Setting up direct bookings and trying to decide if PMS integration is actually necessary or if I can just manually update calendars.
Seems like manual updates would save money but also seems like a pain. How often do you really need calendar syncing?
What problems happen if you don't have integration?
Hired a new STR company (optimization + systems), paid $6K upfront ($12K total). I am new to STRs and the home is historic so there are some maintenance things that need to get done. Units are now offline during the transition away prior prior property manager, an new company have two separate contracts, one for optimization and one for ongoing management. The optimization / systems / acquisition is 12K. They haven’t actually executed anything yet—just ideas and communication started slowing down and a change of tone.
I’m thinking of pulling the plug and asking for a refund since it’s so early.
Has anyone dealt with something like this? How would you approach it?
I feel silly because the 12K is not going into anything tangible. And the 15-20% we’ve been paying haven’t helped us keep up the maintenance or get some profit aside to tackle it later. I am a full time employee and partner is overwhelmed by this and wants it off his plate. I think we don’t have a system and we are learning the hard way as we go. Any advice appreciated.
Hypothetical situation but genuinely curious if anyone's dealt with this —
Let's say you have a solid handyman you trust for your STR properties. Guy does good work, shows up, doesn't flake. The problem is everything around the actual work is a disaster. You're texting him issues, he's got 10 other clients texting him too, stuff gets missed. You have no idea what's been fixed and what hasn't. When you need something done before a guest checks in that night you're basically just hoping he sees your message in time.
And invoices? He sends them whenever. Sometimes weeks later. You have no paper trail.
Is there any software that actually solves this from the property manager side? Like something you could use to submit work orders to your handyman that he can actually track and respond to? Or is everyone just running this on texts and vibes?
Asking because I feel like there has to be a better way and I definitely may be missing something
...Will be when someone develops a bot that can identify AI slop posts on this sub and reject them from getting posted.
Noticed that Airbnb charges 15% on cleaning fees too, even though we handle cleaners, supplies, and everything ourselves. I get that it’s part of the total booking price, but it still feels odd paying commission on a pass-through expense. In a tight market where we’re trying to keep prices competitive, this hits margins. How do you see it , fair pricing model or a bit much?
Hey community.
I'm curious about something. If you're operating short term rentals and let's say you want to rent through AirBNB, Vrbo, and HomeAway, what do you use to manage bookings across those platforms? Also how you manage communicate with renters when they might be using any of those?