top of page

Real estate and rentals

AIRBNB Setup Tips

Everything You Need To Succeed

"I wish I knew that before I started"

 - Every host

 

Very much under construction 

​

We use to do one on one consulting but we're too busy with photography now. ​

So we're giving our consulting package away for free with the use of our referral link!

​

Don't make the typical new host mistakes!

When you are ready I can also do professional photos of you and your space as per airbnb’s style guide so it matches the look of other listings

​​

About me: I’ve been an Airbnb photographer since 2011, I’ve taken photos of thousands of spaces.

My wife Iliana and myself were hosts for over 6+ years now in Sunalta. We’ve been super hosts for 20 consecutive quarters and have always held a 5 star rating.​

​​

We will cover:

– Creating an account, setting up the profile, writing a profile that connects you to potential guests

– Create listing, assisting you in writing details about the space

– Provide check lists for completing the profile and preparing your space for a photoshoot

– Assist with configuration details

– Provide check list for property including what to buy for the home, what rules you should state, what you need to stock for consumables and an example check sheet for your cleaner

– Recommend 3rd party tools to analyze pricing of other listings in your area that compare to yours, setup calendar rules and best practices that will help you maximize your income

– Advise on 3rd party services to help automate messaging, pricing and cleaning

– Advise on taxes and insurance best practices

– Setup quick reply messaging and advise on how and when to message guests

– Discuss additional services such as creating checkin info emails and info sheets for your space

​

When you book a shoot with us and finish setup of profile 

– I will include professional photos including overviews of each room as well as detailed up close shots of specific features

– A head shot of you and your co-host

​

​​

Lets get started!

​
Create a new account
Using this link: https://www.airbnb.ca/r/virtualtouryyc

​​

Create a profile on Airbnb​

- Write a profile that will help you relate to your guests

- Why you want to do Airbnb hosting, how much you like traveling, how staying at other airbnb's have impacted your travels, other languages you speak, how many countries you have visited etc. 

​

Title & Description for listing

Focus on the best things about your listing

Give it a theme or personality

Talk about the location

Amenities / Attractions close by

Parks, rivers, mountains, hiking, skiing, views, downtown, public transport etc..

Features of home, AC, stylish, how cozy or quiet it is

​​

Typical rules will include the following

No shoes

No smoking, cost $XX 

No parties etc…

Lost keys cost $XX

Don’t flush wipes or hygiene products

No grease down the drains

No un-registered guests after 11pm

More Examples

Post rules in 3 places: Info sheet in home, rules section on the listing, and in your check in message

Have a cost listed for any rule you want to enforce, if not Airbnb will tell you you can't just make up a penalty. 

​

Security deposit

At least $1000
Set it high to discourage inappropriate behaviour

​​

House manual or info sheet

Label your light switches!

Depending on how much info you need to provide

How to use heat, AC, TV Internet etc…

Breaker panel photo, gas, water shutoffs etc…

First aid kit, fire extinguisher 

See example info sheet in package folder

Do Not Info Dump! Too much info isn’t always better

​

Preparing your Airbnb for Success you will need to consider the following items

​

Tip: Shopping for large amounts of furniture you can save money:

  • You can open a commercial account at wayfair.ca

  • You can also have 0 payments 0% interest for up to 2 years at various different furniture stores around Calgary, like Leons, Ashley, The Brick, etc…

  • Installing furniture that could fall over, don’t be liable! Tether tall dressers to the walls

  • Check out my amazon wish list https://amzn.to/2UtdlFg

​

Common area
First aid kit & Fire extinguisher

  • Location labeled

​

Fire and CO2 alarms

  • Test monthly, keep a check list posted centrally

  • Smart or Wifi ones are best, then you know what's happening too

​

Labeler

  • For labeling kitchen cupboards

  • Label breaker panel

  • Shutoffs for Gas, water shutoff, breaker panel

​

Bluetooth speaker​, nothing too big! Don't want to annoy the neighbours

​

An Ecobee & Nest thermostat can be configured to only turn on when people are home, and you can remotely control it. Warm it up or cool it down before they get there.

​

Smart TV 

  • Roku built in

  • Simple remote

 

White board for writing a note to guests

  • eg. Welcome Jenny, make yourself at home

Full length mirror near front door

*Large front door mat

Slippers for basement suites or if you have cold floors

Iron and ironing board in master bedroom or laundry room

Work surface, Desk or lap desk

​​

Bedrooms

Block out curtains are a must

Luggage racks, or they will put their bags on your bed

Don’t worry about dressers for children rooms

- Two nightstands instead

Alarm clock

  • With USB chargers

Bed side lamps /w USB chargers

At least three sets of towels / bedding

  • One for guests to use

  • One for the next flip, locked away

Mattress and pillow protectors are a must, bed bugs are a thing

At least 10x Hangers in each closet

​

Kitchen

Garbage, compost and recycling bins

  • Label locations on the cupboard doors

  • List what we accept for recycling and compost, paste the city of calgary info pamphlet on cupboard door

Non breakable wine glasses, plastic or metal, nothing with stems

  • Several bottle openers, or mount a bottle opener that can't go missing

Extra cleaner and cloths in all sink areas, if you dont leave items to clean, the guests won't clean up after themselves

Dust pan, broom and vacuum

Disposable cups / plates

 

Cleaning products!

​

If they don’t have them, they won’t be able to clean up after themselves. 

Garbage bags, all purpose cleaner, cloths, paper towels, carpet cleaner!

We preferred green, scent free or natural products and so did our guests

​

Bathrooms

Plunger & scrubber near all toilets

Hand soap
- Method with refillable bags are the best, cheapest fastest soap solutions

Triple liquid dispenser in each shower

  • Buy in bulk and fill them each flip

Body wash, Shampoo, Conditioner

Lotion near sinks

Hair dryer

Decent low flow shower head

- Something durable or may get broken
Sign for bathroom beside toilet, do not flush wipes
- Included in the supplementary zip file

Lightweight towels

  • Lighter weight drys faster

  • Black facecloths for makeup

Skip towel bars, go for hooks, bars get ripped off walls and can only hold one towel for every 2ft, you can do 4 hooks in the same space

Bamboo bathmats

- Don’t need to wash them, just wipe them down with cleaner

​

Security: Must haves for every host

You must disclose video and recording devices in your listing!

Wifi video doorbell

  • Camera can show you how many people are checking in

  • Records any suspicious behaviour

  • Have a well lit entry way so the camera can actually see in the dark, tape over the switch so the front light stays on

Noise sensor. 

  • Monitor noise levels in your home and get alerts if they go too high

  • It’s not a microphone it doesn’t record anything other than how loud it is inside

https://www.minut.com/

https://know.noiseaware.io

​

Tell you neighbours what you’re doing, give them your phone number

​

Do not use this master lockbox, it’s broken into very easily by smashing a hole in the bottom

 

If you lose connection to your devices or they show offline for more then a couple minutes, get over there and check it out or ask a neighbour to go check on things

 

Have a first aid kit and fire extinguisher in a well marked central location
Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors monthly, can be a part of your cleaners check list

 

Motion sensor lights

- Light up a dark drive way or entrance

- Will also help your video doorbell

 

Wifi door lock

  • Can auto locking after X minutes

  • Pin code access, means no keys for guests, set the code to their last 4 digits of their phone number

  • Notifies you when someone enters

  • Keep the batteries above 30%, keep spare batteries close by

  • Have a backup key in a lockbox incase

  • I recommend the Nest Yale or Schlage deadbolts

Locks on doors where guests shouldn’t be, like storage rooms and garages

Lock box for keys if necessary

  • Make sure it’s easily identified 

  • Don’t mark the room number on the keychain incase it’s stolen

  • Secure it to something strong, well lit area, not close to the ground

  • Change the code often

  • Add a clip or lanyard to the keychain, makes them harder for guests to lose

  • Tell guests in the rules, lost keys are subject to a $xx re-key fee

  • Report stolen or lost key fobs to building so they can be de-activated

 

Garage door openers
Do not give them out, they will get lost. Have a pin pad beside the door instead

 

Use Kwikset locksets

You can re-key in seconds by your self and are bump resistant

I recommend Grade 1 rated locks

​​​

Listing setup​

Analyze the market to determine the best rate for your listing.

You could use such tools as $AllTheRooms or $AirDNA to do a preliminary analysis​

We would typically enter the your homes same configuration into the search perimeters on Airbnb and look in your area at comparable listings​

A combination of using both methods above is key to pricing appropriately

​

Minimum stays we would usually select 2, you don't want single night bookings. 

​

Turn on instant booking to help with ranking

- Turn on all security settings for instant book like, government issued photo ID, profile picture and recommended by other hosts

​

Advanced and prep time notice you should start with at least one day, then reduce as you get comfortable with the pace of the flips

​

Custom rules, you can set 3 night minimums for Thursday so you can keep the whole weekend booked, generally the most expensive nights

​

Don't use recommended or smart pricing, use a pricing manager!

These systems will look at competition, pricing, local events and demand then price accordingly, you can set guardrails so it doesn't go too high or too low. Some channel managers have similar options. 

Try trials of Wheelhouse and Beyond pricing before you commit to one. 

​

Cleaning fee should at least cover what your cleaner charges per flip

​

​Setting occupancy rules can help you with marketing a lower price, but raise the price when more people are booked. Be sure to lock doors for rooms that shouldn't be used. 

​

*If you do not use a price manager, do not leave your calendar open for years in advance, if you lower your prices in January, someone could book your whole summer at that rate, set price in advance before they become available online, I recommend 3 months

​​

*Do not use introductory discount with a weekly or monthly discount, they will stack! And you will make no money on your first bookings. ​​​​

​

 

​

​

​

​

Discount.jpg

Internet & Wifi


Setup the wifi router and password & post QR codes in various places, bedroom, front entry, welcome info, info sheet, stick a copy to the router its self 

- lightspeed.ca is a great alternative to Shaw, no contracts and much cheaper

- Change your SSID and Passphrase to something easy!
Not Shaw-001789 and a password like 235jkQ34Htiav it’s hard to identify in the long list of Shaw SSID’s and those kind of passwords are annoying to type

Lots of hosts use: 5starreview or airbnbwifi for a passphrase

- I recommend naming the SSID with A or a number, it will show up at the top of the list so the guest won’t have to search for it

- Add a screen shot of speedtest.net to your listing so people can see how fast your internet speed is

- Perform a speed test from your mobile device in the Airbnb app too

​​

Communication  

Always communicate through the Airbnb app

  • Most calls to the contact centre are from guests having trouble accessing the space, let’s make sure you get off to a good start.

  • If you have check in details that require photos, like a guest book, you can email that to the guest, but always follow up and make sure they received it, it may end up in a junk box or mailbox they don’t monitor.

  • Any disputes can be tracked by Airbnb in there, be clear and polite. Always take the high ground always take photos, keep receipts, act quicky and be persistent

  • Think of how a dispute could affect your next booking, Airbnb can re-book a guest for you and you may be compensated for your loss

  • If there is ever a dispute, be sure to register a complaint as soon as possible with Airbnb and follow their instructions.

  • Never allow third party bookings, eg, someone booking for a friend or family member who doesn’t have an account.

​

Use scheduled communications and quick replies
Setup booking confirmation message
1 Day before check in message
Before check out message

Messages can now contain images, use this to your advantage

​

​​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Tip: Have a few friends with an Airbnb account book for one night and leave you your first review. Have them send a booking request, you can make one night $15 for them.

​​

Info Sheet & Welcome Message

Template and examples attached in consultation package

Info sheet goes in your home with all relevant info, see example provided

Welcome message you send before the guest arrives. 

  • Replace the templates info with your personalized info, create links to click on

  • There are a few examples on what kind of info you want on the sheet

  • Note your important rules, check out time, anything specific about the home you need to mention

  • Try to keep it clear, quick to read and simple, do not info dump

 

Messaging:

Create pre-written quick reply messages
Number them. 1. Welcome message, 2. After check in etc…
Example full size welcome message attached in package
*Automating messaging is possible but don’t start with it

 

1. Welcome message

Hi!

Thanks for the booking!

What brings you to town?

Can you confirm how many people will be staying?

I’ll send check in details a couple days before you arrive so they will be at the top of your inbox. 

If you have any questions please let us know. 

 

Until then. Take care and safe travels. 

2. Check in details

Door access code

Your phone number

Wifi info

Map link URL in google maps

Re-state rules

Parking info

Check in and out reminders

3. After checkin

Hi 

Just checking in, how is everything?

If you need anything don’t hesitate to ask!

4. Pre-checkout (optional)

Remind them of the checkout time

Let them know if there is any empty days after their stay if they want to extend

Anything else you want them to know, like take out the garbage, or turning the heat down etc. 

5. After checkout before review

Thanks for leaving the room so clean. 

5-Star review incoming!

Review

  • Thanks for the booking

  • Left the space clean

  • Recommend them to other hosts

  • Something personable

  •  

 

Apartment buildings

A lot of condos have a door buzzer, if you don’t want to use a lockbox and keys outside you can use a service like $buzzly.co to provide access codes to guests. The door buzzer will call this service, the guest will input the pin provided and then the door will open. There is a monthly service charge.Condo / Apartment guest access control:

 

Virtual doorman service providers

 

Apartment courtesy and safety

  • If you live in apartment or condo, put no smoking signs on the patio doors

  • If you’re in a cold climate label the door “Do not leave open when it’s cold out, pipes may freeze” also label thermostat, do not turn below 15c

​​

Cleaners check list

Example of what to clean between each visit, copy this, make it your own.

Tip: Cleaners check list can also have an inventory check list in each room, example, TV, hair dryer, bluetooth speaker etc… Then if something’s missing you’ll know right away. 

  •  

    • Dollar store or Walmart, single use items in the travel section

    • Lots of online services sell bulk single use items

    • Check out my amazon wish list

     

Add cleaning table?

​

Consumables

​

Tip: Only provide enough consumables for the stay, eg. 

For a 2 day stay for two people: 4 coffee pods, 1 laundry pod, 1 washer pod, 2 rolls of toilet paper, 2 rolls of paper towel

​

Bathroom

Spare Toothbrushes

Fresh roll of toilet paper 70%+

  • Not a 1/4 roll

Woman’s products

Extra garbage bags

Cleaners and cloths

Assorted single use items from the travel section of the grocery store or dollar store

​

Living room / Entrance

Info sheets, maps, menus of local restaurants

Chocolates, wine, small gifts

​

Kitchen 

Garbage recycling, compost bags

Coffee pods & assorted teabags

  • Sugar, honey

  • Creamer or whitener

Cleaning supplies

- Eco friendly and non scented 

- Dish soap

- Hand soap

  • Detergent

  • Fabric softener sheets

Paper towels

Tin foil 

Stretch wrap

Freezer bags

Dollar store Tupperware

Salt & Pepper

Dish washer pods

Spare light bulbs

Furnace filters

​

Cohosts, hiring cleaners and laundry tips

 

Add your spouse or a friend as a co-host or share the primary account
- Then they can see your communication and bookings, they can help you out when you’re busy

  • I can recommend some co-hosts services too

Cleaners
Share your Airbnb calendar with your cleaner
- TurnoverBnB, GetCleaner, or Tidy can be used to automate cleaning
- Then they know when to come clean if you share the schedule with them
- Make sure they take photos of any damage and notify you of any missing items. You need to file a claim immediately with Airbnb if you have any problems
- Always have two backups for cleaners! If you need a flip done and your regular person isn’t available you need two trained options for backups

​

Laundry tips

Have all matching sets in the same colour

  • Makes laundry and replacing items much easier

  • Some laundry mats have a laundry service for Airbnb hosts, one downtown here is:
    http://www.luxlaundromat.com, it’s also a write-off

  • Using a laundry service cuts down on the time it takes to flip, the ware and tear of your laundry machines, and energy costs

  • Lux will remove stains and fold all the laundry into sets and bag them per your request

  • Eg, Bedrooms gets: 2 flat sheets, duvet cover, 4 pillow protectors, 4 pillow cases

  • Eg, Bathrooms get 4 towels, two hand towels, two face cloths, bath mat

  • When you pick them up you have everything you need and you can drop off the dirty laundry for processing

​

Calendar setup
- Sync your calendar on your phone or in a mail program on your computer
- Export the .ICS, subscribe in iCal or Outlook and on your phone by clicking on the link

Upload photos
- Add descriptions for each photo, don’t forget about accessibility features

 

Setup cancelation policy

- Flexible or moderate

- Avoid Strict (can’t qualify for work collection)

Insurance

  • Aviva, Sonnet or Square one others are quite expensive $Kanetix

  • Shouldn’t be more then a few hundred a year

  • Aviva info sheet pdf attached in this package

 

Neighbours:

  • Let your neighbours know you’re doing an Airbnb and not to panic if they see strangers entering your home, and make sure they know who to call if they see something suspicious, leave them your card or phone number

 

Super host qualifications

After you get 10x 5-Star reviews you can qualify
Overall rating of 4.8

Response rate of 90%
- Always reply to requests within 24h

  • No cancelations (2 cancelations a year)

  • Always ask guest to cancel if they want to, you should never cancel

  • Review all guests, (at least 50% to qualify for for Superhost)

Rewards: Once a year if you remain a super host $100USD travel credit or free photos, which you could use for a photo update

 

Be sure to sleep in your Airbnb
You never know what you’re missing until you’ve tried it yourself
- Creaking hinges or broken doors, Burnt out lights, Noisy furnace, Dull knives, Lose toilet seats, Lose door knobs etc…

​

City of Calgary regulations & Alberta Tourism Leavy

Rules are posted on the website
 https://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/ABS/Pages/Bylaws-by-topic/Short-term-rentals-and-lodging-houses.aspx?redirect=/shorttermrentals

NEW Rules (2023): https://newsroom.calgary.ca/calgary-city-council-approves-bylaw-changes-to-short-term-rental-business-licences/

Purchase a license and follow the rules

- https://www.calgary.ca/for-business/licences/short-term-rentals.html

  • Put your license number in your listing description

Logging your guests stays

Create an easy to use guest log to send to your guests or you can use it yourself to enter the information. 

The City of Calgary requires you to keep a log of who stays at your listing, full name, phone number, email etc.
Use https://www.google.com/forms/about/ to make an easy to use form to fill out

If you charge GST “add a tax”

You’ll need to charge GST if you gross over $30K a year
Also check off tax does not apply after 30 days, then it’s just regular rental income, which you may want to have your guest sign a tenant agreement (Free from Rentfaster)

​

4. *New Tourism Tax Levy, Sign up, don’t make late payments (big fines)
Add a Tax to Airbnb listing, Pay tax based on Gross income for quarter, only tax stays less than 30 days. Over 30 days is a long term rental.

Setup instructions here:
https://www.alberta.ca/assets/documents/tra-guide-tourism-levy-registration.pdf

Link: List your place on Alberta tourism! 

It’s a great citation for SEO when people google places to stay in Calgary or Alberta you will be featured here. 

​

Tax tips

I’m not an accountant, these are just tips / suggestions

Please contact your accountant before you start hosting, they may be able to provide templates and ways to organize your paperwork so it’s easier for them at the end of each year

If you don’t have accounting software this app may help you keep track of your expenses https://www.waveapps.com


Write off examples included in starter accounting spreadsheet

  • Insurance

  • Consumables

  • Repairs

  • Mileage

  • Cell phone

  • Mortgage interest

  • Office space 

  • Computer

  • Internet

  • Water, Gas, Electricity, Condo fees

  • Special assessments

  • Payments to cleaners

  • Airbnb 3rd party services and plugins

  • Photography, keyfobs, this consulting

  • Keep them organized by year and category, tally them up in a spreadsheet for your accountant

 

Income will be summarized every year for you on the Airbnb website, or you can generate your own report and put it in the same spreadsheet for your accountant.

​

Extras:

Get paid for your pad podcast, useful Airbnb tips

Youtube has so many videos! Never stop learning

 

Channel managers:
If you have several listings on different services the next step is to use a channel manager to organize them, sync calendars and pricing

 

Co-Hosting companies I recommend:

Yourkey or Nomatics

 

Is your space out in the middle of nowhere or is the map pin in the wrong location for your address?

Check your map pins on Apple and Google, type in your address and search, make sure the pin drops on your home, if not, click “report a problem”, correct the pin position and hit submit.

 

Join the Facebook groups

Use the Search feature before you ask a question

Official Calgary Alberta Airbnb Host Club

Airbnb Hosts in Alberta

 

Guestbooks can be printed or digital
You may want to consider $Hostfully guest books

​

​

Airbnb communication flow chart.jpg

Our ultimate Airbnb Amazon shopping list is here!

Check out all the items your Airbnb may be missing:
Canada

bottom of page