No matter how appealing the location, if the cleaning quality falls short, guest satisfaction drops and negative reviews are quick to follow.

This is especially true for vacation rentals, which don’t offer the attentive service of a hotel. As a result, cleanliness and well-maintained equipment carry even more weight in guest evaluations. Once a property earns a low rating, it’s incredibly difficult to bounce back. That’s why it’s essential to go beyond routine daily cleaning and commit to thorough, regular maintenance.

In this article, we’ll cover “3 Essential Maintenance Tasks to Keep Your Vacation Rental Reviews High,” focusing on checkpoints you should address a few times a year or roughly once a month.

Even with diligent daily cleaning, there are often hidden issues—caused by wear over time or seasonal changes—that regular cleaning simply can’t catch. If left unaddressed, these problems can surface suddenly, leading to guest complaints like “the room smells,” “there were bugs,” or “the AC doesn’t work.” These issues can seriously damage guest satisfaction and send your review ratings plummeting.

1. Take Thorough Pest Control Measures

Bug problems aren’t unique to vacation rentals—they can occur in apartments and houses too, especially during the summer months. While the building’s structure and surrounding environment play a role, unless you’re on an upper floor of a high-rise, cockroaches and other small insects can become an issue depending on the season. When guests travel from abroad and encounter bugs during their stay, it leaves a lasting impression that “hygiene isn’t well managed”—a factor that can significantly drag down your reviews.

One effective approach is taking preventive measures to stop pests from getting in in the first place. This might include installing covers on drains, checking screen doors for gaps, or sealing gaps around doors and windows to physically block entry points. It’s also worthwhile to hire a professional pest control service a few times a year, or to use over-the-counter pest control products yourself, focusing on the room, kitchen, and bathroom.

Beyond visible bugs, small pests like dust mites hiding in bedding and carpets also deserve attention. If a guest wakes up itchy after a night’s sleep, it can instantly undermine their trust in the property’s cleanliness. In addition to washing sheets and duvet covers, be sure to regularly wash and dry mattresses and cushions at high temperatures whenever possible, so guests can rest easy knowing they’re sleeping in a clean environment.

2. Schedule Regular Air Conditioner Maintenance

Air conditioners are essential equipment—providing cooling in summer and heating in winter. One of the top complaints from vacation rental guests is “the AC doesn’t work” or “it’s not cooling/heating properly.” Simply cleaning the filter during routine cleaning isn’t enough to address dust buildup, mold, or grime on the heat exchanger inside the unit. When mold develops inside an AC unit, it produces unpleasant odors that guests notice the moment they walk into the room.

That’s why it’s worth scheduling a professional deep-cleaning of your AC units at least once a year. Professional technicians use high-pressure cleaning to thoroughly remove internal grime, restoring cooling and heating efficiency while eliminating musty and dusty odors.

Properties with high occupancy rates naturally see more AC usage, so scheduling a cleaning right before peak season—ahead of summer or winter—is ideal preparation for welcoming guests. Whether the AC is functioning comfortably has a direct impact on guest satisfaction during their stay, and regular maintenance is also crucial for reducing the risk of breakdowns.

3. Regularly Inspect Your Water Heater and Plumbing

No hot water or a leaky pipe—these are nightmare scenarios for guests. Coming back to your rental exhausted after a long flight or a day of sightseeing, only to find you can’t warm up in the bath, is a major source of frustration. A broken water heater can actually be even more serious than an AC malfunction. In the worst case, guests may have no choice but to find another place to stay immediately, leaving you to deal with refunds and significant financial losses.

For this reason, it’s advisable to have a professional inspect your water heater once a year, checking hoses and piping to make sure everything is in good working order.

Older properties or previously owned units are especially likely to have aging plumbing. Checking for clogged drains, weak shower pressure, and leaks in the under-sink piping can help you catch and prevent sudden problems before they occur. By the time a guest reports “there’s no hot water,” the damage to your reputation may already be irreversible.

Elevate Your Vacation Rental Cleaning to Earn Top Reviews

Cleaning a vacation rental effectively goes beyond standard cleaning—there are key maintenance tasks that need to happen on a regular basis.

Neglecting pest control could lead to bug sightings during the summer that frustrate guests, while skipping internal AC cleaning could result in malfunctions during periods of extreme temperature swings, causing serious damage to your reviews. The same goes for your water heater and plumbing—a sudden breakdown could trigger refunds, guest relocation costs, and other significant losses.

Once these kinds of problems occur, it’s incredibly hard to win back guest satisfaction. That’s exactly why regular maintenance by professionals should complement your everyday cleaning routine. Doing so helps ensure guests feel that the room “met their expectations” and was “clean and comfortable”—which ultimately leads to glowing reviews and repeat bookings.

Since vacation rental hosting is a business model built for long-term, stable income, it makes far more sense to invest proactively in maintaining your property than to cut corners and risk major guest complaints down the line.

If you’re feeling uncertain about setting up a solid system for regular cleaning and maintenance, or if you’re already facing recurring cleaning-related issues in your vacation rental operation, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Stay Buddy Inc. We offer comprehensive support for property owners, including rental management services, cleaning quality improvement, and risk management, to help address the wide range of challenges you may encounter. We look forward to hearing from you.