Why Your Shortlet Property Management Company Is Underperforming (And How to Fix It)

The UK’s short let market has seen significant growth in recent years, driven by a surge in travel demand, remote work flexibility, and changing consumer preferences. For property owners and investors, the opportunity to earn attractive returns from short lets is more compelling than ever. But for many short let management companies, turning that opportunity into sustainable performance is proving harder than expected. While some operators scale quickly and build strong brands, others plateau early, lose efficiency, or struggle to deliver consistent guest experiences.

The problem isn’t the market. It’s the operations.

Behind every underperforming short let business is a series of invisible bottlenecks—manual tasks, siloed systems, reactive decisions, and a lack of operational structure. These challenges don’t always announce themselves with major issues. Instead, they creep in slowly: missed cleans, inconsistent reviews, revenue stagnation, and team burnout. If any of that sounds familiar, the good news is you’re not alone—and it can absolutely be fixed.

No Visibility, No Control

One of the biggest and most overlooked issues in short let property management is the lack of real-time operational visibility. Many companies are still managing their business through a combination of spreadsheets, calendar apps, and scattered communications. It may work for a few properties, but as soon as you grow, this patchwork approach becomes a liability. Without a centralised system to monitor bookings, check-in/check-out schedules, guest issues, maintenance, and team workflows, you’re constantly reacting to problems instead of preventing them.

When you can’t see what’s happening across your portfolio at a glance, it’s impossible to optimise. You can’t forecast occupancy, identify underperforming units, or catch small issues before they escalate. Visibility isn’t just about convenience—it’s about control. And in a fast-moving space like short lets, control is everything.

Manual Processes Are Costing You More Than You Think

Manual work is one of the most common operational traps in the short let industry. It creeps in quietly—replying to messages individually, coordinating cleaners via WhatsApp, or assigning tasks verbally. But what starts as manageable becomes a source of major inefficiency as your portfolio grows. Manual processes slow your team down, increase the risk of human error, and drain valuable time that could be spent improving guest experience or acquiring new properties.

For example, if someone on your team has to manually assign each cleaning job after a guest checks out, that’s time lost. If they have to follow up to confirm it’s done, that’s more time. Multiply that by dozens of bookings across multiple properties, and you’ve got a significant productivity gap. Smart short let companies automate the routine so they can focus on what matters. Automation isn’t about replacing people—it’s about empowering them to do more impactful work, faster and more consistently.

Guest Communication Needs to Be Consistent and Personalised

Communication is one of the key differentiators in short let property management, and it’s often where underperformance quietly begins. When guests receive late replies, vague check-in instructions, or no follow-up after their stay, it sends a message: this business isn’t paying attention. Worse, it leads to negative reviews, missed upsell opportunities, and a lack of repeat bookings.

High-performing operators take a different approach. They use structured messaging flows that ensure guests receive timely, branded communication at every stage—from booking confirmation to pre-arrival instructions, in-stay updates, and post-checkout thank-yous. The best part? This level of polish doesn’t have to be manual. With the right tools, you can automate these messages in a way that still feels personal, ensuring consistency without adding more admin to your team’s plate.

Cleaning and Maintenance Should Be Proactive, Not Reactive

Another major performance killer is the way many short let businesses handle cleaning and maintenance. When things are managed reactively—waiting for issues to be reported, chasing down team members for updates, or finding out a property wasn’t cleaned minutes before a guest arrives—it leads to stress, inconsistency, and bad reviews.

The most effective property management companies treat cleaning and maintenance like core parts of their brand. They use smart scheduling tools to align tasks with bookings automatically, assign jobs with accountability, and track progress in real-time. They also implement standardised checklists to maintain quality, and flag issues proactively rather than waiting for guest complaints. When operations like these run smoothly, guest satisfaction rises, teams perform better, and the business becomes scalable.

Without Data, You’re Guessing—Not Growing

Perhaps the biggest missed opportunity for many short let managers is data. You can’t grow what you don’t measure. Yet so many operators still rely on intuition rather than information—guessing at pricing strategy, gut-checking occupancy trends, and reacting to problems instead of anticipating them.

Data should be your growth engine. It should tell you which properties are performing best, where margins are being lost, how your team is executing, and what decisions will yield the highest return. Modern platforms like Opago give you these insights in real time—helping you optimise pricing, identify underperforming listings, and allocate resources more efficiently. In a competitive space, this kind of intelligence is no longer optional—it’s essential.

You Don’t Need to Start Over—Just Start Smarter

If your short let management business feels stuck or stretched thin, it’s probably not because the market is tough. More often, it’s a sign that your current systems can’t support your growth. The good news is you don’t need to start from scratch. You just need to upgrade how your business operates—from the inside out. That’s exactly what we help with at Opago. From automation and team coordination to guest communication and performance analytics, we give you the tools to run a more efficient, more scalable, and more professional operation. Get in touch and take the first step toward a better way to manage short let properties.