Airbnb Maintenance Byron Bay - Fast Turnaround Between Guests

Guests check out at 10am. New guests check in at 3pm. And your cleaner just messaged you - the cupboard door's hanging off, deck chair collapsed, and there's a dripping tap. You're an hour away in Brisbane.

This is about half my work in Byron Bay. I fix a lot of Airbnbs around here - Suffolk Park, Sunrise, Broken Head, Byron town. The rental market's mental in Byron. Properties are booked back-to-back, and when something breaks, you need it fixed yesterday or you lose the booking.

Here's what I've learned doing this for 3 years.

The Common Airbnb Breakages in Byron Bay

Guests break stuff. Not maliciously - just wear and tear accelerated. Your property gets more use in 6 months as an Airbnb than 5 years as a normal rental.

What breaks most often:

• Cupboard doors and drawers: Hinges fail, runners jam, doors won't close. Guests slam stuff.
• Deck furniture: Chairs break, tables wobble. Salt air rots cheap furniture in one season.
• Screen doors: Mesh tears, frames bend, closers stop working. Kids are rough on screens.
• Tap washers: Dripping taps drive guests mental. They'll mention it in reviews.
• Blinds and curtains: Cords break, brackets pull out of walls. Humidity makes the cheap ones fall apart.
• Toilet seats: Crack or come loose. People are heavy, seats are plastic.
• Door handles: Internal doors mostly. Handles get loose, fall off, locks jam.
• Outdoor showers: Super popular in Byron Bay Airbnbs. Also constantly breaking - taps leak, timber rots, drainage blocks.

The 5-Hour Turnaround Reality

Here's your actual timeline between guests:

• 10am: Guests check out
• 10am-12pm: Cleaner arrives, finds problems while cleaning
• 12pm: You get the text about what's broken
• 12pm-2:30pm: Window to actually fix stuff
• 3pm: New guests arrive

That's 2.5 hours of actual repair time. Maybe. If your cleaner's on time and finds issues early.

This is why you need a handyman who:

• Actually answers their phone
• Is local (I'm 10 mins from most Byron properties)
• Has materials in the van already
• Understands "guests arrive in 3 hours" urgency

I keep hinges, tap washers, door handles, screen door parts, deck screws - all in the van. Turn up, fix it, done. Most repairs take 20-40 minutes if I don't need to source parts.

What's Worth Fixing vs Replacing

When you're 2 hours from guest arrival, you need decisions made fast.

Fix immediately:

• Dripping taps (new washer, 10 mins, Contact for quote)
• Cupboard doors hanging off (tighten/replace hinges, 15 mins, Contact for quote)
• Wobbly deck furniture (re-screw with proper fixings, 20 mins, Contact for quote)
• Screen door not closing (adjust closer, 10 mins, Contact for quote)
• Toilet seat loose (tighten or replace, 15 mins, Contact for quote-120)

Replace not worth fixing:

• Cheap outdoor furniture (just bin it, buy better stuff)
• Cracked toilet seats (Contact for quote new seat faster than driving around for parts)
• Broken cheap blinds (replace with quality ones that last)
• Rotten deck boards (patch jobs don't work - replace the board)

Can wait till next gap:

• Cosmetic deck issues (as long as it's safe)
• Minor wall scuffs (touch-up paint between bookings)
• Garden maintenance (unless it's seriously overgrown)
• Non-essential cupboards or storage areas

Byron Bay Airbnb Preventative Maintenance

Way cheaper to prevent problems than fix them between guests. Here's what actually works:

Every 3 months (quarterly):

• Tighten all cupboard hinges before they fall off
• Check all taps for drips
• Oil door hinges and locks
• Check outdoor furniture - tighten/replace before it collapses on a guest
• Test all window and door locks
• Check smoke alarms (Byron Bay council is strict on this)

Every 6 months:

• Full appliance check - ovens, dishwashers, washing machines
• Gutter clean (essential in Byron - one storm and they overflow)
• Deck check - look for soft/rotten boards
• Re-seal outdoor shower timber (if you have one)
• Check all outdoor lighting
• Air con service (Byron summer is brutal - guests will leave bad reviews if AC fails)

Yearly:

• Deck restoration/re-oil
• Full property inspection - structure, roof, plumbing
• Replace cheap stuff before it breaks
• Paint touch-ups

I service about 15 Airbnbs regularly around Byron. The ones on this schedule basically never have emergency callouts. The ones that call me "only when stuff breaks" - I see them every second week.

What Guests Actually Complain About

Read enough Byron Bay Airbnb reviews and you see patterns. These things get mentioned over and over:

• "Cupboard doors wonky" - Takes 15 mins to adjust all kitchen hinges. Prevents this complaint entirely.
• "Outdoor furniture broken/uncomfortable" - Don't buy cheap Kmart furniture for coastal properties. Get proper outdoor-rated stuff. Costs more, lasts 5+ years vs 6 months.
• "Shower had low pressure" - Clean showerheads quarterly. Byron water has heaps of minerals. They clog up.
• "Deck was splintery" - Sand and oil your deck yearly. Guests walk around barefoot.
• "Curtains wouldn't close properly" - Usually the track or rail is bent/broken. Contact for quote-180 fix.
• "Door handle fell off" - Tighten grub screws every 3 months. Takes 30 seconds per handle.

All preventable. All way cheaper to fix before guests mention them in 1-star reviews.

The Byron Bay Coastal Factor

Your Airbnb's in Byron Bay. Everything breaks faster because of salt air and humidity.

Stuff that fails way faster coastal:

• Hinges (rust in 2 years instead of 10)
• Outdoor furniture (1 year instead of 5)
• Deck timber (needs yearly maintenance vs 2-3 years inland)
• Flyscreens (mesh degrades from salt, 3-4 years vs 10)
• Exterior paint (peels faster from humidity)
• Metal fixtures (corrode unless marine-grade stainless)

When you fix stuff in a Byron Airbnb, use coastal-rated materials or you'll be fixing it again in 6 months:

• Hinges: 316 stainless steel only
• Screws: Marine-grade stainless
• Outdoor furniture: Aluminium or proper treated timber
• Deck coatings: Marine wood oil, not standard deck oil

Costs more upfront. Way cheaper long-term.

quote for Airbnb Maintenance Byron Bay

Emergency callouts cost more - you're paying for availability and speed. But still cheaper than losing a Contact for quote booking.

Standard quote:

• Emergency same-day: Contact for quote callout + repairs
• Scheduled maintenance: Contact for quote/hour, 1 hour minimum
• Quarterly inspection & fixes: Contact for quote-350 depending on property size
• Monthly retainer (3-4 properties): Contact for quote-600/month, includes scheduled work and priority emergency response

Common emergency repairs:

• Fix dripping tap: Contact for quote-120
• Repair cupboard door: Contact for quote-180
• Replace toilet seat: Contact for quote-120
• Fix screen door: Contact for quote-200
• Tighten deck furniture: Contact for quote-150
• Door handle replacement: Contact for quote-160

The Monthly Retainer Option

If you've got multiple Byron Airbnbs or one property that's always booked, monthly retainer makes sense.

What you get:

• Quarterly full property check
• Small repairs done during checks (hinges, handles, etc)
• Priority emergency response (I'll drop other jobs)
• Discounted rates on big repairs
• Direct phone number

Cost: Usually Contact for quote-600/month depending on property size and how much stuff typically breaks. Averages out way cheaper than emergency callouts.

The hosts I work with on retainers basically never have guest complaints about maintenance. Properties stay in top shape, issues get caught early, bookings never get disrupted.

Suffolk Park vs Byron Town vs Broken Head

Different Byron areas have different problems:

Suffolk Park / Sunrise beachside: Hardcore salt air. Everything rusts faster. Furniture dies quick. Need marine-grade everything. Lots of deck problems.

Byron town / Jonson Street area: Less salt than beachfront but more foot traffic if you're close to town. Door locks and handles get heavier use. Noise complaints from neighbors if guests party (get good relationships with neighbors).

Broken Head / Lennox: Quieter, families stay here more. Less breakages but deck and outdoor area maintenance still essential. Watch for wildlife - possums wreck outdoor cushions.

Hinterland (Bangalow Road, Ewingsdale): More mold/mildew from humidity and shade. Deck furniture lasts longer but need to clean mold off surfaces regularly. Bathroom exhaust fans essential.

What to Keep Onsite for Quick Fixes

Leave these at the property for your cleaner or property manager to handle tiny issues without calling you:

• Pack of spare tap washers
• Toilet seat (if yours is a common size)
• Philips head screwdriver (for tightening loose handles)
• Touch-up paint in your wall colors
• Spare toilet paper and paper towels (not maintenance but saves emergency runs)
• Light bulbs in the sizes you use

Your cleaner can tighten a loose handle or change a light bulb. Can't re-hinge a cupboard door though - that's where you call me.

The Reality of Running Byron Airbnbs

Look, Byron Bay's the busiest short-term rental market in NSW outside Sydney. You can make serious money - Contact for quotek-120k a year gross from a 2-bedder in Suffolk Park isn't unusual.

But maintenance costs are real. Budget Contact for quote-6,000 yearly for a typical 2-3 bedroom Byron property in regular maintenance and repairs. More if beachfront.

The hosts making money long-term do preventative maintenance. The ones losing money are always doing emergency repairs and copping bad reviews about broken stuff.

Your choice. Fix things before they break, or fix them at 2pm when guests arrive at 3pm and you're paying emergency rates.