Vacation Rental Inventory Checklist for Property Managers

As a vacation rental property manager, you’ve got a lot of questions to answer: Should I decorate my vacation rentals? (Yes.) Should I name my vacation rentals? (Also yes.) How do I respond if I get a poor guest review?! (Like this!) But once you’ve answered all of those big questions—and...

As a vacation rental property manager, you’ve got a lot of questions to answer:

Should I decorate my vacation rentals? (Yes.)

Should I name my vacation rentals? (Also yes.)

How do I respond if I get a poor guest review?! (Like this!)

But once you’ve answered all of those big questions—and once your listings are optimized on Vrbo, Airbnb, Booking.com, and wherever else you’re active—it’s time to narrow your focus and get down to the nitty-gritty stuff.

Compiling a vacation rental inventory checklist is a great way to make sure your vacation rentals are stocked with all the things guests might need, from condiments in the refrigerator to an alarm clock on the nightstand.

to-do-list-1024x682-5236391 — To do: Create an Inventory Checklist

What is a Vacation Rental Inventory Checklist?

It’s pretty self-explanatory! An inventory checklist is a personalized ledger that can help you keep track of everything related to your properties. The best part is that it’s totally customizable: you can use it to make sure your rentals are properly stocked for visitors, or you can take it a step further and use it as an evaluation tool between stays. For instance, your checklist can help you monitor the condition of items in your properties, such as the furniture and whatever else needs to be audited frequently.

No matter what you use it for, this personalized document ultimately exists so you can provide your customers with a sublime guest experience stay after stay.

Why is a Vacation Rental Inventory Checklist so Important?

Keeping your rentals in tip-top shape while also keeping them stocked for travelers is a tedious task. A rolling checklist makes your job a bit easier—at the very least, it helps you remain consistent from one stay to the next and provides a reliable reminder about the things you need to do, examine, replenish, fix, and so forth. notepad-774x1024-6429179

Many property managers use an inventory checklist to make sure all of the items in their properties are where they need to be and in working order. Without a list, you run the risk of forgetting things from one stay to the next; with a thorough checklist, though, you can simplify turnover between stays and basically guarantee you’re providing every guest with the same magnificent experience.

How Do I Create a Checklist?

Well, this is kind of up to you! The layout and depth of your checklist depend on your personal needs, as well as the complexity of your individual properties. It can be a simple tool that helps you keep track of basic supplies, or it can be a miniature catalog of items and their condition before and after guest visits.

Some property managers choose the latter and ask guests to sign their inventory checklist. In essence, the checklist becomes an agreement between host and guest, which could be an important document if anything gets damaged and an insurance claim is necessary. But really, these checklists don’t have to be contractual measures; they can just be a straightforward list of things that makes your job smoother.

Vacation Rental Inventory Checklist: Room-by-Room

Okay, let’s go ahead and assume every space in your rentals has the basic essentials. The living rooms have adequate seating, the kitchens are equipped with updated appliances, and the bathrooms have working toilets. Great! Since all of that is in order, you can use the checklist examples below as a jump-off for your own checklist. Be sure to customize your final checklist to fit your rentals and needs. And if some of these items seem kind of “extra” to you, just remember: guests really appreciate the small details!