Hurricane season officially begins on June 1, but the most active part of the Atlantic season is still ahead. According to the National Hurricane Center, most activity occurs between mid-August and mid-October, with the climatological peak arriving around September 10.
NOAA's initial outlook for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season forecast 8 to 14 named storms, including 3 to 6 hurricanes and 1 to 3 major hurricanes. While that points to a below-normal season overall, it does not tell us where a storm will go or which community may be affected.
For a vacation rental management company, it only takes one storm to affect guests, owners, employees, vendors, reservations, and dozens—or even hundreds—of properties. The best time to prepare is while the skies are still clear.
Here are some practical ways to make sure your team and your technology are ready.
Every vacation rental management company in a hurricane-prone market should have a written plan for what happens before, during, and after a storm. More importantly, your team should understand it.
Decide who will be responsible for:
Monitoring forecasts and local evacuation orders
Communicating with guests and upcoming arrivals
Updating owners and documenting their instructions
Coordinating property preparation and inspections
Contacting vendors and tracking completed work
Managing reservation changes, cancellations, or relocations
Checking on employees and confirming who is available
Leading post-storm inspections and recovery
It is also a good idea to designate one person to lead safety and another person who can step in if that employee is unavailable. Waiting until an evacuation order is issued may leave your team with very little time to prepare a large inventory of homes.
When a storm is approaching, your team should not have to search through emails, spreadsheets, paper files, and several different systems to find essential property information.
Review each property and confirm that you have current:
Owner and emergency contact information
Insurance provider and policy information
Property access instructions and alarm details
Utility shutoff locations
Property and inventory photos
Special preparation requirements
Owner-approved vendors or contractors
Generator, elevator, pool, and equipment information
Document the property before the storm arrives. Take detailed, date-stamped photographs of the home, furnishings, valuable items, and completed storm preparations. Those records can be important when communicating with owners, coordinating repairs, or supporting an insurance claim.
Barefoot helps keep this information connected to the property. Vacation rental managers can use unlimited amenities at the property level to record important details such as vendors and insurance policy information. Barefoot also allows unlimited photos to be stored at the property level, including internal record-keeping photos that do not have to appear on the public website.
When a storm is developing, owners and guests will have questions—often at the same time. Preparing messages ahead of time helps your team respond quickly and consistently.
Create templates for:
Guests who are currently staying in the area
Guests scheduled to arrive within the next several days
Property owners
Employees
Housekeepers, maintenance teams, and other vendors
Keep messages calm, direct, and based on official information. Tell people what is known, what they need to do, when they can expect another update, and where they can find local emergency instructions. Avoid guessing about the storm's path, property conditions, road access, or reopening dates.
Barefoot's owner and guest portals can help you keep both audiences informed. Email and text communication within the system also gives your team a way to share updates as conditions change.
Hurricanes can result in mandatory evacuations, flight cancellations, road closures, interrupted utilities, and properties that are not ready for occupancy. Your team should know how the company will handle these situations before a guest calls.
Review your procedures for:
Mandatory and voluntary evacuations
Early departures and delayed arrivals
Reservation cancellations or date changes
Relocating guests when another property is available
Refunds, credits, and nonrefundable charges
Confirming when a property is ready to welcome guests again
Answering travel insurance questions
Travel protection may cover certain hurricane-related interruptions, but coverage varies by provider, plan, timing, and circumstances. Encourage guests to review their policy and speak directly with their insurance provider rather than promising that a loss will be covered.
Clear policies help your employees provide consistent information and give guests a better understanding of what to expect during a stressful situation.
Reliable vendors are valuable throughout the year, but they become especially important before and after a hurricane. Contractors, maintenance professionals, housekeepers, landscapers, pool companies, restoration companies, and insurance contacts may all be in high demand at the same time.
Before a storm is in the forecast, confirm:
Who can help prepare properties
Which services each vendor provides
When vendors stop field operations for safety
How emergency work will be prioritized
What documentation will be provided for work and charges
Whether your primary vendors have backup contacts or crew
Within Barefoot, work orders can be used to assign and monitor storm-related tasks. The vendor portal and text communication help managers stay connected with service providers. Workflow functionality also helps track progress and charges, creating a clear record of what was requested, what has been completed, and what still needs attention.
Your properties do not have to take a direct hit for your business to be disrupted. Employees may lose power or internet access, roads may be closed, and your normal office may be unavailable.
The Ready Business Hurricane Toolkit recommends reviewing both your business-continuity plan and your crisis-communication plan. For vacation rental managers, that should include access to reservation information, property records, owner and guest contacts, vendor details, insurance documents, and essential accounting information.
Identify which responsibilities must continue during a closure and who can cover each critical role. Make sure authorized employees can securely access the information they need. Refunds, vendor charges, owner expenses, and damage documentation should remain organized even when your team is working under unusual conditions.
Once conditions are safe, owners and guests will want answers about their properties and reservations. A standard inspection process will help your team provide accurate information instead of making assumptions.
Your post-storm inspection may include:
Exterior and structural damage
Roof, window, and door conditions
Water intrusion or flooding
Power, water, internet, and other utilities
HVAC, appliances, pools, elevators, and generators
Fallen trees, debris, and access issues
Interior damage or missing inventory
Photographs, videos, and written notes
Prioritize properties based on safety, damage, upcoming arrivals, and the work required. A home should not reopen based only on the absence of visible damage. Local orders, utility availability, road access, and your ability to provide normal guest services also matter.
Barefoot work orders can support this recovery process by helping teams document inspections, coordinate repairs, monitor vendor progress, and retain related charges and communications. Property-level photos and records also give managers valuable information to share with owners.
Technology cannot create your hurricane plan for you, but the right vacation rental management system should make that plan easier to carry out.
Barefoot can help your team:
Keep owner, vendor, insurance, access, inventory, and property information together
Store additional property photos for internal documentation without placing them on the public website
Create work orders for shutters, outdoor furniture, equipment, landscaping, inspections, and other preparations
Prepare communications for owners and guests before conditions become urgent
Barefoot can help your team:
Communicate with owners and guests through email, text, and their respective portals
Coordinate with vendors through work orders, the vendor portal, and text communication
Track preparation tasks across individual properties
Keep property-specific communications and activity records organized
Barefoot can help your team:
Create and monitor inspection, cleanup, and repair work orders
Store post-storm photographs and property-condition information
Track vendor progress and charges related to recovery work
Keep owners informed about property conditions, next steps, and completed repairs
Maintain organized records for owner reporting, contractor coordination, and insurance documentation
When important property information, work orders, vendor activity, and communication tools are connected, your team has a clearer picture of what is happening across your inventory. That can make a difficult situation more manageable for your employees—and provide owners and guests with the timely information they need.
Before peak hurricane season, confirm that your company has:
Reviewed its written hurricane and business-continuity plans
Assigned emergency responsibilities and backup decision-makers
Updated guest, owner, employee, and vendor contact information
Verified insurance and property access information
Updated property photographs and inventory records
Prepared communication templates for different audiences
Reviewed evacuation, cancellation, relocation, and refund procedures
Confirmed key vendors and property-specific preparation needs
Tested secure remote access to essential systems and records
Created a consistent post-storm inspection process
Established how property status and reopening decisions will be communicated
Vacation rental managers are often the eyes, ears, and local resource for owners who live hundreds of miles from their properties. During a storm, guests also depend on your team for clear information about their safety and travel plans.
Being prepared is another way professional vacation rental managers show their value. A strong plan helps protect the property, supports faster decisions, and strengthens the relationships you have worked hard to build with owners, guests, employees, and vendors.
Do not wait until a storm appears in the forecast to decide how your company will respond. Review your plan, update your records, prepare your communications, and make sure your technology is ready to support your team.
See how Barefoot can help your team organize property information, coordinate work, and communicate with owners and guests. Schedule a conversation with Barefoot Technologies.