Prepare Your Home for Short-Term Lease

You've heard of renting your home but what about a short-term lease? With websites such as Airbnb.com it is now easier than ever to make money by leasing your home. However, there are a couple of things that you must do to prepare your home for short-term lease to ensure that you and your guests are ready for their stay.

Put in Some Elbow Grease

This should go without saying, but before you open your home to anyone, you will want to make sure that it is cleaned from top to bottom. There are many services that will do this for you, or you can hire a housecleaning service that you are familiar with and that is able to come and clean multiple times a week if need be. You can also clean the home yourself. This will not only save you some expense, but you can guarantee the work is done right. If you choose to go this route, here is a list of things to do.

Secure All Personals

While you can go some lengths to make sure that your house guests are trustworthy, you will still want to go to some trouble to make sure that your personal items are safe and secure. While Airbnb does provide insurance, there are some items that can just not be replaced. Additionally, why go to the trouble of filing a claim when you can avoid the problem altogether by safeguarding your belongings? The best approach is to find a closet or other area in your home that you can secure with a lock. Make sure to go through your home and place all items that you don't want within reach of your houseguests. This may include breakables or other valuable items.

Stock Your Home for Guests

There are a number of items that you will want to leave out for your guests. One reason for this is to ensure that your guests are comfortable. It will also improve your chances of receiving a good review and repeat customers. First and foremost, make sure that some essentials like a fire extinguisher and first aid kit are made available. More along the lines of comforts, you will want to have the essentials. For toiletries this means soap and shampoo. For linens, you will want extra blankets and pillows as well as clean towels. In the kitchen you will want to make available clean water, coffee/tea, and any other items you can think of. Leaving instructions for where certain items are and other important information is another must do. The more information you can provide, the less likely your guests are to bother you and enjoy their stay.If you take the time to prepare your home for short-team lease, you will likely have a great experience - and some additional income.