing guest reviews with them—both good and bad. This lets your housekeeping staff see the impact they’re having and shows them what they need to improve.

3. Find the best local housekeepers

A Google search won’t suffice here. It’s important to read reviews and hear from other satisfied homeowners. So, scour review sites such as Yelp or Trustpilot. Or, go to other vacation homeowners and ask for recommendations.

With Vacasa, you’ll have some of the best cleaning professionals working on your home. We invest a ton of time and money to hire, train, and manage our housekeepers. Meet some of our housekeepers and get their favorite cleaning tips here.

4. Do your own quality assurance

Even one negative review can hurt your business. Avoid being caught by surprise by a negative review complaining that your vacation home was dirty. If your house cleaner isn’t meeting your standards, it’s best to know ahead of time so you can solve the issue before it impacts your reviews.

Some suggestions:

• Hand your housekeepers a cleaning checklist to make sure your vacation home is consistently cleaned and prepared the same way, each time.
• Ask your housekeeper to send photos after they’ve finished. At Vacasa, homeowners have access to photos of their latest house cleaning.
• Hire a full-service vacation rental property manager—like Vacasa—who ensures that homes are thoroughly clean to our standards before each guest checks in.

Vacation rental owners will find more success and get better reviews if their homes are as clean as (if not cleaner than) hotels. By hiring quality cleaning professionals who will go above and beyond, you’re investing in your future revenue and repeat guests.