Storage for Airbnb Hosts and Holiday Lets: What to Move Out

Guests will usually assume that anything left unlocked is there for them to use. They may open drawers, take a spare towel, move something in the kitchen or choose a different blanket. That is not bad behaviour. If something is unlocked in a holiday let, it is reasonable to think it is there to use.

After a few bookings, it can be hard to tell what was used, moved or damaged. You might not notice that something is missing until several stays later. Personal belongings also make the rooms look occupied. Family photographs, full wardrobes, medicine bottles and crowded shelves can make guests feel as though they are staying in someone else's home.

Clear enough away that the listing photos match what guests find when they arrive, but do not move everything into storage. Decide what guests can use, what you still need nearby and what should leave the property. Look inside cupboards, drawers and wardrobes too, because guests staying for several nights will open them when they need space. If people keep asking which towels or shelves are theirs, make the answer clearer in the room.

Before you think about cupboards or storage units, walk through every room and sort its contents into three groups. Write down each decision so the cleaner, a family member or a second host can prepare the property the same way.

• Take documents, jewellery, medicines, spare keys and anything irreplaceable out of the property.
• Lock away cleaning products, maintenance tools, spare linen, your own clothes and food, and supplies needed between stays.
• Leave out linen, cookware, blankets, games and anything else guests are welcome to use. You then have less to store.

Decide what to do with any item you are unsure about before the first booking. Otherwise, it will probably get pushed into the nearest cupboard and forgotten. Note whether each move is temporary or permanent too. A family photograph might return after one stay, while a spare bed could remain away for a whole season.

For many hosts, one locked cupboard is enough. If it is too small, use a spare room with a code lock, or tell guests that a garage or store is not included in the let. Label any locked door so they know it is not part of the space they booked. Share the key or code only with the people who clean or prepare the property.

Keep linen and cleaning supplies in fixed, labelled places within the locked area. Put things used every week within easy reach. Furniture you only swap twice a year can sit farther back.

A locked area is not completely free if it takes away a useful room. If you lock a bedroom, you cannot offer it to guests, show it as usable space or put another guest bed there. A cupboard also cannot hold a sofa, a spare mattress, dining chairs or a season's worth of equipment. If locked storage takes up a room you could let to guests, compare it with moving the bulky things off-site.

A storage unit may make sense when:

• An item is too large for the locked space you have.
• You need a locked room back so guests can use it.
• Supplies for several properties are crowding one home.
• Furniture or equipment is only useful for part of the year.
• You have to move the same things every time you prepare for a booking.

Try the free space first. A garage, store or suitable spare room may solve the problem without another monthly bill. If it does not, compare the value of the room you would get back with the full cost of storage. Include transport and the time spent collecting things between bookings. Add up the cost for the whole period, because low monthly rent can still be poor value when each turnover adds a long journey.

A unit can do three different jobs. It can hold your belongings while the property is let, keep spare linen, furniture and equipment between guests, or hold the contents of a home while it is on the market. Keep those groups separate on your list because they will probably come back at different times.

When the property has no suitable room left, see Wadaya's storage units and compare the available space with the things that need to leave.

Most hosts have a fairly short list of things to keep off-site, but the items are often bulky. It may include spare mattresses and bed frames, extra dining chairs, or the sofa that did not suit the listing photos. Out-of-season bedding, beach equipment, bicycles and sports gear may also move in and out as bookings change.

Spare linen, toiletries and cleaning products bought in bulk can take up more room than the property has. Keep enough nearby for a normal turnover. Decide the smallest amount of each regular supply you need there, then refill it before a busy run of bookings. Do not send something off-site only because the current guest will not need it. Think about how soon you may need it for the next stay.

Group stored items by what they are for:

• Furniture for a different room setup.
• Seasonal items that will return at a known time.
• Turnover supplies and spare linen.
• Personal belongings that will return after the let.

Put the property and room on every label. A box marked only “bedroom” soon becomes confusing if you manage several rooms or homes. Before storing anything, ask how the conditions inside the unit could affect fabrics, cardboard packaging, toiletries, electronics and wooden furniture.

Moving your own things out of the way is only half the job. Give guests an empty drawer in each bedroom and some wardrobe space with hangers. Add a bathroom shelf or basket, hooks by the entrance and a clear place for shoes. For stays longer than a few nights, leave a kitchen shelf or cupboard free for groceries.

Furniture with storage inside can reduce what you need to move. A bench with a lid or an ottoman bed can hold spare bedding without filling the wardrobe. Check these spaces during every turnover so the empty drawer stays empty. Then look at the room while holding a suitcase: a guest should be able to reach the wardrobe without moving your boxes first.

You have a deadline when preparing the home for the next guest, so give every stored item a fixed place. Keep each linen set together and label it by room or bed size. Pack everything for one changeover together instead of splitting sheets, towels and covers between several unmarked boxes. Keep a short list of what is stored and where, and update it whenever something moves, leaves or comes back.

Plan to collect everything you need in one trip. If you keep going back for forgotten items, change the labels, list or grouping. Check the unit's access hours against real turnover times, including evenings, weekends and early arrivals.

Before moving bulky furniture, check every part of the route. A mattress, table or large chair has to fit through every door and lift, as well as the vehicle. Decide who can make an urgent collection when you are unavailable, and make sure the access arrangements work for the people who actually prepare the property.

Preparing a home for sale starts with the same sort, but for a different reason. Move out personal photographs, boxes, spare furniture and enough clothing to clear crowded wardrobes. Buyers can then see the rooms instead of the life that normally fills them.

You will usually keep these things in storage until the home sells or you move. Keep sale items together and label them for the next home. Do not mix them with turnover supplies that still move every week. Use a room-by-room decluttering guide for the rest of the work.

Start with the list you made. Measure the largest pieces and count the boxes before you discuss unit sizes. Then ask:

• Do I rent month to month or for a fixed term?
• How much notice do I need to give before the rental ends?
• Do the access hours fit my real turnover times?
• Can my usual vehicle reach the loading point?
• Will I need a trolley or lift for bulky furniture?
• Can I move to a different unit size later?

Get the dates and total price in writing. The right unit must fit both your belongings and the way you will move them between bookings.