New service offers to 'manage' properties let via Airbnb

A new kind of what appears to be an online letting agency is launching today to manage properties listed by individuals as being to let via Airbnb and similar platforms.

GuestReady is being launched in London and five other international cities - Paris, Amsterdam, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong - and says it builds on the success of Airbnb and similar online short-term letting services in recent years. 

“The startup provides a range of host services such as laundry, cleaning, check-in and check-out of guests, but more importantly, manages entire properties, which includes guest communication, maintaining listings on multiple short term rental sites, and ensuring the property generates the maximum possible yield” a statement from the firm claims.

London has some 54,000 listings on Airbnb, the second largest after Paris.

“Property agents who we have spoken to are generally very interested in the services provided by GuestReady. There seems to be a consensus that the rental market this summer is the slowest in years. As landlords are struggling to let their properties, short-lets on platforms such as Airbnb are an alternative that many have been looking into” claims the start up’s London-based chief executive Alexander Limpert.

“As the short-term rental industry is maturing, there is a natural need for more efficiency, professionalism, and standardisation. Especially with business travellers, the property and any service related to a stay need to be of immaculate quality. For non-professional hosts, this is hard to achieve, which is where we step in” explains Limpert.