When you first venture into the furnished holiday rental business, it can be tempting to try and limit your initial set-up costs by providing the bare minimum of furniture and equipment. But the advice from seasoned property owners is...don't try and cut corners! Furnish and equip your property as well as you can possibly afford. Obviously you're worried about getting a good return on your investment. And the fear that some visitor from hell will wreak havoc with your possessions might deter you from you equipping your property to a high standard. Those who've been in the business for years have found that most visitors take greater care with furniture and other more personal items if they can see these are things which the owner obviously cares about...it's human nature. Generally speaking people prefer - and expect - their vacation accommodation to be superior to their own homes. They are more likely to look after your property if they feel you have taken a lot of trouble to make them feel welcome and comfortable. Ensuring all the beds are comfortable is an absolute must. A lack of sleep is enough to ruin anyone's trip. See more at: http://www.holidayhomes.ca/advice.html
One owner advises: "Sleep in every bed in the place! I had several complaints about a bed during my first year of renting out - and when I next visited my property I realized the complaints were entirely justified". Bear in mind that many visitors regard certain items - such as a microwave, cable/satellite TV and washer & dryer - as essential in a vacation property, even though they might not have them at home. If you store personal things in the property which are not for the use of your tenants, it's not a good idea to keep them in a locked cupboard...it just makes people curious and they may try to wrench the door open! Many owners find a polite notice, asking visitors not to use particular items, works better. Generally, tenants will respect the owner's wishes. A better solution, if possible, is to store personal items with friends during rental periods.
Every Holidy property owner should have a simple and consistent procedure for confirming bookings which should include:
Name, address and telephone number of the renting party plus the name, address and telephone number of the owner with name/location of the vacation home. The specific rental dates, e.g. Arr; Saturday July 7th; Depart: Saturday July 14th.
Specific check-in and check-out times for the above dates. An outline of the total due e.g. Rent + damage deposit + cleaning fee + other (tax). A time line of when rental fees are due: e.g. 50% of above or $450 due immediately to reserve (and hold) rental dates; the other $450 due May 7th. A clear concise cancellation policy: e.g. All rental fees are due 60 days prior to arrival (May 7th); after that point, the rental is non-cancellable unless re-rented by another party of equal value in which case a $50 fee will be assessed. Check-in procedure and contacts e.g. Keys will be mailed two weeks prior to arrival date; property manager/owner on hand at 555-555-1212 in case of emergency.
Damage deposits are returned 3 weeks following departure date. Other miscellaneous items unique to the rental arrangement.
With each correspondence, the owner should confirm to the vacationer, monies received and reiterate the above points with another simple confirmation, which can be sent as postcard, letter with a templated sheet of paper or e-mail. This will keep all parties in the loop. Further it will go a long way in addressing two of the most common complaints. That is, timely return of the damage deposits and clarification of the cancellation policy. Now a procedural trail has been established and the cancellation policy has been confirmed on at least two occasions. These simple steps will keep both the vacationer and owner aware of their respective responsibilities.
