Contrary to popular belief, being a landlord is hard work. That’s why many homeowners choose to let property management companies handle both short-term bookings and long-term rentals.
San Diego (Photo: Clayton Cardinalli via Unsplash)
Home sharing via services such as Airbnb and VRBO can be a lucrative side gig for business-savvy property owners. However, many homeowners simply don’t have the time to manage day-to-day tenant flow. Even managing the maintenance requests and ongoing needs of a stellar long-term tenant can be a challenge. These five vacation rental management and residential property management firms in San Diego County remove the burden of micromanagement to help homeowners maximize their rental potential.
AirMGR
AirMGR offers two levels of short-term rental service with simple, transparent pricing. Listing management, which is suitable for on-site homeowners or those who can perform or coordinate services such as cleaning, maintenance, and inspections on their own starts at 12 percent. Full-service management (which includes cleaning, marketing, maintenance and on-site support) ranges from 20-22 percent depending on the type of home. AirMGR also provides short-term rental consulting services for investors looking for insight into pricing, occupancy, seasonality, and ROI analyses. AirMGR lists your property to all the major online travel platforms including Airbnb, Expedia, VRBO/Homeaway, Hopper, Home2Go, Marriott Homes & Villas, and their direct booking website, Coast to Cactus.
Air Concierge
This boutique short-term property management firm specializes in “remarkable homes.” What makes a home remarkable? Unique features such as a spectacular view, swimming pool, exclusive location, stunning design, or a curated collection (think art, books, or photography). Homes needn’t be über fancy, but they must have character.
Air Concierge prides itself on being nearly immediately responsive and providing the highest level of service. In addition to marketing the property, they respond to guest issues before, during and after their stay, and coordinate any necessary maintenance and repairs. Management fees vary but are typically between 15–25 percent of the nightly rate charged to the guest and include accounting reports on a monthly basis for homeowners’ review.
Penny Realty, Inc. Property Management
In business in San Diego County since 1965, Penny Realty offers vacation rentals, long-term rentals, summer rentals, and a unique hybrid rental option with a month-long term. They have a wide variety of single family homes, condominiums, and multifamily apartments ranging from traditional beach cottages to fabulous mansions. Penny Realty claims that, on average, they will rent your property in 14 Days or less (the average is 11 days). They also boast an 11-step resident screening process to ensure they attract only the highest-quality tenants.
Good Life Property Management
Good Life Property Management offers a wide range of long-term property management services which are tailored to the needs of each individual client. Homeowners are paired with an expert property manager on day one who helps establish the optimal rental price for your property and coordinate any services needed to get your home ready to advertise and rent. They take high-quality photos, film a 3D tour, and make sure your property is posted on the most trafficked websites. Once a tenant is selected, Good Life gets the lease signed and coordinates the move-in, and handles all routine maintenance and tenant communication. Before the end of the lease term, they also conduct a thorough walkthrough of your property and make a recommendation for lease renewal.
North County Property Group
With more than 20 years of experience in Southern California rental property management, North County Property Group are experts at managing both long-term and short-term high-end rentals. The average value of a home under the firm’s management is $1.25 million dollars. In addition to a detailed screening and tenant selection process, their residential property management services extend to marketing, regular maintenance, rent collection, lease term enforcement, and more. Property managers conduct periodic inspections to proactively address maintenance issues and also provide detailed financial reporting to homeowners. North County Property Group works with many military families who are relocating away from San Diego. In fact, active and veteran service members get their first month of property management free.