What to look for in this article on making your yard work for you and your clients
- Setting limited availability times
- Knowing your limits on what you can provide
- Set an automatic welcome message for reservations
- Use Feedback as needed to improve the space
- Be honest about the space
- Set reasonable rates
Allowing your yard be seen on an online, airbnb style booking site can feel daunting, especially when the thought of reviews come up. We’ve seen what happens on review sites when people rag on the dumbest things but also read horror stories of truly terrible service.
Let’s see how you not only prevent that from occurring but feel good about what you’re offering on Sniffspot!
Setting Your Availability
Something I’ve heard a few Sniffspot providers is that they get frustrated by the reservation process. The website is relatively young and still has some kinks to work out; people can reserve any of the time periods you list as available, and they have the ability to cancel a reservation any time before 2 hours prior to it and receive a full refund.
With that in mind, set actual hours you have your yard undisturbed by residents and workers as well as times you’re comfortable having strangers in your yard. Sometimes less availability demonstrates there’s a higher value to the yard and people may be less likely to cancel. Some people will leave their availability all hours of the night and day; don’t do that to yourself.
For instance, setting a window of 8am – 12pm then 4pm-6pm will allow you to stop by during lunchtime to refresh the yard (notice any messes, refill water, replenish bags, etc) but not only have a half hour to do so. You also can enjoy your yard after dinnertime after a quick tidying if anyone were to use those two evenings hours.
Another example schedule is before and after standard work hours; people who do not work from home will highly value times that are available before 9am and after 5pm during the work week. Could those early and evening time periods work for your life schedule?
Sniffspot automatically places a half hour empty window in between reservations. Keep that in mind when setting your availability.
Setting Amenity Expectations
Knowing your limits on what you can provide can take the pressure off of you as a service provider and create a consistent experience for renters. No need to have extra amenities beyond the general baseline that you will have to maintain not only daily but potentially in between each renter. Keeping a pool around on hot days sounds great, but not emptying it leaves dirty water after muddy paws get in there. Leaving water standing gives a place for mosquitos and other insects a place to spawn. Not great to have a breeding ground in your yard.
Having treats out is nice, but it’s also a way for sneaky dogs to get into trouble. A customer with a dog with allergies will get pretty upset at having their dog chomp on surprise treats. And if you advertise you have treats out but then there aren’t any? Someone else will be upset for that. Keeping a consistently tidy, clean yard that provides water, shade, sun, and safety will always be a long-term win over novelty.
Basic provisions that help your yard stand out:
- multiple water bowls
- freshwater source like a hose or a tank
- a mix of shade and sun
- open space free of furniture
- poop bags and/or poop scoops with tidied poop bins
- maintained grass or substrate
- visible trash receptacle
- providing towels
- providing hand sanitizer
Setting an Automatic Welcome Message
One thing I’ve loved from providers is having an automatic welcome message. Sure it can be annoying if you’ve been there several times before, but having that touch with information as simple as how to get to your property (particularly handy when I go to a Sniffspot out in the boonies) helps me feel confident with my purchased time. It can contain directions, expectations, or handy warnings about, say, when the neighbors are having yardwork done and expect the sounds of weedwackers and mowers on certain days.
What clients want to know:
- entrance location
- explanation of gates or doors that need locked or special handling
- photos of entrance and exits
- are there any noises from the neighbors or environment? (ex. peacocks live next door)
- parking location
- do GPSs take people to the property or are there offline directions needed?
Receiving (and Giving) Feedback
Sometimes people CAN be reasonable with feedback regarding the yard space you provide. Yes there will be outliers as far as what is deemed as sane, helpful, and kind. You will be opening yourself to criticism in addition to (hopefully!) compliments.
Make sure your description and photographs are recent and reflect what the yard provides visitors. Did you poop bin disappear? Make sure people know they need to bring their own bags and pack out. Did a tree get cut down, reducing shade? Make sure people know it will be sunnier and/or provide an awning or umbrella for ways to provide relief from sun. Did your chair break? Make sure people know they don’t have a place to sit.
Life happens, and it’s reasonable that you will not be able to attend to repairs immediately. Make sure your potential and recurring clients know what’s up, preventing a poor experience for them and a bad review for yourself.
One space I recurrently use, I give them a heads up when spiky plants start growing, and they pull and spray down the area within two days to resolve the issue. I send them a reference photo so they know where to look, and it’s done. Vice versa, if I am missing poops more often than not, they do the same: photograph the area I miss and tell me to watch the area. Boom. Done. Working relationship. I’ve been working with them for over a year and intend to keep it up. Maintaining that relationship keeps it a pleasant experience for everyone involved.
If someone gives you a poor review or message:
- ask for photographs of issue
- thank them for the feedback
Be Honest About the Space
The descriptions I’ve read promising the moon and stars… keep it simple! The most important thing is that the yard space is SAFE. That means free of trash, free of obvious dangerous items like boards with nails sticking out, and the fencing is secure and intact. If your home is on a 5 acre lot but the usable space is only 1 acre, say that. Don’t advertise 5. If your place has a spigot for water but no hose, say that. If your space needs a good grass trim and it’s been overgrown for two weeks, say that.
Your clientele want to know what to expect and will plan accordingly for their visits or wait for improvements to be made. Your reviews are free advertisements for your space.
Preventing surprises for your clients:
- how much space is available for the dog?
- is there a place for the human to sit?
- is there a poop bin or do clients need to pack it out?
- how often is your yard mowed or landscaped?
- are there resident dogs who will bark from the other side of the fence or inside the home?
Set Reasonable Rates
Money can be a bummer for many pet owners who have dog with special behavior needs. People who seek out yards for private outdoor time may already be spending money on the vet, behavior vet, medications, and training. Adding yet another expense can be rough and draining.
You also need to be compensated for the work you’re putting into maintaining your space and organizing the schedule.
Set your rates in a way that feels reasonable to with the following considerations:
- your area’s cost of living
- how many dogs you’re comfortable hosting at one time
- how much time you want the yard occupied by clients
- how much money you project to earn from Sniffspot rentals
- Deciding if you’d prefer fewer dogs over more
Professionals like myself are big, big fans of people who are comfortable with multiple dogs (as many as 10) at once so we can take a group to play, potty, and get outdoor time while keeping the price per dog “low.” If your yard is large enough to even accommodate 4 dogs, set that as your maximum and set the cost accordingly. On the flip side, people who prefer one or two dogs maximum at a time may consider setting a higher per-dog pricing, setting the value as higher and compensating you for that value. Those yards may still attract professionals for private training sessions who need quiet space for their clientele working on their behavior issues or their families’ handling confidence.
If you’re not sure what is considered high, low, middle of the road, check in what your local doggy daycares are charging, then charge accordingly. Remember daycares have half days and full days (up to 9 hours!) for their clients, and you’re only renting one hour at a time. If you’re charging as much as a daycare, prove what makes your location special enough to do so. Otherwise, be sure to charge less than daycare.
Play around with what you can provide consistently without changing too much of your life schedule — or heck, change your schedule around if you’re focused on making as much money as you can from utilizing your yard. It’s up to you how involved you want to be! Be sure to reflect that in your yard description when your Sniffspot goes live.