9 reasons why local vacation rental property managers are better

9 reasons to use a local property manager for vacation rentals. Recently, internet-based property management companies have been advertising their services on Google. Property owners who are looking for a rental property manager often surf the web looking for a rental manager. When they find an internet-based property manager advertising that they manage thousands of properties, you stop and think. It may seem that the internet-based rental management company is the real deal. Local property managers exceed what internet-based property managers can do for their clients.

Before you decide on hiring any rental property management company consider the property management services that they can provide and what you need. To help you understand what you need in a manager for your rental properties I have compiled a list of nine key areas that you should consider. This assumes that you want a short-term rental manager that does everything for you, not just some things. You want a full-service property management company.

Our list starts below then I will drill down into some of the most important of the important points below, there is a lot of work involved in managing short-term vacation rentals. The items are not in any order of importance.

At least 9 reasons why local property managers are better

1. Permits

More communities are requiring permits to locate your vacation rental property in their city. You may also find that a permit cannot be issued on your property because it is located in a zone that does not allow short-term rentals and there are more of these zones than you may imagine. Vacation homes are not permitted in most residential areas. At least rentals of less than 30 days. Should your property be located in an area where you can obtain a permit, who will do this for you?

In fact, from what I have seen, none of the boiler room internet-based companies have any idea if your property is located in an area where you can obtain a permit. If it is in an area where a permit can be issued, they do not advise the property owners of this fact. They start listing the property for rental and when the property owner is fined for not having a permit, the internet company claims they are not responsible. 

Local property managers insure that your property can be legally offered as a short-term rental is one of the first things a local property manager will do for you. Christies Gulf Beach Rentals for example generally knows the zoning without checking from experience but does so anyway. If a permit is required, Christies completes the application and submits it in person to the municipality.

Proper fees are paid and that government inspector is met with your local property manager on site. That internet company has no clue about this process or any ability to make it happen. Operating without a permit can cost you. Fines of $500 per day are not uncommon.

2. Manage Cleaners

That internet property manager tells you that there is no problem with keeping your property clean, they have remotely hired a cleaner who does a good job. How do they know the cleaner did a good job? They learn from the comments people leave. It may take more than one 3-star rating to determine if they need a new cleaner. I have found that they also expect the cleaners to fix things or supervise repairs. They are not property managers.

Local property managers such as Christie’s Gulf Beach Rentals will supervise the cleaners meaning that they check their work. Properties are inspected regularly for not only cleaning but to insure items that are broken and worn are replaced. The internet property managers again are not on site and have no idea that the towels in the bathroom are faded because their cleaner did not tell them.

Your local property manager will immediately replace broken and worn things not wait for the remote property manager to ship something in. If you want high ratings from guests, cleaners must be supervised.

3. Legal Issues

What happens when someone is injured on your property? You call those people 10 states away and try to relate what the police told you. Remember your internet property manager can not be on-site in a short time to supervise and mitigate the issue for you. How about the fact that the hazard may have been avoidable if the internet property manager had seen that broken tree limb outside the front door? When law enforcement is called by neighbors, who are going to respond, the cleaner?

Local property managers are required by some cities for these reasons. A client related an issue where the guests were having a party on their property. The police were called to solve the problem. The property owner was contacted by the police and not being local, they could not tell the guests to leave or shut down the party. Now that they have a local property manager, any issues with law enforcement, code enforcement, the fire department, or others will be solved quickly.

4. Neighbors

When is the last time your internet property manager met with the neighbors to inform them to call if there are any issues? Meaning, to call the property manager before they call the police. Never. You may have met with the neighbors but if they call you then this is not a full-service management program is it?

Local property managers meet with neighbors and give them cards. They are asked to call the local manager for any reason which includes much more than police issues. Many cities that permit short-term rentals and ones that allow it without a permit will shut down your business if there are too many complaints. The local property manager working with the neighbors is your best defense against this happening. 

5. Emergency/Storm

Of course, your internet property manager will check your property after a major weather event or even prepare it for a hurricane or storm. You know that the internet property manager will not send signals to close your shutters and windows. What about after the storm, will they be able to check your property for damage and help get it repaired? No.

Local property managers will close shutters and possibly install plywood for large wind storms. They will make sure that outside hoses are shut off and stored for freezing events. After a storm or event, they will check for fallen tree limbs and other hazards. You will be able to rest easy knowing that your property is looked after during emergencies. If there is a wildfire, they will check on your property when possible.

6. Maintenance

This is a key area, things get worn out and break. Internet companies try to manage this by calling a maintenance person out to do work that they are aware of. This is not a bad thing to do but who checks on the maintenance person’s work? Not the internet manager. Perhaps they ask the cleaner to see if the pipe was welded properly or if the AC system was fixed and a new filter was installed. 

Local property managers understand much about routine maintenance. They know enough to supervise workers and make sure they show up promptly, don’t overcharge, and do good work. They know this because they put their eyes on the job. The maintenance person knows that the property manager will check their work, an incentive to do it well. Plus and this is important, maintenance people respond to people they know. Rental guests may be waiting for that AC repair tech who goes to another place because they know the local manager there and don’t know the rental owners or internet property manager.

7. Property Protection

Customer service is the key element with professional property managers. Internet property managers can promise super host status for example but they can not protect your property. Cameras can do only so much as everyone knows such as capturing someone wearing a hoodie. They can call the police too. They can’t walk your property to make sure that vacation properties are secure when guests leave. Can they remotely lock a window that was left open?

Local property managers provide full-service vacation rental supervision. They visit your property periodically checking on the cleaners, maintenance workers, pest control employees, and for many other reasons. Because they are local, stopping by your property their team members can check doors, windows, lights, water, etc. There have been several times when the toilet just kept running and a check by the property manager saved the owner on the water bill or potential flood. Making sure that security lights were not turned off by guests and that trash is collected are important best practices. 

8. Rental Income

Internet property managers do a fair job of setting prices for guest stays. Services such as Airbnb and VRBO permit anyone to scan and calculate approximate rental prices for an area. Researching public domain information is how most property owners and internet property management companies derive their pricing. This is all good except if your property is in an area with lots of events that can demand higher rates. The internet managers do not have this local information nor it is applied to pricing. Yes looking at public pricing may help determine the numbers but averages are used which may miss key dates when higher pricing is expected.

Local Property managers often have years of experience in their market and understand the rental market well enough to price on individual dates. For example, on the Mississippi Gulf Coast every year there are a large number of events that draw guests to the area. Potential guests understand that they will pay more when Cruisin the Coast comes to the area.

People book one year out for this event which is completely transparent to internet property managers. They may see some bumps in rates but do not understand why and how much they can get. Internet property managers do not understand the extra charge you can earn by providing other services.

Local short-term rental management companies help their clients earn more money because they understand the rates. Most rental management services companies know other local companies and they share guests. If a property is full, a local property manager may refer that guest to a competitor. This networking is good news for guests who need a place to stay.

9. Property Management Fees – Value

Some internet management companies know their shortcomings and price their services accordingly. Prices range from low to high depending on the company and what they are offering. Often the internet management company is lower in cost than local property managers. This is the one area where they can meet or better the local competition. However, the internet property manager may not be the best choice for yet another reason.

Local Property Managers are a good option and a better option for all of the reasons listed above. When it comes to the best vacation property management services, a local property manager will usually charge fees commensurate with the services they provide. What I mean is that you need to look beyond the property management fee as just dollars. Look to the value that a local property manager delivers. Consider the entire list of things above and calculate the hours that a local property manager will invest in your property vs someone sitting behind a computer screen at the corporate office.

It’s always a good idea to evaluate what you get for the money you spend. Christie’s Gulf Beach Rentals has earned the business of clients who were with a big internet management company. Christie’s price as it happens was exactly what the big company charges. Other local property managers often charge more but even then, those fees are based upon all of the items discussed above. Hours and hours invested in clients’ properties by the local staff. 

---

Examples of what property managers do on site

A good example and a not uncommon one is this. A guest was staying at a vacation property. The air conditioning system stopped working partway through their stay. They had an 85-year-old grandmother who was suffering from the high heat. This issue occurred on a Saturday night and the part would not be available until Monday. The Christies Gulf Beach Rental property manager went out at 10:00 PM on Saturday and helped the guests pack their car.

They followed him to another vacation rental a couple of streets away. He let them in and helped them get settled. They were allowed to stay there for the next two days without paying the higher charge on the new property. The guests reported a great experience with a five-star rating.

Another example involved guests staying at another Christies property. The neighbors were having a party (property not managed by Christie’s) and the noise was terrible. The police were called but that did not fix the problem. The guests had a small dog and the Christies property manager found a hotel not far that would accept a dog, as it happens the very last room on the coast. Christie’s paid for the room for the night without charge to the guest. Their rental experience was very good according to their comments.

How would the internet vacation rental manager have handled the above issues? When you work with people, anything can and does happen. The right company, meaning the local company should be prepared to provide these essential services.

Calendar management

I have not mentioned the calendar or scheduling guests. Managing the calendar is an important task. Your local property manager will manage your calendar and communicate with guests. This is what internet property managers can do for you also except for meeting guests in person when necessary. Your local property manager can fill your calendar with available dates and prices based on what I discussed above. Guest communication is managed in a variety of ways.

New guests should receive instructions about how to gain access. Christie’s Gulf Beach Rentals includes wifi based electronic locks on entrance doors. This permits the property manager to issue unique codes to guests before they arrive. Guests receive a phone call from the property manager before they arrive to discuss the rules, directions, and other things that guests may want to know. Some of this can be done by the internet property manager except by telling a guest about a great new restaurant.

Some internet property managers recommend or encourage owner participation in rental homes by having them manage the calendar. In my experience, the property manager should perform all tasks otherwise there may be communication and other issues. For example, one client may have a friend that cleans houses and they want theirs to be cleaned by that person. This situation may become difficult for the property manager if the cleaner is not doing a good job.

Local property managers should have their website to provide more income opportunities. Christie’s for example will permit guests to ask for amenities such as firewood for the beach or a fire pit in the yard. They can also buy insurance against damage or breakage through the website. This extra local service can not be provided through Airbnb and VRBO or by some internet property managers.

Financial and accounting process

Internet property managers provide lots of reports, they are good at this. Anything that can be done by a computer alone is in their area of expertise. Your local property manager should be providing reports as well. Christies for example offers clients a “client portal” where they can see everything going on with their properties. Records of maintenance, photos, and much more. 24/7 real-time financial details are in the portal showing property owners how much they have earned this month plus every previous month. 

I was surprised to learn that one of the big internet property managers could not provide an owner a report listing income by platform e.g. VRBO, Airbnb, their site, etc. Christies provides details on every booking including its sources. Christies also pays local taxes for all bookings on the Christies site. This is just an example of what a local property manager should be able to provide any owner.

Mississippi and some other states require property managers to work under a real estate broker license. These regulations permit oversight by state regulators and help to prevent consumer fraud. Christies for example is associated with Logan-Anderson Gulf Coastal Realtors. Adding one more reason for working with a local property management company tied to a licensed entity, regulated by the state.