Homeowner Guide
Homeowner Guide
by GuestSpaces Vacation Rentals
My Listing
My Account
Homeowner Portal
Housekeeping
Maintenance
Our Team
My Listing
We maintain accounting of revenue and all expenses for your property.
Each month you will receive a direct deposit payment for the prior month’s bookings as well as a detailed, digital accounting statement emailed to you (this can also be accessed via the Homeowner Portal).
All hotel taxes are collected and remitted on your behalf by our team.
We maximize your rental property’s visibility and occupancy by creating listings on a wide variety of vacation rental booking platforms including Airbnb, VRBO, Homes and Villas by Marriott Bonvoy (HVMB), etc. in addition to the GuestSpaces website.
The process begins with a professional media shoot (scheduled at our cost) to attractively capture all aspects of your unique home. HDR photos and our 360º Virtual Tours are crucial to enticing potential guests and maximizing your bookings. Our in-house editors then conduct an additional round of color correction, touch-ups, and enhancements on the media produced by the professional photographers in order to ensure our listings stand out in searches.
Our onboarding team will carefully construct every aspect of your listing including:
Availability
Amenities
Neighborhood Information
Description
Photo Gallery (Order, Captions, and Assigning Photos to Rooms (as applicable))
Guest Safety Information
Pricing
Property Info (Guest Count, Bed Arrangement, Square Footage, etc.)
Policies and Rules
As a professional property management company, we are assigned representatives from these major booking platforms who we work closely with to ensure our listings are optimized for market trends as well as the latest settings and features offered.
In addition to regular updates to Property Titles, Photo Galleries, Descriptions, etc., we regularly receive “to-do” lists from the respective platforms that must be completed in order to remain as competitive as possible (for example, updating settings in accordance with new requirements or available toggles).
Our owner success team tracks all updates and marketing efforts that your listing is included in and we’re happy to review with you at any time.
Our in-house marketing team also promotes your property directly to our dedicated mailing list of over 20,000 past guests, across social media platforms, and in digital ad campaigns that capitalize on Austin’s reputation as a dream destination!
We curate a virtual property guide for each home in our portfolio that is sent out to guests 72 hours prior to check in.
Each home’s Digital Front Desk contains property information and FAQs, local recommendations, links to concierge services, 24/7 guest support, and more!
A GuestSpaces property manager personally responds to each inquiry received for your property. Every question is answered quickly and with more accurate answers than automated answering systems can provide.
When guests make a booking, we handle all communication on your behalf. Check-in details, along with a curated virtual property guide, are sent out 72 hours prior to the reservation time so guests can experience a hassle-free, relaxing arrival. We then check in throughout the stay to ensure a 5-star experience and follow up after check-out to encourage returning guests.
Should our guests have any issues or experience and maintenance emergencies, our team will manage all communication on your behalf.
We maximize your rental property’s visibility and occupancy by creating listings on a wide variety of vacation rental booking platforms including Airbnb, VRBO, Homes and Villas by Marriott Bonvoy (HVMB), etc. in addition to the GuestSpaces website.
The process begins with a professional media shoot (scheduled at our cost) to attractively capture all aspects of your unique home. HDR photos and our 360º Virtual Tours are crucial to enticing potential guests and maximizing your bookings. Our in-house editors then conduct an additional round of color correction, touch-ups, and enhancements on the media produced by the professional photographers in order to ensure our listings stand out in searches.
Our onboarding team will carefully construct every aspect of your listing including:
Property Title
Availability
Amenities
Neighborhood Information
Description
Photo Gallery (Order, Captions, and Assigning Photos to Rooms (as applicable))
Guest Safety Information
Pricing
Property Info (Guest Count, Bed Arrangement, Square Footage, etc.)
Policies and Rules
As a professional property management company, we are assigned representatives from these major booking platforms who we work closely with to ensure our listings are optimized for market trends as well as the latest settings and features offered.
In addition to regular updates to Property Titles, Photo Galleries, Descriptions, etc., we regularly receive “to-do” lists from the respective platforms that must be completed in order to remain as competitive as possible (for example, updating settings in accordance with new requirements or available toggles).
Our owner success team tracks all updates and marketing efforts that your listing is included in and we’re happy to review with you at any time.
Our in-house marketing team also promotes your property directly to our dedicated mailing list of over 20,000 past guests, across social media platforms, and in digital ad campaigns that capitalize on Austin’s reputation as a dream destination!
We regularly put out SEO content, such as optimized blog posts about the short term vacation rental industry, to educate our partners, share with the community, and organically drive traffic to our direct booking site. Direct bookings allow guests to avoid paying for booking platform fees and enjoy our lowest overall pricing.
Our experienced rental analysts do extensive market research and regularly update your rental’s pricing to generate high-quality bookings and maximize revenue with unique rates based on length of stay, local events, seasonal demand, etc.
As you grow, we also offer (optional) connection to an AI-driven pricing tool + pricing consulting firm to further optimize our pricing strategy for a small monthly fee.
We maintain accounting of revenue and all expenses for your property. Each month you will receive a direct deposit payment for the month’s bookings as well as a detailed, digital accounting statement to be accessed via the Homeowner Portal.
Our advanced vacation rental technology stack includes:
- Our Homeowner Portal
- Our Digital Property Guides (more information above)
- QR Code Signage
- PriceLabs + Richter Logic (AI-Powered Dynamic Pricing – more information below under Fees (optional))
- NoiseAware Decibel Monitoring (more information below under Fees (optional))
My Account
We maintain accounting of revenue and all expenses for your property.
Each month you will receive a direct deposit payment for the prior month’s bookings as well as a detailed, digital accounting statement emailed to you (this can also be accessed via the Homeowner Portal).
All hotel taxes are collected and remitted on your behalf by our team.
The following fees are not covered by our management commission, but are required.
- Utilities (including WiFi, cable, and streaming services)
- Landscaping, pest control, or pool services
- Cc processing fee on nightly rents (3.1%)
- Regular maintenance due to wear-and-tear
- Insurance
- Please see the “Insurance” tab for more information.
- Initial stocking of home, linens, or towels
- Please see the “Preparing Your Home” tab for more information.
- Annual VRBO subscription ($699)
- VRBO allows for the transfer of reviews (while other booking platforms do not). For this reason, we have Homeowners cover the annual VRBO subscription cost so that, in the event you wish to self-manage or opt for another property manager, no money is lost and we can assist with the transfer of reviews.
- Additional media shoots
- While you would be responsible for this cost, updated media is highly recommended when significant visual changes are made to your home.
Please see the “Fees (optional)” tab for optional services GuestSpaces offers to enhance both your listing and homeowner experience.
The following fees are not covered by our management commission, but are optional.
- PriceLabs + Richter Logic ($90/mo)
- As your listing grows, we offer (optional) connection to an AI-driven pricing tool + pricing consulting firm to further optimize our dynamic pricing strategy for a small monthly fee.
- NoiseAware Decibel Monitoring System ($19/mo)
- In order to keep neighbors happy as we welcome guests frequently into our homes, we also offer preferred pricing on NoiseAware monitoring systems which allow our team to monitor the decibel level of noise made by each group and promptly reach out if reasonable levels are exceeded.
We offer a month-to-month management contract that requires 30-days notice for termination.
The management contract must be signed before the media shoot can be scheduled or the property listed online.
As we forgo annual contracts, owners are required to cover the $699 annual VRBO subscription fee. This allows you to terminate with 30 days notice and, should you create another listing for your home, we can assist with the transfer of VRBO reviews.
For all new Homeowners contracted in 2024, we charge a standard 22%* management commission on the nightly rents only. The cleaning fee, taxes, etc. are charged to the guest and passed through directly to their respective destinations.
*Homeowners contracted in previous years are charged the management fee listed on their contract.
Please see the “Fees (Required)” tab for other homeowner-facing fees.
The management commission does cover:
- The initial media shoot (HDR photos and 360º virtual tour)
- Listings on all connected booking platforms except VRBO (see below)
- Custom Digital Front Desk property guide
- Online Homeowner Portal access
- Manual dynamic pricing
- Revenue management and monthly earning statements
- Regular guest communication
- Cc processing fee on cleaning fee, taxes, etc. (not nightly rents, see below)
- Regularly stocked guest supplies: paper towels, toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand soap, laundry detergent, bleach, dish detergent, sponges, all-purpose cleaner, trash bags, coffee, filters, cream, & sugar
The management commission does not cover:
- Utilities (including WiFi, cable, and streaming services)
- Landscaping, pest control, or pool services
- Cc processing fee on nightly rents (3.1%)
- Regular maintenance due to wear-and-tear
- Insurance
- Please see the “Insurance” tab for more information.
- Initial stocking of home, linens, or towels
- Please see the “Preparing and Maintaining Your Home” tab for more information.
- Annual VRBO subscription ($699)
- VRBO allows for the transfer of reviews (while other booking platforms do not). For this reason, we have Homeowners cover the annual VRBO subscription cost so that, in the event you wish to self-manage or opt for another property manager, no money is lost and we can assist with the transfer of reviews.
- Additional media shoots
- While you would be responsible for this cost, updated media is highly recommended when significant visual changes are made to your home.
- Owners are required to pay for all utilities, mortgage payments, HOA fees, pest control services*, and regular maintenance fees
- As we forgo annual contracts, owners are required to cover the $699 annual VRBO subscription fee. This allows you to terminate with 30 days notice and, should you create another listing for your home, we can assist with the transfer of VRBO reviews.
- Owners are required to cover the cost of regular landscaping to maintain listing accuracy, value, and avoid negative reviews. Recurring appointments are typically scheduled 2x/mo in Spring/Summer months and 1x/mo in Fall/Winter months.
- Owners are required to notify GuestSpaces if home is put up for sale. Owner agrees not to show or access the home while guests are in the property.
- Owners are required to keep a liability insurance policy for the property in the minimum amount of $1 Million per incident that specifically provides coverage for residential properties being rented as a vacation rental (this is not a standard Homeowner’s insurance policy). GuestSpaces must be named as an additional insured on the policy. Per our management contract, owners agree to not hold GuestSpaces responsible for any damage or liability whatsoever.
- Owners are required to stock the home with our standard set of amenities (noted below under Preparing and Maintaining Your Home) and provide a battery operated keypad lock (preferably Schlage brand) for their rental property.
- Owners are responsible for notifying our management team when the property is “media shoot ready” according to our notes.
All hotel taxes are collected and remitted on your behalf by our team.
Homeowner Portal
Our Homeowner Portal gives you the freedom to view your booking calendar, reservation details, accounting statements, and more from one simple dashboard.
You can even add Owner Bookings* for yourself or your guests!
*Homeowner Bookings may not replace an existing reservation. While there is no nightly rent to book your own home, we will require that you pay the cleaning fee to ensure all is ready for the next guest.
You have been sent an email with the subject “Please confirm your email address” from noreply@getdirect.io
Please click the “CONFIRM MY ACCOUNT” button and follow the prompts to create your user account with the DIRECT platform. Please be sure to create your account using this method to ensure your properties are linked correctly and reservation information will display.
Once you have created an account and logged into the Homeowner Portal, please click (or hover over) the user icon in the top right hand corner. A dropdown sub-menu will appear. Please click GENERAL.
Banking Information
To add your direct deposit banking information, first click the EDIT button in the top right corner of the BANK SETTINGS section. Fill out all necessary information (NOTE: IBAN Number is NOT needed for individuals).
Next, click the UPDATE button at the bottom of the page in the Stripe section. This will take you to a Stripe-hosted webpage where you will create an account for their platform.
Approximately 48 hours after entering your personal details into Stripe, please return to the Homeowner Portal and click the UPDATE button again to enter your banking details, SSN, etc.
You can access the Homeowner Portal any time by visiting www.GuestSpaces.com and selecting HOMEOWNER LOGIN from the navigation menu.
The navigation bar (along the top of the page) provides access to the following tabs: LISTINGS, RESERVATIONS, and ACCOUNTING.
To create a booking for yourself or a personal guest, click the blue CREATE button located at the top right corner of the RESERVATIONS: LIST page.
Follow these steps to finish creating your booking:
- Select the desired unit from your dropdown list.
- Select “Owner booking” or “Friend of owner booking” from the TYPE dropdown.
- Enter your desired Check in and Check out date from the BOOKING RANGE and click NEXT.
- Enter required details for the group and main point of contact. Click the CREATE button.
To cancel an Owner or Friend of Owner booking, please contact our Concierge Team directly.
When you first sign in to Direct, the LISTINGS tab will automatically load. The LISTINGS: PROPERTIES page displays all of the properties you list with GuestSpaces Vacation Rentals.
Click “MANAGE” to view the details of a particular property.
On the property page you can view the following details about your property: property description, lodging overview, check-in instructions, accommodations and rules, property features, lodging features, and reservation overview.
The RESERVATIONS tab displays reservation information for all of your properties. The ALL RESERVATIONS / RESERVATIONS: LIST page will load automatically and can be accessed anytime via the sub-menu within the RESERVATIONS tab.
To view details of a reservation, click the BOOKING ID.
Select PROPERTIES CALENDAR from the sub-menu to view your reservations as displayed below.
To view details of a reservation, click the reservation block on the calendar and then the BOOKING ID on the pop-up.
On the reservation details page, you can view the following: rate settings at time of booking, property listing information, customer information, and payout information.
The STATEMENTS page will display all monthly accounting statements for your property or properties. The EARNINGS SUMMARY page will show a breakdown (per property) of: reservations, nights booked, gross revenue, management fees, deductions, and your net payout.
Housekeeping
One of our professional housekeeping teams will be assigned to clean your home just after each booking. Amenities such as soap, shampoo, conditioner, cleaning supplies, and paper products are restocked between each stay. This cost is included in our commission.
Our housekeepers will make up the beds using the flat-sheet method seen in high-end hotels.
Paper Towels, Toilet Paper, Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash, Hand Soap, Laundry Detergent, Bleach, Dish Detergent, Sponges, All-Purpose Cleaner, Trash Bags, Coffee, Filters, Cream, & Sugar
Our Property Inspectors routinely inspect your home for missing or damaged items and in-house handymen handle all basic repairs. You are notified of major repairs needed and approve charges in excess of $500, unless there is an emergency or loss of rental revenue due to the repair. We are responsible for collecting damage deposits from guests.
Maintenance
GuestSpaces oversees both regular and emergency maintenance for your property.
Rest assured that, with the luxury premium we use to price our homes, we see less damage to our properties than budget options.
Damage is handled as fairly as possible. Homeowners are responsible for covering the cost of normal wear and tear (occasionally glass coffee pots get broken, silverware accidentally thrown away, outdoor pillows/cushions needing replacement due to tears/sun bleaching, etc.) as this is just the cost of doing business via a rental property and we don’t want to nickel-and-dime guests.
However, if damage is clearly intentional/due to misuse, guests are responsible for the cost. Any damage-related costs are covered in part by their otherwise refundable security deposit and any additional balance is covered (as funds are available) by the Accidental Damage Waiver.
Each guest pays a small, nonrefundable Accidental Damage Waiver fee that accrues until a guest needs access to additional insurance coverage to pay for damages which they are responsible for.
GuestSpaces is responsible for collecting damage deposits from guests.
You are notified of major repairs needed and approve charges in excess of $500, unless there is an emergency or loss of rental revenue due to the repair.
Our Team
Should you need to contact our team directly, please reference our contact information below.
EMAIL: info@guestspaces.com
PHONE: 512-956-9977
The first available member of our all-local team will reply shortly to assist you.
Kevin Kapadia
Co-Founder and CEO
kevin@guestspaces.com
512-956-9977 ext. 4
Accounting, Investing, Rate Setting, Finance
Kayla Reed
Business Development and Marketing
kayla@guestspaces.com
512-956-9267
Listings, Marketing, Performance
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