Frequently Asked Questions

What does a full-service vacation rental company offer?

A full-service vacation rental company manages the property, ensuring that it is well maintained and ready for guests to enjoy their stay. It is responsible for marketing the property in as many sites as possible, servicing guests before, during, after their stay, and in any emergency situation as well whatever the time and day, check-in, check-out, we manage nightly rates to optimize return on investment for property owners. A professional vacation rental company like Kivoya will take care of everything so that the property owner can rest easy knowing that the property is in hands of pros.

What is the difference between Airbnb and Kivoya?

Airbnb is the platform where homes are listed for rent by individuals and by vacation rental companies. Kivoya, is a full service vacation rental company that advertises properties in airbnb and many other vacation rentals sites as well so that the properties have a higher chance of getting rented. Kivoya's job goes well beyond just listing the home. We take care of everything from servicing guests through our call center agents, to cleaning, check in, check out, coordinating maintenance repairs, collecting payment, managing prices, answering reviews, etc. We invite you to contact us to learn more about what we do so that you can rest easy knowing that your home is in the hands of pros who care about your property and your return on investment as well.

Who is Kivoya?

Kivoya is a full-service vacation rental company that manages properties in various cities of Mexico and Spain. We provide guests with consistent, wonderful hotel-like experiences when they stay at our managed homes. A team of professionals stands behind our brand making sure every detail is cared for at every guest interaction from listing the home to marketing the property, managing nightly rates, answering questions by phone, email or text, to check-in, check-out, cleaning, maintenance, emergency local assistance, and close communication with property owners as well as aligned incentives to care for the property and maximize return on investment.

What does Kivoya offer to property owners?

Kivoya offers a dedicated team of professionals working to ensure the success of your property in the increasingly competitive vacation rental world. We take care of everything so that you can relax knowing that there is a team of pros working hard to ensure an optimal return on investment for your property while taking care of it at the same time. From the moment you contact us our goal is to guide you through the process making it smooth and simple. We are here to answer any question you may have.

Whether you are new to renting or not, Kivoya is here for you. We perform a thorough inventory, point out what the home may need to be as attractive as possible to renters. We can even help with interior design. We list your home in all the major platforms, take professional photos free of charge, market the property, and coordinate every stay. Our call center team members service guests before, during and after theirs stay via email, text or phone.

A local Kivoya member will greet all guests with in-person check in and will inspect the property upon check out. Your property is always cared for by our managers, professional cleaning staff, or maintenance team. We provide local 24/7 guest support and handle emergency situations.

As a property owner, you can rest easy knowing that a team of 20+ professionals is working for you and your home. We are large enough to be able to invest in cutting edge technology and resources to optimize your home's income and yet, small enough to be very open and accessible to you when you need us. Your home is our passion, we only make money when you make money so you can rest assured that our incentives are perfectly aligned. You will remain anonymous to gests as we will be the ones who participate in all the interactions.

Do I have to sign a contract?

Yes, when you partner with Kivoya we will ask that you read and sign a contact. It takes a lot of work and dedication for us to get the home ready, listed and marketed in all the places where we do this and we invest not only time but money in this as well. We want to make sure that both sides are clear on what we offer and what we ask for. The contract can be ended at any time all we ask is that you give us 30 days’ notice and honor future rents. It is very straight forward but because we take your investment and our work seriously we ask that our clients do so as well. Feel free to contact us to inquire about our rental agreement.

Is it easy to work with Kivoya?

It is very easy to work with Kivoya, just give us a call or send us your info and we will call you! We will ask you questions to get an idea of your goals and motivation, share the contract and once it is signed we will get started collecting information about your home, performing inventory, purchasing what the home needs, writing the listing, taking photos, getting the home on listing sites, defining prices, and be ready to take reservations. All this is a couple of weeks most of the time!

Can you help me remodel my house so that it looks better?

Of course! We can guide you in the right direction. As professionals who have handled thousands of guests we feel we know that most guests are looking for. We will be glad to review your property and evaluate it letting you know what we think it needs to be attractive to rent. Depending on your needs and the requirements of the home this may be something simple you can do on your own or we can take care of this for an additional small fee. What we really want is for your home to generate money through rents so that better it looks the higher chance it has of generating rents at better rates.

How do I start having Kivoya manage my home?

We can start right away simply contact us to get started. We will ask you information about your goals and how you like to work, we will evaluate renting potential of the home, and we will ask for information to ensure the property is yours so that we sign the contract with the right person. Once this is taken care of we will begin our magic and your home will be listed on most platforms in a matter of just a few weeks. Contact us now to get started. Remember, the sooner we start the sooner you will start generating income.

Can you help me manage my home so that it gets noticed on airbnb and other platforms?

That is our goal! We make homes rental ready by paying attention to decor, to professional photos, professional listings and by being a perfectionist with service generating the best possible reviews for your home. We do our best to get your home in the eye of guests.

Can you pay me in cash?

Kivoya is a professional vacation rental company and cannot pay any owner in cash. We collect the money mostly through credit card or wire transfers and we pay the money through wire transfer or checks as well.

Will I have to pay taxes?

Kivoya will collect all the guest taxes from the guest and will remit them on behalf of the home to the local authorities according to local laws. We will never ask you to send us additional money to pay any taxes. You are responsible for your income taxes as any one is when generating income. For foreign owners of properties in Mexico, we are able for a small additional fee to pay their income taxes generated in Mexico as per Mexican tax laws so that your investment is always compliant with the law and never at risk of high penalties.

Do I need a license or permit to rent my property?

In Mexico you do not need any sort of permit at the moment so it is fairly easy to get started. In Spain you do require a license and all check ins need to be filed with the police department. We handle all of this. We have a certified Spanish architect on our team that will manage the process depending on your needs so that you can get your license. We handle:
- CIVUT
- Certificado de Idoneidad de vivienda de uso turistico signed by an architect,
- Architectural plans of the property.
- Evacuation plans of the building according to UNE23035:2015
- Presenting the documents in the Comunidad de Madrid
- Installing a 3Kg. fire extinguisher fir for communities
- Installing required signs inside the property

Can I use my home if it is in the rental plan?

Yes, you can use your home as much as you want. When you partner with Kivoya you will get access to an owner portal through which you will be able to block your property for personal use but please keep in mind that the less you block it the more chance you will give us to generate revenue for you. It truly is a huge investment on our side in time and money so we ask owners to work with us to be serious about renting their home.

Does my home need to be any particular size?

No, we work with properties of all sizes, tiny or big what we care more about is the condition of the home and the location. Of course, properties that are in better condition are more suited for guest comfort. Location makes a big difference in the price that one can charge and the number of nights that get rented. When you contact us we will evaluate your home and will let you know if it is the right fir for Kivoya.

Do I need to have WIFI, phone, or cable TV?

Yes for WIFI, no for phone, yes for some sort of TV channels. Modern day travelers expect to be able to have WIFI access everywhere they go. We have found that not having WIFI in the home leads to bad reviews and not very happy guests and having it makes every one feel at easy as kids can play, adults can work, and feel connected. Phone is not important at all and TV is also a must. At least one, preferably two or more TV's per home offering cable TV, Netflix or similar is great.

Do I need to allow pets?

No, you do not need to allow gests and most owners do not. Keep in mind however that if you decide to welcome pets, specifically dogs and/or cats, you may be able to generate more rents as these days many people what to travel with their pets. This is totally up to you. Service animals of course cannot be prohibited.

How will I know when my home is rented?

You will get access to Kivoya's owner portal in which you will be able to see any rent that is generated for your property. You may always contact your local manager or our call center staff if you have questions.

Will you provide information about how my home is performing to me?

Yes, every month we will send you an owner statement detailing the rents, income and expenses generated the previous month. This will have valuable information for you know how your home is doing. In addition, we will contact you periodically with suggestions for the home and we are available any time you want to talk about your home with us.

When do I get paid for reservations?

We currently pay for reservations at the end of each month. The first week or two of the month you will receive an owner statement detailing your income and expenses. We will soon after send your income via a wire transfer or check to you. We count reservations on the day of check out so please keep in mind that any reservation that ends in the following month will be accounted for in the month that it ended so there may be days in one month that you will see later on.

Do you allow online instant bookings?

Of course! We allow online instant bookings on most platforms where we list your property. Doing so increases your chances of generating rents and income. This means that you may see your home as not rented one moment but it could be rented any minute. We welcome last minute reservations and are always ready to service them. For this reason we ask you to book your property in advance when you want to use it and to never take it for granted that it will be available before you reserve.

How do you advertise my home?

Aside from investing on google ads, Facebook ads, print in local magazines, and blogger content, we list your home on the following listing sites and more:

airbnb
hoteles.com
expedia
kivoya
booking
ar.wego
wego
hotelsone
vrbo

lastminute
zenhotels
orbitz
yamsafer
homeaway
pricetravel
tiquetesbaratos
agoda
tripadvisor

tajawal
trivago
ownersdirect
airasiago
bedanddreakfast
despegar
and more

You may not see your property on all the sites at all times because sites change but you will see your property listed on a ton of sites all the time. All allowing instant bookings throughout the world.

What if I already listed my home on Airbnb or similar?

No problem! If you already listed your property on Airbnb and want to switch to having a professional company manage your home we can take over your listing and transition you very easily. We will take care of everything so that you can relax and invest time in anything else you want. You will remain anonymous while we manage your home.

Can I give my home to manage to two or come companies?

The short answer is no. You can have your home listed in many booking sites but management companies are not listing sites and we are responsible for your booking calendars and for the access of people to your home. Doing this with more than one company give a lot of room to overbookings and to dilution for responsibility for who comes in and out of the home and what happens to its contents. Rest assured that no professional company will want to share this as this will lead to problems 100% of the time. We can work with people who know who want to send reservations to your home no problem as long as we manage the booking calendars and they reserve the home if available through us. This is easy as well, we can tell you more about this when we talk.

Who provides the photographs?

When your home is ready and looking great we will send a professional photographer at no cost to you to photograph your home.

How do I book for my home for personal use?

You may reserve your property through your owner portal access or you can call or email our call center to generate the reservation. There is no charge at all for you to book your home. Upon departure, we will professionally clean your home to have it ready for the next guests and you will see the cleaning billed to you in your next statement. This way you can totally relax and enjoy your home.

Who determines the price per night for my home?

Kivoya has a team of professionals working to get to know the markets where we are in. We set prices according to supply and demand, prices in the area, events, quality and location of the home, and anything else that may affect the nightly rate we can charge. We also take your input into consideration. Of course we take your opinion into consideration as well. We are more than happy to rent the home at the price you desire and test it out. If you prefer to allow us to manage prices ourselves, we will use dynamic pricing and vary rates very often to capture as many rentals as possible at the best rate possible for your home.

Does Kivoya offer discounts or coupons to guests?

Unless you strictly tell us that you do not want your home to offer any discounts or incentives we will offer incentives in order to try to generate rents that otherwise would not happen for your property. The vacation rental market is becoming more competitive every day and we take revenue management seriously so that we can generate more rents for your property.

What do I need to provide for the guests?

When you partner with us we will share with you a list of items that we ask each property to have such as two sets of linens of every bed at least, a specific number of towels, kitchen supplies, etc. We will also ask that anything that needs repair be repaired. We need to make sure your home has a washer and dryer or that you cover the cost for washing and drying linens if not. Everything else is up to us.

What does Kivoya provide the guests?

Kivoya will provide a starting set of detergent, laundry soap, kitchen towels, garbage bags, and toilet paper for all guests. You do not have to pay anything for the supplies that Kivoya provides its guests. For an additional fee to the guest we can provide concierge services such as organizing daily cleaning, having a chef prepare meals, etc.

What if my home needs some remodeling?

Kivoya can help with anything your home may need from basic design to the biggest makeover you want for your home. Depending on the home's needs and your ideas we may work with outside professionals for this. Always we will align with your desire and budget and we will give you our honest opinion of rental potential for your property. We encourage you to make your house as nice and comfortable as possible so that guests are very happy when they stay in it.

How do you keep my home safe and manage keys?

We perform in person check-in most of the time. Only sometimes when guests arrive very late in properties with night guards we do not see the guests until the next morning. We never share your keys with anyone outside our team. The local area manager or a trusted Kivoya team member always opens the home for housekeeping, maintenance personnel or any vendor that may need access to your home. We will do our best to ensure the wellbeing and safety of your home and its contents but unfortunately, we cannot be there at all times so when contracting with us we will recommend that you purchase home insurance and you may install cameras on the outside door as well if you desire.

How do I access my home?

You may access your home any time it is not renter occupied with your set of keys or combination number if electronic lock. We ask that you let us know when you are coming to make sure the home is not rented and to block it from being rented if you will be staying overnight.

What about maintenance?

Kivoya will perform simple maintenance tasks such as changing light bulbs, replacing batteries for remotes, or small things like this at no extra charge. We will inspect the home upon every departure and be in contact with you for any maintenance issues that may arise. We do everything for your home that may affect the guest but we must charge extra for maintenance issue that may arise and in many cases if we do not have the staff we subcontract the repair. In cases that go above 200 USD or the agreed amount with the owner we will ask for your approval. You may always work with your trusted repair company. We will gladly work with them too. We simply want to make sure the home is in proper condition to service the next guest.

Who takes care of my garden, pool and pest control?

If you already have a person that you trust to take care of your pool and garden please continue to work with them and we will work with them as well so that they know when the home is rented. If you do not have staff for this and your home needs these services we may be able to recommend people to handle this for you. We can recommend pest control companies as well and we highly recommend pest control services so that guests do not find critters that make them give terrible reviews and harm your home's reputation by doing so.

Who takes care of the utilities and other bills?

If you are able to take care of all your bills we recommend that you continue to do so. If you prefer to have us pay your bills we can do so as well for a small additional monthly fee. Please contact us as fees and services may vary depending on the location of your home and your country of origin compared to where your home is at.

Do I need to have my own cleaning person?

No, you do not need to have your own cleaning person clean the home. If you already have some one that you trust, or course we can try to accommodate working with them as long as we can provide professional, quality work for the coming guests. We have a team of trained, dedicated cleaners that will be more than happy to clean after your every stay as well.

What happens if there is a guest emergency?

When a guest makes a reservation with Kivoya they get more than just a home. They can relax knowing that a local team is ready for them for anything they may need from a restaurant recommendation to arranging a special celebration, to an unexpected event or emergency at any time it may happen. We have a local team member available 24/7 to service them. We will never share your name for any reason to the guest unless you authorize us to do so and we will take care of the situation to the best of our abilities until the issue is repaired or solved.

How do you deal with noisy guests?

Peace of mind for all is important to us, this goes for neighbors as well. We will recommend that every home install a noise monitor from trusted vendors that we know so that we can monitor noise in the home and take action. We do not allow any parties in any home and when guests sign the check in agreement they sign that they will respect all the rules including no parties and noise control. When we are made aware of the noise in your property we call the guest or send someone right away to get things under control. Fortunately, this, it is very rare when we have to send someone because of the quality of renter that we seek to attract.

What is your compensation for full service vacation rental management?

Kivoya only makes money when you make money, therefore you can rest easy knowing that our interests are totally aligned. Our business model is commission based only. We charge a percentage of the nightly rate that is charged for your home. Please contact us so that we can tell you more about how we work in your area.

Will I be responsible for things that get damaged or break?

Because guests are less likely to book a property if a security deposit is requested and this is less and less an industry standard we do not request a security deposit upon making a reservation. We do require guests to pay a small nonrefundable damage waiver that will cover for incidental non-intentional damage such as when a guest accidentally damages a rug by spilling wine on it, or when they accidentally break a glass or stain a sheet. There is a limit to the amount of money the damage waiver covers depending on the size of the property. If the damage is intentional we do work with listing platforms to collect payment from guest and are successful in collecting money often. This of course goes straight to replacing whatever item it was that got damaged asap. From time to time however you may expect to have to replace damaged or worn out items. Keep in mind that cheap furniture may not last very long and it may get damaged just by sitting on it for example. Electronics get worn out and may stop working for no apparent reason. Things like this are responsibility of the owner to replace just as you would in your home. Seasonal repairs are also responsibility of the owners as are periodic replacements of worn-out linens and kitchen items.

owner FAQs

Kivoya Property Owner FAQs