Property Management

Besides our witty humor and charm?
That’s easy. We pride ourselves on excellent customer service. Ultimately we see (and have experienced ourselves) a disconnect in the industry in that everyone is in such a hurry to get the bookings, they forget about the importance of the homeowner. Communication is non-existent or slow at best. Homes are being trashed by guests and not maintained by property management companies because they are too quick to get the next guest in and take their money to the bank leaving the homeowner with the mess to clean up. The attitude is “oh well, we’ve got lots of other houses right behind this one.”
We come to the industry as homeowners, for homeowners. We understand through many years of experience, that this can be done well. Our homes can be maintained and cleaned properly. We can charge more per night and get really good quality guests that actually care how they leave the home. We care more about the quality of the bookings than the number of bookings. Clients who believe this too are a great fit for us.
We promise to keep a very low home count to management. This is why we will be very selective about the homes we choose. We are experienced in business and in customer service arenas and we know what it takes to operate both successfully. We aren’t in this business because we need to be. We are in it because we love it. It checks off the boxes of what makes each of us tick.

Absolutely! Melissa is a real estate agent and Kim has built several houses and remodeled a few more and we love both of those things! If you are a client who would like us to be involved in the choosing of your investment home and would like assistance with the remodeling portion of it, please let us know. We have contractors in each trade that we are able to coordinate with for this service. All of our contractors and vendors are reliable and reasonably priced.

I want to be involved somehow in the hosting of my home. Is that possible?
Sure! We would love that. As long as it is consistent with our branding and you ultimately trust us to say no if it isn’t. We have some homeowners who love love love being the hostests with the mostests but don’t want to have anything to do with the business side of it. They set out treats for their incoming guests and are on site to greet them and give them tips for local secret spots. We encourage the special touches you may have that you would like to pass on to the guests staying in your home. Let us know your thoughts on that and we can make it happen!

We are just as picky about the housekeeping as we are about our required items. One of the core business practices of K&M is cleanliness. We find it unacceptable when we go look at a prospective home that has been managed by other agencies and it is riddled with stained carpet, old torn linens, and dirty everything. Our belief is that it is a shame to profit from guests under those conditions. We believe pride should be taken in our homes, our business, and our practices. Because this is one of our core beliefs, we maintain a housekeeping staff that has been specifically trained by us. We use very few but very qualified cleaners who are assigned to each house and stay with that house each time there is a turnover.
Because we are not rotating cleaning crews, the housekeepers are able to take count of inventory, know what items were damaged, if any, and are able to spend time on a different area of the house each time they clean so there is a rotation of attention to each corner of your home. Our goal is that when you walk in your home you don’t know it has been used by anyone other than you.

In order to maintain consistency and a commitment to our cleaning standards we have the following policy which is firm. You may clean your home but we will always have a maid check after departure. This is $50 and includes one hour of touch up work. Any additional time is billed at $25 per hour. This is significantly discounted from the standard cleaning price and is to avoid having very uncomfortable conversations about you may have missed something, like a hair…or a handprint…or some crumbs. We love you but our guests don’t appreciate those little gifts.

Yes. We recognize the list of required items you must have in your home is quite extensive. This is ultimately because we are very selective about the homes we take on to manage and we are catering to a certain clientele. At the end of the day, we at K&M have a brand. We chose your house because it fits our brand. The items we require fit our brand. What is that brand? It is consistency, it is quality, it is cleanliness, and it is comfort. We want our guests to know what to expect when they come to a K&M home. We want them to become repeat customers who know they just have to throw their clothes in a bag and get here because we thought of everything else. We want our customers to trust they can walk barefoot on the floor and their feet will stay clean. That they can prepare their meals in a fully stocked kitchen. And that they can climb into soft white sheets at night and feel like they are getting hotel consistency at “home”. Ultimately, in any business endeavor, there is an investment to be made. In this industry, and with us in particular, it extends to the sheets. 🙂

We also require things like smart locks to keep a streamlined, quick, and simple way for guests to enter the home. There are no lost keys to contend with, no lockboxes, and no middle of the night meet and greets after a long flight. This also allows us to monitor who is coming and going. Housekeepers, contractors, guests, and each of us will have a personal code that can be monitored.

We require smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors because we really want everyone to be safe….and…it’s the law.

If you have any other questions about why or what we have chosen please let us know. We are happy to explain.

Many local governments are requiring business licenses to operate a short term rental in your home. You, as the homeowner, are required to apply for and obtain a business license, if required, in order for K&M to host your home. We are glad the laws have been implemented as it keeps everything professional, it thins out the sea of people that probably should not be in the business, and it is a way for the local areas to maintain a level of control over our local housing markets. While we know some of the cities and counties that require a license we are not experts at it. We ask that you do your due diligence prior to our meeting to be sure it is allowed.

Is my homeowners policy enough?
No it is not. The short term/vacation rental industry is considered a business to insurance companies and requires notification of such activities in the home. If something happens to your home during a rental or even while you as the homeowner are occupied in it, and the insurance company finds out you have been receiving income, they very likely will deny the claim. There was a recent claim in which a tree fell on the roof of a main part of the home during a storm and was denied when they found out the garage was used as a rental. It was an $85,000 denied claim.

-What do I need to tell my insurance company?
You need to inform them you will be using the home as a short term vacation rental and have them add K&M Premier Vacation Rental and Venue Management, Inc. as “Additionally Insured”. This will ensure that you are properly covered as well as us in the event there is a claim. We will not list the property publicly until we have received this documentation.

-Are there other insurances provided as you are managing my property?
Yes! As we advertise on various platforms they each have some type of host guarantee. Airbnb, for example, provides a layer of insurance that covers things that may happen during a guests stay. The types of things this covers are broken furniture or damage to personal property. K&M will handle that process through the resolution center and typically the issue is paid out and resolved never having to escalate to your homeowner’s policy.

-What about a commercial insurance policy?
Commercial general liability policies are now being issued by a select number of agencies. This is a business policy that will cover loss of revenue if there is a claim that prohibits the use of the home to conduct your business. These are excellent policies to have if your home is a busy one and you anticipate a significant revenue stream.

We are hosts. This means that you are responsible for getting the required business licenses in your county/city/state to operate. We offer resources to do so. We manage your reservations and guests and will report any issues at the home that require maintenance. While we will offer referrals to local vendors and will help coordinate schedules around guests it is your responsibility to hire them and pay them directly. We do not offer long term rentals. If you are looking for a 100% hands off service we are not the right company for you. Please inquire for further details.