Tag
Host tips
64 posts on the RentTools blog tagged Host tips.
Booking lead time math: why an empty calendar isn't an emergency
How far ahead your bookings actually land, how to read your own pickup curve, and the pace test that says whether an empty calendar means discount — or just wait.
pricinghost-tips
Consumables cost per stay: the line every host forgets to budget
What toilet paper, coffee, and soap actually cost you per Airbnb turnover — the itemized per-stay breakdown, bulk-vs-retail unit math, and three occupancy scenarios annualized.
host-tipspricing
Weekend pricing premium math: what to charge for Friday and Saturday
How much more to charge for weekend nights — measuring your own demand premium from occupancy-by-day, a weekly revenue grid, three markets scored, and why a 2-night weekend minimum beats the premium itself.
pricinghost-tips
Airbnb guest refund math: how much to comp when a stay goes wrong
A severity formula for mid-stay refunds — affected nights times nightly rate times an impact factor — with four worked scenarios and the platform rules that override a lowball.
host-tipsguest-comms
Break-even nightly rate: the floor where a booking starts losing money
Worked math for the nightly rate below which a short-term-rental booking loses money — the per-stay vs per-night cost split, the break-even formula, and three lowball requests scored.
pricinghost-tips
Mid-term rental math: when 28-night stays beat nightly bookings
A worked month costed two ways — nightly turnovers vs one 28-night stay — the ~77% occupancy break-even, and the tenant-rights tripwire most hosts miss.
pricinghost-tips
Early check-in fee math: when to charge, when it's free money
Worked math for early check-in fees on Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo — the prior-night-vacant rule, what to charge, and why high occupancy kills the supply.
host-tipspricing
Booking.com Preferred Partner math: when the +2% commission pays back
Worked break-even on Booking.com's Preferred Partner badge — the +2% commission tax, the two-tier ladder, and why it only pays with empty nights to fill.
host-tipsbooking-com
Airbnb host cancellation penalty math: what cancelling actually costs
Airbnb replaced its flat host cancellation fee with 10/25/50% tiers capped at $1,000. The full cost — the fee, blocked calendar, automated review, and Superhost hit.
airbnbhost-tips
Vrbo Premier Host requirements: the four thresholds and what the badge actually moves
The four Vrbo Premier Host thresholds, the search-rank lift the badge actually delivers, the acceptance-rate trap that costs most badges, and when chasing it stops paying.
vrbohost-tips
Booking.com no-show fee math: what you actually recover when a guest never shows up
A worked playbook for Booking.com no-shows — the 48-hour reporting window, what the rate plan determines, the commission you still owe, and the chargeback rate that eats the rest.
host-tipsbooking-com
WiFi for vacation rentals: speed, router, and LTE failover
The Mbps number guests actually need, the router that doesn't crash by month four, and the 4G backup that turns three nights of outage into a non-event.
host-tipstools