Renting out your vacation property? Personal touches could be a lifesaver
Research shows that people are more likely to exhibit “territorial behavior” when they’re renting from a company instead of a person.
Imagine you are relaxing in front of a fire in a cabin you rented for a getaway. The couch is too far from the fire. Do you push the couch closer?
Would your decision change if you noticed photos of the cabin owner’s family on the mantle?
New research by experts at Northeastern University finds that most people would be less likely to move the couch if they could feel the presence of a human owner. If rentals are managed by a property management company, however, many would feel just fine about moving the couch.
“I feel it’s more of my own,” says assistant professor of marketing Nirajana Mishra. “I’m going to move the chair around a little bit. Maybe I bring the couch to the pool because there is no furniture near the pool. My kid is swimming. I want to sit and laze around there.”
In an access-based economy, where consumers can transact directly with other individuals in addition to companies, it matters who people rent from, experts say. From moving couches to get a better view of the outdoors to throwing large (and unauthorized) parties, consumers are more likely to treat rental properties as if they were the owners — potentially damaging them — when they rent from companies.
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Moving furniture around is one way that renters exhibit control and show that they feel like temporary owners of the property, Mishra says. Another example is when renters throw a party at a property. These are “territorial behaviors” that can lead to property damage and increase maintenance costs, she says.
“In the literature, it has been shown that the more you feel psychological ownership, the more you tend to feel responsible or accountable for that product,” Mishra says. “This is something we don’t find here.”
The research was published in the Journal of Marketing.
Typically, she says, psychological ownership leads to more positive, caretaking behavior. But based on Airbnb reviews and interviews with property owners who use the platform, Mishra found the opposite to be true when a property owner is a company and not an individual.
The effect also applies to property reviews, she says. When people rent from a company and some areas of the property are off-limits to guests, the renter is more likely to write a bad review. But when the owner is a person, renters are more understanding and positive.
“We call it a reactionary defense,” Mishra says. “You react when you feel that there is an infringement on an area that was yours. If you restrict access, that’s kind of an infringement.”
Airbnb hosts recommend that owners use neutral colors and avoid leaving personal items at their properties. But Mishra says her research suggests that leaving visible signs of ownership is a good idea.
“Maybe put in some art pieces that show your taste or some colors that are not so neutral that show some connection to you,” she says. “Even a little bit will increase the perception that the owner has a connection to the property.”
Another way that owners make their connection with the property explicit, she says, is to greet guests themselves.
Conversely, she says, companies that rent properties should behave more like individuals. Posting site-specific rules will show familiarity with the property and its environment, potentially connecting the company to the property in the renter’s eyes.
Mishra says the worst thing a property owner can tell a renter is, “treat the place like it’s your own.”
“I’m going to be more willing to exhibit territorial behaviors,” she says. “Use actions that make your connection to the property more salient.”
