I’ve heard the phrase, “It’s the cost of doing business” on several occasions recently and thought it would be interesting to reflect on what this actually means. I use it myself at times when I feel a grumble coming on about having to replace the mesh in yet another screen door ($30 + time), or […]
I read a report in a New Zealand newspaper this weekend about a rental agency who had evicted a family who ‘overcrowded’ a vacation rental property under their management. You can read the article for yourself and come to your own conclusions however there are a few points I wanted to raise. There is a […]
We like to think we have everything covered in our vacation rental cottage. A good web site; pre-arrival information; a welcome letter, and a comprehensive cottage guide. We only live 10 minutes from our cottage and let our guests know that if they have a problem, they just need to call and we’ll be there […]
So what is going on in the vacation rental market? Is it booming? Are we in a slump? According to Property Wire, many areas of the US are reporting a downturn with competition high and the expectancy of a last-minute market driving discounts and deals, while here in Ontario, we’ve just experienced our most active […]
In an ideal world, your renters will call or e-mail you to check availability of your property; complete a rental agreement; pay you on time; enjoy a wonderful vacation and write a glowing review in your guestbook. However, ideal world situations don’t always apply in our fun business of vacation rentals. Although most rental clients […]
Do you have a cancellation policy? Is it clearly stated on your web site; on your Terms and Conditions, and in your Rental Agreement? Do you know what you will do when a guest with a confirmed booking, calls and asks for their money back because an event has occurred and they need to cancel? […]
I haven’t had a rant for a while so think it’s time to get something that’s been bothering me recently out in the open. Don’t go into this business if you don’t like people If you went into a store, there were no lights on, it was cold and you were totally ignored, wouldn’t you […]
How quickly do you respond to an enquiry? I was reading a thread on Lay My Hat this morning and was interested in the range of issues this raised. Some people commented that when they had sent out enquiries to vacation rental owners, in many cases there was a less than 50% response rate. This […]
Vacation rental clients have higher expectations than ever before, and property owners should be giving this trend the attention it deserves. I recently saw a couple of photos submitted to a listing site that clearly showed the message is not getting across. Why would anyone find a photo of an unmade bed attractive? Who is […]
We all want 5 star renters; those who leave the place as if they had never been there; write lovely comments in the guest book, and never call at midnight asking how the microwave works. Just as much as we’d like to win the lottery; raise kids who never act out and save the planet […]
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