Consumables

Consumables

One of the relatively small, but not insignificant costs of having a Holiday Home are the costs to keep the home stocked with Consumables (see Expected Running Costs for owners for more details). 

The following consumables and everyday essentials are the small details that make or break a guest's first impression and overall comfort. Items like toilet paper, hand soap at every basin, dishwashing supplies, and coffee pods should be ready upon arrival—guests shouldn't need to rush to a shop before they can settle in. Stocking these essentials is a modest investment that prevents negative feedback, reduces guest inquiries, and reinforces that your property is truly ready to welcome them from the moment they walk through the door.

Whilst guests do not expect to have these supplies available for their entire stay, starter items to commence their stay are essential.

Essential Consumables

  1. Toilet paper
  2. Coffee pods
  3. Spare batteries (for remotes)
  4. Dishwashing tablets & Dishwashing liquid
  5. Hand Soap (a bottle at each basin in the home, including the kitchen, bathrooms & laundry)
  6. Clothes washing liquid/powder
  7. Aluminium foil/cling wrap/baking paper
  8. Paper towel
  9. Garbage bags
  10. BBQ cleaning wipes/spray
  11. Sponges/wipes/scourers and surface spray (spray n wipe)
  12. Tea, sugar (instant coffee for homes without a Pod machine)
  13. Spray oil, salt & pepper
  14. For Pet Friendly homes: Doggie bags (to encourage guests to clean up after their pets
For homes with a Fireplace/Firepit: The question of whether you provide wood for the fireplaces has 3 possible answers:
  1. YES - wood is provided (you'll need fire lighters, kindling and wood)
  2. YES (a little) - Some wood is provided (only provide fire lighters, kindling and a small quantity of wood)
  3. NO - Guests should bring their own (none provided)
    If you provide any wood to guests, you will need a locked shed/area for the wood to be stored, preferably with a coded lock (ie not keyed lock).

Setting it up

The linen/consumables cupboard works best (i.e. reduces the chances of things going missing) if the cleaner is given as much space as possible, if the shelves are labelled, etc. Prior to your home ‘going live’ with us, you may want to purchase all the consumables and set up the cupboard for the cleaner (i.e. how you’d like it set up). We can of course request a cleaner to do this on your behalf.

Up and running

Once your home is up and running, the cleaner will manage the purchase and resupply of consumables. We have processes to ensure the cleaner leaves out small quantities of Consumables for Guests to keep your expenses under control, while providing a positive Guest experience. When item(s) run low, the cleaner will purchase replacement items and restock your cupboard, and the cost for doing that will be added to your monthly statement (see How to Read your Monthly Statement for more information).

What if I want to purchase the consumables?

We do not have a process where we can inform you as/when items run out, but when you are at your home you can of course choose to replenish the Consumables. This is a self-correcting process – if/when you choose to resupply Consumables yourself, the items will not run low, and the Cleaner will not need to purchase them. It may also save you money if you purchase items in bulk yourself. If you have questions about what Consumables your Cleaner purchased, please let us know and we’ll endeavour to get the detail for you.


    • Related Articles

    • Owner Onboarding Checklist

      In order for us to best represent you and your home, we need to get to know your property as well as possible. Therefore, as part of the onboarding process, there are a few documents we ask you to read/complete (Attributes, Consumables, etc) - these ...

    • Expected Running costs

      When a home joins our group, we use our experience to work out the expected revenue for that home, and let you know the average Running Costs to expect when holiday renting your home. These Running Costs are deducted from the monthly income and ...

    • Monthly Float for all homes

      Trust Accounting in Short Term Rental Victoria is one of the only states in Australia that doesn't yet enforce Trust Accounting on our industry, and the State Revenue Office has indicated that they will be moving to it in the near future. In Short ...

    • Owners as Cleaners

      This topic is not about owners doing cleans after individual owner stays, but rather when an owner wants to effectively “be the cleaner” who cleans after all bookings at their home. Over the years, we have had some owners who have managed the ...

    • How to read your monthly statement

      Every month around the end of the first week, you (the owner) will receive a monthly statement (if your home has had income and/or expenses) via Email and the Home Hero Owner Portal. If you have not had any income or expenses in the month, you will ...