Discover the most important certifications for short-term rentals including energy, sustainability and safety
When you set up as a property manager of short-term rentals, you do not necessarily need a degree or professional qualifications. However, if this is to be a serious business, it makes total sense to consider certain key certifications for vacation rental property managers.
These are some areas which are worth considering:
- Property safety
- Sustainability
- Energy efficiency
- Guest trust
- Property management skills
Taking this approach is likely to save you money and, just as important, instil guest trust that you will provide them with the travel experience they expect.
1. Property safety
One of the most important aspects of running a vacation rental is protecting the safety of your guests. This will help to prevent accidents which, in turn, lowers insurance risk and ensures your guests have a hassle-free stay. Furthermore, having a safe vacation rental will save money as potential problems will be resolved before they become urgent and costly. As you will know, sorting out concerns with guests is time-consuming and can affect those all-important reviews.
There are a number of certifications for vacation rental property managers which will help you identify any potential safety hazards. For example, Breezeaway’s Safety Program, will provide you with a certification which will demonstrate professionalism and give peace of mind to guests. Their Short-Term Rental Safety Inspector will ensure your property management business maintains safe and high-quality rental properties.
2. Sustainability
Sustainable places to stay are in demand amongst travellers according to all the research conducted by leading travel companies like Booking.com. And yet, these potential eco-conscious guests are finding it hard to find places which match their own values.
The hotel industry has already recognised this fact, with many hotel groups now highlighting their sustainable practices. When you stay in a hotel, it is quite usual to see refillable dispensers for shower gels and hand soaps, as well as smart lighting. As a result of the importance given to sustainable hospitality, there are 200 different certifications for hotels. This vast choice leads to disparity of standards as they do not all follow the same criteria.
At Sustonica, we want to make it easy for our industry by providing a single certification for vacation rental property managers. Sustonica is the first standard for the short-term rental industry, and we have developed our criteria to match the specificities of rental properties. We have also followed the guidelines of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Our criteria include very simple actions that many property owners and managers will have implemented already. These include ways to reduce energy consumption and save water. You can try our simple test to see if any of your properties make the grade for a Sustonica sustainability badge.
3. Energy efficiency
In many countries across the world, energy performance certificates (EPC) for the efficiency of a building are required by law. Whether energy certifications for vacation rental property managers are required will vary, but it is usually needed when selling a property.
For example, in the UK, properties rented out for more than 4 months of the year must have an EPC. In the EU, EPCs are mandatory for selling a building and in the US, there is the Energy Star Certification for buildings. With the volatility of energy markets, property buyers are checking out the energy ratings as part of their buying decision.
Consequently, in certain circumstances, having an EPC is unavoidable. However, it is worth remembering that when an EPC is undertaken, it will identify the energy rating of your rental and highlight where money is being lost due to inefficiency. Using the EPC rating system, you can look at higher ratings than your property to see the average annual consumption. In this way, you can calculate the savings you could make if you were to invest in a new heat pump for hot water, for example.
4. Guest trust
Most travellers have heard about the horror stories of booking a vacation rental online which does not actually exist. Or maybe the reality is nothing like the photos and there are some nasty surprises when they arrive.
A good way to gain guest trust is to look for specific certifications for vacation rental property managers. The leading certification is I-PRAC – the International Property Rental Approval Certification. With the vast majority of travellers booking and paying online, this type of certification gives them the peace of mind that they are dealing with a professional company.
5. Property management skills
The certifications for vacation rental property managers mentioned above are important ones to consider. They cover your properties rather than you as a property manager. If you are just starting out or growing your business, you may want to undertake a course yourself. This will empower you to improve your knowledge and create a long-term career in vacation rentals.
Here are a couple to check out:
- Vacation Rental Management Certificate Program run by the VRMA
- STR Certification, which has been put through strict academic reviews by community colleges and universities
In addition, there are courses for property managers across the whole sector of looking after property, not just vacation rentals. These will give you even broader expertise and empower you to manage properties of different types.
6. Become a B Corp
B Corp is probably one of the most stringent certifications you can undertake if you want to be a purpose-driven brand. The B Corp Certification is designed to highlight businesses who aim to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. There are now well over 8000 companies in 96 countries across 162 industries who can claim to be a business for good.
Firstly, you will be required to complete the B Impact Assessment, which is free do do so. This covers questions about all aspects of running a business from an environmental and social point of view. If you score 80 points or more you can then go on and be certified as a B Corp. Growing numbers of businesses in the tourism sector are becoming B Corps as our industry strives to adopt the “triple bottom line”: people, planet, profit.
Having a number of certifications for your properties will save you money, instil guest trust and define you as a professional business. Sustainability should be on your list! So check out our Criteria and see how easy it could be to get your Sustonica badge!
