Q: What does a vacation services company do?

A: A vacation rental service company handles most aspects of renting out your property short-term on Airbnb and others, including marketing, booking, guest communication, bookkeeping, and maintenance coordination.

Q: What services are included with Haus’s full-service vacation rental management?

A: Services include listing and booking management, custom pricing strategy, guest communication, housekeeping, property maintenance, licensing support, reporting, and more. Our goal is to take on as much as possible to free up your time and headspace. You should sleep soundly knowing your property is in great hands

Q: Can Haus help me with Airbnb listing optimization?

A: Yes, our technical Airbnb optimization sets us (miles) apart from every other manager in the region. We continuously monitor and optimize your listing to increase views and conversions using the latest tools and industry best practices.

Q: How does Haus handle guest communication and inquiries?

A: Guest support is done entirely in-house by our support team, which handles guest inquiries within minutes. The support team has the training, knowledge, and documentation necessary to provide prompt and personalized service for each property. Knowing where things are, how to operate the HVAC, and which light switches are quirky makes all the difference. In addition to support staff, management is also actively involved in guest communications and requests, ensuring a close feedback loop between your property, the guests, and our internal systems. Every time we encounter a new issue, we improve.

Q: What measures do you take to ensure my home gets positive Airbnb reviews?

A: We design every step of the guest experience to delight and inform guests, including custom guidebooks, just-in-time messaging, and easy access/self-check-in. Guests rave about our process and experience. Our goal is to be an extension of you. Guests want to connect with a personal host, not a brand.

Q: How do you market the property?

A: We list our properties on all the major booking channels – Airbnb, VRBO, Booking, Google, and more. However, we focus exclusively on Airbnb for at least the first 25 guest reviews. Airbnb is the largest marketplace, and getting their algorithm to “trust” the property is the focus of the first 3-6 months. Once the Airbnb listing is established and performing well, we can branch out to other marketplaces.

Q: Does Haus oversee maintenance services such as pool care, hot tub maintenance, and landscaping?

A: Yes, we manage all repair and maintenance needs, including pool care, hot tub maintenance, and landscaping. We can manage your existing vendors or augment them with in-house or contracted solutions. Whatever works for you.

Q: What types of homes does Haus manage?

A: We manage a variety of properties, from small cabins to luxury farmhouses, with customized experiences for each property and owner.

Q: How does Haus manage cleaning and maintenance between guest stays?

A: We handle all cleaning and maintenance between stays to ensure your property is always clean and ready for arrival. Our cleaners are hand selected for dependability, quality, and commitment to the guest experience.

Q: How does Haus handle emergencies or unexpected situations during guest stays?

A: We are available to guests via the platform app, phone, and text.

Q: How does Haus handle security and key management?

A: We arrange for seamless check-in and key management using physical lockboxes or electronic locks.

Q: What support will be available to me as a Haus property owner?

A: We provide comprehensive support including detailed monthly statements, maintenance coordination, and guest management. Owners can reach out to our team via email or text as needed.

Q: What insurance do I need and how do I minimize the risk of renting to others?

A: You need short-term rental insurance, which includes property and liability coverage. Short-term rental insurance replaces your existing homeowner's coverage. Standard home insurance is not sufficient when renting out your home. Airbnb provides insurance-like protection called Aircover for Hosts, which covers property damage and liability up to $1M but is not an insurance replacement.

Q: Do I need a permit or local license?

A: It depends on your town's regulations. Check with the local building department for specific requirements and to request an application. Depending on the location, we may be able to help point you to the current regulations.

Q: Can you assist with getting a permit?

A: Yes, we can guide you through the permitting process and inspections as required.

Q: Is Haus insured?

A: Yes, Haus carries general and professional liability insurance.

Q: How quickly can I get my home up and running as an Airbnb with Haus?

A: Most properties can be listed within 3-4 weeks, depending on the home and how close to “rent-ready” it is.

Q: What do I need to do to be “rent-ready”?

A: Ensure home systems and amenities are in good working order, declutter and depersonalize, stock the home with essential inventory items, empty the fridge of personal items, and tidy up to be ready for our cleaning team to do a deep clean and stage for guests. We provide a detailed list of supplies to help guide you but it's standard items you likely already have: linens, kitchen/cooking items, safety equipment, and consumable supplies (toiletries, etc.).

Q: How does purchasing supplies work?

A: Haus will create an inventory list and manage supplies as needed. Owners are responsible for the cost of consumables and supplies.

Q: Do I need to buy specific linens or supplies? How many sets of sheets?

A: No, we don’t require a fancy brand of linens, however, we suggest white non-microfiber sheets. Microfiber is great at trapping hair and debris and should be avoided. Sateen, cotton, linen, percale are all good options.

Q: What needs to be stocked in the home?

A: Please reach out (ops@st.haus) for our latest stocklist detailing the minimum required inventory.

Q: What are the fees and what costs are owners responsible for?

A: Fees include a percentage commission on rental revenue, a monthly maintenance plan, and an onboarding fee. Owners are separately responsible for the costs of repairs, maintenance, utilities, and consumable/cleaning supplies.

Q: Who pays for cleaning?

A: Guests pay for their cleaning at check-out. Owners pay for cleaning when they depart their homes to prepare for upcoming guests. Guests hate paying extra fees, so we want to minimize them. We’ll also need to perform a deep clean every quarter or so, depending on usage. A deep clean is performed during onboarding before the first stay.

Q: How is laundry done?

A: In most cases, laundry is done on-site by cleaners. When the need arises, it may be performed off-site.

Q: How is nightly pricing determined?

A: Pricing is based on your specific home, competitor pricing, and market demand, with daily adjustments to maximize revenue in response to hyper-local demand shifts. Pricing will make or break your listing and we spend a lot of time on pricing strategy and revenue management.

Q: What about BBQ propane tank refills?

A: We handle propane refills as needed.

Q: How is trash handled?

A: We utilize commercial trash pick-up services like a regular home.

Q: Do I need to remit and pay taxes?

A: Yes, you need to register with the county to collect hotel tax. Airbnb collects taxes from guests when they book and remits on your behalf to the county, but you’ll need to file quarterly tax returns to “claim” that revenue. It’s not as bad as it sounds and we’ll walk you through it.

Q: What kind of reporting will you provide?

A: We provide a monthly owner activity statement detailing basic rental activity and expenses. Upon request, we can report detailed listing performance. We love digging into the data but understand not everyone is as excited as we are.

Q: Do you create a guidebook for my home?

A: Yes, each property has its own app-based guidebook with information on nearby attractions, restaurants, amenities, how to use home systems and more. Guests should feel well-informed even before they arrive. Guests rave about our guidebooks in their reviews.

Q: Do you allow pets?

A: We recommend owners make their listings dog-friendly, as dog-friendly listings have higher occupancy and rates. People love to take their dogs on vacation with them and are willing to pay for the privilege. If you prefer not to host dogs, however, we can designate that on the Airbnb listing. Note: Service and emotional support animals must always be accepted without additional fees per NYS law.

Q: Can you help with design and set-up?

A: Yes, we can assist with design and set-up to ensure your home is guest-ready. We have a great Airbnb designer and other professionals to assist with any set-up requirements. How you present your home to guests is entirely your choice, but we’re happy to help and advise.

Q: Is Haus a Superhost and Guest Favorite?

A: Yes, we are a top-performing manager in the region, recognized as both Superhost and Guest Favorite with homes in the top 10% of listings. We have generated hundreds of 5-star reviews for our owners.

Q: Can I use the house whenever I want?

A: Yes, you can use your home as much as you’d like, but we ask for 180 days of annual rental availability and to avoid displacing a confirmed guest reservation. You can easily reserve an owner’s stay through our portal.

Q: Can I set specific house rules?

A: We have a standard set of rules that we adapt to each home based upon the home’s specific attributes (if there’s no hot tub, we don’t need the hot tub rules, for example). If you have specific rules or guidelines you would like followed, please let us know and we can see how to integrate them. 

Q: What is your process for screening potential guests?

A: Due to fair housing and discrimination laws and to prevent discrimination, we don’t get to investigate each guest as much as we’d probably like to. However, we ensure that all guests have a verified ID, pass a background check, and have a history of good stays on the platform. Guest screening is constantly evolving based upon the platforms’ capabilities and rules. Feel free to ask for more details. Bottom Line: We’re dedicated to ensuring only the highest quality guests are staying in your home. We may (and have!) cancel reservations for guests that we suspect may be problematic or don’t meet our minimum criteria.

Q: How do you handle guest damage?

A: Things happen and minor damage/theft or excessive cleaning is an unavoidable part of renting your home. Towels will occasionally disappear, and unfortunately the only thing to do is replace them. (This is why we do not recommend investing expensive towels.) We’ll pursue damage claims through Aircover for Hosts on your behalf for claims > $75.

Q: Do you have any long-term contracts? Am I locked into anything?

A: If you’re not happy, we’re not happy. We have a 60-day opt-out of our services agreement, no questions asked. You own your listing – we are just added as the host, so you are always ultimately in full control. There’s nothing worse than being stuck with a manager who just isn’t working out, we’ve been there. We want to earn your business month after month.