Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Lifty Life and our management can be found here. Learn about what makes us different, how to get started, and what to expect!
Find answers to some of our most commonly asked vacation rental management questions
Questions About Lifty Life
Lifty Life Hospitality’s competitive advantages are plentiful
- Rated The Best Airbnb Management Company in Western Canada – All The Rooms is a leading Airbnb analytics company that has ranked Lifty Life as the best manager in western Canada.
- More Resources than a Small Company and More Time Than a Large Company – As a medium sized operator, we are the best of both worlds. We have the resources to provide a full service solution (accounting, marketing, operations, etc) while also small enough to maintain a high level of customer and owner service.
- Revenue Management – Lifty Life’s competitive advantage is in revenue management (aka pricing strategy). We adjust rates daily based on a competitive set, best in the industry software, and a background in revenue management within the hotel industry. Read a case study done about on our advanced pricing strategy.
- Airbnb SEO – Lifty Life is one of the top experts on ranking on Airbnb. In fact, Google “Airbnb SEO“ or “How To Rank on Airbnb” and you will find our article among the top results.
- Operations in Multiple Destinations – As an operator within BC and Alberta’s markets we have advantages in both marketing your property and in providing insightful investment advice.
- Flexible & Simple Contract – Lifty Life’s contract is only two pages. There is no long term commitment and homeowners can exit with ease, plus we offer unlimited homeowner use.
Lifty Life Hospitality manages all the major headaches of vacation rental hosting including;
- 24/7/365 Guest Service
- Channel Management on Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com
- Revenue & Pricing Management
- Credit Card Processing
- Handling Guest Complaints & The Resolution Process
- Coordinating the Cleaning, Laundry, and Replenishment
- Check-in & Check-out Process
- Financial reporting & Bookkeeping
- PST, GST, MDRT, and Tourism Levy Tax Collection and Remitance
- Listing Optimization
- Marketing including social media, email, blogging, SEO, and more.
- Professional Photography
- Coordination of Maintenace
For more details on our service offerings, visit our Shared Hosting, Full Service, and White Glove service pages.
Lifty Life operates using a shared success model. This means when you make money we share in that success.
We do not charge any setup fees or any flat monthly fees.
Lifty Life charges a commision based on the service offering of your choosing:
- White Glove – 35%
- Full Service – 25%
- Shared Hosting – 20%
Lifty Life will charge a cleaning fee directly to the guest, which will vary based on your property and location.
Lifty Life’s fees do not include 3rd party service fees from sites like Airbnb, VRBO, or Booking.com.
The Lifty Life commission is calculated from the gross revenue.
Looking for more information on our pricing structure? Visit our pricing page.
Lifty Life operates in British Columbia and Alberta. Below are some of the markets we serve, if you don’t see your destination still reach out as we may be able to assist you or refer you to a reputable company.
Okanagan
Vancouver Island
The Rockies
Sea to Sky
- Whistler
- Squamish
- Pemberton
Fraser Valley
As long as you have the right zoning and can legally operate everywhere has the potential to do well as a short-term rental.
Inquire with us and we will determine the short term rental potential of your area for FREE!
All Major Platforms – Lifty Life will market your property on major vacation rental websites (Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com).
Vacations by Lifty Life – Your property will be listed on our direct bookings website ‘Vacations by Lifty Life‘.
Branding – Lifty Life strives to make every property we manage unique. We will work with you to create a unique style and brand for your unit. Click here to learn more about how to create unique spaces.
Professionally Written Content – Our team of in-house writers will work to create descriptive content, a destination guide, and other content marketing initiatives.
Professional Photography – Lifty Life partners with the best real estate photographers within your market to capture the essence of your space.
Social Media Marketing – Your property will also be featured on our social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram.
Search Engine Optimization – We leverage advanced SEO tactics to attract direct bookings through ‘Vacations by Lifty Life’ and increase visibility and rankings on Airbnb.
Event & Sponsorship Marketing – We contribute 5% of all reservations through ‘Vacations by Lifty Life‘ to event and sponsorship marketing initiatives throughout western Canada. This initiative is at our expense.
- Brewhalla Beer & Music Festivals
- Fraser Valley GranFondo
Steps To Getting Started
Reach out to our team and provide details about your property including:
- Number of Bedrooms & Beds
- Number of Bathrooms
- Address of the property
- Any Photos Available
You can reach our team here.
Based on our conversation and the details you provided, our team will provide a forecast that includes:
- Annual Revenue
- Annual Occupancy
- Average Daily Rate
Please note: Our forecast is just an estimate and we make no guarantees on your revenue or return on investment.
If it seems like a great fit between the two of us, amazing!
Our contract is a simple two-pager that outlines the responsibilities of both parties and includes clauses related to exiting the contract and homeowner use.
In most municipalities a short term rental license is required, if you need assistance with the application process our team can support you.
Your home insurance may need to be upgraded to include short term rental activities.
Looking for a short term rental insurer? Receive a quick online quote from our recommended insurance provider, Square One.
- A Furnished Property – Here you can find our property checklist.
- Utilities – Heat, Electricity, Water, etc.
- High Speed Internet – Minimum 60 mbps.
- Cleaning Closet – We will need a space within your unit to stock additional linens and supplies. This could be a locked closet, cupboard, or chest.
- Electronic Lock – We require an electronic lock, preferably with Smartlock capability. We recommend a redundant check-in process such as a lock box with a key in it. (Included in White Glove)
- Linens & Towels – Three (3) sets of linens per bed including pullout couches. Four (4) sets of towels per number of maximum occupants. In addition, kitchen, face, hand towels, and bathmats are required. (Included in White Glove)
- SmartTV – We require your television to be capable of streaming Netflix, Disney+, etc. (Streaming Services including, Netflix, Disney+, HBO, and Crave are included in White Glove)
Once your property is furnished and setup fill in our property questionnaire.
The questionnaire is a hand-over document of all information related to your property including:
- Door codes
- WiFi Passwords
- Parking
- Garbage
- Etc
At this stage, our team is working quickly to get your unit guest ready and getting your listing live.
Our operations team will visit the property to stage, deep clean, and inventory.
Next, a professional photographer will come for a visit and photograph your property.
At the same time our content and marketing team will be working on creating your listings on sites like Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com. In addition, our revenue management team will be pricing your unit.
Now that your listings are live and your property is guest ready, our team will start accepting reservations.
Please make sure you notify us if you have any owner use that we should block out.
Congrats on your first payout!
Monthly Payouts – We make a monthly payout for all check-outs of the proceeding month. This payout will be made on, or before, the 10th.
For example:
August 10th, you would be paid for all guest check-outs that occurred between July 1st – July 31.
Form of Payout – You will be paid out in Canadian Dollars (CAD) by either Direct Deposit or E-Transfer to the Canadian Bank Account of your choosing.
Statement of Reservations – Along with your payout, we will provide you with a statement of all guest reservations and breakdown of all associated fees.
What to Know as an Owner
No. Lifty Life does not believe in locking people into contracts, in fact, just the opposite!
Our contract has no time commitment, although we hope to work with you for a long time.
Few Things to Note:
- We do require that homeowners allow us to fulfil all future guest reserverations. This makes it so we don’t have to cancel on guests.
- While our contract is flexible, we expect that you’re entering into this partnership with a longterm vision.
Unlimited Homeowner Usage – As a homeowner, you have unlimited use of the property for yourself, family, or friends.
No Nightly Charge – You will not be charged for the nights you use. However we will charge a cleaning fee.
Please Note:
- The Dates Must Not Have A Current Reservation – We will not cancel guest reservations to accommodate your stays.
- We Require Notice By Email Atleast Two Weeks in Advance – Shorter notice can be accommodated, but not gauranteed.
- Cleaning Fee – There is no nightly charge for your stay. However we will charge the cleaning fee that we charge to all guests. This allows us to clean, launder, and replenish and maintain a high standard for the including guests. The cleaning fee will be deducted from a future payout.
Monthly Payouts – We make a monthly payout for all check-outs of the proceeding month. This payout will be made on, or before, the 10th.
For example:
August 10th, you would be paid for all guest check-outs that occurred between July 1st – July 31.
Form of Payout – You will be paid out in Canadian Dollars (CAD) by either Direct Deposit or E-Transfer to the Canadian Bank Account of your choosing.
Statement of Reservations – Along with your payout, we will provide you with a statement of all guest reservations and breakdown of all associated fees.
Yes. We require all homeowners to have adequate insurance that covers short term rentals.
Read our guide on ‘Short Term Rental Insurance‘.
We recommend getting a quote from Square One Insurance.
- Utilities – Heat, Electricity, Water, etc.
- High Speed Internet – Minimum 60 mbps.
- Cleaning Closet – We will need a space within your unit to stock additional linens and supplies. This could be a locked closet, cupboard, or chest.
- A Furnished Property – Here you can find our property checklist.
- Electronic Lock – We require an electronic lock, preferably with Smartlock capability. We recommend a redundant check-in process such as a lock box with a key in it. (Included in White Glove)
- Linens & Towels – Three (3) sets of linens per bed including pullout couches. Four (4) sets of towels per number of maximum occupants. In addition, kitchen, face, hand towels, and bathmats are required. (Included in White Glove)
- SmartTV – We require your television to be capable of streaming Netflix, Disney+, etc. (Streaming Services including, Netflix, Disney+, HBO, and Crave are included in White Glove)
- Short Term Rental Insurance – We require all homeowners to inform their insurer of their short term rental activities. Our recommendation is Square One Insurance.
- Short Term Rental License – Most communities require a homeowner to apply and obtain a short term rental business license. This is a mandatory requirement for Lifty Life as well.
Lifty Life has in-house and contracted cleaning teams that will clean, launder, and replenish the unit between stays. Our team will also inspect for damages, missing items, and report on home rule violations.
Our team is provided with a detailed checklist of required cleaning tasks. Throughout the year we will also conduct deep cleans.
Ultimately the responsibility to provide a well-maintained property and grounds falls on you the homeowner. However, Lifty Life will work with you to coordinate maintenance needs such as plumbing, heating, electrical and landscaping, etc.
When necessary we can recommend local handyman and tradesmen. These 3rd party maintenance teams will be hired by you and they will bill you directly.
Lifty Life does not charge any markup or additional fees for this coordination.
*Lifty Life is not liable for any of the contracted work or maintenance.*
The check-in process varies for every unit. However, in all cases we will ensure every guest has a remote and contactless check-in pocess.
- Every unit is required to have an electronic lock. (Unless otherwise indicated)
- If your building has an intercom we require that our phone be added.
- If possible we recommend a redundant check-in process such as an exterior lock box.
We have no requirement to be pet-friendly.
Being a pet-friendly unit is ultimately up to you as the homeowner. We manage both pet-friendly and non pet-friendly units.
In our experience, pet-friendly units can demand a higher rate and maintain a higher occupancy. However, there is risks including the potentional for extra cleaning and increased wear-and-tear on your property.
For pet-friendly units we have certain guidelines we expect from guests:
- Pick up after your pet
- Don’t let your pet get on the furniture (a $45 charge per bed may be applied for violations)
- Try to clean the excess hair
- Close bedroom doors if you need to leave your pet in the unit
In addition, we charge a pet fee and may charge a larger damage deposit.
Lifty Life has a ZERO tolerance policy on smoking and parties.
Guests are not allowed to smoke within the unit or building amenities.
Parties are not allowed within any Lifty Life properties.