As competition in the vacation rental market tightens, AirBnB automation is a clear differentiator that provides renters with ease and comfort, and saves you time and money as the property manager.
Should you add smart home technology to your short-term rental?
The right use of smart home design will set you apart, both in terms of useability and in marketing your unit. Smart home technology communicates that you are invested in the welfare of your tenants and can help you stand out in your online listings by adding a sense of luxury, convenience, fun, or intimacy to your living space.
What smart home technology do renters want?
A recent survey found that 82% of renters want at least one smart home device or system in their home. Smart home lights, smart home thermostats and smart home plugs are among the most popular devices among renters. Smart home lights can be customized – brightened, lowered, colored or made to flash – for any occasion and are conveniently prompted through voice commands or a phone app. Smart home thermostats are typically more user-friendly than traditional thermostats and smart home plugs are an easy way for renters to adjust lights, fans and other appliances.
What smart home technologies are most helpful to property managers?
Anyone who manages a short-term rental will eventually have to deal with renters who lose the house key. This consumes time if not money and can involve having to sort out the mess at inconvenient times.
Smart home door locks solve this problem by allowing you to remotely control access. What’s more, you can set different codes for different people – say a renter vs. a cleaning person – so that you can always track who’s in your unit when. And you can easily reset codes once a renter’s time is up. Smart lock integration allows you to connect to a wide range of advanced functionality including alarm systems. Codes can easily be changed so that past tenants cannot reenter after their stay ends.
Smart home thermostats can be timed to kick in before the arrival of a new guest and switched off upon their departure from any remote location, saving you time and money.
Outdoor smart lights can be programmed to light the entrance path for new arrivals who reach after dark, or set to turn off at a certain hour in quiet residential neighborhoods. You can also use smart timers to disable the stereo after hours to keep good relations with your neighbors. Installing smart LED lightbulbs throughout the house will save you considerable money in the long run and are easily programmed onsite or off-.
A smart vacuum won’t entirely clean up after your guests but it can cut down on the time you’ll need to pay a house cleaner for. Smart TVs and streaming sticks mean no more having to walk guests through how to use multiple remotes; smart TVs connect to the internet and have streaming apps such as Roku and Chromecast built directly into them, while smart sticks let guests login to their favorite streaming services, in essence bringing the comfort of home on their vacation.
We do not recommend installing smart home security cameras throughout the unit out of respect to your visitors’ privacy. But installing them at the entrance to your unit, visible to your guests, is a handy way to deter unwanted visitors and keep track of who enters and leaves the unit. Smart smoke detectors will alert you remotely if an alarm is triggered, so you can confirm with the tenant whether it’s a false alarm or the real deal.
San Diego Smart Homes specializes in AirBnB automation. Call us today at 619-436-4025 or email us, info@gosmartsd.com, for expert design of smart home systems that improve your rentals in terms of cost, efficiencies and security, while adding value and setting them apart in a crowded marketplace.
Comments