Short-term rental apartment – how to arrange it?

Are you planning to finish or renovate an apartment with the intention of renting it for short stays? In this post, you will find out how to prepare an apartment that will meet the tenants’ expectations; and what solutions will work best to simplify the organization of refreshment between rentals and ensure the appropriate durability of the equipment.

We also advise on how to optimize costs that are to be incurred at the beginning – as well as those that appear on a regular basis.

At Leach & Lang Property Consultants, we have extensive experience in designing and servicing apartments; and in this post we share our practical knowledge. Below are 3 main rules to keep in mind:

     1. Convenience, intuitive layout tailored to the tenants’ needs

     2. Ease of house-keeping and maintaining a good technical condition.

     3. Unique character and atmosphere of the place that will encourage your guests to make another visits.

Functional interior

Where to start with? To ensure good functionality, it is important to make a good interior design, involve a proven finishing team and use good-quality finishing materials (at least from the middle shelf) – this is especially important in relation to floors (tiles, panels) and walls, but also to furniture, countertops and household appliances.

These are the elements that should get allocated a slightly higher budget, because they are the basis for preparation of the premises in a standard that will attract tenants and allow for a quick costs return.

Clients staying in short-term accommodation usually want to make the most of the time they can spend in the chosen location. Therefore, it is worth preparing the apartment in a way that will let to easily use both rooms and the equipment.

Let’s choose a convenient position the light switches, not clashing way to open the door, unfoldable couch; ensure easy way of moving the chairs away.

When finishing the kitchen and bathroom, we recommend protecting the countertops against moisture, especially in places around the sink and above the dishwasher, and especially if you choose an over-counter washbasin.

Let’s not forget about providing a large mirror in the apartment that shows the entire figure.

It is worth to take a closer look at the availability of such elements as cabinets, mirrors and shelves; the size of the shower cubicle, as well as the good quality of chairs and beds; so that they can be comfortably used by different people.

In flats dedicated for short leases, storage spaces or shelves under the ceiling will not work well. But a special luggage rack will be very useful – as a separate piece of furniture (built-in or foldable) or a specially designed shelf in the wardrobe.

On the wall next to the luggage shelf and the shoe shelf, it is worth placing wall panels instead of paint or wallpaper.

Customers can be families with children or people traveling with a dog, so delicate furniture, such as glass tables, furniture with glass windows in the lower parts, lamps and decorations made of thin and fragile materials will not work so well.

We can also exclude a certain group of customers, stating that we do not accept, for example, pets in the premises, but it would limit the use of the apartment.

Optimally equipped apartment – what does it mean?

Optimal equipment is also important for the housekeeping crew.

We suggest to avoid white and very dark furniture that expose scratches and dust. We also don`t recommend roller blinds and slats, which are difficult to keep clean, and damaged elements require intervention of a service company. Instead of that, we suggest curtains on a solid curtain rod.

Please note that window decorations should be easily movable especially in case of balcony doors. Ideally, if the curtain extend completely out of the range of the opened balcony door.

Based on our experience, at Landmark Apartments, we know that the selection of lamps plays an important role in the optimization of current costs. It is worth checking the price and availability of replaceable elements, such as: lampshades, power supplies, switches, and above all, light bulbs.

Below is a list of “must have” pieces of equipment that will help you create a functional and comfortable interior.

Hall

– tiles on the floor

– wash resistant paints, wallpapers or other materials easy to clean on the walls

– solid, durable doormat in front of the entrance and / or in the hall

– shelf for shoes

– a hanger or an open wardrobe for outerwear

– a larger mirror

– a wardrobe for appliances (vacuum cleaner, mop, ironing board, clothes dryer)

Bathroom:

– walk-in shower zone, or a bathtub with a shower faucet and screen

– convenient hangers for towels

– shelf for cosmetics in the shower

– mirror above the washbasin with local lighting

– toilet paper holder in a convenient place

– washing machine / washer-dryer

– fold-out clothes dryer

– hair dryer

An additional element in the bathroom can be a rack or hanging cabinet; we do not recommend  standing cabinets and built-in washing machines. The machine should be placed in a stable position, directly on the floor. The built-in furniture will not work well, because it hinders the free opening and airing of the washing machine, plus extends the cleaning time.

The location of the drains and floor leveling play a huge role. We do not recommend raising the floor level in the shower area; simple linear drains work better here. It will also be important to secure the door frames with silicone.

Bedroom

– wash resistant paints or wallpapers

– a double bed 180×200 (or other size, minimum 160×200)

– bedside tables or shelves on both sides of the bed

– wall lamps or bedside lamps

– wardrobe with hangers

– iron and ironing board

– two electric sockets on both bed sides (60-100 cm from the edge of the bed).

– blackout curtains

When choosing a wardrobe, we suggest to avoid sliding doors and internal drawers; the best models are ones with hinged doors, allowing faster access to the entire interior of the wardrobe and more resistant to damage.

If the apartment has two bedrooms, then in the second one it is worth adding two separate beds that can be pushed together (with a hook).

Salon

– a sofabed (preferably with a sleeping function for 2 people, upholstered, suitable for cleaning)

– a coffee table

– TV (preferably smart TV)

– access to good quality Internet (wi-fi)

– TV cabinet / chest of drawers / bookcase or shelves.

– carpet (necessary if there are tiles on the floor; optional in other cases)

An additional advantage will be a comfortable armchair, standing lamp.

Kitchen

– built-in kitchen furniture

– stove / plate

– microwave or oven with microwave function

– fridge (preferably medium-sized with a freezer)

– electric kettle

– cooker hood or extractor hood

– dining table

– chairs (4/6/8 or more depending on the number of beds)

– dishwasher

– drainer for dishes and cutlery

– basic tableware, pots, pans and kitchen accessories.

It`s worth to remember that the wall above the worktop and near the stove (plate) should be secured with tiles or tempered glass.

In order to ensure effective housekeeping, it`s worth to avoid excessive amounts of decorative elements: e.g. sophisticated lamps, cornices; as well as leaving narrow spaces between furnitures.

Instead, smooth surfaces of furniture without frames, edges, ornaments, and a minimum amount of decorations will work well.

How to combine functionality and simplicity with the uniqueness of an apartment?

The decor of the apartment is very important. Assortment of decorative elements allows to create an unique atmosphere and define the character of the premises.

A carefully decorated interior makes guests willingly to come back there, so it is recomended to focus on a coherent and refined appearance of the premises. If decorations are not the topics we are proficient in, there are Leach & Lang designers who are experts in this field and can advice on how to get the best results.

The effect of uniqueness can be obtained by appropriate interior styling:

– various wall finishing – one wall covered with a contrasting color, (photo/)wallpaper, panels or brick imitation;

– distinctive colours and arrangement of the furniture;

– selection of lighting – e.g. a lamp standing in the living room, with attractive design;

– fabric selection – curtains, carpet;

– matching small pieces of equipment – decorative pillows, wall decorations, vases or flower pots, tableware, etc.

 

The tips presented in this post are intended to show which elements to pay attention to in order to enable guests to use the apartment efficiently and without collisions – but also to ensure a positive experience.

Its worth to keep in mind that guest who is visiting the premises for the first time does not know exactly the apartment in which they are staying. Therefore, intuitiveness and simplicity of use are extremely important; which, combined with a coherent, interesting design and a bit of uniqueness, together create a distinctive  atmosphere of the apartment.

Which consequently will make the guests remind their stay as a good time and make them keen to choose our premises again, planning their next visit.