If you’re thinking about hiring a short-term rental property manager, you’re probably wondering what the process looks like—and how long it will take before you start seeing fresh bookings roll in. While every manager has their own approach, there are a few common steps you should expect when you sign on.
The Evaluation Period
Before bringing on a vacation rental manager, you likely want to get a feel for the property manager and how they would approach running your property. This would be where you would share a bit more about your challenges and goals as it relates to the property, so the manager can understand your expectations and needs. The manager may also have certain criteria they need to have met in order to bring on a property into their portfolio, and they may use this period to ensure their boxes are also checked.
The Kickoff
Once an agreement is executed, the engagement usually starts with a kickoff or onboarding email requesting some basic details about you and your home. If you haven’t done so already, your manager will schedule a detailed walkthrough of the property. This step is crucial: it helps them understand your home’s unique features and any quirks that might affect how it’s marketed and maintained.
The Walkthrough and Setup
During the walkthrough, the manager will take inventory of key household items, flag any potential issues, and capture detailed notes for their team and trusted vendors. If your property is already listed as a short-term rental, they’ll likely import your existing listing data and—ideally—past guest communications. This lets them maintain your established tone with guests and gives them a clear picture of your pricing history.
If they’re creating a new listing from scratch, they’ll handle that too—writing compelling descriptions, updating your photography if needed, and making sure you’re visible on the right channels like Airbnb and Vrbo. They may also coordinate new vendor visits, staging, or professional photo shoots to showcase your home at its best.
Integrating the Home
More sophisticated managers will also plug your property into their tech stack. This means automated pricing tools, streamlined guest communication, smart scheduling for cleaners and maintenance, and sometimes even guest rental agreements and identity checks. The goal is to set up systems that protect you and keep the guest experience smooth.
Activating the Listing and Generating Bookings
Once all that groundwork is done, your manager will activate the listing and switch on their marketing engine to attract bookings. How soon you’ll see those bookings depends partly on your existing setup.
If you’re switching from another manager, there’s often a transition period—typically 60 to 90 days—to respect bookings already on the calendar. This information is often clearly outlined in your agreement with your previous manager, and is worth confirming with your outgoing manager to what extent they want to honor that cancellation period. Many outgoing managers prefer to finish out existing reservations but some may agree to an earlier handoff. Sometimes they’ll even help rehome guests to other properties in their portfolio, so you can make the switch sooner – this can be a win-win if your current calendar isn’t performing well (which is often why owners switch managers in the first place).
If there’s no prior manager involved—or if everyone agrees on a clean break—you should expect about two to four weeks for onboarding. This gives your new manager time to get everything dialed in so they can deliver a great guest experience and maximize your earnings from the very first stay.
Bottom line: Good onboarding takes a bit of time, but done right, it sets you and your property up for long-term success—and frees you up to enjoy the benefits without the headaches. At Vinifera Homes, we do all that is described above and tailor the process to each unique client’s needs.
Written by Anish Patel, Head of Owner Relations at Vinifera Homes (anish@viniferahomes.com)