MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

There are a lot of questions that come up on a given call. A lot of these questions can be answered rather easily.

This FAQ page will be consistently updated to reflect any new changes that come up but any prospective or new clients should always review our terms and conditions to ensure the language meets their needs and wants as that will be the agreement between us.

 

## + HOW CAN I QUALIFY FOR AIR CONCIERGE? 

We take great care and concern for our owner clients, their homes and our shared guests. We also invest a tremendous amount of time, energy and resources into each of our properties. For that reason we maintain a simple but effective strategy for deciding which properties and owners we represent, its also our mission statement:

*Provide memorable stays in remarkable homes  

This is a challenging enterprise and we view our clients as our partners. Having a solid foundation and working relationship is critical to our mutual success. A memorable stay means that every guest enters, stays and leaves each of our homes with a feeling of belonging, home, safety and comfort. A remarkable home is one that is more than just four walls and a roof. There may be a unique feature (view, pool, location) or a stunning design, or a curated collection of art, books, or photos. It need not be a $1000/night, it may only be $100/night, but the home has character and our guests remark on its appointment in some capacity.

## + WHAT CITIES/STATES DOES AIR CONCIERGE OPERATE IN? 

san diego | san francisco | los angeles | orange county | palm springs | lake tahoe | seattle

Coming Soon: Arizona (Phoenix, Scottsdale)

## + WHAT DOES THE AIR CONCIERGE SERVICE INCLUDE? WHAT DO YOU DO FOR VACATION RENTAL OWNERS?

We can handle photography, listing of the home online, booking inquiries, booking confirmations, guest messaging, contracts (when applicable), deposits (when applicable), marketing of the home, guest meet and greets (some in-person check-ins may not be available or able to be coordinated), check out walkthroughs (when possible), supplies and restocking, in stay guest support, tax, permit and/or licsensure (if/when hired and agreed upon to do so), seasonal work (if applicable) and more. We are doing everything we can to help you generate as much revenue as possible from your rental and save you time by doing most/all of the work for you. This includes responding to guest issues before, during and after their stay, as well as calling in the handyman, plumber, electrician, and landscaper when needed. We have staff in the area that can go to and from the home, meet with guests, oversee and ensure cleaning has been completed and generally be your eyes and ears to the home. We respond to guest requests and handle all accounting and reporting on a monthly basis for your review.

In addition, Air Concierge does assist in the procurement of cleaning & maintenance staff but does not perform this service itself, and instead relies on a network of contractors and vendor specialists. 

## +DOES AIR CONCIERGE PERFORM CLEANING & MAINTENANCE?

Air Concierge is a hospitality management company. Its core competency being listing homes for vacation and short term rent, using its reputation, skills & knowledge to win bookings (at market rates or higher using dynamic pricing models) and oversee those reservations (guest communications, house packets, etc). Air Concierge is not in the business of providing cleaning or maintenance services. It does not perform these as standalone services for a fee, it does not market or perform these services a la carte. In all such cases where cleaning and/or maintenance are required routinely or otherwise, Air Concierge may work to identify and hire those persons and teams and/or retain vendors already known and hired by the homeowner. Our clients may benefit from our network of cleaners and maintenance personnel that we have worked with over the years. These are third party vendors, they are not employees of Air Concierge or its subsidiaries, and while Air Concierge seeks to only work and recommend licensed and insured vendors, there may be instances from time to time that its not commercially feasible to authenticate whether a vendor has such license or insurance.

## + HOW MUCH DOES AIR CONCIERGE CHARGE FOR MANAGING MY HOME? 

We earn a variable fee typically between 15%-25% (unless otherwise differing amounts have been agreed upon) commission calculated only on the nightly rate charged to the guest. Thus we do not attach an equal percentage to any other fees charged to the guest, such as cleaning fee, or any refundable fees or deposits.  There may be instances or arrangements in which a vendor discounts or otherwise allows for a margin for Air Concierge due to either its volume or quality or repetitiveness of business.

## + WHEN CAN I EXPECT MY PAYOUT?  

For homes managed on an Air Concierge profile: Owner payments are aimed to be set up by the 1st of each month by our Accounting team. We strive to include all booking activity in the preceding month. However, in the event a reservation starts on the last day of the month or one day prior to the last, and should the reservation run longer than 2-3 days, the Air Concierge Accounting team may move that payout to the following month. This is done both because Air Concierge will not have received the funds by time the Owner Payouts are distributed and likewise in the event of a cancellation or other reservation issue resulting in a refund, would leave Air Concierge deficient.

Additionally, the timing of when Owners will receive monies may be impacted depending on days of the week, holidays, etc. Should the 1st fall on a weekend or holiday, then they are set up on the next business day. Depending on the recipient bank, those payments may arrive the next day or 1-3 business days thereafter. You will receive an email from Wells Fargo indicating the payouts have been released.

Lastly, please note that invoices received by Air Concierge Accounting from various vendors may come at month end and therefore your owner payout may be updated should there be costs/expenses associated with your Property.

## + DOES AIR CONCIERGE MEET THE GUESTS IN PERSON? 

**YES, FOR OUR PALM SPRINGS (IF/WHEN APPLICABLE) PROPERTIES AND WHERE REQUIRED BY CITY LAW/ORDINANCE.**

We attempt to coordinate and arrange with most guests to be at the property at the time of their arrival. That coordination begins at the time of the booking and then again prior to the day of check in and when possible on the day of check in as well. 

Of course in instances where guests might be delayed due to flight or traffic issues, arriving late night, fail to respond to our messages, experience a loss of cell/email/SMS contact, lose mobile battery power issues (preventing communication), or are just outright unresponsive we will then use best practices to admit them into the property and confirm their arrival via e-communications.

In addition, we also make attempts when possible to go to the property ahead of the guest arrival to ensure the home is rental ready and the cleaning was done professionally by a trusted third party vendor. We refer to this as the pre-arrival walkthrough. 

## + HOW DOES AIR CONCIERGE VERIFY GUESTS THAT STAY IN MY HOME?

Air Concierge relies on online listing site verification software which runs background checks on all U.S. residents, including other hosts and guests, looking for matches with terrorist watch lists, financial sanctions, felony convictions, sex offender registrations, or significant misdemeanors. In instances where a booking comes direct then Air Concierge relies on its knowledge, skill, expertise to asses whether a traveler is a sound and savory person in which to host. Air Concierge also attempts to utilize templated guest messages that request various personal and group information to help give color as to who is traveling, the purpose of travel, who else is joining, and other information that Air Concierge reviews to determine if a property is a good fit for a traveler.

## + DOES AIR CONCIERGE HAVE STAFF NEARBY IF SOMETHING HAPPENS?

Yes. This is one of our main features we offer our clients that many competitors (who charge less) do not. We think it is the most important function in selecting a property manager. Having eyes and ears on site and nearby, 24/7/365 is critical to our client's well being, as well as their home and our own. 

Please note while rare, that in some instances, due to labor and macroeconomic conditions, there may be instances in which regional management staff is in flux, turnover, training or otherwise unavailable and thus not “nearby”.

## + WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENTIATORS BETWEEN AIR CONCIERGE AND ITS COMPETITORS?

1. The boutique nature of our firm. With that comes our ability to be nearly immediately responsive, and higher quality of service. As evidenced by our usually same hour reply emails and call backs at all hours of the day, all days of the week. We maintain this speed and responsiveness with not just our owner clients, but our guest travelers as well. We not only perform the 'online' portions of Airbnb & vacation rental services (responding to inquiries, optimizing listings, publishing listings across a host of platforms, dealing with 24/7 around the clock guest issues), but also 'on site' needs, including damage and household consumables restocking and placement. Our competitors often outsource their support to foreign countries, creating language barriers and response time drop offs. Our competitors do not necessarily perform services on site, guest meet and greets, walkthroughs following checkouts, damage/security deposit investigation and reporting, reporting to the home if a problem arises, eg. Air Concierge does assist in the procurement of cleaning & maintenance staff but does not perform this service itself, and instead relies on a network of contractors and vendor specialists. 

3. Our team talent: Competitors try and copy our service, our pricing software (most do not even have an smart pricing algorithm), and they try and copy almost everything. What they can't copy is the quality of people we get, grow, and keep on our team (and now yours) and the relationships we create with our clients. Talent is one of the only sustainable competitive advantages in business and ours is head and shoulders above the rest. 

4.  Pricing Software. In today's online travel booking world, everything is dynamic and changing. Managers that create a 'set it and forget it' pricing structure for your home are likely costing you at best 10% and at worst 40% of your potential revenue. Our software however allows for daily dynamic pricing changes that is much more akin to how airlines and hotels work. This not only results in more bookings, at better prices, but has the off label benefits having to do with search engine rankings and results. Other insight that is critical is that our software evaluates the time of year, day of week, length of stay, how much inquiry activity the home is seeing, how far in advance the booking is from the check in date, comparable homes in the area and their occupancy and pricing, and hotels as well. In addition, we work with our clients on manually inserting a minimum nightly rate (never allowing the software to go below that number) and a base rate, the nightly rate which goes up and down based on the above factors, in near-real time. 

5. Fees. Our fees are straightforward and simple. We simply charge our fee only off the nightly rate charged to the guest. Our competitors base their fee on all charges to the guest which may include (cleaning fee, TOT tax, pet fees, credit card fees, etc). In addition, other managers have fees charged to you for laundering, placing consumables in the home, and credit card charges. Lastly, other managers that arrange your household vendors (pest spray, pool/hot tub, gardening/landscape, etc) may also mark up for these services when charged to you. 

6. On Site Staffing. We have dedicated and full time staff in each region we operate. Competitors that offer discounted fee typically only perform the online services (responding to guest booking requests, managing the online portion of the property) but do not perform on site duties, which is where a property manager's true value is maintained. We offer a high-level regional manager for each of our territories. We work with dedicated third party cleaning and maintenance staff. We physically enter the home before and after select reservations to observe its condition, check the supplies, and ensure there are no major missing items or that damage has occurred. 

## + WHAT DOES THE CHECK OUT WALKTHROUGH CONSIST OF? 

Our check out walkthrough, when possible to perform, involves an Air Concierge team member going to the property following the guest check out and either before, during or after the cleaning. A review of the home to look for obvious damage or signs of smoking, additional persons (beyond those clarified in the reservation), a review of the household supplies, and ensure cleaning and preparation for next guests is handled. This may not occur in some/all situations and can be impacted by such things like same day turnovers, instances in which travel is restricted (eg, Covid19), unavailability of Air Concierge staff, and/or can be performed by cleaning team representatives including those hired by Air Concierge directly and those teams that are outsourced.

## + HOW DOES AIR CONCIERGE PROTECT MY HOME?

Depending on your rental terms (short term, or longer term) the first and foremost requirement of working with us is to ensure your property is properly insured. You must at all times while working with us maintain a propery policy that will cover you, your home and Air Concierge for all liabilities that could occur including but not limited to damages to the property, injuries or death to a person, loss of use, loss of rents, eg.

All other below insurances are ancillary and may or may not be viable depending on the underlying facts, any exceptions or exemptions that would preclude their application in the event your home is damaged, an injury occurs, or other scenario results.

In order to work with us, and as agreed upon in our terms and conditions should you become a client, you must maintain an appropriate level of insurance (1,000,000/occurrence, 1,000,000 in aggregate) and name Air Concierge as an additional insured. You should also note that in any instance in which Air Concierge is named additional insured and a notice is received that a policy is pending cancellation for non payment and the property is actively marketed with Air Concierge and/or has current rentals and/or future rentals, then should a payment not be made timely by the Policy Owner, Air Concierge reserves the right to make such a payment and will reduce the owner payout by the same amount in order to keep the policy active/in force and insure coverage during the management period.

You must not rely on any insurance policy that Air Concierge has/maintains as such insurance may not extend to your property. Depending on which platform a reservation occurs, there may be, but is no guarantee, there is an insurance policy sufficient for your needs or coverage.

At the time of this writing but which may adjust in the future for which this section may not be timely updated, for bookings on Airbnb, Airbnb offers a [HMI policy][8]. VRBO similarly offers a similar policy. Your home may be listed on other platforms that list similar or no such policy.

Air Concierge attempts to require when possible, security deposits (usually $500-$1000 (some properties, much higher) however, note that in some instances the booking platform itself may control these funds and not Air Concierge.

Air Concierge may require guests to purchase a damage protection policy ($1500- $5000 in coverage), but this is neither a guarantee nor if it is required will result in a payout to you.

*Depending on which platform the reservation is made, Air Concierge may not receive a security deposit from the traveler and instead any claim for damage or violation of house rules may require a claim submission from Air Concierge in which documentation of damage and reference to fair market value is required. In such instances Air Concierge makes no guarantee of full or partial reimbursement.

*It is always important you notify your agent whenever the use of the house is changed. Eg; Changing from owner occupied to rental or vice versa. Also some policies may have an endorsement covering incidences during vacant or unoccupied periods. You or Your agent and not Air Concierge is the only person that can explain, correct, verify, alter, or otherwise give guidance as to your coverage and your duties as it relates to any such changes or updates. None of this is meant to be final nor legal advice nor may be considered authoritative; you must inquire with your legal and or insurance representative to ensure all relevant and important information is disclosed to you*

[8]: https://www.airbnb.com/d/host-protection-insurance

## + DO YOU TAKE AN INVENTORY OF EVERYTHING IN MY HOME BEFORE MY FIRST RESERVATION? 

For insurance purposes, you will want to photograph each room in your home and ensure separate, up close shots of any item that is of value. You will not only take a photo of the item but any identifying (model, serial number, e.g.) information. For reimbursement purposes, original receipts are required. If the item is irreplaceable, or likewise has sentimental value beyond its fair market value, you should seriously consider not leaving it in the home. We do not perform an inventory review of the home before and after each guest. Over time you will note that towels and linens may become stained or otherwise worn. You may notice things like tupperware or silverware go missing, towels may discolor/stain over time as will linens. This is the cost of doing business and any replacement or repairs can be offset against any rental income. Most household items, even in multi million dollar homes can be furnished with Target, HomeGoods, Costco and Bed Bath & Beyond quality items. 

## + HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GET STARTED? 

For clients who have never had their home listed online or, who already are listed, we will work to either create a new profile for your property on our platform as well as potentially 4-6 others, or move your listing to our profile on various platforms, or take over the oversight of your currently existing profile. In order to do so, we must migrate the listing to our back end guest reservation and pricing system. *Our onboarding fee is an upfront fee that binds us together as partners.

**GET STARTED HERE

## + DO I HAVE TO SIGN A CONTRACT TO GET STARTED? 

We ask our clients to agree to our terms of use when they onboard (sign up) via our website. By purchasing the onboarding package you will agree to the terms and conditions found here. That is our contract.  

## + HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO WORK WITH AIR CONCIERGE WHEN I SIGN UP?

We typically require a 90 day probationary period. We consider this period so that we can each determine if we are a good fit for one another, both personality wise amongst the clients and the Air Concierge staff as well as the guests who travel to the home and the home itself. Additionally, Air Concierge expends a tremendous amount of legwork early on in order to get a home listed on the many different platforms. This may included preparing and arranging professional photography, high quality electronic guest and staff house packets as well as a hard copy, making consistent visits to the home even prior to an initial reservation, responding to owner emails, sharing/offering our outside vendor contacts including tax and insurance representatives. To find out in a few weeks after contracting that said owner has had a change of heart and no longer wishes to explore vacation/short term rental would leave Air Concierge vulnerable and at a loss.  

## + ARE THERE ANY HIDDEN FEES OR MARKUPS ON SERVICES YOU OFFER?

In short, no.  

But here's what you should know about other managers: Many/most of our competitors charge a higher management fee, AND in addition they calculate their management fee on top of all charges to a guest which can include a charge on top of the cleaning, processing, resort, insurance or other fees either not disclosed to the Owner or disclosed but not shared. Air Concierge only charges its management fee on the nightly rate. Additionally Air Concierge goes to great length to not upcharge on maintenance work (parts or labor) whereas many/most of our competitors charge marked up rates. We make additional great efforts to not charge on the actual laundering or the household supplies or our time when we have to acquire household items (as part of our routine restocking of the home). The exceptions in any of these instances would be for specific owner requested items or other unique circumstances that would entail greater time, energy or proficiency. In such instances we will use best efforts to disclose this at month end in your Owner portal. Please note, if we are required to go to the home for something unrelated to a vacation rental guest, we do have an hourly fee in place. This is most commonly due to construction, plumbing, electrical, gas, or other high level repair needs requiring someone to be at the home to meet and oversee the appropriate vendor. 

## + WHO PAYS FOR LANDSCAPE? MAINTENANCE? POOL/HOT TUB SERVICES?

Air Concierge provides and handles all guest services and management, as well as property management for its owners benefit, but we sadly are not a maintenance, landscape or pool company.

Air Concierge employees and staff are not trained handymen, contractors or repair personnel. Our staff (as part of our management fee will perform simple maintenance like changing remote control batteries or light bulbs for lamp fixtures, even tighteting chair legs, eg.) We do however schedule regular and arrange qualified maintenance personnel who can perform the more specialized work on electrical, plumbing, handy, eg.

Likewise we will arrange and schedule pool/hot tub and/or landscape vendors as needed, and all such work will be billed at cost to you. We try to make it easier for you by paying these vendors directly – which means they have been sourced, vetted, hired and scheduled and relieving you from having to coordinate anything during a guest stay. But the cost of these folks is reimbursed to us either from rental income or if none in a given month, then from a credit card on file.

## + ARE THERE ANY CANCELLATION FEES IF AIR CONCIERGE HAS CONFIRMED A RESERVATION AND I DECIDE NOT TO HOST ANY LONGER? 

At all costs cancellations should be avoided. They tremendously impact the guest who has made the booking and likely other travel arrangements (flights, rental cars) and may involve many more people than just the guest that booked your home. In addition, Air Concierge suffers tremendously. To prevent this and from compensating for the work that is required to salvage the damage caused by a cancellation, Air Concierge has a $2,500 reservation cancellation fee. Our cancellation fee is not meant to make us rich, it is meant to cover us for the irreparable damage that a cancellation causes to our reputation and online search result ranking - which is the bloodline of our business and our client's. In addition to the backtracking and make up work that must be done to overcome such a scarlet letter, it is a long, winding road we must overcome just to get back to even, that can take months of double and triple time work.

## + ARE THERE ANY EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES SO THAT THERE ARE NO CANCELLATION FEES? 

In many cases cancellation fees can be avoided if the reason for the cancellation is: 

Unexpected death or serious illness of a host, guest or immediate family member

Serious injury that directly restricts a guest’s ability to travel or a host’s ability to host

Significant natural disasters or severe weather incidents impacting the location of destination or location of departure

Urgent travel restrictions or severe security advisories issued after the time of booking, by an appropriate national or international authority (such as a government office or department)

Endemic disease declared by a credible national or international authority (such as the US Center for Disease Control or the World Health Organization)

Severe property damage or unforeseen maintenance issues that directly impact the ability to host safely

Government-mandated obligations issued after the time of booking (ex: jury duty)

These are reviewed independently, require sufficient documentary evidence and may ultimately be decided by not only Air Concierge staff but the listing platform as well in which the reservation was made (Airbnb.com, VRBO.com, Flipkey.com, Booking.com, etc).

## + CAN I, AS THE HOMEOWNER, STIPULATE STRICT RULES (LIKE NO PETS AND NO SMOKING, MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENTS?)

Yes! In fact when we get close to launching your property and going live we will spend ample time going through all of the traditional rules we typically have guest's abide by as well as any specific to your real property and your personal property. (Note: the more rules the more prospective guests may not see your property listed online when searching or qualify to rent. Also some rules may not be enforceable depending on the booking platform (Airbnb, eg) (like a minimum age requirement, unless otherwise a city/local law)

## + WHO PAYS THE TOT (HOTEL TAX)? 

For certain sites, like Airbnb, for certain regions, TOT is charged to the guest and paid directly to the City (San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles e.g.), whereas in other cities (Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Newport Beach, e.g.) the TOT is not charged to the guest. In such cases, the TOT responsibility is that of the owner to remit to the City timely.

Other websites like Homeaway.com or VRBO.com allow the manager/owner to charge the TOT to the guest and then collect that amount. However, not only is it the responsibility of the owner to then pay the TOT to the city, a different calculation method may be required to arrive at the proper TOT as some fees and income items may not be taxable in the platform. 

## + DOES AIR CONCIERGE RESPOND TO GUEST INQUIRIES? 

Yes. Immediately. Within minutes. Sometimes faster. We are even specially recognized by websites like Airbnb for our 100% rating for response times within 24hrs. Over the course of the past year. Which covers 1000s of inquiries.

![](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53403192e4b008f8c6d7fa3b/t/595dcd6037c581ff82e6bbaa/1441077763729/airbnb-superhost-air-concierge.jpg?format=1000w)

## + WHO PAYS THE CLEANING FEES? 

Each guest/reservation is charged a cleaning fee as part of their stay. We arrive at the pre-determined amount with our cleaners based on the size/time a standard cleaning should take for your home including outdoor areas, laundry, appliance wipe-down, organization and staging.

Please note, there may be instances in which cleaners must charge more (excessive dirtiness, abnormal cleaning, etc) AFTER a reservation has concluded and at which point an additional fee may not be chargeable to the guest. We will work attempt nonetheless to work with those guests to recoup those extra costs or reach into the security deposit if and when applicable. 

From time to time, and to be more competitive, Air Concierge may remove the cleaning fee and either increase the nightly rate, add a separate fee that is not displayed and/or remove the cleaning fee altogether.

##+ WHERE ARE TOWELS & LINENS LAUNDERED?

Depending on the location of your home, and if Air Concierge offers a linen or turnover service, then best practices for Air Concierge, especially in the event of a same day turnover is to perform the laundry service(s) on site at the Property. Some owners keep a personal set of towels and linens locked off for their use. Such laundering and storing of owner items should be addressed on a case by case basis. Ultimately Owners should prepare for increased utility fees due to guest stay usage as well as turnover cleaning washer/dryer usage.

## + HOW ARE PETS AND PET FEES HANDLED?

In most situations we do not charge a pet deposit (usually due to complications with certain online booking platforms and their own terms of use that determine how such deposits are to be treated), and instead opt to charge a pet fee. This fee is used to cover the cost of additional cleaning (time and supplies) after a pet stay. This fee is retained by Air Concierge unless alternative arrangements are made with the Owner. The pet fee is typically a flat rate, and not based on length of stay, or breed of animal. We typically do not allow cats. Lastly, please note, while covered in other parts of our terms and conditions, service dogs are not permitted to be charged under Nondiscrimination Policies (eg Airbnb). To further complicate this issue is that under Airbnb terms of use, guests are not required to disclose the presence of an assistance animal before booking, Airbnb does not require documentation when traveling with an assistance animal. In the United States, guests are not required to provide documentation for a service animal and there is no legally recognized certification process for service animals. Where a guest indicates that he/she has a service animal, a host may ONLY ask:

-Whether the assistance animal is required because of a disability

-What work or task the animal has been trained to perform

Denying a booking because a guest has an assistance animal is something Airbnb takes very seriously and could result in harm to Air Concierge and its online profile. Therefore even if you are a non-pet friendly home (dont accept pets), if a guest declares they are bringing a service animal, Air Concierge cannot refuse the booking, cannot charge a fee, and cannot and will not question the Guest as to the animal or the guest's condition.

## + IF I AM THE OWNER CAN I CLEAN THE HOME MYSELF AFTER I STAY? 

In a word, no. Why? Because there's no standard of process. We can't guarantee that the cleaning will be done to the standard that a vacation rental guest expects. Should there be issues, the guest may be entitled to a refund or credit. Thus, we require our professional cleaners to handle all guest (family, friends and paying guests).

Likewise, when it comes to paying for these cleanings, owners are charged the same rate as travelers, regardless of length of stay.

Owners are always free to engage their own professional cleaners however for post-owner stay cleanings.

## + CAN AIR CONCIERGE MANAGE MY HOME IF IT'S ALSO ONE THAT I LIVE IN FROM TIME TO TIME ?

Yes. Our properties are often the primary residences and vacation homes that owner's use regularly throughout the year. This requires a much higher level of care and attention to the home and its inner workings. One thing you will never hear us say is "more heads in beds." It is industry jargon for getting as many nights booked at whatever cost to the safety and security of the home. We don't think that way and may avoid certain reservations if we feel the guests are not a good fit for your home.

## + HOW DOES AIR CONCIERGE LEARN ABOUT MY HOME BEFORE GETTING STARTED? 

Since we cater to the property that is a primary residence, or a second home, we know this means that a more special level of care and attention needs to be paid to both the property and the guests. However, even if the property is distant or not a primary residence, we still treat it and the guests as though it were our own. All of this is to say we spend exorbitant time getting to know the home, learning every light switch, audio/video, remote control, figuring out how to handle mail, trash & recycling schedules, and even how each item is stored in your kitchen.  

## + HOW ARE AIR CONCIERGE'S FEES HANDLED? 

Like a traditional company may charge, our fees are based on the booking price we obtain for the property, not including any refundable fees (security deposits, e.g.). Unlike traditional property managers, we do not share in the approach of 'as many heads in beds' as possible. Part of that antiquated property manager function is to find and place renters in the home, for which the traditional firms take a much higher percentage (30%-50%) of the booking fee than we do (15%-22%). That old management style and company has every incentive to put just about anyone into the unit so they can collect their fee. Since the owner is never (or rarely) at the unit, any damage or wear and tear is minimally attended to and is to the disadvantage of the renters, not the homeowner. We believe that once the home is rented we are an integral part of the process to ensure the guest's stay is without interruption or concern, but *also* that the property is meticulously attended to and is returned in the condition it was made.

## + WHERE DOES AIR CONCIERGE LIST MY HOME? 

We focus on www.Airbnb.com and www.AirConcierge.net and for most homes, homeaway.com, VRBO.com, when possible and eligible marriott homes and villas as well as other premier partner sites that Air Concierge may have a partnership or affiliate relationship with. It should be noted that other well known sites, like booking.com, flipkey.com have had unusual incidences of fraud/chargebacks and we’ve tried to stay ahead of those risks for benefit of our clients.

Why do we focus on Airbnb and VRBO? For a multitude of reasons:

a) While scam/spam inside VRBO/Homeaway resulting in chargebacks to owners after a completed stay has a higher frequency, these have improved. We’re still monitoring closely. We've seen this a handful of times and its a disaster w/ very little to no recourse.

b) limited to no protection on a property whereas Airbnb and VRBO each have $1,000,000 host protection policies); b) limited to no protection on any personal injury, whereas Airbnb has $1,000,000 policy)

limited to no guest background checks (Airbnb currently checks certain databases of public state and county criminal records, as well as state and national sex offender registries on U.S.-based guests and hosts where at least an accurate first and last name plus date of birth. With that information, Airbnb submits it to one of their approved background check providers, which checks the user’s identity against public records of convictions and sex offender registries)

for every 4 bookings, there is 1 review on other platforms. On Airbnb, there are 3 reviews for every 5 stays. If we earn a booking on another platform, then a) we likely would have booked those same dates on Airbnb b) we would likely not receive a review and c ) we would be missing out on the single most important factor for improving rank on airbnb: guest stays + guest reviews.

## + WHAT ARE THE REALITIES OF TURNING MY HOME INTO A HOTEL?

While there is a lot of money to be made from transforming your home into a micro-hotel, there are downsides as well. Every person that becomes an Air Concierge client agrees and understands that with strangers becoming guests and foot traffic becoming wear and tear you should be prepared for use and abuse of your furnishings, accessories and common areas (walls, walkways, e.g.). You will see things go missing (towels, linens, kitchen supplies) for no other reason than guests take these things to things like the beach and forget they are in the car when they return home.  You should be prepared that marks will appear in places in the home that seems irrational and confusing. You may have a no shoes in the house rule and there is no way to enforce or expect that as a condition of rental.  There is no way to protect against all of these things and the many things that cannot be planned for. Short of intentional destruction of property, theft or similar, then anything and everything should be in your realm of expectation as part of the trade off for earning thousands, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.

## + SAFETY & BUILDING CODE & COMPLIANCE

Air Concierge is not a licensed or certified building inspector, nor does it know the building codes or requirements for health and safety in your municipality. However, Air Concierge does all it can to ensure properties that it manages are free from clear and obvious dangers such that guests, invitees of guests, licensees, Air Concierge employee and staff, third party vendors, and even property owner(s) themselves are all safe and secure from injury or death while at the property. To that end, we may note before and during our agreement period, any clear and obvious dangers with a particular focus on pools/hot tubs, decks, railings and stairs, both interior and exterior if they may appear to a reasonable person to be hazardous, faulty,or potential for injury/death. Although we ask that prior to you becoming a client to agree with our terms of use which includes various clauses and attestations which revolve around the safety of the Property, we still may take steps to ensure additional safety measures are reviewed, followed, improved or otherwise confirm the home/features are in good standing and code compliant. This may cause a delay and costs to you from the time you become a client to the time the home is rental ready. We apologize for that inconvenience but in the interest of safety for all and reduction of liabilities to you/us, this is a necessary step. Recent news involving deck collapses, elevator closures that have resulted in serious injury and death to vacation rental guests means this is a possibility that we should always be aware of and take all reasonable steps to protect against.

## + DISCLAIMER:

*Please ensure you have read the Air Concierge [Terms of Use ][12]as to the above information to ensure authenticity and accuracy as the Terms of Use are updated more frequently and are more reliable and accurate than the FAQs herein.

[12]: https://www.airconcierge.net/terms-of-use

+ HOW CAN I QUALIFY FOR AIR CONCIERGE?

We take great care and concern for our owner clients, their homes and our shared guests. We also invest a tremendous amount of time, energy and resources into each of our properties. For that reason we maintain a simple but effective strategy for deciding which properties and owners we represent, its also our mission statement:

*Provide memorable stays in remarkable homes

This is a challenging enterprise and we view our clients as our partners. Having a solid foundation and working relationship is critical to our mutual success. A memorable stay means that every guest enters, stays and leaves each of our homes with a feeling of belonging, home, safety and comfort. A remarkable home is one that is more than just four walls and a roof. There may be a unique feature (view, pool, location) or a stunning design, or a curated collection of art, books, or photos. It need not be a $1000/night, it may only be $100/night, but the home has character and our guests remark on its appointment in some capacity.

+ WHAT CITIES/STATES DOES AIR CONCIERGE OPERATE IN?

san diego | san francisco | los angeles | orange county | palm springs | lake tahoe | seattle

+ WHAT DOES THE AIR CONCIERGE SERVICE INCLUDE? WHAT DO YOU DO FOR VACATION RENTAL OWNERS?

We handle photography, listing the home, inquiries, bookings, marketing, guest meet and greets (some in-person check-ins may not be available or able to be coordinated), check out walkthroughs (when possible), housekeeping and maintenance. We are doing everything we can to help you generate as much revenue as possible from your rental and save you time by doing most/all of the work for you. This includes arranging the cleaning, responding to guest issues before, during and after their stay, calling in the handyman, plumber, electrician, and landscaper when needed. We have staff in the area that can go to and from the home, meet with guests, oversee cleanings and generally be your eyes and ears to the home. We respond to guest requests and handle all accounting and reporting on a monthly basis for your review.

+ HOW MUCH DOES AIR CONCIERGE CHARGE FOR MANAGING MY HOME?

We earn a 15%-22% commission calculated only on the nightly rate charged to the guest. Thus our fee does no include any other fees charged to the guest, such as cleaning fee, or any refundable fees or deposits.

+ WHEN CAN I EXPECT MY PAYOUT?

For homes managed on an Air Concierge profile: Owner payments are set up on the 1st of each month by Accounting. We strive to include all booking activity in the preceding month. However, in the event a reservation starts on the last day of the month or one day prior to the last, and should the reservation run longer than 2-3 days, Air Concierge accounting team may move that payout to the following month. This is done both because Air Concierge will not have received the funds by time the Owner Payouts are distributed and likewise in the event of a cancellation or other reservation issue resulting in a refund, would leave Air Concierge deficient.

Additionally, the timing of when Owners will receive monies may be impacted depending on days of the week, holidays, etc. Should the 1st fall on a weekend or holiday, then they are set up on the next business day. Depending on the recipient bank, those payments may arrive the next day or 1-3 business days thereafter. You will receive an email from Wells Fargo indicating the payouts have been released.

Lastly, please note that invoices received by Air Concierge Accounting from various vendors may come at month end and therefore your owner payout may be updated should there be costs/expenses associated with your Property.

+ DOES AIR CONCIERGE MEET THE GUESTS IN PERSON?

YES, FOR OUR PALM SPRINGS PROPERTIES AND WHERE REQUIRED BY CITY LAW/ORDINANCE.

We attempt to coordinate and arrange with most guests to be at the property at the time of their arrival. That coordination begins at the time of the booking and then again prior to the day of check in and when possible on the day of check in as well.

Of course in instances where guests might be delayed due to flight or traffic issues, arriving late night, fail to respond to our messages, experience a loss of cell/email/SMS contact, lose mobile battery power issues (preventing communication), or are just outright unresponsive we will then use best practices to admit them into the property and confirm their arrival via e-communications.

In addition, we also make attempts when possible to go to the property ahead of the guest arrival to ensure the home is rental ready and the cleaning was done professionally. We refer to this as the pre-arrival walkthrough.

+ HOW DOES AIR CONCIERGE VERIFY GUESTS THAT STAY IN MY HOME?

Air Concierge relies on online listing site verification software which runs background checks on all U.S. residents, including other hosts and guests, looking for matches with terrorist watch lists, financial sanctions, felony convictions, sex offender registrations, or significant misdemeanors. In instances where a booking comes direct then Air Concierge relies on its knowledge, skill, expertise to asses whether a traveler is a sound and savory person in which to host.

+ DOES AIR CONCIERGE HAVE STAFF NEARBY IF SOMETHING HAPPENS?

Yes. This is one of our main features we offer our clients that many competitors (who charge less) do not. We think it is the most important function in selecting a property manager. Having eyes and ears on site and nearby, 24/7/365 is critical to our client's well being, as well as their home and our own.

+ WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENTIATORS BETWEEN AIR CONCIERGE AND ITS COMPETITORS?

  1. The boutique nature of our firm. With that comes our ability to be nearly immediately responsive, and higher quality of service. As evidenced by our usually same hour reply emails and call backs at all hours of the day, all days of the week. We maintain this speed and responsiveness with not just our owner clients, but our guest travelers as well. We not only perform the 'online' portions of Airbnb & vacation rental services (responding to inquiries, optimizing listings, publishing listings across a host of platforms, dealing with 24/7 around the clock guest issues), but also 'on site' needs, including maintenance, cleaning, damage and household consumables restocking and placement. Our competitors often outsource their support to foreign countries, creating language barriers and response time drop offs. Our competitors do not necessarily perform services on site, guest meet and greets, walkthroughs following checkouts, damage/security deposit investigation and reporting, reporting to the home if a problem arises, eg.

  2. Our team talent: Competitors try and copy our service, our pricing software (most do not even have an smart pricing algorithm), and they try and copy almost everything. What they can't copy is the quality of people we get, grow, and keep on our team (and now yours) and the relationships we create with our clients. Talent is one of the only sustainable competitive advantages in business and ours is head and shoulders above the rest.

  3. Pricing Software. In today's online travel booking world, everything is dynamic and changing. Managers that create a 'set it and forget it' pricing structure for your home are likely costing you at best 10% and at worst 40% of your potential revenue. Our software however allows for daily dynamic pricing changes that is much more akin to how airlines and hotels work. This not only results in more bookings, at better prices, but has the off label benefits having to do with search engine rankings and results. Other insight that is critical is that our software evaluates the time of year, day of week, length of stay, how much inquiry activity the home is seeing, how far in advance the booking is from the check in date, comparable homes in the area and their occupancy and pricing, and hotels as well. In addition, we work with our clients on manually inserting a minimum nightly rate (never allowing the software to go below that number) and a base rate, the nightly rate which goes up and down based on the above factors, in near-real time.

  4. Fees. Our fees are straightforward and simple. We simply charge our fee only off the nightly rate charged to the guest. Our competitors base their fee on all charges to the guest which may include (cleaning fee, TOT tax, pet fees, credit card fees, etc). In addition, other managers have fees charged to you for laundering, placing consumables in the home, and credit card charges. Lastly, other managers that arrange your household vendors (pest spray, pool/hot tub, gardening/landscape, etc) may also mark up for these services when charged to you.

  5. On Site Staffing. We have dedicated and full time staff in each region we operate. Competitors that offer discounted fee typically only perform the online services (responding to guest booking requests, managing the online portion of the property) but do not perform on site duties, which is where a property manager's true value is maintained. We offer a high-level regional manager for each of our territories. We have dedicated third party cleaning and maintenance staff that enable us to control the entire rental ecosystem and oversight of your home. We physically enter the home before and after reservations to observe its condition, check the supplies, and ensure there are no major missing items or that damage has occurred.

+ WHAT DOES THE CHECK OUT WALKTHROUGH CONSIST OF?

Our check out walkthrough, when possible to perform, involves an Air Concierge team member going to the property following the guest check out and either before, during or after the Air Concierge cleaning. A review of the home to look for obvious damage or signs of smoking, additional persons (beyond those clarified in the reservation), a review of the household supplies, and ensure cleaning and preparation for next guests is handled. This may not occur in some/all situations and can be impacted by such things like same day turnovers, instances in which travel is restricted (eg, Covid19), unavailability of Air Concierge staff, and/or can be performed by cleaning team representatives including those hired by Air Concierge directly and those teams that are outsourced.

+ HOW DOES AIR CONCIERGE PROTECT MY HOME?

Depending on your rental terms (short term, or longer term) the first and foremost requirement of working with us is to ensure your property is properly insured. You must at all times while working with us maintain a propery policy that will cover you, your home and Air Concierge for all liabilities that could occur including but not limited to damages to the property, injuries or death to a person, loss of use, loss of rents, eg.

All other below insurances are ancillary and may or may not be viable depending on the underlying facts, any exceptions or exemptions that would preclude their application in the event your home is damaged, an injury occurs, or other scenario results.

In order to work with us, and as agreed upon in our terms and conditions should you become a client, you must maintain an appropriate level of insurance (1,000,000/occurrence, 1,000,000 in aggregate) and name Air Concierge as an additional insured. You should also note that in any instance in which Air Concierge is named additional insured and a notice is received that a policy is pending cancellation for non payment and the property is actively marketed with Air Concierge and/or has current rentals and/or future rentals, then should a payment not be made timely by the Policy Owner, Air Concierge reserves the right to make such a payment and will reduce the owner payout by the same amount in order to keep the policy active/in force and insure coverage during the management period.

You must not rely on any insurance policy that Air Concierge has/maintains as such insurance may not extend to your property. Depending on which platform a reservation occurs, there may be, but is no guarantee, there is an insurance policy sufficient for your needs or coverage.

At the time of this writing but which may adjust in the future for which this section may not be timely updated, for bookings on Airbnb, Airbnb offers a HMI policy. VRBO similarly offers a similar policy. Your home may be listed on other platforms that list similar or no such policy.

Air Concierge attempts to require when possible, security deposits (usually $500-$1000 (some properties, much higher) however, note that in some instances the booking platform itself may control these funds and not Air Concierge.

Air Concierge may require guests to purchase a damage protection policy ($1500- $5000 in coverage), but this is neither a guarantee nor if it is required will result in a payout to you.

*Depending on which platform the reservation is made, Air Concierge may not receive a security deposit from the traveler and instead any claim for damage or violation of house rules may require a claim submission from Air Concierge in which documentation of damage and reference to fair market value is required. In such instances Air Concierge makes no guarantee of full or partial reimbursement.

+ DO YOU TAKE AN INVENTORY OF EVERYTHING IN MY HOME BEFORE MY FIRST RESERVATION?

For insurance purposes, you will want to photograph each room in your home and ensure separate, up close shots of any item that is of value. You will not only take a photo of the item but any identifying (model, serial number, e.g.) information. For reimbursement purposes, original receipts are required. If the item is irreplaceable, or likewise has sentimental value beyond its fair market value, you should seriously consider not leaving it in the home. We do not perform an inventory review of the home before and after each guest. Over time you will note that towels and linens may become stained or otherwise worn. You may notice things like tupperware or silverware go missing, towels may discolor/stain over time as will linens. This is the cost of doing business and any replacement or repairs can be offset against any rental income. Most household items, even in multi million dollar homes can be furnished with Target, HomeGoods, Costco and Bed Bath & Beyond quality items.

+ HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GET STARTED?

For clients who have never had their home listed online or, who already are listed, we will work to either create a new profile for your property on our platform as well as potentially 4-6 others, or move your listing to our profile on various platforms, or take over the oversight of your currently existing profile. In order to do so, we must migrate the listing to our back end guest reservation and pricing system. *Our onboarding fee is an upfront fee that binds us together as partners.

GET STARTED HERE.

+ DO I HAVE TO SIGN A CONTRACT TO GET STARTED?

We ask our prospective clients to become an official client by on boarding via our website here. By purchasing the onboarding package you will agree to the terms and conditions found here. That is our contract.

+ HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO WORK WITH AIR CONCIERGE WHEN I SIGN UP?

We typically require a 90 day probationary period. We consider this period so that we can each determine if we are a good fit for one another, both personality wise amongst the clients and the Air Concierge staff as well as the guests who travel to the home and the home itself. Additionally, Air Concierge expends a tremendous amount of legwork early on in order to get a home listed on the many different platforms. This may included preparing and arranging professional photography, high quality electronic guest and staff house packets as well as a hard copy, making consistent visits to the home even prior to an initial reservation, responding to owner emails, sharing/offering our outside vendor contacts including tax and insurance representatives. To find out in a few weeks after contracting that said owner has had a change of heart and no longer wishes to explore vacation/short term rental would leave Air Concierge vulnerable and at a loss.

+ ARE THERE ANY HIDDEN FEES OR MARKUPS ON SERVICES YOU OFFER?

In short, no.

But here's what you should know about other managers: Many/most of our competitors charge a higher management fee, AND in addition they calculate their management fee on top of all charges to a guest which can include a charge on top of the cleaning, processing, resort, insurance or other fees either not disclosed to the Owner or disclosed but not shared. Air Concierge only charges its management fee on the nightly rate. Additionally Air Concierge goes to great length to not upcharge on maintenance work (parts or labor) whereas many/most of our competitors charge marked up rates. We make additional great efforts to not charge on the actual laundering or the household supplies or our time when we have to acquire household items (as part of our routine restocking of the home). The exceptions in any of these instances would be for specific owner requested items or other unique circumstances that would entail greater time, energy or proficiency. In such instances we will use best efforts to disclose this at month end in your Owner portal. Please note, if we are required to go to the home for something unrelated to a vacation rental guest, we do have an hourly fee in place. This is most commonly due to construction, plumbing, electrical, gas, or other high level repair needs requiring someone to be at the home to meet and oversee the appropriate vendor.

+ WHO PAYS FOR LANDSCAPE? MAINTENANCE? POOL/HOT TUB SERVICES?

Air Concierge provides and handles all guest services and management, as well as property management for its owners benefit, but we sadly are not a maintenance, landscape or pool company.

Air Concierge employees and staff are not trained handymen, contractors or repair personnel. Our staff (as part of our management fee will perform simple maintenance like changing remote control batteries or light bulbs for lamp fixtures, even tighteting chair legs, eg.) We do however schedule regular and arrange qualified maintenance personnel who can perform the more specialized work on electrical, plumbing, handy, eg.

Likewise we will arrange and schedule pool/hot tub and/or landscape vendors as needed, and all such work will be billed at cost to you. We try to make it easier for you by paying these vendors directly – which means they have been sourced, vetted, hired and scheduled and relieving you from having to coordinate anything during a guest stay. But the cost of these folks is reimbursed to us either from rental income or if none in a given month, then from a credit card on file.

+ ARE THERE ANY CANCELLATION FEES IF AIR CONCIERGE HAS CONFIRMED A RESERVATION AND I DECIDE NOT TO HOST ANY LONGER?

At all costs cancellations should be avoided. They tremendously impact the guest who has made the booking and likely other travel arrangements (flights, rental cars) and may involve many more people than just the guest that booked your home. In addition, Air Concierge suffers tremendously. To prevent this and from compensating for the work that is required to salvage the damage caused by a cancellation, Air Concierge has a $2,500 reservation cancellation fee. Our cancellation fee is not meant to make us rich, it is meant to cover us for the irreparable damage that a cancellation causes to our reputation and online search result ranking - which is the bloodline of our business and our client's. In addition to the backtracking and make up work that must be done to overcome such a scarlet letter, it is a long, winding road we must overcome just to get back to even, that can take months of double and triple time work.

+ ARE THERE ANY EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES SO THAT THERE ARE NO CANCELLATION FEES?

In many cases cancellation fees can be avoided if the reason for the cancellation is:

Unexpected death or serious illness of a host, guest or immediate family member

Serious injury that directly restricts a guest’s ability to travel or a host’s ability to host

Significant natural disasters or severe weather incidents impacting the location of destination or location of departure

Urgent travel restrictions or severe security advisories issued after the time of booking, by an appropriate national or international authority (such as a government office or department)

Endemic disease declared by a credible national or international authority (such as the US Center for Disease Control or the World Health Organization)

Severe property damage or unforeseen maintenance issues that directly impact the ability to host safely

Government-mandated obligations issued after the time of booking (ex: jury duty)

These are reviewed independently, require sufficient documentary evidence and may ultimately be decided by not only Air Concierge staff but the listing platform as well in which the reservation was made (Airbnb.com, VRBO.com, Flipkey.com, Booking.com, etc).

+ CAN I, AS THE HOMEOWNER, STIPULATE STRICT RULES (LIKE NO PETS AND NO SMOKING, MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENTS?)

Yes! In fact when we get close to launching your property and going live we will spend ample time going through all of the traditional rules we typically have guest's abide by as well as any specific to your real property and your personal property.

+ WHO PAYS THE TOT (HOTEL TAX)?

For certain sites, like Airbnb, for certain regions, TOT is charged to the guest and paid directly to the City (San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles e.g.), whereas in other cities (Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Newport Beach, e.g.) the TOT is not charged to the guest. In such cases, the TOT responsibility is that of the owner to remit to the City timely.

Other websites like Homeaway.com or VRBO.com allow the manager/owner to charge the TOT to the guest and then collect that amount. However, not only is it the responsibility of the owner to then pay the TOT to the city, a different calculation method may be required to arrive at the proper TOT as some fees and income items may not be taxable in the platform.

+ DOES AIR CONCIERGE RESPOND TO GUEST INQUIRIES?

Yes. Immediately. Within minutes. Sometimes faster. We are even specially recognized by websites like Airbnb for our 100% rating for response times within 24hrs. Over the course of the past year. Which covers 1000s of inquiries.

+ WHO PAYS THE CLEANING FEES?

Each guest/reservation is charged a cleaning fee as part of their stay. We arrive at the pre-determined amount with our cleaners based on the size/time a standard cleaning should take for your home including outdoor areas, laundry, appliance wipe-down, organization and staging. We then pay to the cleaners this amount. In instances in which our cleaners must charge more (excessive dirtiness, abnormal cleaning, etc) we will work with the guests to recoup those extra costs or reach into the security deposit when applicable.

+ HOW ARE PETS AND PET FEES HANDLED?

In most situations we do not charge a pet deposit (usually due to complications with cetain online booking platforms and their own terms of use that determine how such deposits are to be treated), and instead opt to charge a pet fee. This fee is used to cover the cost of additional cleaning (time and supplies) after a pet stay. This fee is retained by Air Concierge unless alternative arrangements are made with the Owner. The pet fee is typically a flat rate, and not based on length of stay, or breed of animal. We typically do not allow cats. Lastly, please note, while covered in other parts of our terms and conditions, service dogs are not permitted to be charged under Nondiscrimination Policies (eg Airbnb). To further complicate this issue is that under Airbnb terms of use, guests are not required to disclose the presence of an assistance animal before booking, Airbnb does not require documentation when traveling with an assistance animal. In the United States, guests are not required to provide documentation for a service animal and there is no legally recognized certification process for service animals. Where a guest indicates that he/she has a service animal, a host may ONLY ask:

-Whether the assistance animal is required because of a disability

-What work or task the animal has been trained to perform

Denying a booking because a guest has an assistance animal is something Airbnb takes very seriously and could result in harm to Air Concierge and its online profile. Therefore even if you are a non-pet friendly home (dont accept pets), if a guest declares they are bringing a service animal, Air Concierge cannot refuse the booking, cannot charge a fee, and cannot and will not question the Guest as to the animal or the guest's condition.

+ IF I AM THE OWNER CAN I CLEAN THE HOME MYSELF AFTER I STAY?

In a word, no. Why? Because there's no standard of process. We can't guarantee that the cleaning will be done to the standard that a vacation rental guest expects. Should there be issues, the guest may be entitled to a refund or credit. Thus, we require our professional cleaners to handle all guest (family, friends and paying guests).

Likewise, when it comes to paying for these cleanings, owners are charged the same rate as travelers, regardless of length of stay.

Owners are always free to engage their own professional cleaners however for post-owner stay cleanings.

+ CAN AIR CONCIERGE MANAGE MY HOME IF IT'S ALSO ONE THAT I LIVE IN FROM TIME TO TIME ?

Yes. Our properties are often the primary residences and vacation homes that owner's use regularly throughout the year. This requires a much higher level of care and attention to the home and its inner workings. One thing you will never hear us say is "more heads in beds." It is industry jargon for getting as many nights booked at whatever cost to the safety and security of the home. We don't think that way and may avoid certain reservations if we feel the guests are not a good fit for your home.

+ HOW DOES AIR CONCIERGE LEARN ABOUT MY HOME BEFORE GETTING STARTED?

Since we cater to the property that is a primary residence, or a second home, we know this means that a more special level of care and attention needs to be paid to both the property and the guests. However, even if the property is distant or not a primary residence, we still treat it and the guests as though it were our own. All of this is to say we spend exorbitant time getting to know the home, learning every light switch, audio/video, remote control, figuring out how to handle mail, trash & recycling schedules, and even how each item is stored in your kitchen.

+ HOW ARE AIR CONCIERGE'S FEES HANDLED?

Like a traditional company may charge, our fees are based on the booking price we obtain for the property, not including any refundable fees (security deposits, e.g.). Unlike traditional property managers, we do not share in the approach of 'as many heads in beds' as possible. Part of that antiquated property manager function is to find and place renters in the home, for which the traditional firms take a much higher percentage (30%-50%) of the booking fee than we do (15%-22%). That old management style and company has every incentive to put just about anyone into the unit so they can collect their fee. Since the owner is never (or rarely) at the unit, any damage or wear and tear is minimally attended to and is to the disadvantage of the renters, not the homeowner. We believe that once the home is rented we are an integral part of the process to ensure the guest's stay is without interruption or concern, but also that the property is meticulously attended to and is returned in the condition it was made.

+ HOW DOES PRICING WORK?

A SAMPLE AIRBNB RESERVATION IN LOS ANGELES

TOT tax may be charged by the Platform and paid to the City / County and would not be a separate line item. Likewise no further TOT would be do. Lastly, some cities (Los Angeles, eg) may have additional taxes (a nightly rate $3.10) that may or may not be part of the TOT tax.
In some instances the fee paid to the cleaners may be less than what is charged.

+ WHERE DOES AIR CONCIERGE LIST MY HOME?

We focus on www.Airbnb.com and www.AirConcierge.net.

In the past year we've gone away from the other platforms (homeaway.com, vrbo.com, booking.com, flipkey.com) and tried to stay exclusive to Airbnb for a multitude of reasons:

scam/spam inside VRBO/Homeaway resulting in chargebacks to owners after a completed stay. We've seen this a handful of times and its a disaster w/ very little to no recourse.

a) limited to no protection on a property whereas Airbnb has $1,000,000 policy); b) limited to no protection on any personal injury, whereas Airbnb has $1,000,000 policy)

limited to no guest background checks (Airbnb currently checks certain databases of public state and county criminal records, as well as state and national sex offender registries on U.S.-based guests and hosts where at least an accurate first and last name plus date of birth. With that information, Airbnb submits it to one of their approved background check providers, which checks the user’s identity against public records of convictions and sex offender registries)

for every 4 bookings, there is 1 review on other platforms. On Airbnb, there are 3 reviews for every 5 stays. If we earn a booking on another platform, then a) we likely would have booked those same dates on Airbnb b) we would likely not receive a review and c ) we would be missing out on the single most important factor for improving rank on airbnb: guest stays + guest reviews.

+ WHAT ARE THE REALITIES OF TURNING MY HOME INTO A HOTEL?

While there is a lot of money to be made from transforming your home into a micro-hotel, there are downsides as well. Every person that becomes an Air Concierge client agrees and understands that with strangers becoming guests and foot traffic becoming wear and tear you should be prepared for use and abuse of your furnishings, accessories and common areas (walls, walkways, e.g.). You will see things go missing (towels, linens, kitchen supplies) for no other reason than guests take these things to things like the beach and forget they are in the car when they return home. You should be prepared that marks will appear in places in the home that seems irrational and confusing. You may have a no shoes in the house rule and there is no way to enforce or expect that as a condition of rental. There is no way to protect against all of these things and the many things that cannot be planned for. Short of intentional destruction of property, theft or similar, then anything and everything should be in your realm of expectation as part of the trade off for earning thousands, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.

+ SAFETY & BUILDING CODE & COMPLIANCE

Air Concierge is not a licensed or certified building inspector, nor does itknow the building codes or requirements for health and safety in yourmunicipality. However, Air Concierge does all it can to ensure properties that it manages are free from clear and obvious dangers such that guests, invitees of guests, licensees, Air Concierge employee and staff, third partyvendors, and even property owner(s) themselves are all safe and secure from injury or death while at the property. To that end, we may note beforeand during our agreement period, any clear and obvious dangers with aparticular focus on pools/hot tubs, decks, railings and stairs, both interior andexterior if they may appear to a reasonable person to be hazardous, faulty,or potential for injury/death. Although we ask that prior to you becoming a client to agree with our terms of use which includes various clauses and attestations which revolve around the safety of the Property, we still may take steps to ensure additional safety measures are reviewed, followed, improved or otherwise confirm the home/features are in good standing and code compliant. This may cause a delay and costs to you from the time you become a client to the time the home is rental ready. We apologize for that inconvenience but in the interest of safety for all and reduction of liabilities to you/us, this is a necessary step. Recent news involving deck collapses, elevator closures that have resulted inserious injury and death to vacation rental guests means this is a possibility that we should always be aware of and take all reasonable steps to protect against.

+ DISCLAIMER:

*Please ensure you have read the Air Concierge Terms of Use as to the above information to ensure authenticity and accuracy as the Terms of Use are updated more frequently and are more reliable and accurate than the FAQs herein.


ready To Get Started? contact us and we'll be sure to answer your question immediately!

Drop us a note below if you have an entire home looking to be transformed into a short term / vacation rental property in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco, Palm Springs (Coachella Valley), Lake Tahoe, or Seattle.