Updated on December 31, 2024
Every routine business activity needs quality control measures, and in the short-term rental hosting business, turnover inspections are one of our most important.
“Regular inspections are more than just keeping things tidy; they’re your secret weapon for protecting your investment, safeguarding your guests, and clocking up those five-star reviews,” according to Touch Stay.
What is a turnover inspection?
A turnover inspection is a routine inspection conducted after cleaning is complete but before the guest arrives. It ensures that the property is thoroughly cleaned and prepared for the guest but also helps catch maintenance issues like a malfunctioning smoke detector, a leaky faucet, or a squeaky door hinge. Fixing these issues between each stay helps prevent guest annoyances, keeps guests safe, and avoids more expensive repairs later on.
The inspector also brings a touch of pizazz to your space with staging and gestures of thoughtfulness. For example, you could stock your kitchen with a bag of locally roasted coffee beans or leave a basket of local delicacies for incoming guests, as Hostfully advised.
These small touches can make your property stand out among the competition and increase your chances of receiving a five-star review. Hostfully noted.
Who does the turnover inspection?
Ideally, the turnover inspector is someone who is not the cleaner, whether it be you or a third party, said Sarah Karakaian, co-host of the Thanks for Visiting podcast.
“We trust, but we always verify the work of someone else,” Sarah said.
Inspectors can sometimes put cleaners on the defensive, so Sarah suggested coaching the cleaners on the value of an inspector and creating a culture where hosts, cleaners, and inspectors work as a team.
“Make sure you let them know, this is not a situation where I’m here to point fingers or find what you missed and did wrong. I am another layer for you. You tackle so much when you enter the home,” Sarah said. “This is just, we’re just getting the details dialed in, and we’re making sure the safety and components are there. That’s how I often approach it with our channel, and that helps them understand what this is about.”
The power of an inspection checklist
An inspector’s greatest tool is the checklist. Having an inspection checklist, written or digital, prevents the inspector from having to rely only on memory and ensures no detail is overlooked. Break it down by areas like the kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, living room, and outdoor spaces.
Each checklist should be customized to the property. Items on the list may also change with the seasons. For example, in the fall, you may add blowing leaves off the patio. In the winter, you may want to add salting or having salt available to scatter on driveways and walkways, Sarah said.
Adding photos to your inspection checklist helps maintain consistency in how rooms are prepared and staged for guests. Even if a new cleaner or inspector comes to the property, they’ll know how you want beds made or towels arranged.
Inspection checklists should also include important safety checks, such as ensuring no weapons have been left behind.
Sarah said in just one three-month period, her team found two loaded handguns in drawers and one loaded handgun under a pillow. The incidents happened at different properties.
“This is why it’s important to check every single drawer in the home every single time,” Sarah said. “Even if you ask your cleaners to do it, have that extra layer of verification to make sure they didn’t accidentally miss one. What if a kiddo found that drawer?”
She also recommends keeping basic amenities like toiletries and kitchen essentials topped up, like shaking salt and pepper shakers to ensure that the salt and pepper are full and do not stick together. “We like to have all the soaps filled up,” Sarah said. “If it’s half empty, we fill it up. We don’t want the guest to feel like the space has been used, even though we share it.”
Another hot tip: Sarah and Annette encourage inspectors to walk around in white socks while inspecting. If the socks remain spotless after moving through the property, it verifies that the floors are clean.
Download our Turndown Checklist
Tidy up with technology
Kylie and Steven Niederhauser, co-owners of Arrivls Vacation Rental Property Management in Southern California’s Coachella Valley, said on their YouTube channel that using checklists through the Breezeway app has helped them to eliminate duplication of effort and oversights during turnovers.
“It has streamlined our workflow. There is no duplication of efforts. Everyone knows who’s responsible for what and when it needs to get done,” Kylie said.
Breezeway allows them to autoschedule both cleanings and inspections, and cleaners and inspectors can add photos and notes during turnovers.
For example, if a cleaner or inspector encounters a stain on a linen that cannot be removed, they can notify Steven or Kylie, and they can order a replacement.
Beyond the perspectives of your cleaner and inspector, seek feedback from your guests. Touch Stay recommends sending guests a brief questionnaire to report any issues they encountered during their stay. Their input can help you improve your inspection checklist and the overall guest experience.
If you use Touch Stay for your digital guidebook, you can add your questionnaire there.
“It’s all about finding problems early, keeping things running smoothly, and being proactive instead of reactive,” Steven said.
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