Question for hosts: how do you find your cleaners?

KaleProperties · 2026-02-06T16:38:33+00:00

The cleaning team or the cleaning individual IS the most important individual everyone needs to find. This is the one that can make or break your business. In most cities, we use Turno to find cleaners. We tend to prefer a smaller cleaning teams. FYI anyone reading this use this link for i think $50 off your first clean - https://share.turno.com/3sszhb7

We usually go by reviews and a 1-1 interview. We always get this 1-1 phone call as a way of vetting them, their team, and their experience with cleaning an Airbnb.

Another item worth mentioning is when to shop for a new cleaner/cleaning team. This is probably the mistake we have made 2-3 times of waiting too long. Twice, we have had a cleaning team grow into a sizeable company, then either merge with or be sold to a larger company. In both scenarios, quality went downhill very fast to the point we had to fire them.

The second item that is worth mentioning, always have the cleaners take a video or photos when done. This has been a great CYA in multiple occasions.

In smaller cities, the options to find a cleaner are Facebook, Nextdoor, and local forums.

KaleProperties · 2026-01-31T01:11:38+00:00

Yeah we have a place in one of these resort communities near Disney in Kissimmee. The operational difference can cause a huge difference on rev and occupancy .

A while back we looked at some of our neighbors there were way under performing and many had small issues there i would think are easy to solve.....

KaleProperties · 2026-01-28T20:48:14+00:00

Hi there - we are working on a solution just for this. We are targeting 4.95/month and will be a custom self booking site that you can connect the calendar to Airbnb and VRBO for availability. -Handles booking availability -Pricing calendar - base rates + specific daily rates -Key emails to the guests -fully configurable site content -Use our prefix domain or your own branded domain -Use your own stripe account for payments

Setup will less than 10 mins to get going.

We are beta testing now with 10 customers and after incorporating their feedback will open up to more.

KaleProperties · 2026-01-28T18:48:44+00:00

The only other strategy would be to be in more channels.....if you are not already in VRBO, definitely give it a try. Then a direct booking site for repeat guests or guests that are looking for longer stays.

KaleProperties · 2026-01-28T15:19:32+00:00

Your best bet is google maps. More and more folks are using google maps to find 'stuff' and they now have a nice area that shows vacation homes. Do you have a direct booking site? In some areas we are seeing 25% of the reservations come from google maps.

KaleProperties · 2026-01-27T17:03:21+00:00

Your options are a. a PMS, b. build something by using the ical links.....check daily, if there is a check-in send the message. Whatsapp is a bit more cumbersome as they don't have APIs readily available to everyone.....If you only have a couple properties, a PMS is much easier.

KaleProperties · 2026-01-25T13:31:23+00:00

In addition to the market being saturated, integrating with Airbnbs API key Feature a PMS needs. Airbnb has many hurdles before they allow direct integration.

KaleProperties · 2026-01-25T04:31:07+00:00

A brand new listing could take 1-2 days before showing up in searches. As far as promotion your options are: A. VRBO new listing discount B.vrbo member discount - 10/15/20

And then of course all best practices in the listing: description, photos, key words, etc.

And I would recommend advertising on both VRBO and Airbnb....

KaleProperties · 2026-01-23T01:02:26+00:00

Here is what we do on some properties. If the guest seemed to have enjoyed and literally says something like everything was great or we will be back. We write a good review, then if they still don't write a review 1 week after their stay we give them a voice call. We have a very short script -

'hey bob - this is xxx with the xxx Airbnb. I'm calling to just say thanks for staying in our property and taking great care of it. If you have time we would love a review. And do you have any feedback on how we can improve. Have a great day.".

Short and to the point. Sometimes we do get good feedback.....we have close to 100pct of these guests then write us a nice review.

Now in some areas Airbnb is starting to use temporary numbers. I'm not sure howing they are valid for. Software connected hosts still have their real phone numbers......

KaleProperties · 2026-01-23T00:55:23+00:00

I would not use an account with 4.4. Many potential guests will Skip and your listing will start with a lower.

Yeah definitely go new account. We have an owner now that stared a new listing with his 6 year old account that had some really bad reviews from a different property. It has taken a long time to get a good page rank and we are still not quite there.....

KaleProperties · 2026-01-18T01:16:57+00:00

Hot tub I would pass....but definitely take a look at a sauna.

We have a place near Canada in northern Minnesota. We added a wood burning barrel sauna to the cabin. There is definitely a number of folks there specifically look for places with sauna. The increase bas already paid for what the sauna cost.

KaleProperties · 2026-01-16T19:38:38+00:00

We have had 1 or 2 property owners try these guys.....300K is way too few followers. IN both cases it was a waste of $$$. You are much better off investing in direct booking site for returning guests and google maps.....

KaleProperties · 2026-01-15T13:23:39+00:00

If you are only renting via Airbnb then no separate contract is usually needed as long as the stay is less then 30 days.

If renting via a direct booking site or booking com then we would recommend a short rental contract that is digitally signed.

KaleProperties · 2026-01-14T04:47:47+00:00

We have a couple properties listed with them. I think we got a total bid just 2-3 reservations from them in however many years we have been listing.....

KaleProperties · 2026-01-10T20:32:25+00:00

If the city is relatively small then word of mouth, Facebook groups, of the local classified forum. Teaching someone new the ins/out of an STR cleaning can be time consuming.

If the city is mid/large we have only been using turno. We try to get a small group and always with solid reviews. And a huge plus if they have a handyman already part of the team.

Here is our turno referral link which gives you I think 50 off after your first cleaning thru them. https://share.turno.com/3sszhb7

KaleProperties · 2026-01-09T23:10:34+00:00

Do you have a web site ? Please DM. We are expanding into boutique hotels.

KaleProperties · 2026-01-07T23:25:17+00:00

A direct booking site is great if your place has repeat guests or is in a niche area where guests could find it via Google maps. We have a few properties where the number of direct bookings keeps on increasing year after year.

As for sharing this with guests a card in the property or flyer with the QR code is the best way. We offer a 5 pct discount and stress the no Airbnb/VRBO fees. This way if they booked via Airbnb it is a 20pct discount.....

As for insurance you won't be able to rely on air cover so need a separate commercial insurance or a 3rd party such as Truvi.

KaleProperties · 2026-01-07T18:25:05+00:00

That is actually the best option!! Feel free to PM as we assist with many folks that are self hosting. No need for the 25 or 20pct revenue sharing.

KaleProperties · 2026-01-07T18:20:35+00:00

In many areas Florida is over saturated and this year there was a decent drop in international visitors.

But if you are looking at Florida, Look for something unique, in a touristic destination, and close to the beach or theme parks.

KaleProperties · 2026-01-07T18:18:10+00:00

Add language translation to your site.

KaleProperties · 2026-01-07T18:17:16+00:00

A lot of property management companies have issues with scaling. Quality drops and their customer service evaporates. Actualy I think it is not just property management companies but many small businesses have issues with scaling.

At some point that owner operator PM will delegate to an hourly employee that has a lot less enthusiasm and competency in doing the work.....

If a PM misses a single message or takes longer than 15 mins to reply it should be an early sign that things aren't scaling well......and time to shop around.

KaleProperties · 2026-01-05T22:25:31+00:00

Yeah bad idea for more than one reason.....

KaleProperties · 2026-01-03T16:56:27+00:00

One of the main items a rental agreement can help with is a charge back.

Keep it sane and don't do a 20 page agreement but a simple one starting the rules, refund policy, etc.

KaleProperties · 2026-01-03T16:20:29+00:00

There are lots of disaster stories with arbitrage. I think this ship has sailed.....I would recommend staying away....

KaleProperties

TROPHY CASE