Property Management Requirements
Questions to verify with local authorities and qualified advisers.
Property onboarding checklist
Free general educational template. Adapt it to your property, agreement and local rules; it is not professional legal or tax advice.
- Confirm the property owner’s authority and locally permitted rental use with qualified advisers.
- Agree the service scope, contact details, emergency authority and spending approvals.
- Document property condition, inventory and work required before accepting reservations.
- Use supported co-host invitations or a separately coordinated secure access method; never email platform passwords.
- Confirm channel ownership, payment arrangements and calendar responsibilities.
- Test access, guest communication, cleaning and readiness inspection.
- Agree reporting, payout records and a process for corrections.
Guest check-in checklist
Free general educational template. Adapt it to your property, agreement and local rules; it is not professional legal or tax advice.
- Confirm reservation dates, guest count and the applicable arrival time.
- Complete cleaning and readiness inspection before confirming early entry.
- Send accurate directions, parking limitations and contact instructions.
- Test the guest’s access method and arrange a safe fallback.
- Confirm essential utilities and advertised amenities work.
- Monitor replies and escalate an entry problem to an accountable person.
- Share personal data and access details only with authorized people.
Check-out inspection checklist
Free general educational template. Adapt it to your property, agreement and local rules; it is not professional legal or tax advice.
- Confirm departure before entering, following the agreed access process.
- Inspect entry, sleeping areas, bathrooms, kitchen and advertised amenities.
- Compare condition with the previous inspection, separating wear from damage.
- Record dated observations without publishing guest identities or belongings.
- Escalate safety issues and prevent the next arrival until readiness is confirmed.
- Check current platform rules before starting any reimbursement request.
- Assign unresolved repairs and confirm completion.
Cleaning quality-control checklist
Free general educational template. Adapt it to your property, agreement and local rules; it is not professional legal or tax advice.
- Confirm the property-specific cleaning assignment and departure/arrival window.
- Inspect fresh linens, beds, bathrooms, kitchen surfaces and bins.
- Check floors and frequently touched surfaces.
- Replenish the agreed supplies without guessing the inventory standard.
- Report stains, damage, leaks and missing items to the assigned manager.
- Photograph relevant readiness checks without guest personal information.
- Confirm inspection and release-to-ready status separately from cleaning completion.
Preventative maintenance checklist
Free general educational template. Adapt it to your property, agreement and local rules; it is not professional legal or tax advice.
- Create a property-specific schedule based on manufacturer instructions and qualified advice.
- Inspect locks, access batteries and essential appliances.
- Check for leaks, moisture and drainage problems.
- Arrange qualified HVAC, electrical and other technical servicing where required.
- Review outdoor areas and pest concerns.
- Approve planned costs and block work dates across channels.
- Record contractor work, invoices and open follow-up actions.
Short-term rental startup checklist
Free general educational template. Adapt it to your property, agreement and local rules; it is not professional legal or tax advice.
- Verify locally applicable permits, building restrictions, insurance and owner obligations.
- Prepare conservative demand and expense scenarios; do not assume guaranteed bookings.
- Budget furniture, delivery, installation, supplies and operating reserves separately.
- Document property readiness, inventory and repairs.
- Create accurate listings and test availability synchronization.
- Assign support, cleaning, inspection and maintenance coverage.
- Set up records and a locally reviewed agreement before operating.
Rental expense tracking worksheet
Free general educational template. Adapt it to your property, agreement and local rules; it is not professional legal or tax advice.
- Reporting period and accounting basis: ____________________
- Reservation ID (keep privately) / stay dates / channel: ____________________
- Accommodation receipts / cleaning receipts / other receipts: ____________________
- Platform deductions / processing / refunds: ____________________
- Cleaning / laundry / supplies / utilities: ____________________
- Repairs / replacement reserve / insurance / subscriptions: ____________________
- Management costs / financing cash payments / other costs: ____________________
- Net planning cash / outstanding invoices / bank reconciliation: ____________________
- Figures are educational operating records, not tax advice. Avoid subtracting a deduction twice.
Property readiness checklist
Free general educational template. Adapt it to your property, agreement and local rules; it is not professional legal or tax advice.
- Confirm documented repairs and required approvals are complete.
- Test entry, directions, Wi-Fi, water, power and essential appliances.
- Verify advertised beds, bathrooms and amenities match the listing.
- Measure and check usable furnishings and guest supplies.
- Confirm cleaning, inventory and inspection sign-off.
- Have a backup access and emergency contact plan.
- Open dates only when the property and team are ready.
Questions to ask before hiring a property manager
Free general educational template. Adapt it to your property, agreement and local rules; it is not professional legal or tax advice.
- Which responsibilities are included, excluded or separately billed?
- Who handles after-hours guest issues and vendor failures?
- What is the commission base, subscription charge and cancellation notice?
- How are spending authority, invoices and repairs approved?
- Who owns listing accounts and how is role-based access provided?
- How can the owner reconcile gross revenue, deductions and payout?
- How are records, future reservations and access handed back on exit?
Monthly owner performance review
Free general educational template. Adapt it to your property, agreement and local rules; it is not professional legal or tax advice.
- State booked and available nights, explaining owner and maintenance blocks.
- Calculate accommodation ADR and revenue per available night consistently.
- Reconcile platform statements, receipts, refunds and unpaid amounts.
- Review operating costs, reserves and net cash, not occupancy alone.
- List open guest issues, inspection findings and repairs.
- Review spending approvals and changes needed before the next month.
- Record assumptions and decisions; do not treat one month as a guaranteed forecast.