Minut, the privacy-safe monitoring provider, is answering the challenge of being a good neighbour with a new service that sees its own team call short-term rental guests when noise issues are detected, the company announced today.
The service, Call Assist, is triggered when the level of noise in a short-term rental exceeds a pre-set level.
Traditionally, noise monitor providers have employed automated phone calls to inform guests they’re being too loud. But these computer-generated calls are often easily ignored by those responsible for the most serious disturbances.
Call Assist is the first time a noise monitor provider has used real people to make live calls. It’s powerful because guests who are notified and reminded of the house rules by a real person are much more likely to change their behaviour.
The service promises to transform the ability of short-term rental property managers to comply with local regulations and meet their obligations to the communities they work in.
Operators trained in friendly conflict resolution will be on hand 24/7, which is essential because 70% of noise issues occur at night. It will mean property managers won’t need to employ their own staff to work around the clock or deal with complaints out of hours. Property managers can relax, safe in the knowledge that any red flags will be dealt with promptly.
Noise regulations have become stricter in jurisdictions all over the world in recent years, but it’s also true that short-term rentals are often unfairly blamed for disturbances. Noise monitoring not only provides property managers with the evidence they need to prove guests weren’t making noise at the time of a complaint, but also helps PMCs deal with nuisance noise when they are, preventing complaints from neighbours.
Property managers (and hosts) are sent a summary of every call and most noise issues are solved in under 15 minutes, reducing the chance of escalation and property damage. Perhaps even more powerful is that this creates a feedback loop between the property manager and the guest, giving the property manager far more insight into what the issue was and how it could be avoided in future than a one-sided message or recorded call.
Nils Mattisson, CEO and co-founder of Minut, said:
“The property managers we’ve tested this with have been impressed by how effective live calling can be. It’s impossible to ignore and it provokes a more human and sympathetic response from guests who show a greater desire to keep the noise down. The vast majority of noise alerts are being dealt with in a way that resolves the situation to the property manager’s satisfaction without leading to the sort of animosity that can result in negative reviews. Most people are incredibly understanding and, most of the time, just aren’t aware they’re causing a disturbance.
“One of the most exciting things about the service for property managers is that it has the potential to substantially cut costs. Having staff standing by all night is incredibly expensive, particularly for smaller portfolios. We are removing this problem with a cost-effective solution that dramatically reduces workload.”
