Guests
-Who will be staying in my home? How can I trust them?
On the AirBnB network, trust is built through references and verifications. We establish a trust standard with all of our Clients beforehand, allowing us to refuse potential Guests if they don’t have a pre-determined level of verification through the AirBnB system.
-How often will my home be rented?
AirBnB rentals are part of the tourism market, so every home is affected by a lot of factors like the season, the location, the price, the competition, and so on. Since we work strictly by commission, it is obviously in Professional Welcome’s best interest to maintain a high occupancy rate for the homes under our management. However, due to the nature of the industry, we are unable to guarantee that your home will indeed be rented out non-stop.
-What if a Guest trashes my place?
In general, AirBnB guests treat homes with respect. Negative incidents are extremely rare exceptions, with the norm being great experiences for everyone involved. In the rare and unfortunate case where a home is indeed damaged by a guest, we will work with you, the guests, AirBnB, and the necessary authorities in order to rectify it.
-What if a Guest breaks a glass?
Some basic wear and tear is normal and inevitable. For small items like a broken glass, we try to facilitate a good-faith reimbursement with the Guest.
Cleaning
-I don’t have time to clean the home to your Guest-ready standards before handing it over. Can you do my spring cleaning for me?
Our standard agreement is to take possession of your home in Guest-ready condition. While clients often put the effort in to clean their homes themselves, some choose to hire professional cleaners beforehand, or they entrust us with this task. This is a separate service, however, for which we charge reasonable rates.
-Can I do my own cleaning between Guest Visits?
Sure. The per-visit cleaning fee is independent of the nightly rental rates, and goes directly to whoever does the cleaning. If your cleaning meets Professional Welcome’s high standards, then we’ll happily hire you as a cleaner and pay the cleaning fee to you on top of your rental earnings.
-What condition will my home be in when I get back to it?
Our general rule is to leave the place better than we found it. While a bit of wear-and-tear is normal, you can be sure that everything will shine when we’re done with it.
Pricing
-How much money will I make?
We charge a flat-rate management commission of 20%, applied to the price of lodging paid by Guests through AirBnB. AirBnB also charges a 3% host fee, so you will receive 77% of the price paid by Guests. Please visit our pricing page for more details what we charge for our services.
-How much is my home worth per night?
This is a complicated question, and one we’ll be working with you on from the moment you engage our services. Price is one of the main factors affecting occupancy rates. We seek to find a happy medium between asking top dollar for a home, and offering a good deal to Guests so that the home is rented more frequently.
-Can I save the $50 account setup fee by creating my home’s AirBnB profile myself?
Maybe. If your home has an excellent profile already, with detailed bilingual descriptions and beautiful photos, we don’t need to do it and you can save yourself fifty bucks. We’ll still likely make a few modifications, but if you don’t want our expertise for this we’ll leave it mostly as-is. Remember that the home’s profile is one of the primary factors in convincing Guests to rent your home over someone else’s, and creating excellent profiles is one of our specialties. Finally, this $50 is only paid out of the initial rental revenue, not out of your pocket.
-Can I save on toilet paper and cleaning supplies by leaving a bunch with you?
Sure. We only charge you the actual costs of these consumables when they need to be replenished, so you might not really save much. But it will make our lives easier, so by all means leave 100 rolls of toilet paper!
Tenants
-I do not own my home – I’m a tenant on a lease. Can I still use your service?
Sure. As the leaseholder of your home, you are entitled to do with it what you please. You remain responsible for all of your usual obligations to your landlord that come with your lease, namely to pay your rent on time. Also, it would be good form to inform your landlord that Professional Welcome will be facilitating short-term Guest Visits at your home while you’re away.
-Will I earn enough revenue to cover my monthly rent and utilities?
Maybe, maybe not. Our goal is to rent out your apartment as often as possible for the optimal price. While we ensure excellent service and cleanliness, other factors will have an effect on how often your home is occupied by paying Guests and how much you can expect to earn per night. For a nice home in a good location during a high-demand period, it is likely that you will earn more than your costs. You will certainly earn more than if the home were left vacant, however, and you can be sure that it will be kept in excellent condition for when you return!
-I’ll be backpacking through Thailand/ cycling across Canada/ sailing the Atlantic/ working in Toronto for the summer. Can you pay my rent/utilities for me?
Professional Welcome exists so you can earn some money from your home without needing to be anywhere near it. Yes, we can help facilitate your time away by paying rent and utilities for you, though we’ll need to make additional arrangements than our standard management agreement.
-Can you rent out my room for me even if another housemate is still living in their room?
No. We only manage whole homes. For us it’s a matter of quality control, since our cleaning standards are so high. (No offence to your flatmate!) Perhaps you could just try asking your housemate to manage your room on AirBnB while you’re away.
Landlords
-Can you manage an apartment for me which I haven’t rented out to anybody?
We manage furnished homes with active utilities (electricity and internet). If this describes the apartment you have, then yes, we can manage it and make you money via AirBnB. We do not sign a lease to take full responsibility for the apartment, we instead sign a management agreement to take responsibility solely for short-term guest booking through AirBnB.
Taxes
-Is my AirBnB income taxable?
We’re not tax experts, we’re property management experts. After deducting our costs and commission, we transfer to you the full revenue that AirBnB pays out after each Guest Visit. You’re responsible for your own income tax declarations from there.
-Is AirBnB even legal in Québec?
Since this is a new industry, it’s not yet really defined in most regions. Québec is in the process of reviewing its regulations to account for this, and AirBnB will be obliged to conform to whatever is put into place. This will probably take the form of an additional nightly occupancy tax to align with the hotel industry, but could easily be something else. Professional Welcome will continue offering property management services to its clients in conformity with whatever regulations are eventually enacted.
Insurance
-Do you provide insurance?
We manage our clients’ homes exclusively through AirBnB’s platform, and AirBnB provides an insurance for homes while they are rented out by Guests. Note that AirBnB’s insurance only covers Guest-related issues, and does not apply at any other times. It is highly recommended that you have a separate homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, which covers unrelated issues like fires, flooding, or break-ins.
More questions? Please get in touch with us via our Contact page.
-Who will be staying in my home? How can I trust them?
On the AirBnB network, trust is built through references and verifications. We establish a trust standard with all of our Clients beforehand, allowing us to refuse potential Guests if they don’t have a pre-determined level of verification through the AirBnB system.
-How often will my home be rented?
AirBnB rentals are part of the tourism market, so every home is affected by a lot of factors like the season, the location, the price, the competition, and so on. Since we work strictly by commission, it is obviously in Professional Welcome’s best interest to maintain a high occupancy rate for the homes under our management. However, due to the nature of the industry, we are unable to guarantee that your home will indeed be rented out non-stop.
-What if a Guest trashes my place?
In general, AirBnB guests treat homes with respect. Negative incidents are extremely rare exceptions, with the norm being great experiences for everyone involved. In the rare and unfortunate case where a home is indeed damaged by a guest, we will work with you, the guests, AirBnB, and the necessary authorities in order to rectify it.
-What if a Guest breaks a glass?
Some basic wear and tear is normal and inevitable. For small items like a broken glass, we try to facilitate a good-faith reimbursement with the Guest.
Cleaning
-I don’t have time to clean the home to your Guest-ready standards before handing it over. Can you do my spring cleaning for me?
Our standard agreement is to take possession of your home in Guest-ready condition. While clients often put the effort in to clean their homes themselves, some choose to hire professional cleaners beforehand, or they entrust us with this task. This is a separate service, however, for which we charge reasonable rates.
-Can I do my own cleaning between Guest Visits?
Sure. The per-visit cleaning fee is independent of the nightly rental rates, and goes directly to whoever does the cleaning. If your cleaning meets Professional Welcome’s high standards, then we’ll happily hire you as a cleaner and pay the cleaning fee to you on top of your rental earnings.
-What condition will my home be in when I get back to it?
Our general rule is to leave the place better than we found it. While a bit of wear-and-tear is normal, you can be sure that everything will shine when we’re done with it.
Pricing
-How much money will I make?
We charge a flat-rate management commission of 20%, applied to the price of lodging paid by Guests through AirBnB. AirBnB also charges a 3% host fee, so you will receive 77% of the price paid by Guests. Please visit our pricing page for more details what we charge for our services.
-How much is my home worth per night?
This is a complicated question, and one we’ll be working with you on from the moment you engage our services. Price is one of the main factors affecting occupancy rates. We seek to find a happy medium between asking top dollar for a home, and offering a good deal to Guests so that the home is rented more frequently.
-Can I save the $50 account setup fee by creating my home’s AirBnB profile myself?
Maybe. If your home has an excellent profile already, with detailed bilingual descriptions and beautiful photos, we don’t need to do it and you can save yourself fifty bucks. We’ll still likely make a few modifications, but if you don’t want our expertise for this we’ll leave it mostly as-is. Remember that the home’s profile is one of the primary factors in convincing Guests to rent your home over someone else’s, and creating excellent profiles is one of our specialties. Finally, this $50 is only paid out of the initial rental revenue, not out of your pocket.
-Can I save on toilet paper and cleaning supplies by leaving a bunch with you?
Sure. We only charge you the actual costs of these consumables when they need to be replenished, so you might not really save much. But it will make our lives easier, so by all means leave 100 rolls of toilet paper!
Tenants
-I do not own my home – I’m a tenant on a lease. Can I still use your service?
Sure. As the leaseholder of your home, you are entitled to do with it what you please. You remain responsible for all of your usual obligations to your landlord that come with your lease, namely to pay your rent on time. Also, it would be good form to inform your landlord that Professional Welcome will be facilitating short-term Guest Visits at your home while you’re away.
-Will I earn enough revenue to cover my monthly rent and utilities?
Maybe, maybe not. Our goal is to rent out your apartment as often as possible for the optimal price. While we ensure excellent service and cleanliness, other factors will have an effect on how often your home is occupied by paying Guests and how much you can expect to earn per night. For a nice home in a good location during a high-demand period, it is likely that you will earn more than your costs. You will certainly earn more than if the home were left vacant, however, and you can be sure that it will be kept in excellent condition for when you return!
-I’ll be backpacking through Thailand/ cycling across Canada/ sailing the Atlantic/ working in Toronto for the summer. Can you pay my rent/utilities for me?
Professional Welcome exists so you can earn some money from your home without needing to be anywhere near it. Yes, we can help facilitate your time away by paying rent and utilities for you, though we’ll need to make additional arrangements than our standard management agreement.
-Can you rent out my room for me even if another housemate is still living in their room?
No. We only manage whole homes. For us it’s a matter of quality control, since our cleaning standards are so high. (No offence to your flatmate!) Perhaps you could just try asking your housemate to manage your room on AirBnB while you’re away.
Landlords
-Can you manage an apartment for me which I haven’t rented out to anybody?
We manage furnished homes with active utilities (electricity and internet). If this describes the apartment you have, then yes, we can manage it and make you money via AirBnB. We do not sign a lease to take full responsibility for the apartment, we instead sign a management agreement to take responsibility solely for short-term guest booking through AirBnB.
Taxes
-Is my AirBnB income taxable?
We’re not tax experts, we’re property management experts. After deducting our costs and commission, we transfer to you the full revenue that AirBnB pays out after each Guest Visit. You’re responsible for your own income tax declarations from there.
-Is AirBnB even legal in Québec?
Since this is a new industry, it’s not yet really defined in most regions. Québec is in the process of reviewing its regulations to account for this, and AirBnB will be obliged to conform to whatever is put into place. This will probably take the form of an additional nightly occupancy tax to align with the hotel industry, but could easily be something else. Professional Welcome will continue offering property management services to its clients in conformity with whatever regulations are eventually enacted.
Insurance
-Do you provide insurance?
We manage our clients’ homes exclusively through AirBnB’s platform, and AirBnB provides an insurance for homes while they are rented out by Guests. Note that AirBnB’s insurance only covers Guest-related issues, and does not apply at any other times. It is highly recommended that you have a separate homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, which covers unrelated issues like fires, flooding, or break-ins.
More questions? Please get in touch with us via our Contact page.