Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know whether short term or long term leasing is better for my property?
Short-term isn’t right for every property. It depends on factors such as location, size and condition, as well as how many other properties similar to yours may be listed on both the short or long term market. Another question to ask is whether you want to access your property from time-to-time too.
That’s where we can help. We look forward to chatting with you about your investment with a free property appraisal over the phone. We will use our experience, an understanding of our existing portfolio performance and run a market report to get an indication of potential short-term earnings. If we don’t think short-term would bring you considerably more income than a longer term lease then we will be honest and let you know.
How much do your services cost?
We operate a commission-based pricing model, giving you the peace of mind that if we don’t get bookings for your property then we don’t get paid – so we are incentivised to do the best we can for you. Our commission rate is variable between 18-20% based on the type of property and its estimated earning potential, and the pricing package you choose. This rate is applied on the nightly rate, after the cleaning fee has been removed. This means you aren’t getting charged additional for a rate the guest pays to cover the cost of cleaning. Be mindful when researching other management companies that some do charge commission on top of cleaning fees. Please contact us for a detailed discussion and free estimate for how much your property could earn you
How much could I earn?
This depends on many factors such as the area your property is located in, the size and finish of the property, the time of the year and the amount of accommodation available in the area. Please visit our pricing page to see some of the rental returns we have earnt for our clients.
In our initial discussion with you, we’ll use our experience and some reporting tools to give a realistic indication of the nightly rate range we could earn for your property. Please contact us to find out more.
Do you manage properties all over Australia?
Whilst the majority of the properties we manage are located in Victoria, we do have some properties in Airlie Beach and Perth. We are looking to expand so please contact us with your details so we can stay in touch and update you when this may happen. For now, we are servicing Melbourne including the Melbourne CBD and surrounds including Collingwood, Fitzroy, South Yarra, Prahran, Richmond, St Kilda, Southbank, Abbotsford, North Melbourne, East Melbourne, Brunswick, and South Melbourne. We also cover the Mornington Peninsula including Sorrento, Portsea, Rye, Blairgowrie, Dromana, and Mt Martha; Geelong and the Surf Coast including Torquay and Barwon Heads; Dandenongs and Phillip Island.
Can you manage my unfurnished property?
Your property needs to be furnished but if it’s not, no worries, we can help organise a furniture package for an agreed fee. We will let you know what’s required to get your property Airbnb ready. Just let us know what you need us to do and we’ll help in any way we can and as always, be upfront with any additional costs to do so.
Why should I pay someone to manage my property when I can do it myself?
Lots of people do manage their own properties however it can be time consuming, and feel like a second job. Many will also only list their property on Airbnb rather than across multiple holiday rental sites and not change their listing as often as is required to rank higher when prospective guests are searching. With over 4 years’ experience, Quickstay are experts in our field and have the experience and the technology to ensure your property listing is maximised, priced appropriately and listed across multiple booking platforms. Just like Google, Airbnb has its own algorithms so it expects certain things to be included in the property listing, and for it to be maintained and updated frequently in order to get it ranked highly, so it’s a time-consuming job.
Plus! Imagine having to reply to guest messages at all hours of the day!
So why not relax and trust your property to be managed by those who are already doing this for others, and spend time on more enjoyable things.
How does the process work? What do I do?
Start by contacting us to see if short-stay management is right for you and your investment needs. We’ll then organise to meet you and see your property in person. There’s a small amount of effort from you upfront but don’t worry, we will guide you through this. We’ll just need your help with things like extra sets of keys, ensuring your property has wifi, is appropriately insured and furnished ready for guests but apart from that, we’ll do the rest! Simply hand us the keys and leave it to us.
Can I stay in my property from time to time?
Absolutely! You have access to your own portal where you can check the calendar and book the nights you want to stay. You can even block out dates for family friends, it’s totally flexible.
How do you know what price to charge for my property?
We complete a thorough pricing analysis of your property, the area you live in and cross reference with other similar listings in the area for benchmarking purposes. We also take into consideration the seasonality and duration of the period of time you are away. We then give you a recommended pricing strategy.
Do I have to remove all my personal belongings? How much stuff can I leave?
No, you don’t have to remove all of your personal belongings. We’ll discuss with you what rooms are available for guests and provide advice on whether you need to add anything or de‑clutter.
How long does it take to get my property listed?
We’ll work with you to get your property guest-ready and following that, we’ll then organise a final clean, photographers and can have the listing up within 3-5 days.
What contracts are involved?
We have a standard service agreement that needs to be signed, along with payment of your establishment fee of $299 prior to us listing your property.
Is the cost of cleaning included in your price?
When will I get paid?
We do all our reconciliations at the end of the month and you can expect to receive your payments into your bank account within 7 working days.
How will I get paid?
Your rental earnings will be paid via bank transfer to your nominated bank account. We use a trust accounting system so you can be assured that all your property’s bookings will be accounted for.
What is the minimum period my property needs to be available for your services?
A lot of work goes into preparing and listing your property for the short-stay rental market so it is in the best interests of both you and Quickstay that the property be available for at least 12 months. You want to ensure you get a full year of peak seasons and events to make it worth your while. That said, if you have a property located in a popular beachside destination, we’ll happily take it on for minimum 6 weeks over the peak summer time of mid-December to end of January but you won’t be able to have access to it during this time.
Do you list on other sites other than Airbnb?
Yes we list across the world’s most popular holiday rental booking sites like Airbnb, Booking.com. HomeAway, Expedia.com and VRBO, bringing our network of holiday booking platforms to 30+ worldwide. Some larger companies have partner agreements with Airbnb so will only list on their platform. We have invested in software that will keep track of all your property bookings, which ensures there are no crossovers between stays booked on different platforms.
How do you maximise my occupancy rate?
Quickstay will monitor the performance of your listing daily and use dynamic pricing tools to adjust nightly rates based on seasons, weekends, events and current suburb demand; always ensuring we are priced appropriately on any given day. We also list your property on multiple platforms to attract more guests. Most importantly, we focus on making your guests’ stays smooth and memorable experiences so they leave good reviews, tell their friends, or come back
again! The better reviews we achieve the more bookings we’ll fill.
How do I sign up?
We’d love to hear from everybody who’s wanting to make some extra money from an existing property, are currently purchasing, or are ready to switch management companies; to have an obligation-free chat to see whether short-stay leasing is right for you. Simply fill out your details on the contact us page and we’ll have someone get back to you.
When can I cancel the service?
You can cancel our service any time. We don’t believe in long term contracts or hidden fees for cancelling. You will just need to honour any existing bookings at the time you notify us of your intent to cancel but we can block out calendars to stop any further bookings from that date.
How do I know how well my property is performing?
Each month Quickstay will send you reporting on the performance of your property and payment for how much rental income you received for that month. You’ll also be given access to the calendar to view future bookings and nightly rates.
How will I know when the property is rented out?
You will have access to a calendar to view current and upcoming bookings and can read property reviews via the booking platforms. We’ll also give a clear breakdown on our monthly statements to help you understand how our management is working for you month on month.
How do you screen potential guests?
We apply strategies that help us attract the right type of guests and deter those who may, for example, just want somewhere to hold a party. We do not accept guests under 25 years of age, don’t accept instant bookings from those who don’t have previous reviews and upon enquiry, ask them the age of their guests and reason for their stay. Other strategies like minimum night stays (no single nights), pricing and asking for confirmation of ID are a few other ways we vett guests as best as we possibly can. Most importantly we check previous host reviews about the guests and that they are verified guests.
What happens if the guests damage something?
We receive a bond from each guest so in the unlikely event that additional cleaning is required, or repairs are needed, we’ll take the cost out of the bond and ensure any maintenance is done before the next guest arrives. We inspect properties before and after each visit and have strict house and guest vetting rules to reduce the chances of damage as much as possible. We will also recommend a company we use to obtain the right level of short-stay property and contents insurance at the commencement of our working arrangement.
Does Quickstay provide linen or do I need to provide that myself?
Quickstay provides all sheets, towels and tea towels with the cost either being covered as part of the cleaning fee that guests pay for each stay or charged back to you at the end of each month. By including linen, it can save you hundreds of dollars as you don’t have to purchase these yourself nor worry about wear and tear.
Can I arrange for my Airbnb to be cleaned myself?
It’s not ideal for homeowners to clean the properties or arrange for them to be cleaned themselves. Short-stay cleaning is very specific, and if it’s not done to standard it can impact your reviews, guest experience and ultimately property performance. It’s best we manage this for you.
Do you ask guests for a deposit?
Yes, all listings require a deposit from the guests. Depending on the booking platform the deposit is either charged as a pre-authorisation against their card or by direct payment which we hold until after the guests have checked out and the property has been checked.
How do guests check-in?
Unlike hotels, one of the benefits of short-term leasing is that guests can arrive at any time, at their own convenience, and not be limited to having to meet someone at the front desk. At Quickstay we offer self check-in – either by electronic keypad or keys in a lockbox at the property.
How do I pay your service charges?
Our commission and any additional service charges are deducted from your guest payments at the end of the month and as we don’t hide any of our fees or charges, you’ll see these clearly itemised on your statement.
What are the insurance options?
We strongly recommend that you secure adequate Short‑Term Rental Insurance. We give you the details of our preferred provider so you can obtain a quote you can trust.
Can’t find what you are looking for?
Contact us and we will reach back to you as soon as possible.