Virtual assistants that help with property management?

Question

Hello! I have a STR on a lake that I've self-managed for about a year. I love the guest interactions (believe it or not) and my husband takes care of the book-keeping for all our properties. But the general administrivia - tracking guests, scheduling the cleaner, paying the bills and monthly taxes, coordinating with contractors - is already getting old. I don't want to turn the property over to a property management company but I am looking to bring in some help to support the tasks I don't enjoy. I remember listening to a BP podcast where someone had trained virtual assistants to support property management. Does anyone have experience with this? I also don't remember who the podcast guest was, so if anyone has any suggestions about where to look, please send along!

Ben Scott · Answer

We hired a VA from a staffing company called Virtual Latinos and have been pleased. The VAs are in South America so they operate in roughly the same time zone which helps with communication.

Drew Sygit · Answer

@Katie Camargo full disclosure, Boob runs a VA provider service.

I don't know anything about his business, but do know there are probably 20+ companies in the space.

You can also try to hire your own part-time VA on Upwork (worldwide) or OnlineJobsPH (Philippines only).

Just understand that many VA's are task driven and really not success driven.

So, for maximum chances of it working out, you'll need a specific list of task for them to do with Standard Operating Procedures. Otherwise, they can try your patience!

Patricia Joseph · Answer

Hi Katie, hiring a VA to manage the admin tasks for your STR can reduce your workload and stress, but as the OP mentioned most VAs are task oriented and need clear instructions. I’ve worked with an outsourcing company that vets VAs for you based on your needs. You could also look into Airbnb’s cohost program, but, again, the VA will need clear guidance. There are tech tools that can handle specific tasks as well: Turno (cleaner mgmt), Avalara (taxes), Guesty, Hospitable (guest communications). Hope info is helpful!

Ben Scott · Answer

Hey @Benil Shah, I use the staffing agency Virtual Latinos and all the labor is contract based so there's no payroll taxes. You do sign a contract with the staffing agency though. I believe VL will submit a 1099 (or whatever the form is for that country) to the assistant.

Benil Shah · Answer

@Ben Scott: How do you manage the payroll for VA's? We are recently looking to hire one that we found on Linkedin but wondering how do we ensure compliance with the hiring countries taxes and other payroll related policies? Are the VA's hired as contractors or full time employees?

Any tips are highly appreciated.

David Peschio · Answer

Hi.  We use a company called VPM for our remote worker hires.  Ask for Leon.  Website iswww.vpmsolutions.com

Easy to identify, screen and find matches.  They also handle all payroll with a majority of what you pay going directly to the remote worker.

Virtual assistants that help with property management?

Most Popular Reply