46 | How to Make Your Rental as Safe as Possible | with Justin Ford

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Are you making safety a top priority for your Airbnb or short term rental? You are taking responsibility for your guests, and that goes beyond cleanliness, amenities, and standing out.

Justin Ford is director of safety and certification programs at Breezeway, a software company that makes it easier to manage property care and maintenance operations. Justin focuses on the operations side specifically, helping property managers and owners maintain the safety of vacation rental properties and short term rentals.

It is easy to only look at the bare minimum of safety, such as smoke alarms and fire extinguishers, but there is so much more to keep in mind and many pillars of safety that may not be on your radar at all. We’re going to go over why safety needs to be at the top of your list.

Why does safety tend to get overlooked?

Safety is overlooked because we are comfortable and familiar with our space. It’s easy to assume that everyone else will know your home as well as you, but it’s not their space and it is hard to look at it from the perspective of a stranger.

Is it expensive to make your rental property as safe as possible?

Not at all. It does depend on the size of the property, but there are many tools to help you out there, but most of all it is just time intensive. The important thing is to set things up properly and thinking about proper placement.

What should be listing as safety features on our property?

There is a huge opportunity when it comes to official safety certifications and what they offer. Airbnb Plus and Vrbo both have safety inspections as part of their certification, but they have big gaps in what they are checking for.

We are just getting started on safety and will be covering much more in the future, but for now, be sure to check out the resources below for more information and places to start.

Resources:

• Justin’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/captjustinford
• Proper Insurance: proper.ositracker.com/145062/8728
• Breezeway: www.breezeway.io | Instagram: @breezeway.io
• Breezeway CEO on the Today Show: www.today.com/video/homesharing-what-to-know-before-you-book-73130565982
• DwellSafe: www.facebook.com/dwellsafe
• #STRShareSunday: @1920granddame
• Becky’s personal profile: @rustandfound