Safety Vacation Rental Property Checklists (COVID-19)

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it is critical that all of us take certain steps to stay healthy and reduce the risk of infection. In addition to using a cleaning and rental inspection checklists when preparing your rental for guests, the current situation requires taking extra measures to prevent the virus from spreading. This is where a health and safety checklist comes to the rescue. 

COVID-19 Safety & Precautionary Checklist for Hosts

Safety and precautionary checklists for hosts and guests are indispensable assets, especially during times when public health is jeopardized. Following these guidelines will help you ensure that your property is low-risk and properly disinfected during the pandemic.

General Guidelines

It is important that you ensure that you, your guests, and the cleaning crew are on the same page. The following are a couple of general steps that you can include in your rental property checklists to avoid confusion. 

• Temporarily close all common areas such as common rooms (pool/hot tub areas, fitness rooms, etc.).
• Leave detailed instructions and safety advice regarding cleaning steps for the cleaning service.
• Provide a safety vacation rental checklist for guests and place it in highly visible places.
• Update welcome guidebooks with information about coronavirus prevention and recommendations from national and local health authorities.
• Compose a digital book that you can regularly update and modify to keep your guests informed about the latest COVID-19 news.
• Use vacation rental software to manage your business remotely.

Cleaning & Disinfection

When it comes to your rental property checklists, the devil is in the detail. While the overall condition of your rental property is important (as usual), special attention should be paid to surfaces, areas, appliances, and utensils that are subject to heavy use.

• Disinfect all surfaces and items that are frequently touched and used after each guest turnover.
• Pay special attention to sanitizing doorknobs, handles, light switches, doorbells, elevator buttons, remote controllers, faucets, etc. 
• Deep clean high-traffic areas such as the kitchen and bathroom(s).
• Disinfect all the kitchen appliances, and sanitize all kitchen utensils.
• Use disposable towels for bathrooms as well as kitchen paper towels.
• Use the iGMS cleaning checklist to ensure you’ve covered all the areas of your property.

Cleaning Products

The reality is that not all cleaning products are created equally. The EPA has approved a list of cleaning products that are effective in killing the novel coronavirus. So, before you buy a cleaning product, first double-check if its EPA registration number that is found on the product label is, in fact, on this list.

• Equip your property with effective sanitizing and disinfecting products in addition to regular household cleaners. The following are proven to be effective in killing most common viruses:
  ○  Clorox Clean-up Cleaner + Bleach;
  ○  Clorox Disinfecting Wipes;
  ○  Lysol Disinfectant Spray;
  ○  Lysol Multi-purpose Cleaner with Bleach;
  ○  Lysol Multi-purpose Cleaner with Hydrogen Peroxide;
  ○  Purell Multi-surface Disinfectant Spray;
  ○  Microban 24-hour Sanitizing Spray.

• Follow the instructions on the labels when using cleaning products and avoid mixing chemicals.
• Provide alcohol-based hand sanitizers for guests. Be sure to leave a bottle in the entryway for guests to sanitize their hands as soon as they enter the premises.

Check-in & Checkout

Social distancing is one of the key measures to help flatten the curve. By offering self-check-in as an option, guests do not have to interact with hosts at all. This will help both guests and hosts to feel more at ease as they will be able to enforce social distancing. In addition to offering self-check-in, here are some other steps that you can include in your rental property checklists.

• Disinfect lockboxes and leave instructions for key exchange to avoid physical contact.
• Consider installing a smart lock to enable guests to access your property using their smartphones.
• Insist on self-check-in and checkout to limit exposure to the virus and help prevent the virus from spreading.
• If possible, completely switch to online payment methods to avoid physical cash/check payments.

At iGMS, we made handling your business remotely simple and efficient. With our vacation rental software, you can keep your business up and running, especially during difficult times like this. Our software will make it easy for you to stay on top of all your business requirements and continue to coordinate your daily tasks without jeopardizing anyone’s health. 

COVID-19 Safety & Precautionary Checklist for Guests

To combat this coronavirus pandemic, everyone needs to work together and act responsibly. Thus, in addition to creating your own rental property checklists, it is important to make sure that your guests know what is expected of them, and how they can help keep your property and neighbors safe from infection.

Hygiene Practice

While practicing good hygiene at all times is important, it is critical if we want to flatten the curve effectively. Your guests might not have the correct information and, therefore, it is a good idea to include the following in your rental property checklists.

• Wash your hands frequently, for at least 20 seconds. Warm water and soap will prevent the virus from spreading.
• Please disinfect your hands as soon as you enter the premises. Use the alcohol-based hand sanitizers that are at your disposal in several rooms, including the entryway. 
• Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.
• Cover your nose and mouth when coughing and/or sneezing with a tissue. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into the bend of your arm.
• Dispose of used tissues as soon as possible and be sure to wash your hands afterward.
• Promote the circulation of air in rooms by frequently opening windows.
• Disinfect frequently used and touched items such as keys, light switches, doorknobs, cellphones, laptops, TV and AC remotes, etc.

Physical Contact

Unfortunately, to help slow down the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), physical contact must also be restricted. Use your rental property checklists as an opportunity to remind your guests about their social responsibility to avoid close contact with others and refrain from visiting crowded places.

• Avoid close contact with people who are feeling unwell and/or are showing symptoms.
• Maintain social distancing and avoid physical contact (handshakes, hugs, etc.).
• Stay away from crowded places.
• Minimize the use of public transport.

Important Notice

Both the landlord and tenant must make sure that they stay informed about the latest updates issued by the health department. Though, as your guests are most likely on holiday mode, they might forget to read the news. A simple reminder can make all the difference!

• Stay informed about the coronavirus (COVID-19) and follow announcements by national and local health authorities to protect yourself and others.
• If you have difficulty breathing and/or are experiencing flu-like symptoms (fever, coughs, sore throat), seek medical attention immediately.

Conclusion

Unprecedented times call for decisive action. It is your responsibility to secure your vacation rentals when preparing them for guests. Rental property checklists can help you ensure that you have covered all your bases in response to COVID-19. Now the health and safety of your guests and general public health should play an even greater role than normal. Stay safe!