As the saying goes, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
Most agents that have any strategy with regard to Airbnb simply churn out dire warnings to anyone even thinking of using the service.
Airbnb is, after all, the enemy, assaulting market share.
However, London agent Portico has taken a separate tack and launched a ‘premium’ Airbnb property management arm.
Its account managers will set up everything from the listing on Airbnb to the tenancy agreement, manage the property, and ensure the highest possible rents are achieved, whether for an overnight stay in a room or for a few months in a house.
There is even a facility on the Portico website to assess how much you could get in rent by using Airbnb (which is a lot more than if you were going the standard route).
And far from criticising the service, Portico says Airbnb is “the perfect short-term solution for landlords or sellers who have a vacant property”.
We think this is a very clever idea, but no doubt some readers will disagree.
Next up: a black cab company offering a Uber user management service while saying how terrific Uber is, and a high street agent launching a paid-for viewings and sales progression management service for sellers and buyers who have gone the online route, while insisting that online agents are the way to go.
https://www.portico.com/blog/our-news/10-tips-for-making-money-on-airbnb
Very interesting idea – a company called Unlease (www.unlease.io) is already partnering with local London and Oxford Estate Agents to enable tenants to sublet in a transparent, secure, fully insured way (Airbnb is only self-insured) – the result is a rise in the number of longer term (24 month) contracts as tenants feel reassured with the flexibility of the subletting clause.
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There are at least 20 companies I know of in London offering to manage properties on behalf of landlords. Fees are about 25% of rent but for that they handle everything.
I think hotels are suffering the most.
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Brilliant idea! Good luck to them. I’ve used airbnb and it could benefit from an agents help in some cases.
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