Important Tips When Renting a Vacation Home
Posted by Mt Hood Vacation Rentals | Sunday, July 19, 2009
Recently, in the news in Oregon, a vacation rental scam was uncovered at the Oregon Coast. Apparantly a woman who had been cleaning houses, started taking photos of the homes, then offering them up as vacation rentals on Craig’s List and on websites she actually created for this purpose. She even made reservations for dozens of guests and collected money from them. Unfortunately, she did not have contracts with the property owners to represent their homes, and most of these homes were not even available for rent. Just as the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office caught wind of her fraud, she skipped town; they are still looking for her. And dozens of people have been duped out of their cash and they do not have a place to go on vacation this summer.
Vacation Rental Homes are a great lodging choice for families and friends when going on vacation. These homes offer great amenities including complete kitchens, fireplaces, entertainment centers with TV, DVD players, stereos, phones with Internet connections, washer and dryers and private hot tubs & swimming pools. Many offer other amenities such as pool tables, theatre rooms, free bikes or canoes to use or the use of a fitness center. And they are located in resort towns where people like to go on vacation; near beaches, lakes, rivers, mountains, deserts, golf courses and so on. A vacation rental provides a lot more space to the guests than a hotel room. T
he vacation rental home is often the destination for vacationers. And the best thing is that a vacation rental often costs less per person to stay in than a hotel. There are plenty of good reasons to consider a vacation rental home when traveling.
1. Do business with a professional management company.
A management company has streamlined systems because they are performing these services for several homes, not just one. And because they do this every day, all day, they know what they are doing. Look for a professional website that lists all of the homes offered, features and amenities of the homes, rates, dates of availability and rental policies. There should be clear contact info which includes an office address, mailing address, phone numbers (including a toll free number) and email contact. Even if you choose to book online, make a phone call to the office to make sure there really are people working there. Remember, the management company provides jobs and is the livelihood for the owner, so they care about their reputation and that they stay in business.
2. Make sure you get a rental contract from the vacation rental manager.
The rental agreement should clearly outline the name of the home you are renting, the arrival and departure dates of your stay, a break-down of your total charges along with payment due dates and rental and cancellation policies. You should receive this rental contract by email within 24 hours or by regular mail within a few days.
