Airbnb Hosting: Keep your personal belongings safe

Many people looking into getting a piece of the Airbnb pie only have one property. Chances are they rent and live in the same property, or perhaps they rent it when they are on vacation. In these situations, hosts must manage their homes and protect their personal belongings. Guests usually respect boundaries and won’t touch personal items belonging to hosts, but as with any business, it’s better to be safe than sorry. The chances are that if you’re reading this, you can’t just pack away everything in your place before renting it out. If so, we will tell you about some helpful things you can do to keep everything safe and in order:

• General steps to keep your place safe

• Personal precautions

General steps to keep your place safe:

Get insurance on your house:

There are many safety risks to hosting an Airbnb business. A great way of protecting what you own could be to get insurance. In this case, even if something you own breaks or gets lost, you’ll be covered for damages. Many companies offer such insurance plans along with management services they provide to hosts. For example, Aircover is a service provided by Airbnb to help protect hosts against such damages.

Setting rules and restrictions for guests:

Simple restrictions such as banning smoking or pets from your place can be a great idea for preventing damage to your property. Hosts who are too lenient with guests smoking indoors usually pay hefty fees to get their furniture smelling fresh again. Pets can also be a liability in breaking fragile items such as vases or decorations.

Redirecting your mail:

To ensure a nosy guest doesn’t get hold of your letters or personal information, it is best to redirect mail when hosting. You can ask someone else to receive mail on your behalf, but you must make sure they are trustworthy.

Requesting security deposits:

Hosts can request security deposits for their place. Generally, if any damage is done to the property, the host can retract a certain amount of the deposit, allowing them to fix the issues. However, if there are no damages or missing items in the property, Airbnb will automatically refund the guests with their deposited amount.

Personal precautions:

Getting a lockbox for your place:

Perhaps you need a place to secure some important goods or documents. Then a lockbox is a great solution for you. Simply place your items inside before renting out your home and lock the box either with a key or a passcode.

Make sure to indicate what’s off-limits:

If you wish guests not to use a piece of furniture or equipment, make sure you are clear about that. For example, putting signs on the precious treadmill that you bought a month ago will make it apparent to guests that it’s off-limits.

Place surveillance cameras outside your property:

Having an Airbnb smart home can decrease the safety risks to great extent. Security camera technology has come a long way since it was first invented. With a few nifty cameras on the perimeters of your property and the exterior, you can deter any potential thieves or criminals from eyeing precious items inside your house.

All in all, keeping your investment safe is the main rule of any business. And in the case of renting Airbnb, your house is your investment. So we hope that using these tips, you can manage your property and protect yourself and your belongings from any damage or liabilities!