Case Study

Melbourne

Party Squasher Stops Melbourne Party Before the Noise Starts

Australia has an enormous short-term rental property market. From stunning nature to bustling cities, Australia has much to offer vacationers looking for a place to stay. However, it has not always been vacation bliss for property owner Karen in Melbourne, Australia.

Karen protects 10 properties with Party Squasher devices. She first selected Party Squasher three years ago after an out-of-control party changed the way she runs her business.

Short-term Rental Gone Wrong

A last-minute, 3-night booking at one of her properties led to a crazier outcome than she could have ever imagined. Two young tenants rented the house and posted its address on social media. By the third day, when Karen found out about the situation from an annoyed neighbour, the festivities were so out of control that the police had to be called to break up the party.

“The house was overrun with teenagers. The riot squad were called in the end. The event was all over the news here in Melbourne.”

The party caused $28,000 in damage and its repair took the property off the market for 4 months. In addition to out-of-pocket costs, Karen’s reputation was tarnished by the event. As she recalled, “that single out-of-control party was an overall horrible experience. My neighbors all hated me. The events hurt the reputation of the short-term rental industry. It was painful in so many ways.” Karen, not wanting to relive that experience, searched for a solution that would help her prevent the next party.

Trauma and Anger Lead to a New Way of Hosting

Karen’s first idea was to better screen her guests before they would even arrive at one of her houses. With better screening, there is a lesser chance of a fraudulent reservation. But she also wanted protection in case a bad tenant was able to sneak through her defenses.

Karen heard about Party Squasher on the Get Paid for Your Pad podcast. A user recommended the product on the podcast and Karen decided to get one. It didn’t take long for Party Squasher to prove its worth, and deliver the peace of mind that she sought.

Disaster Averted

A year after her party debacle, Karen was at dinner, celebrating her birthday. During dinner, she received a text message reporting that one of her 3-bedroom properties, rented for a single night, showed 14 devices present when only 3 people were expected at the house. A few minutes later, Party Squasher reported 39 devices at the house. With this dramatic increase, Karen decided to interrupt her dinner and visit the property. Minutes later, she found teenagers bringing alcohol into the house, obviously preparing for a big party. Karen was able to shut down the party before it could start in earnest.

“I think that being able to get there and break up the party within half an hour was key. I can’t realistically depend on my neighbors to call me when something is happening. It’s not up to them to do that.” She could depend on Party Squasher to alert her to trouble brewing.

Unobtrusive Party Squasher Beats Noise Monitoring

With many ways to safely manage properties Karen has found the most comfort in having Party Squasher devices in her properties. “The device is unobtrusive and almost invisible. No guest would have the idea to look for it. By comparison, I have a fake camera on one house to deter potential burglars. It’s amazing the number of people that get spooked by that. As a guest, you don’t know if someone is potentially spying on you. While the Party Squasher device is always there to let me know if too many people are in the house, it does not spook guests. No one has ever tampered with the device.”

Today Karen has Party Squasher devices at 15 short-term rental properties. She recommends Party Squasher to hosts all over Australia. “I say ‘Go get it. Don’t hesitate.’ The solution that people in Australia have traditionally used is NoiseAware. But NoiseAware is very obtrusive. It’s on the ceiling and easily tampered with. And, if I were a guest in an Airbnb, I wouldn’t want something that can monitor my voice. I just wouldn’t feel comfortable with that.”

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