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. It is good to be as clear and helpful as possible in terms of prices and payments. At all time be clear to the guests about the payment they need to make for the vacation house and also the due dates for the payments.
It is better off to give emails to the guests to classify all the payments or give them a list of the payment transaction available for them. You can put the account details and the address to send cheques to. Also, you may need to remind them when the payment is expected, particularly if they already booked in advance.
The following are list of ideas in receiving payments:
One way of accepting payment is through Cheque, this is the most convenient way of taking payments if it happens that you live in the same country since there will be no more additional charges to the guests and to the homeowner. One thing you need to do is give your complete information like name, address reference number for the booking that the guest made so he/she can write at the back of the cheque. Be sure to clear the cheque before confirming the booking or handing over the keys.
The other way transacting is by Bank Transfer. This payment method is a good way of taking payment both from abroad and at home. As a rule, you need to give your details such as name, account number, area code and your bank's address. Guests who made their transfer from abroad they will need your IBAN and SWIFTBIC numbers - in this part you may ask your bank for these numbers. Make sure your guests know what they have to cover on any bank charges incurred for a foreign transfer.
With the vast improvement in technology, credit card payments are now accepted and guaranteed secured through the use of PayPal. This form of payment is the popular online system that allows simple transfers between two online accounts. Even though your guest does not have a PayPal account they can still pay you by credit card online through the PayPal system. Of course there is a certain amount of charge for every transaction made but it is pretty competitive, and this method transfers money instantly, making it ideal for last minute bookings. For more information you can go to their website.
Last option you can take is through Cashier's Cheques. Although not often used, these sorts of cheques come guaranteed by the bank and work well for those who don't have a cheques book or wish to confirm they are paying you from cleared funds.
If ever you receive the cleared funds, as much as possible send a receipt to the guest as quickly as possible. It's a good and thoughtful way to bring their mind at ease, and a nice time to communicate about any details to do with the booking.
Do take care of it properly when accepting rental payments. You must know that some people are able to accept credit card bookings, but for the majority they are dependent on payment by bank transfer or when the guests arrive in cash.