19 Tips to Prepare Your Home for Airbnb Guests

Wanting to become an Airbnb host of a vacation or short-term rental? From Airbnb maintenance and cleaning, to staging your property for professional photos—check out these 19 ideas to prepare your Airbnb home for guests!

Take Care of Legalities

There are several laws and regulations you need to be aware of before listing your property on Airbnb. These can vary depending on where you’re located, but they may include business licenses, building safety standards, zoning rules, landlord-tenant laws, taxes, and special permits—especially if you’re renting out your ADU as an Airbnb. Consider consulting a lawyer or tax professional to make sure you’re in line with local regulations. You may also want to reach out to your insurance company to see if your homeowners insurance already covers liabilities or to add extra coverage for damage that may happen on your property while rented.

Clean Your Home

Before guests stay in your house, you need to make sure it’s clean and tidy. This means hiring a crew or deep-cleaning every room and surface yourself, including blinds, walls, light fixtures, floors, and baseboards. Make sure the trash is taken out and that high-touch surfaces like counters, doorknobs, remotes, light switches, and tables are sanitized. Creating a clean home is key to competing with hotels and getting positive Airbnb reviews!

Take Care of Maintenance

Every home requires regular maintenance, so knock that out before guests arrive! Check that all lights are in working order. Wash the windows inside and outside to remove grime. Schedule an HVAC system check-up and replace air filters as needed. Look under sinks for any signs of leaks, and be sure all drains are clog-free. If you have a pool, inspect the filter, skimmer, and pump to ensure everything is working properly, then protect it with a pool cover to make sure it stays clean until guests check in.

Remove Personal Items

If you’re renting out a home you live in, it’s especially important to remove any personal or valuable items, such as household bills, family heirlooms or photos, and jewelry. Some hosts opt to move these things to a secure storage unit. Alternatively, you can lock off full areas of your home from visitors—just make sure you’re transparent about that in the listing. Feel free to leave out items your guests may find interesting like books, wall art, or board games. These items can make your rental seem more inviting and cozy, making your guests feel more at home.

Pick an Airbnb Theme

Help your guests feel more like they’re on vacation by embracing the local area or a common theme in your Airbnb decoration and design. If your home is near the beach, incorporate seashells, fish, and blues into the artwork, or add an outdoor shower. Decorate with cozy materials like wool and fuzzy blankets, and patterns like flannel if your home is nestled in the mountains. If you’re located near a lot of outdoor recreation, provide a large mudroom and with snow-themed decor and plenty of hooks to hang skis, poles, boots, and other snow sport gear to dry. Be sure to think of the types of guests your listing attracts, in addition to why they book your spot. To create a family-friendly Airbnb, provide games, toys, and movies, and be sure to use furniture that’s easy to move for extra playing space. This effort and attention to detail will help your Airbnb listing stand out for potential customers and make visitors want to return!

Include Rules for Airbnb Guests

As you’re getting ready to rent out your home for Airbnb, consider creating an Airbnb welcome binder with house rules and information about local amenities. Let guests know your smoking policy, the maximum number of guests, rules about quiet hours, and pet policies. Write down instructions for the TV, HVAC systems, security, WiFi, parking, and trash days. Include notes on nearby gas stations, grocery stores, and popular neighborhood restaurants and attractions as well. And be sure to leave your contact information in case your guests need to reach you during their stay!

Create a Functional Kitchen

Many people choose to stay in an Airbnb versus a hotel for the convenience of having a kitchen and a place to eat. Between each guest stay, make sure to check that each of your appliances are in working order, and provide supplies so guests can do their own dishes. Have enough drinkware and dinnerware for the number of people your home can hold, and create a space for comfortable dining. If a full-sized table can’t fit in your space, opt for space-saving options like TV trays, breakfast nooks, or bar seating.

Make a Relaxing Living Room

Create a cozy space where your guests can kick back and relax after a day of sightseeing! Fill the living room with comfy seating options like a couch, loveseat, or oversized accent chairs—you can even add in extra sleeping space by opting for a couch with a pull-out bed. Enhance your Airbnb living room with good lighting, a coffee table, end tables, and plenty of throw pillows and comfy blankets!

Create a Cozy Bedroom

Put together a cozy bedroom so your Airbnb guests wake up feeling refreshed! If the bedroom gets a lot of natural light or is east-facing, hang blackout curtains to give your guests the option to sleep in. Make sure to include at least one full set of sheets per bedroom, including a fitted sheet, top sheet, and pillowcases, along with either a comforter or duvet. White linens are the best sheets for an Airbnb, as they are easy to bleach and keep fresh between guests. Place nightstands next to the bed with a clock and lamps, and make sure electrical outlets are easily accessible. Provide options for Airbnb guests to store their clothing and accessories by clearing out closets and drawers. You might also provide a clothing rack, luggage rack, or wardrobe as alternatives.

Prepare Your Airbnb Bathroom

Make sure to provide Airbnb bathroom essentials like bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths, and store extra towels and bedroom linens in a closet so your guests can easily grab more if needed. To make things more convenient for guests, you should also provide enough towel hooks for the maximum number of guests your rental can accommodate. Include toiletries in your Airbnb bathroom to make for an even better rental experience! Stock bathrooms with toilet paper, facial tissues, hand soap, shampoo, and body wash. You might also include a hair dryer, lotion, razors, toothpaste, and toothbrushes to go the extra mile.

Get the Laundry RoomReady

One of the biggest perks when staying in an Airbnb is being able to do laundry. If your rental home has a laundry room, be sure to include some Airbnb laundry essentials like detergent, dryer sheets, and an ironing board. Don’t have a laundry room at home? Give your guests recommendations for local laundromats. Or if you’re renting an apartment or condo, let your guests know about a communal laundry room!

Amp Up Your Outdoor Space

Designing a welcoming outdoor living space will not only boost your home’s value—it can also help draw more guests to your Airbnb rental! Repair any damaged boards and restaining the deck—or thoroughly clean your patio space and consider a remodel or adding a pergola for shade. Be sure your backyard lighting is inviting and illuminates the area with string lights, torches, or lanterns. Set up cozy patio chairs, a table, or even an outdoor sectional to give guests a place to relax. To make your Airbnb’s outdoor space extra special, provide grilling essentials for outdoor cooking, peaceful water features, a fire pit, hot tub for year-round relaxation, or even a luxury pool if the investment makes sense for the area.

Use Smart Devices

Invest in smart devices for your Airbnb to help save you time, energy, and money in the long run. Simple additions like automatic outdoor lights increase security as well as help guests identify the Airbnb at night—and having automatic lights indoors can help you save on energy costs. A smart TV is a common selling point, allowing you to add streaming services to your listing’s amenities. A smart thermostat can help you control the temperature from afar—you can warm the house up for the guests when their check-in time nears, or cut back on air conditioning after they check out.

Add WiFi & Streaming Services

One of the most requested amenitieswith Airbnb rentals is WiFi. Offering free internet access to your guests not only gives you a competitive edge, but you can also expand your pool of renters to include business travelers who may need access to the web to work. Along with WiFi, it’s a good idea to provide a TV with access to cable or a smart TV that guests can use to stream their favorite shows!

Prepare for Weather & Emergencies

Disasters and emergencies are inevitable, so you should prepare as best as you can by equipping your home with the necessary supplies for your guests. Place a fire extinguisher in an easy-to-find spot near the kitchen. Install fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home. Include a first-aid kit in the bathroom. Have shovels and ice melt on hand if your home is in an area that gets snow. And prep for any severe weather by stocking up on flashlights, weather radios, batteries, and nonperishable food. If you live in an area that experiences hurricanes, tornados, or earthquakes, make sure your guests know how to close storm shutters or where to go in case of an emergency.

Upgrade to Keyless Entry

Switch out your front door lock by upgrading to keyless entry. Digital locks allow you to create a personalized code for each guest. It also means a faster check-in and check-out process, remote access for the host, no-contact rental options, and zero worry about replacing lost keys. Not to mention, these locks offer you and your guests more security features like tamper and failed attempt alerts.

Improve Curb Appeal

Curb appeal is crucial to drawing travelers to your Airbnb rental property! Some curb appeal ideas to spruce up the outside of your vacation rental home include mowing the lawn, pruning bushes, adding fresh mulch to garden beds, planting fresh flowers, and tackling other small DIY landscape projects. Or lean into the privacy of your home’s natural surroundings and embrace the remote location. Just be sure your home looks attractive and secure, add more landscape lighting around pathways, and that the driveway and walkways are clear for guests!

Focus on Your Unique Selling Point

When searching for a place to stay, customers will likely view hundreds of options near your home. In your Airbnb listing, you’ll need to highlight what makes your home stand out from the rest. If you have a pool in the backyard, make sure it’s clean and ready to be used by guests. If you’re located near a bus line or popular area, highlight that in the description. If your city apartment has a great view of the downtown skyline, feature images to show it off. This also helps Airbnb renters know what they can expect in the area they will be staying.

Take Attractive Airbnb Listing Photos

With so many Airbnb vacation rentals to choose from, you’ll want your listing to stand out. One way you can do this is by taking DIY real estate photos with a professional camera, tripod, and as much natural light as possible. Or if you have the budget, stage your home and invest in a professional real estate photographer. With professional home staging, a stager or decorator will come into your home and clear out overcrowded spaces, rearrange furniture, and set up your home decor so that it photographs better for rental listings. Remember, photos give the first impression of your Airbnb home, so make sure it’s a good one!

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19 Tips to Prepare Your Home for Airbnb Guests | Extra Space Storage (2024)