Are you thinking about hiring a virtual assistant to help manage your properties and wondering how they can make a difference?
A Property Management Virtual Assistant (PMVA) can truly change the game, especially if you’re looking to grow your portfolio or expand into more properties.
But if you focus on short-term rentals, like Airbnb units and vacation rentals, then an Airbnb Virtual Assistant might be exactly what you need.
Whether you’re managing rental units, residential properties, or commercial spaces, the challenges are similar: there’s always a lot of admin work, back-and-forth communication, and repetitive tasks that eat up your time. We understand because we’ve been there. For the past three years, we’ve been supporting Nieto’s Nook Residences, and we’ve experienced those same challenges firsthand.
It has been a rewarding journey, starting with just one Airbnb unit, and now managing 3 Airbnb units and 12 apartment units. We’ve seen how the right systems and the right people can truly help a rental property business grow.
Let’s walk you through how we’ve supported Nieto’s Nook Residences — and how we can do the same for you.
Table of contents
- What is a Property Management Virtual Assistant
- What is an Airbnb VA or Short-Term Rental VA
- 4 Benefits that resulted in more properties for Nieto’s Nook Residences
- Do you need a PMVA or an Airbnb VA?
- The different roles of PMVA and Airbnb VA
- Conclusion
What is a Property Management Virtual Assistant?
A Property Management Virtual Assistant is a professional who works remotely to support property owners with day-to-day operations, from administrative work to tenant communication and everything in between. PMVAs usually specialize in long-term rentals, residential housing, or commercial properties.
Here’s what a PMVA can help you with:
- Tenant communication
- Lease management
- Social media marketing and advertising
- Vendor coordination
- Bookkeeping
- Administrative support
- Listing optimization
- Pricing strategies
- Business automation
You can say goodbye to these tasks, because they can be done by your PMVA. With today’s tools and technology, around 80% of property management tasks can be done remotely. And at LARA, our VAs are trained to handle them with professionalism and care.
Managing different types of properties requires different skills. That’s why specialization is key. In this blog, we’re going to discuss specialization in rental property, since they make up a big part of the properties we assist with in the real estate industry.
What Kind of VA Manages Airbnb or Short-Term Rentals?
They’re often called Airbnb VAs or Short-Term Rental VAs.
While they fall under the umbrella of Property Management VAs, their responsibilities are a bit more specialized and focused.
What is an Airbnb VA or Short-Term Rental VA?
An Airbnb VA is a specialized virtual assistant who focuses solely on managing short-term rental properties, such as:
- Airbnb units
- Vacation homes
- Condos
- Beachfront lodges
- Any type of property that’s rented out for days or weeks at a time
While both Airbnb VAs and PMVAs support rental operations, their scope differs. Airbnb VAs work with fast-paced, high-turnover bookings, guest communication, and online platform management, while PMVAs usually work with long-term tenants, leases, and slower operational cycles.
4 benefits that resulted in more properties for Nieto’s Nook Residences
Nieto’s Nook Residences (NNR) was once a single rental property. But after working with talented individuals, it experienced growth. We’re going to reveal the 4 benefits that NNR received.
Whether you are handling a short-term rental property, a single unit, or a large-scale real estate portfolio, hiring a PMVA or Airbnb VA can bring positive developments to your investments!
With the right supporting individuals, the growth of your business will always be possible.
Let’s dive deeper:
1. Streamlined Operations
Property management involves various tasks that a virtual assistant can help with organizing your properties. It will not just support your business, but it can also lessen a huge burden on your shoulders.
A virtual assistant can handle everything from tenant or guest communication, rent collection & payment tracking, to vendor coordination, listing management, and leasing. Giving these tasks to a virtual assistant will give efficient business operations for your properties. So instead of doing these repetitive tasks, you can save a lot of your time on growing your portfolio and invest in more properties.
2. Cost-Effectiveness
Hiring a virtual assistant can significantly reduce your costs. Virtual assistants offer a budget-friendly salary compared to an in-house employee. Because the cost of living varies widely between countries, hiring a virtual assistant can deliver the same quality of service at a significantly lower cost.
Virtual assistants are also versatile. They can handle a variety of tasks; thus, you don’t need to hire multiple people!
3. Increased Efficiency and Productivity
With the right support from a virtual assistant, your business properties’ operations will take on a whole new level!
Streamlined operation is not just a benefit waiting for you, but a companion towards development. A virtual assistant in this property management industry is proficient in technological tools such as Airbnb, Appfolio, Guesty, Buildium, Trello, and other property management tools that will allow you to have a smooth integration into your workflow.
The process won’t slow down—it will become more efficient.
4. Access to Specialized Skills
Virtual assistants are not confined to doing just administrative work, guest communication, and the standard procedure in property management. By hiring a virtual assistant, you will have skilled individuals who are well-equipped and knowledgeable in different aspects of the business.
Like here at LARA, our virtual assistant can support your business from the general operation up to the social media marketing! That is a huge upgrade on developing your business properties!
With a virtual assistant, you can always expect something more! Because LARA Virtual Services always strives to give the best support to improve and experience the growth of every business that we support.
Do you need a PMVA or an AIRBNB VA?
When NNR was just a single unit, the owner only hired an AIRBNB VA, because it only focuses on communicating with guests, listing optimization, posting advertisements on social media, vendor coordination, and handling rental fees.
Do you remember when we said that NNR already has 12 apartment units and 3 Airbnb units now?
That’s when LARA’s virtual assistants were trained on grasping the role of PMVA. Because when the business that you’re supporting started to grow, the professional behind it should also improve! Now, LARA’s virtual assistants are not just an Airbnb VA, but they are also PMVA, because they are not just supporting short-term rental properties, but they are also supporting apartment units!
It all boils down to this: hire an AIRBNB Virtual Assistant if you are just managing short-term rental properties, but if you have residential properties, long-term rental properties, apartments, or commercial properties, then you’re going to need a Property Management Virtual Assistant!
The different roles of PMVA and AIRBNB VA
Property Management Virtual Assistant
PMVA is like the big brother of AIRBNB VA. It is because PMVA is a more complex role. LARA’s Virtual Assistants are trained for this, and here are the roles that we are doing to support our clients;
1. Multiple Platform Property Advertising
As a PMVA, we ensure that your properties are effectively advertised to reach their potential tenants with these strategies:
- We are creating engaging content that can capture attention and connect with diverse audiences. These contents are then uploaded across social media platforms that including Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and even TikTok, if you would like it to be active on all social media.
- Property listings on platforms like Zillow, Realtor.com, and Housezeo will be well categorized with a good written description of your property. We give value to every small detail, especially in how we describe the property. It is because, property description should tell all things about your property so that the prospective tenants will understand right away the environment that surrounds the property and can easily decide to have your property.
2. Lead Generation and relationship building
Expanding the leads is not the only job that a PMVA does. It includes the nurturing of customer relationships to attract more lease signings or purchases. Ensuring that the leads will not fall through is one of the important roles of a PMVA.
Here’s how we do it:
- Automation is the key to keeping the communication alive with prospective customers. Setting up automated responses to inquiry will give instant acknowledgement and answers to prospects.
- Segregation of hot leads and cold leads based on engagement through the number of clicks, scheduled viewings, and responsiveness.
- Monitoring prospective customer journey by managing their email/text sequences. CRM systems were used here for better efficiency. We can use HubSpot, Zoho, or a custom spreadsheet to track the communication history between prospects and agents
3. Vendor Coordination
Maintenance and repair requests on your properties will always be unexpected. It is also a time-consuming task. But worry not, because it is also one of the roles of PMVA. Vendor coordination is a systematic coordination between the PMVA, and multiple parties.
Here’s how we do it:
- Processing of the tenant’s request can be connected using multiple channels such as email, SMS, or an application. After that, it will be categorized based on urgency. Knowing the property that needs the services right away can ensure the smooth order and distribution of arranging the property.
- With a proper distribution of requests, we will then connect to the partner vendors to handle the maintenance and request tasks. There will be a scheduling between the availability of tenants and vendors for a smooth property access.
- Once the work is completed, all relevant documents will be organized for future reference to ensure that every activity and service is properly recorded. To maintain tenant satisfaction, a post-work tenant satisfaction survey will be conducted. The results of this survey will be documented and used as a reference for evaluating the vendor assigned to the property.
4. Bookkeeping
The financial records are vital in property management, and we at LARA are also knowledgeable about bookkeeping. As a PMVA, we ensure that your property finances are organized, transparent, and error-free to enable better decision-making and professional management of your assets.
Here’s how we do it:
- Collecting rent and ensuring tenants follow through on their payments can be tedious. But with a systemized process, we make sure no detail is missed. Doing daily rent reconciliation allows us to know who is paid and who is behind. With that, automated follow-up messages will be sent to tenants. This ensures that the collection of rental fees will be monitored properly.
- PMVA can also track the property expenses. It includes invoice processing and maintenance expenses.
- These processes will allow PMVA to create accurate financial statements that will be given to you for a clear picture of your finances.
- Handling trust accounts requires compliance, accuracy, and reliable documentation. As a PMVA, we help administer this efficiently through managing bond processing and lodging, ensuring that all deposits are secured according to the regulations. There will also be trust account reconciliations, and we can handle the bond return process fairly.
5. Administrative Tasks
Admin work might be tiring and can take a lot of your time. But with a PMVA, we can take care of your day-to-day administrative tasks that are vital to keep the business operations flowing smoothly, efficiently, and effectively.
Here’s how we do it:
- We manage documents, which involve organizing, preserving, and updating critical paperwork such as lease agreements, contracts, tenant records, and inspection reports. With everything safely kept and appropriately labeled, you can simply access vital information whenever you need it.
- Appointment scheduling is another important task we manage. Whether it’s for property viewings, maintenance visits, or meetings with vendors or landlords, we coordinate schedules to avoid conflicts and ensure that everything runs smoothly.
- We also keep property and tenant databases up to date with accurate contact information, payment history, lease terms, and maintenance records. This streamlines communication and promotes better decision-making.
- Email and communication management are also vital tasks. We always ensure that requests are answered immediately and properly. Whether we are following up with prospective tenants or issuing reminders to present inhabitants, we ensure clear and timely communication.
AIRBNB Virtual Assistant
Airbnb Virtual Assistant is a specialized force in Property management. This role focuses on supporting short-term rentals, and we have fast-paced operations because of high guest turnover. LARA’s virtual assistants are trained for both Airbnb VA and PMVA. And here are the differences in roles between Airbnb VA and PMVA:
1. Calendar & Reservation Management
Calendar management is crucial because double booking is one of the worst scenarios that can happen in your short-term rental. In this industry, guests have many platforms where they can book their stay. It can be through Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, or even a direct booking through your website or direct messages.
But with Airbnb VA, they can sync all these platforms into a single calendar to have a bird’s eye view of all the bookings of your property.
Why is it different from PMVA?
PMVAs manage long-term leases and move-in/move-out schedules, not nightly reservation rotations.
2. Dynamic Pricing & Listing Optimization
Dynamic pricing and listing optimization are both critical in short-term rentals. It is because of the fact that the market in this industry is very competitive, and it is continuously fluctuating.
Through dynamic pricing, revenues can be maximized in real time. We are using tools such as PriceLabs and Beyond Pricing to adjust the nightly rates daily or weekly. This pricing is based on the events, demands, and the season in your area.
In addition, it can also help generate pricing through last-minute booking trends, length of stay, and competitor rates. With the right pricing strategy, we can maximize the potential to generate revenue. Partner that with better listing optimization, your property will continuously present improved quality of photos, posters, engaging description, accurate amenities & house rules, and local keywords that can boost its visibility across all platforms. Giving great attention to these details can help us to connect easily with our prospective customers.
Why is it different from PMVA?
PMVAs rarely need dynamic nightly pricing—they focus on rent rates for longer leases. Unlike in short-term rentals, the pricing and demands can vary every day.
3. Review Management
In short-term rentals, guest reviews are extremely important. They can significantly affect your property’s standing on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. Beyond that, future guests can see if a listing has a bad reputation. Maintaining a good standing and earning positive reviews are the bread and butter of success in the short-term rental industry.
That’s why it is part of an Airbnb VA’s job to respond to every review professionally and to thank guests for positive feedback. If there are complaints, we address them right away. Most importantly, if a review is not factual, we dispute it to protect your reputation.
Why is it different from PMVA?
PMVAs usually don’t manage daily review responses because long-term tenants don’t leave frequent public feedback.
4. Cleaning & Turnover Coordination
In short-term rentals, keeping the property clean is always a priority. With the guests coming and going frequently, cleaning takes a lot of time. That’s why there is an assigned cleaner who is one contact away from every guest’s turnover.
Your Airbnb VA will also be responsible for scheduling cleaners between each stay, ensuring the property is always ready for the next guest. In addition to cleaning, maintenance coordination and restocking are also part of this role. With this support, you won’t have to worry about managing turnovers from one guest to another. This can help transform your business from active income to truly passive income!
Why is it different from PMVA?
PMVAs do maintenance coordination but do not have to manage regular cleaning after every checkout.
5. Social Media Marketing
Social media presence is the key in today’s market. It’s very important to build reputable social media accounts because potential customers will visit your pages to see how good it is, to learn what to expect from your properties, and check for the reviews from your previous guests. That’s why growing social media engagement has become the rule of the game in every industry, including short-term rentals.
At LARA, we do our best to connect with potential customers, which is why we take social media marketing seriously. We create content tailored to each platform to engage our target audiences effectively. Our goal with social media isn’t just to sell, but to build genuine connections, because we firmly believe that this is the best way to earn trust and inspire guests to book their stay.
Why is it different from PMVA?
PMVAs use social media to market to prospective long-term tenants, not nightly guests. As a result, the content and posting frequency are very different.
6. Automated Guest Messaging
Receiving inquiries from potential customers is often a hit or miss. If you answer instantly, you have a guest who is ready to book. If you respond too late, that potential customer can easily be taken away by your competitors. Most guests send inquiries to multiple properties to find the best offer they can get. Failing to provide information promptly can leave your property buried at the bottom of the list.
Setting up automated guest messaging and personalizing it is the answer for this crucial part. Sending information needed by potential customers can make up for this.
For the guests, sending pre-arrival messages, checkout reminders, and review requests can be repetitive tasks for every booking. Sometimes, you might forget about this because of your other tasks. Worry not, because Airbnb VAs are experts on setting this up, and automating it while keeping the personalized tone on every message.
Why is it different from PMVA?
PMVAs use automations for lead nurturing and lease paperwork, but don’t have the same volume of guest messaging.
7. Analytics Tailored to Short-Term Rentals
To make smarter decisions and know the things that need improvement, Airbnb VA also digs deep into performance data. This is a helpful process because knowing the patterns that are arising on every booking, we can discover how we can offer a better experience to guests.
Airbnb VA tracks data through occupancy rates, revenue per booking channel, demographics of guests, seasonal trends, and guest reviews. Analyzing data from these factors will help us to conduct an efficient plan that will bring improvements to your properties.
Why it’s different from PMVAs?
PMVAs track broader metrics like rent collection, lease renewals, and expense reports over months or years—not day-to-day occupancy rates, booking channels, or review trends. The focus of Airbnb VAs is short-term rental performance data, which requires more frequent analysis to stay competitive.
Conclusion:
Whether you manage a single Airbnb listing or an entire portfolio of long-term rentals, the demands of property management can quickly pile up. The difference lies not only in the length of the stays but in the level of specialization your business needs.
An Airbnb Virtual Assistant is your partner in handling the fast-paced world of short-term rentals. From dynamic pricing and guest messaging to turnover coordination and review management, their work helps you maintain high occupancy rates and deliver a five-star guest experience every time.
On the other hand, a Property Management Virtual Assistant (PMVA) is essential for owners who oversee apartments, residential homes, or commercial spaces. They bring structure to lease management, financial reporting, compliance, and tenant relations—freeing you to focus on growing your investments instead of getting buried in admin work.
Here at LARA, we’ve seen firsthand how the right support can transform a business. What started as a single Airbnb unit for Nieto’s Nook Residences has evolved into a thriving portfolio of 15 properties—and it happened because of systems, consistency, and a team of dedicated VAs ready to adapt as the business expanded.
If you’re ready to take your property management to the next level, we’re here to help you have the perfect virtual assistant to fit your goals—whether that’s an Airbnb VA, a PMVA, or a team who can do both.
Your properties deserve the right support.Your guests and tenants deserve an experience worth remembering.And you deserve the freedom to focus on what’s next.
Let’s make it happen together.
Discover the LARA Way—where clients don’t just manage properties, they grow them. Be part of our success stories.
Book your free discovery call, and one of our Business Support Specialists will be glad to listen and share how our team can help you achieve your goals.
