For professional Airbnb hosts and vacation rental managers, inspections aren’t just a box to check — they’re a critical component of delivering a consistent, positive experience. But when time in property is limited, how can you ensure your inspection process is both thorough and efficient?

During Breezeway’s ELEVATE 2025 session on “Differentiating Inspections: How to Maximize Your Time in Property", panelists Holly George (Killington Mountain Homes), Sarah Karakaian (Thanks for Visiting), Colton Cardinal (Big Sky Vacation Rentals), and Tea Popaja (PRIME Vacations) shared real-world strategies on how different types of property inspections can be used to keep operations seamless and guests thrilled. They also dove into how to optimize inspection processes for maximum impact — without burning out your team.

Let’s break down the strategies these pros use — and how you can apply them to your own operations.

Why inspections matter more than ever

When asked, 74% of webinar attendees said inspections are extremely critical to their guest experience, while another 18% admitted they do some inspections but see room for more. Only a small 8% said they rely solely on cleaners to leave properties guest-ready.

That overwhelming majority shows just how vital inspections have become. As Sarah Karakaian explained, "Inspections really were the differentiator for my Airbnb business. No one else in my market was doing it this way — because it is an extra investment of time and people."

Webinar attendees also reported a mix of rental inspection types being used:

• 71% perform pre-arrival inspections
• 70% conduct post-clean inspections
• 57% carry out departure inspections
• 56% do vacancy inspections
• 31% conduct safety inspections

These stats show that the majority of short-term rental (STR) operators understand how inspections contribute to property readiness, guest satisfaction, and brand reputation — especially on platforms like Airbnb where positive reviews drive future bookings.

Understand the value of differentiated inspections

Not all property inspections serve the same purpose. Leading property managers break their inspection process into several distinct types:

• Pre-arrival inspection: Performed 1–2 days before guest check-in to identify and resolve issues early. This checks that appliances, electronics, wifi, and smart locks are in working order.
• Post-clean inspection: Conducted after the home has been cleaned and before the next check-in, ensuring the cleaning meets your brand’s standards and no detail is overlooked. For example, floors are free of dust, debris, and pet hair, and beds are made with fresh linens.
• Departure inspection: Conducted shortly after a guest leaves to help capture guest-related damage or maintenance needs after checkout. This would identify broken or missing items, unauthorized smoking or pets, or trash or personal items left behind.
• Safety inspection: Occurs on a scheduled basis (e.g., monthly or quarterly), or more frequently for high-risk items like smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, first aid kit, and fire extinguishers, and ensures your property complies with local regulations.
• Vacancy checks: A walkthrough when a property is unoccupied for an extended period. These regular inspections help provide property owners with peace of mind, and prevent issues like leaks, pest infestations, and HVAC failures from going unnoticed.

As Tea Popaja, Director of Operations at PRIME Vacations, puts it: “We inspect with purpose. Every checklist item matters, and our inspectors understand the safety behind it. Especially in Florida, pool alarms and self-latching gates are non-negotiable.”

Build smart inspection checklists

A detailed home inspection checklist and smart use of technology like Breezeway make inspections thorough and efficient. It reduces guesswork and ensures consistency across properties and team members.

• Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are key. Colton shared that Big Sky has a 54-point checklist for arrivals — covering everything from propane tank shut-offs to hot tub functionality — with many items requiring photo documentation.
• Customization at scale: Tea explained how Breezeway allows PRIME Vacations to create property-specific tasks, such as checking owner-specific gifts or unique maintenance needs — even across hundreds of homes.
• Photo requirements: Photos not only create accountability but empower guest services teams to confidently handle guest questions. As Colton noted, "Before telling a guest there are two rolls of toilet paper under the sink, our team checks the inspection photos first."
• Efficiency via smart scheduling: Colton shared how data helps them optimize schedules based on how long inspections should take per property size, and how they minimize drive time by assigning nearby homes to the same inspector.

Empower your inspection teams

A key to inspection success? Empowering and valuing your inspectors.

• Daily standups: Colton’s team meets for a 15–20 minute check-in each morning to review schedules, highlight important arrivals, and balance workloads.
• Inspector feedback loops: Tea stressed the importance of listening to inspectors’ feedback about recurring issues or cleaning trends. "They are your frontline eyes and ears," she said.
• Celebrating success: Sharing positive reviews with inspection teams helps them see the impact of their work and stay motivated.

Match inspection types to your operational model

Whether you work with in-house teams or third-party vendors, it’s crucial to tailor your property inspections to your structure. Although every panelist runs their short-term rental operations differently, they share a common focus: delivering safe, welcoming rental properties consistently.

• In-house teams like Holly George’s operate on an Apple-style model: all staff are employees, not contractors. “This allows us to control the product end-to-end. We can impart our culture into the cleaners, inspectors, and maintenance team. So everyone's really carrying that passion for five-star experiences to our properties and guests.”
• Outsourced cleaning teams like those at PRIME Vacations rely on internal inspectors to enforce high standards: “We work with about 40 different cleaning companies, where we have strict SOPs for their work, but our inspectors are the ones who ultimately make sure the property is up to our standards and that’s what the guests see.”

Make inspections a competitive advantage

Inspections are more than a reactive measure — they’re a proactive strategy for brand-building, guest loyalty, long-term asset protection, and peace of mind.

Whether you're an Airbnb host managing 10 units or 700, differentiated inspections help ensure property readiness, vacation rental safety, and a consistent, guest-ready standard. With the right systems and team culture in place, they also improve your turnover process, reduce guest complaints, and protect your bottom line.

By tailoring your inspection types, standardizing your checklists, and using tech tools like Breezeway, you’ll not only maximize your time in the property — you’ll maximize guest satisfaction, too.