Managing Your Vacation Rental

Hiring professional service providers to maintain your vacation rental home

Written by Elizabeth Weedon
5/5 - (6 votes)

Updated March 2024

Let’s face it — It takes a village. Whether you live near your rental home or a distance away, you probably rely on professionals to help you both before and during the rental season. It’s a good idea to get those services lined up for the upcoming season as soon as possible. Here are three helpful tips for building your support team.

1. Select reputable service providers

Let’s begin here. If you’re looking for trustworthy businesses in your area, take a look at our Home Services DirectoryThis directory not only gives you access to local business websites and contact information, but it allows you to search for these businesses by town or region. 

Which services should be top of mind?

Of course, the most important service to arrange for is your professional house cleaner. (See our post geared specifically to hiring and managing housecleaners.) If you are not able to be present during a turnover, your cleaners are often your best witness to the condition of your home after the vacationers leave. So you will want to be very specific in your expectations and emphasize the importance of communicating to you any unusual findings during a turnover. 

You will also need to set up other regular services too, such as trash and recycling pick-up and lawn maintenance. And don’t forget to have a list of emergency lifelines at the ready in case something breaks or there is an unexpected weather event. 

2. Line up these services before the season begins 

•    House cleaner
•    Landscaper or regular lawn mowing service
•    Trash/recycling pick-up – notify your guests of the pick-up schedule
•    Linen delivery – if you do not provide linens yourself  
•    Spring clean-ups, both interior and exterior
•    Appliance repair
•    Pest control
•    Tree service
•    Carpet cleaning
•    Window cleaning
•    Property management 

3. Have a list of services that may be of interest to your tenants 

•    Equipment rentals (baby furniture, medical supplies, etc.)
•    Bike rentals and recreational equipment (boats, kayaks, canoes, etc.)
•    Caterers and chefs 
•    Drivers and transportation
•    Fitness and beauty 

You can always refer your guests to our Vacation Planner, which, like our Home Services Directory, provides them with access to businesses specific to the location of your home.  And, in addition to services, it gives them access to activities, events, restaurants, shopping, transportation, a guide to local beaches, and articles geared to the Cape and Islands.

If you know of a business that’s not listed in either our Home Services Directory or our Vacation Planner, feel free to recommend them to us. Or, submit a review about any business you’re familiar with.

Do you have any helpful tips regarding vacation rental service providers?

About the author

Elizabeth Weedon

Elizabeth Weedon - Although I’ve worked for WeNeedaVacation.com since 2008, I’ve been a loyal homeowner on the site since early 1998, just a few months after the website was launched by the Talmadges. I grew up summering on the Vineyard and managed my family's rental home there since the mid-1980’s. I’m passionately devoted to the Vineyard – and to WeNeedaVacation, which I credit with enabling me to hold onto the special property that has been in our family for nearly a century. An enthusiastic member of the WNAV Homeowner Support Team, I endeavor to keep my finger on the pulse of the Cape and Islands vacation rental industry so that I can provide homeowners advice about how to ensure their booking success with us. With owner Joan Talmadge, I am also responsible for editing and writing much of the text on our website, our monthly newsletters, and Homeowner Blog posts.

6 Comments

  • Hi Elizabeth! Hiring professionals will definitely save most of your time and energy. In this saved time you can also prepare for the further schedule of you work or whatever. Professionals take less time to do the same work as compared to us.

  • Getting home clean from professional is a very smart idea because they clean home with new technologies and get each n every corner perfectly cleaned. They use human friendly cleaning products that leave a house with special aroma.

  • I agree, cleaning a vacation house is not a simple task. in fact we cant finish it within one day. that’s why its important to get some home cleaning services. Well it will cost you money but its all worth it because you can save a lot of time.

  • Lot of services today covers everything you need, from house cleaning, repairs and maintenance. Just look for the best service provider that can help you.

  • Hi Elizabeth,

    I do agree with your blog that we need some home cleaning professionals during or even after vacation because everybody wants to make their home clean and beautiful. sometimes people don’t have time for these purposes and they fully ignore it. I think getting the services of professionals can solve their problem because professionals are expert in their area of work and take care of our home and garden well. Specially in the summer time plants and trees needs more care and it should be done properly.

  • Hi Elizabeth, I agree that seeking help from professional to assist you in cleaning and maintaining the vacation home is a good step. They are expert in that field so rest assured that the services being provided is at best.