Auckland's accommodation shortage leads to short term rental opportunity
Saturday 21 July 2018, 2:47PM
By Adam Jay
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What started out as a small online booking website for short term accommodation in San Francisco (on air mattresses, no least), Airbnb has evolved into a full-fledged accommodation platform, rivalling the likes of Booking.com, Trivago and Wotif.
The platform was originally founded to fill a gap in the lodging marketing which, at peak times, local hotels could not fill. This concept is something which rings true today and is particularly relevant to NZ’s busiest centres.
With a shortage of accommodation, particularly in Auckland City there is currently a real demand which Airbnb listings are readily filling. This offers an opportunity for Auckland property owners (particularly around the CBD) to make a decent return on their property while maintaining the level of flexibility which short-term rentals bring.
Stefan Nikolic, director of Zodiak Management, an Auckland-based Airbnb management company says the rise of the Airbnb platform, coupled with the shortage of realistic accommodation options in Auckland means it is the ideal time for property owners to get on to the Airbnb platform.
“In the past getting your short-term rental listing noticed could be quite a struggle. Now with Airbnb, which can reach a large, worldwide audience, you can easily get your property in front of the people actively searching in your area”.
However, Nikolic stresses that it is not enough to simply throw your listing up on the platform and hope for the best - it take an investment of your time.
“Our clients turn to us for a couple of reasons. Firstly they do not have the time to be managing their listing, communicating with guests and ensuring the property is tidy and well-maintained. Secondly they want their listing to appear high on the Airbnb rankings. “
“Having a dedicated Airbnb Manager will not only give you a passive, low maintenance investment return, but it will also make your Airbnb listing perform a lot better, giving you greater access to a higher level of clientele”.