| Ensure that you are contactable! |
|
As an owner you should be aware that, as a global company, we will have people from all over the world booking through this site.
Do not prefix with 00 or 011 and then the country code, use " + country code" instead. The 00 / 011 prefixes are different depending on which country the caller is calling from - and you do not know that! Examples :
If you have a local US number of (321) 123 1234 then this would be listed as +1 321 123 1234
Callers from inside the US would dial 321 123 1234
Callers from most of Europe would then dial 00 (this is the European International access code) then 1 321 123 1234
If you have a French phone number of 22 123 12345 then you would list this as +33 22 123 12345
Callers from inside France would dial 22 123 12345
Callers from most of Europe would dial 00 33 22 123 12345
Callers from the USA would dial 011 (the US international access code) then 33 22 123 12345
|
|
 |
|
| |
Nick Hargreaves -
EzineArticles.com Expert Author |
|
|
[Travel-and-Leisure:Vacation-Homes] You have done almost everything in your vacation house and the only problem you are left is getting the customer to rent out your place. The word marketing comes here and that is all about helping people to look for what they're searching and in this case your Vacation Home!
[Travel-and-Leisure:Vacation-Rentals] Ideas on How to Handle Customer Complaints! Handling customer complaints is the toughest thing to swallow especially with regard to renting out vacation houses. Most of the complaints coming from guests are coming from the dirtiness of the vacation house, expectations not met by the guests when they arrive at the property.
[Travel-and-Leisure:Vacation-Rentals] Guests that leave your vacation house smiling is the best thing to see! They will for sure take the opportunity to take photos, email postcards, and most probably enthusiastic about their vacation and the result, their friends, relatives, family, colleagues might book on your vacation house. The happiness they enjoyed in your place will depend much on the facilities, location and the place itself.
[Travel-and-Leisure:Vacation-Homes] Renting a holiday home allows you to gain a different experience of your destination location. It is not just simply staying in a hotel, but taking part in someone's way of life. The ability to stay somewhere normally out of reach, to have a private pool, hot tub, city centre apartment or perhaps complete seclusion from outside interference that you desire.
[Travel-and-Leisure:Vacation-Rentals] Maximize your advert to its full potential. For one to maximize the use of your advert in gaining more customers, remind yourself as if you are the holidaymaker. If you are going to choose the perfect holiday vacation, what will be the best advert? What will make you Book!
[Travel-and-Leisure:Vacation-Rentals] Accepting Payments for your Holiday Homes. Probably the hardest part in owning a vacation house is taking payments coming guests. Home owners sometime are eager about guests who want to stay but one must also think that being careful especially when it comes to money.
[Travel-and-Leisure:Vacation-Rentals] Vacation rentals Hints on how to make Holiday Home Eco-Friendly One person alone cannot solve the burgeoning problem of global warming, but one thing is for sure doing something good for the environment can be of great help. There are a lot of ways to save the energy especially in one's household and being environment friendly is easier than what you think.
[Travel-and-Leisure:Vacation-Rentals] Holiday home child-friendly, How to make your vacation Rental Property more Child friendly One of the biggest market in holiday homes is families that include their children, grand parents, and other relatives. As a owner here some pieces of advices in making your vacation home a child-friendly.
[Real-Estate:Property-Management] The competition in the rental market is fierce and improving all the time, so hopefully this guide will help you to be able to maximise the potential of your property and getting you the valuable vacation home renters. This guide is to get the most out of Advertising your property on the internet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Owners guide from vacationrentalpeople.com
Vacationrentalpeople.com would like to welcome you to our site and hope that you find it a beneficial source of information for renting out your property. Please use this as a general guide and not as specific advice. The competition in the rental market is fierce and improving all the time and this guide can help you to maximise the potential of your property.
What people are looking for?
Most people looking to rent your property will be doing so for a well-earned break. With this in mind you should be offering something that people in this position would want to use - a stress free experience in a clean and relaxing environment.
Useful tips into making your property work for you.
Ensure your advert is accurate and complete
When using the website the potential renter is viewing your property with an element of trust and often a feeling of excitement. So what they are looking at on the site should be an accurate and complete description. If the information is not accurate and complete you could be doing yourself a disservice and creating a problem for later and will not make the most out of your rental potential.
Write the description of your house as though you have just seen it for the first time and make sure you mention all the unique selling points.
Let people know the easiest way of getting to your property.
Make sure the availability calendar is updated after every new booking.
Good photographs are a key selling point.
- Make each room looks clean and tidy.
- Remove all clutter before photographs are taken.
- Make sure beds are made and tables are laid for dinner.
- Show special features to their best.
- Update pictures when things change or you redecorate.
- Adapt to the seasons - what is good in one may not be good in another.
Handy Hints
Reply to every enquiry as quickly as possible, if you are away have an out of office email set up or a forwarding service so potential renters are still serviced.
Have a house pack for all new renters giving details of all local attractions.
Have a visitor's book for them to sign and hopefully leave a good comment.
If you have an enquiry you can't take tell them about someone else in the area, they are likely to return the compliment.
The look of your property
The higher the standard of decoration and furnishing, the wider the range of customers you are likely to attract and so the rental price can reflect this.
Pictures taken of your property should be of enticing, it really does pay to take the time to do this properly as attention to detail will make the overall look much more enticing. If your property is located in a sunny destination, make sure you take the picture on a sunny day! Like wise if you let out a ski chalet, take the picture when there is plenty of snow about. Consider rotating your pictures with the seasons so that if you are booked for the ski season and now looking to attract walkers for the summer, replace your "snow chalet" image with a beautiful mountain view from the.
Keep everything as neutral as possible and remember the less clutter there is, the less likely that something you cherish will get broken
Make sure that the renter has everything there to keep the property clean.
Provide all the things that the renter might need, including a first aid box
If you have valuable items in the property make sure you have somewhere safe to put them whilst someone is renting your property
It is always good to have a collection of games for people to play
If the area is known for cycling get a couple of bicycles for people to use, or leave information of places where they can be hired
What you are responsible for?
Make sure that the deeds of your property have no clauses to say that you are not allowed to sublet your property.
Liability insurance to cover any damage caused by guests.
Check that the security of the property matches the standards set out by the insurance company.
Use a contract with the renter. Clearly state all dates the property is booked for and any arrangements that you have decided between you that is not covered in your standard agreement, also stating when they have to vacate the property.
If you need to pay tax on this income it will need to be declared.
Let the renter know that they must get travel insurance should they need it.
What to charge
Identify your market and see what comparable properties are charging in the same area.
Make sure that you have a sliding scale so that you charge more in the high season and also school holidays.
Should you have a cancellation make sure that the fee is described in your terms and conditions. You may still be able to resell the period to recoup your losses and to reinburse the previous client. Contact previous renters or update your advert headline description to show offering a last minute discount for example.
Make sure that everything is included in the fee, such as the cleaner and all utility bills so that there are no nasty shocks when your clients leave.
Make sure that you understand all of your costs before deciding what to charge!
Who looks after your property?
Are you going to be the one who manages the property? If not you will have to find someone to do this for you.
Ask other owners in the area what they do to cover this issue.
If you employ a management company keep in close contact with them. This way they are likely to put more effort into looking after your property and a good business relationship can be formed.
Also try and book your own property to see if you are happy with the way you are being represented.
If you are looking after the property make sure that all enquiries are promptly dealt with in a professional way.
The quicker you respond the more likely a prospective renter is to book with you.
Make sure you have someone to help with changeover day as this can take some time.
Have a system in place for the running of the letting right from the initial enquiry to the handing over of the keys at the end.
Be aware of scam enquiries! Especially people wishing to pay more than the rental charge, then for you to refund the "difference"
How best to look after your bookings?
The most important will be a contract with the terms and conditions of the rental
As a minimum, the contract should cover
Arrival and departure dates and times
Names of the occupants
Contact numbers for both parties
Payment terms - there should be clear and concise payment terms covering deposits for holding the property, completion of payment and coverage for breakages, damage etc.
Useful numbers for clients such as doctors, police etc.
Cancellation terms.
Security deposit, this is over and above the rental price and is an insurance against damages. This should be set at an agreed price with the renter
House rules - these should be in the contract such as no smoking, pets etc
Insurance you must have contents and liability insurance and the renter must have their own cover.
Confirm the booking only after deposit monies have cleared.
If any damage occurs make sure you have photographic evidence as proof.
A good way to get the booking off to a good start could be to make sure there are certain staple food and item to hand, so why not get your cleaners to leave a starter pack for the renters including tea, coffee, milk, bread, cereal etc
And after they leave have a system in place to leverage their good time and to get any feedback from them - a visitor's book is a good idea
Marketing and getting the property to work for you
The more you spend, the more people will know about your property, but there should be a limit to set yourself.
Use the internet, this is now the biggest marketing tool there is and will show your property to a worldwide market.
Word of mouth is one of the best so make sure you request your clients tell others.
Keep in touch with past renters and send out a newsletter with photographs to jog their memory.
Looking to buy a property to rent?
Will the rental income be responsible for paying the mortgage? If yes will there be enough people looking to rent in the area to make it a viable proposition.
How many airlines cover the area you have chosen, the more airlines the more potential clients.
How long is the holiday season in the area you are thinking of buying?
Be sure your property appeals to the widest market, don't make it too quirky.
Buy property that will impress on first sight.
Judge the pricing with other similar properties in the area.
VALUE SIMPLICITY BOOKINGS
|
|