Support

We currently operate in the Lisbon area, including Cascais, Estoril, Sintra, Ericeira and Costa da Caparica.
If you want BnBird in your city, please contact us!

BnBird handles all booking inquiries and reservation prep/cleanup on your behalf, in addition to  providing 24/7 guest support, so it’s a totally worry-free solution!
Our operations are standardized to ensure operational consistency and service. Below is a breakdown of BnBird’s responsibilities:

• Help you with all the legal paperwork.
• Market your property in multiple booking platforms.
• Optimize your pricing rates, automatically adjusting it to maximize bookings.
• Communicate with guests on your behalf – before, during, and after a reservation.
• Respond to booking inquiries for your property.
• Handle check-in/check-out of guests and provide a “Welcome Pack”
• Respond to guest requests for maintenance, repairs, and troubleshooting.
• Provide 24/7 guest support via telephone and email for any guest concerns or needs.
• Manage the cleaning services before and after each guest.
• Provide standardized linens and towels, as well as laundering services.
• Provide each guest with a “Bathroom Pack” containing shampoo, conditioner,  body wash and soap.
• Refill your property with all the essential kitchen and bathroom supplies.

Despite being a worry-free solution, there are some aspects of a reservation which property owners are responsible for. Below is a breakdown of your responsibilities associated with using BnBird’s services.

Property Owner’s Responsibilities:

• Ensuring your property is properly equipped with all subscription services such as Wi-Fi and cable TV.
• Ensuring your utility bills such as electricity and water are consistently paid on time.
• Safely storing or removing valuable items.
• Removing clutter and tidying up your property.
• Keeping your BnBird calendar accurate and up to date.
• Providing any necessary maintenance.
• Paying all the legal taxes and legalize your property for short-term rental business.
• Purchasing short-term rental insurance for your home (it’s not mandatory, but we sure recommend it).

We also have a few space requirements:

• Your property must be equipped with at least one bed, two pillows, a thick blanket or duvet, mattress and pillow protectors, toilet, sink and shower or tub.
• For properties without air conditioning, it’s important to have fans available for guests who might get hot. Additionally, it’s important to have extra blankets stored away for guests when they get cold, or space heaters.
• Kitchen needs to be fully equipped for the maximum amount of guests you’re accepting, including sufficient pots, pans, basic appliances, knives, cutting boards, utensils, silverware, cups, glasses, mugs, plates, bowls, and seated eating space.
• Remove all highly personal items such as clothes, makeup, and pictures of family members.
• Water or remove all plants. Remove all candles from the property.
• Arrange for maintenance of special amenities such as a grill or a pool.

When staying at your property, guests tend to see the home they’re staying in as their own for the time that they’ve booked it. They may open cupboards, drawers, and closets and expect to be able to use them to store food and other items.
BnBird advises owners to remove anything from the property that you do not want guests to use or otherwise damage or steal. Furthermore, BnBird will not be responsible for items that are damaged, stolen, or lost.

After our first in-person meeting, we will schedule a professional photographic coverage of your property. If you already have great pictures of your space and you don’t want to change, we will use those on all the booking platforms.

We know that the vast majority of guests are conscientious, polite, and well-behaved. However, there are risks of inviting people into your property, and there are rare instances when things go wrong, even if just by accident. That’s why we find imperative (although not mandatory) to have appropriate insurance coverage to mitigate such risks. 

Yes, before every check-in, we will refill your property with all the essential kitchen and bathroom supplies.

We want to ensure that the property owners get the support they need to feel confident in our services. At BnBird we are dedicated to answering any questions or concerns that may come up throughout the duration of our services.

BnBird provides 24/7 support in the event you need to reach us immediately. The best way to get support is by contact us through our website or directly by e-mail. We typically respond to all requests within 2 hours or less. Please be aware that some questions specific to your account may need to be answered by one of our Property Managers, available Monday through Friday (09h00-20h00) as well as Saturday (10h00-18h00).

If you have any doubt we kindly ask you to look through this support page first. If you can’t find what you are looking for, feel free to contact us.

BnBird technology allows us to market and distribute your properties across multiple listing platforms, increasing exposure and quality bookings. This is one of the many benefits of using BnBird’s services, as we are able to manage your calendar across the multiple platforms and reduce the risk of double bookings.

Currently, BnBird markets your listings on the following platforms:

• Airbnb
• Booking
• Housetrip
• Flipkey
• Roomorama
• Homeaway
• Windu
• Holiday Lettings
• VRBO
• 9flats.com

All BnBird properties will also be available on our own booking website at homes.bnbird.com.

Once your BnBird account is setup, our booking experts will create a profile for your property on all the multiple platforms we work with. If you already have an account created in one of the booking platforms, we can either use it and sync it with BnBird or archive your property and create a new listing. It will all depend on how many reviews you have, your current rating, etc. If we choose to keep your current listing and just sync it with BnBird, we still have to get full control of your account in order to properly manage your bookings.

As soon as these accounts are setup they will be connected with our BnBird Calendar Platform. When your property has gone live, all inquiries will be routed to our 24/7 support team to field inquiries and accept bookings on your behalf.

In order to prevent double bookings, miscommunication or other potential mishaps, BnBird requires that you do not list your property on any other platforms while using our services. If you already have accounts set up with other platforms please block off their calendars or archive your property.

BnBird can begin accepting reservations on your behalf in as quickly as 7 business days. This turnaround time is dependent on a series of factors including owner availability, property readiness and scheduling.
To speed up this process we will ask you for all the needed information in our brief personal meeting and we will kindly ask you stay responsive to any email and phone communication sent by BnBird.

To ensure everything is guest ready, it is very important you set your property up for success. Here are some tips on how to leave your property in the best condition to allow BnBird’s cleaning partners the ability to clean at their best: 

• Remove all clutter on the ground.
• Remove all clutter on all surfaces.
• Take out the trash.
• Remove all perishables from the kitchen and refrigerator. BnBird’s cleaning partners will throw away anything but unopened beverages and condiments.
• Clear space for guests in your closets.
• Remove or store all personal items somewhere inaccessible.
• Leave a colored thick blanket or covered duvet on each sleeping surface.
• Leave two uncovered pillows on each sleeping surface with pillow protectors.
• Use a mattress protector for each sleeping surface.
• Put dishes away.
• Lock and put away all valuables or anything you don’t want the guest to use.
• Check doors, keys, and keyless entry systems work smoothly.

Property owners who have recently started using home-sharing platforms may initially experience a slower than expected booking rate. That’s perfectly normal, so don’t panic!

One of the main reasons is the lack of ratings and reviews. Our research shows booking rates generally increase after receiving 3 positive guest reviews, but there’s also a way to connect with your guests on a different level, like taking more attractive photos, adding a more creative description or even updating and optimizing your property’s pricing rates.

No problem! BnBird takes over and manages all future reservations for you at a discounted rate.

To be prepared to assist our guests throughout their stay, BnBird requires three sets of keys. One will be given to every guest in the moment of the check-in, other will be given to the cleaning team and another one will be secured with the Property Manager responsible for your property.
The backup key will only be used if the guest loses his key and is locked out. In this case, the guest will be charged of the key replacement value through the security deposit.

It’s not mandatory, but we found out that keyless entry systems are a very good way to ensure safety and also save time and money for both owners and guests. Property owners who choose this option will still have to provide back up keys for us to keep at the property, in the event batteries run out on the keyless systems.

A keyless entry system is also recommended to prevent lockouts and key losses.

We provide a very personal service and meeting our guests in person is one of our priorities. This way we can deliver the key set and assure that we offer all the support they need.

But we also understand that are some pretty good ways to put technology working for us, building a platform that is both efficient and cost effective to owners and guests. That’s why we recommend the use of keyless entry systems, providing guests the resources to access the property without meeting someone in person.  This option helps us to keep our low commissions and reduce costs that would otherwise be associated with having a dedicated Guest Relations assist with check in, and waiting when delays occur. 

Nevertheless we will always contact the guests during check-in and will be available to assist them 24/7.

BnBird will handle all inquiries resulting from our marketing distribution channels on your behalf. We simply ask that you keep your property’s calendar updated through your online dashboard at all times in order to prevent double-bookings.
BnBird works to fill your place whenever available, so it’s important for us to know any dates your property is not available.

If your calendar shows availability on BnBird owner dashboard, we will be distributing and booking these dates actively online. Therefore when BnBird makes a booking reservation, you are required to uphold the reservation under all circumstances. 

Keep in mind, canceling a guest’s reservation can have serious implications on their trip, so, penalties will be applied for any cancellation that isn’t due to an extenuating circumstance. The best way to avoid having to cancel on guests is to keep your calendar updated and plan ahead.

Given you decide to cancel the BnBird service you must continue to uphold all future reservations. The BnBird fee for future reservations will remain to be applicable upon your cancellation of service.

Every property owner have access to a dashboard where he can set the availability of his property (for better results, we highly recommend that you keep all the high-season dates free).

Once you’ve set your calendar availability, it will sync across each booking platform your property is marketed on. Be careful to only block up the days you are certain you will use your property, as cancelling on guests will result in penalties from BnBird as well as the associated booking platforms.

All our guests are required to add a working e-mail, a phone number and credit card information. These are the main requirements for us to accept a guest.
We will only decline guests that consistently have bad reviews across the booking platforms we work with.

Please note that, according to the law, BnBird will not decline any guests based on their race, religion, genre, sexual preferences, disability or age.

It’s important that we offer the best possible experience for our guests, maintaining a reliable hospitality experience.
BnBird understands that there are extenuating circumstances that result in the owner cancelling future guest reservations. It’s a right that you have, however we strongly discouraged to cancel a guest reservation for any reason.

If you decide to cancel a reservation anyway, you must inform BnBird via email as we will need to cancel associated activities from our system such as scheduled cleanings.
Upon cancellation of a guest reservation, you may be subject to a BnBird cancellation fee and or listing platform cancellation fee. We also recommend to give guests at least 21 days notice if a cancellation cannot be avoided.

You must be aware that many listing platforms such as Airbnb may not allow the dates for a guest cancellation to be reopened as available to allow for new bookings.

As part of our goal to maximize the amount of bookings you receive, all BnBird properties are defaulted to a strict cancellation policy across all booking platforms. This way we can guarantee that you receive a portion of income, whether or not the reservation occurs.

This strict cancellation policy will not be applied in the following circumstances:

• There’s a death in the guest’s family.
• The guest has a serious illness or there’s a serious illness in their family.
• There’s a natural disaster in the destination country.
• There’s political unrest in the destination country.
• The guest has jury duty or other similar civil obligations.
• A double booking has occurred.

BnBird knows the importance for positive reviews and the impact it has for both guests and property owners. As a result we have services and policies in place to encourage positive reviews for your property.

Our goal is to create a seamless experience for all guests during their stay. As a result, BnBird provides resources from start to finish that allow guests to rest easy. Part of this is focusing on the key services that encourage a positive guest experience including a welcome pack with traditional portuguese products, a quick and friendly communication, easy key retrieval and property access, as well as a clean and secure space that matches the listing description. Besides that, we also offer a great amount of additional services that can make yours guests stay even more enjoyable.

While we do everything we can to provide a seamless stay, if something unexpected happens, BnBird’s 24/7 guest support is available to troubleshoot with the guest and provide solutions. Having someone available at all times to assist a guest encourages positive reviews even if their reservation is not perfect.

BnBird works with professional cleaning partners only, to ensure that the cleaning quality is always on top. They have a set schedule in which to perform the cleanings, restock your home with BnBird supplies, and check that your entry-methods are working correctly prior to the next guest.

BnBird encourages all guests to provide us with their estimated check-in time. Each day, we provide cleaning priority lists to third party cleaning partners based on these check-in times.

If a guest is checking in at 15h00 for example, you would expect the cleaners to finish cleaning the property anytime leading up to 15h00. If neither the homeowner nor a guest has indicated property usage for a few days thereafter, BnBird cleaning scheduling algorithm may clean the property later or next day. 

BnBird utilizes third party cleaning partners that are responsible to go through the following checklist:

• Return remote control to TV stand/coffee table.
• Straighten furniture and pillows.
• Vacuum carpet and/or sweep the floor.
  
• Change sheets and make beds.
• Clean bathtub or shower.
• Clean toilet.
• Wipe down bathroom sink.
• Clean kitchen sink.
• Wipe counter tops
• Wipe outside and inside the refrigerator and empty fridge for perishables.
• Wipe down all appliances.
• Take out trash and recycling.

BnBird cleaning partners always begin their shift by picking up clean linen packs from an authorized third party laundry partner. After placing the linens on all beds the cleaners also remove the dirty linens with them to get them cleaned.
They are also responsible for restock supplies as needed, but only use BnBird’s own supplies and will not look for supplies left by homeowners.

BnBird cleaning partners have the ability to report any obvious damage. However, they service hundreds of reservations weekly and do not keep a track of inventory if something goes missing. For this reason BnBird enforces homeowners to lock away all valuables prior to guest’s arrival.  

Each guest/reservation is charged a cleaning fee as part of their stay.  BnBird arrives at the pre-determined amount with our cleaning partners based on the size/time a standard cleaning should take for your home.  BnBird then pays that amount to our cleaning partners.
In instances where our cleaning partners find excessive dirtiness or other abusive attitudes, BnBird will charge the guests for that extra cost, reaching into the security deposit when applicable.

We will also order deep cleanings that should be taken at least twice a year. The deep cleaning fees are a host responsibility since are not part of our package.

After you join BnBird, we will assign a primary and a secondary cleaning team to your property. The primary cleaning team will be scheduled for all of your cleanings as long as they have availability. This allows the team to become more familiar with your property and do the job better and quicker.

If you are somehow unhappy with the cleaning team performance, we request that you contact us with specific pictures and examples from the cleaning. This feedback will be sent to your Property Manager who will coach the appropriate teams. After feedback has been left, if you are still unhappy with the cleaning team performance, please let us know and we will be able to provide you with a secondary cleaning team.

BnBird will schedule a cleaning before your first reservation. All future cleanings are automatically scheduled after each guest checkout. Please be aware that, dependent on your next scheduled check in, the start time of the cleaning activity may vary.

All these cleaning services are included with your Premium Management fee. Please note that further cleanings are subject to additional payments.

If something in your property needs any kind of maintenance, we are able to help you out. Just let us know and we will contact some of our maintenance partners so they can get you a budget. We will be on your side throughout the entire process and help you choose the best provider for the job.

BnBird takes care of all the communication from booking to guest support so homeowners don’t have to.

We kindly ask that you allow us to handle communication to make sure that any guest requests and special instructions are relayed to the proper internal BnBird team-member. 

Yes, as part of our hospitality program we offer a wide range of additional services like breakfast, first-day supplies, daily cleanings, airport transfers and other third-party services.

You can check all our additional services here.

BnBird services cannot be offered separate. At this time, BnBird services are offered as all or nothing and that’s crucial to maintain the high quality of our business.
That’s why BnBird is unable to accommodate requests for just cleaning services, just booking services, or just maintenance service – we have two packages and that’s it.

For more information about BnBird’s packages, please look for our pricing.

Taking care of plants, gardens, pets, swimming pools or other assets are not our responsibility. However we can manage it for you and hire service providers to take care of that.

If that’s the case, please contact us.

After you join BnBird we will do a full inventory of your property. We will document and take pictures of every little detail, however we do recommend that homeowners remove any valuable items from their property.

BnBird is not liable for any items that are damaged or go missing from your property, but we will help you dealing with those situations, either charging the guests a portion of the security deposit, or dealing with the booking platform resolution center. Either way, we are here to help you.

We believe that an open, trusting, and positive attitude towards guests is the best way to approach opening homes for vacation rentals. That being said, renting out your place does involve a certain level of risk. We encourage homeowners to ensure they don’t leave anything extremely valuable or irreplaceable in their property.

Before each reservation, BnBird requires homeowners to remove anything they do not want the guest to use or potentially damage during their stay.

In the case that a guest damages or steals something in the property and our team report it, we will inform the homeowner as quickly as possible. BnBird will charge guests a portion or the total amount of their security deposit and transfer it directly to your account. BnBird may also choose to replace the item for homeowners who prefer a hands-off approach.

Guest safety and preventing severe property damage is BnBird’s top priority. In the unfortunate event that guests encounter an emergency situation at one of the properties we service, BnBird has put in place procedures that are meant to protect both the guest and the homeowner.

BnBird’s emergency response policy:

1. First response to emergencies is to request the guest to get to safety, help others, and then call 112 for assistance.
2. BnBird will attempt to get in touch with the guest once help is on the way in order to obtain information regarding which property the guest is staying, and the guest’s status. 
3. If successful in obtaining the property information, BnBird will send a representative to the property to help the guest in the manner our representative deems appropriate. BnBird’s representative will also take pictures of the property if there is any damage. 
4. If there is property damage or personal injury, BnBird will make an assessment regarding who is at fault and the severity of any injury or damage. BnBird will use this assessment to decide whether guests get refunded for their stay, if we move the guest to an alternative accommodation, and/or if we decide to withhold the security deposit.

In all cases, BnBird will attempt to notify the homeowner as quickly as possible in order to come to a resolution. We are not liable for any damage to any properties served by BnBird, nor for any injuries to guests or homeowners. However, BnBird will attempt to take the necessary steps to keep all parties as informed as possible and attempt to find temporary solutions that benefit both the homeowner and the guest in the short term.

Each owner whom signs up for the BnBird service agrees to comply with our Terms of Use that rule the service contract.

Please reference the Terms of Use often as they are subject to change without notice.

We want to ensure that the property owners get the support they need to feel confident in our services. At BnBird we are dedicated to answering any questions or concerns that may come up throughout the duration of our services.

BnBird provides 24/7 support in the event you need to reach us immediately. The best way to get support is by contact us through our website or directly by e-mail. We typically respond to all requests within 2 hours or less. Please be aware that some questions specific to your account may need to be answered by one of our Property Managers, available Monday through Friday (09h00-20h00) as well as Saturday (10h00-18h00).

If you have any doubt we kindly ask you to look through this support page first. If you can’t find what you are looking for, feel free to contact us.

Although we strive to create and maintain lasting relationships, we understand that there are times when property owners may choose to discontinue BnBird’s services. If this is the case, there are a few things to consider.

If you’re still under contract and have existing reservations, you have three options:

1. Let BnBird keep servicing your property until your last reservation.
2. Service all the remaining reservations on your own.
3. Cancel existing reservations. In this case BnBird will apply a 25€ cancellation fee to each reservation.

Once the final reservation has been completed and the contract is overdue, your BnBird account will be automatically deactivated. BnBird will remove all towels, sheets and supplies from your property and the offboarding process is complete.

For more information regarding the cancellation process, please read our Terms of Use carefully.

After you join BnBird, we will do a full research on your property value for short-term rentals. This research will focus on the location of the property, the number of bedrooms, the number of guests to host, the extra features, among other things.

We will then suggest a base pricing for your property that is subject to your approval. If you are ok with our suggestion, we will then optimize the remaining pricing options for your property. This pricing options include all the low, mid and high-season prices, as well as long term discounts for periods larger than a week or a month.
Thanks to BnBird technology, the pricing can be set daily and vary according to numerous of factors, like weekends, holidays and special events.

It is your responsibility as a Property Owner to report and pay any taxes associated with your short term rentals. There are three different types of taxes often associated with short term rentals: income tax, value added tax and city occupancy tax (only in Lisbon and paid by the guests).

BnBird will always collect the total amount of the reservations and will then transfer your share directly to your bank account. That’s the amount subject to income tax and value added tax and it’s your solely responsibility to report and pay any taxes.

Please be aware that this document has been provided for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. Please consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before filing any taxes.

Licensing processes varies by location. In some cities, like Lisbon, homeowners are required to register with the local authorities and this is absolutely mandatory to use our services.

If you don’t know how to do it, please contact us.

Property owner payout is dependent on the pricing package. If you choose Online Management package payouts will be done monthly. For Premium Management package payouts will be done every three months.

Your revenue statement will contain information about the money received from each and every guest’s stay, as well as any fees and charges discounted from your earnings.

Please be aware that, depending on your financial institution, it will normally take between 3-5 business days for the completed transactions to show up in your account. If after 5 business days you still have not received payment, please contact us.

For this one, the answer is really simple: No, it’s all included in your Premium Management package. As we proudly announce, with our service there are no hidden taxes or extras fees, it’s all included.

Since this can be a rather expensive service, its cost will be linked with the property rental price, or charged to the guest through a standard cleaning fee. Either way, there are no costs for the home owner.

Guests are charged an overall cleaning fee that includes the cost of cleaning as well as supplies and linens provided to the guest. The cleaning fees are pre-determined dependent on a number of factors including number of rooms, square footage, etc. and are paid at the time of booking.

Zero! We don’t believe in sign-up fees, that’s why signing up with BnBird is absolutely free. What are you waiting for? Contact us!