Guest Experience VA - UK Short-Term Rental / Airbnb Portfolio

ResidentFirst Property Management is a UK-based serviced accommodation company managing short and mid-term lets for contractors and corporate clients across Sunderland and Durham. We're hiring our FIRST dedicated Guest Experience VA to own daily guest communications and platform admin across Airbnb, Booking.com, and our PMS (Hostaway).

This is a part-time role to start (25 hrs/week, Mon–Fri, 11:00 AM–4:00 PM UK time / 6:00 PM–11:00 PM Philippine time) with a clear path to full-time as our portfolio grows. You'll cover guest check-outs and check-ins directly, keeping our response time under 15 minutes during your shift.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Confirm same-day check-outs and monitor cleaner progress through to check-in-ready

• Process ChargeAutomation guest requirements: ID checks, rental agreements, damage deposits

• Own the 3pm check-in window — proactively confirm every guest checking in has everything they need before they arrive, including up-to-date lockbox codes, and resolve access issues as they come up

• Work consistently and directly with the cleaning team - confirming clean status, chasing delays, and flagging issues before they become check-in problems

• Handle guest messages across Airbnb, Booking.com, WhatsApp Business and the channel manager inbox - 15-minute response target during shift

• Contact Booking.com, Airbnb and other OTAs directly to cancel, amend, or request changes to reservations as needed

• Approve/decline upsells and flag special requests to cleaners

• Log and escalate maintenance issues

• List new properties on additional booking platforms as the portfolio expands

• Maintain weekly and monthly admin trackers (lockbox code changes)

• Send a clear, concise End-of-Shift report

REQUIREMENTS

Minimum 1 year experience in Airbnb / short-term rental guest communications (non-negotiable)

Direct experience with a PMS — Hostaway experience strongly preferred (Guesty, Hostfully, OwnerRez also considered)

Experience directly contacting OTA support (Booking.com, Airbnb) to amend, cancel, or request reservation changes on a host's behalf

Excellent English communication - both written and spoken, as you'll be messaging and speaking with UK guests and OTA support directly under our brand

Reliable internet, backup power/data, and a quiet workspace for the full shift

Comfortable working UK midday hours (11am–4pm UK / 6pm–11pm PH time)

FUTURE

ResidentFirst is growing, and we're planning to bring on an Operations Manager by the end of the year to oversee our VA team and day-to-day operations. This role will be filled from within wherever possible - VAs who stay with us and show strong ownership of their work will be first in line.