“Unexpected Experiences & Tips for Selecting a Rental.”
Vacation Rentals are a terrific option for short to long vacation getaways. Rentals provide space to spread out, the ability to cook, a chance to explore a specific area, time to relax, and rentals have significant savings from traditional hotel costs. Couples, families, or other small groups will find comfy houses, cabins, condos, or lodges for accommodations in vacation rentals. Yet, despite careful research, vacation rentals come with unanticipated surprises along with the positives.
Having personally rented over 25 different vacation rentals (from a few days to 3 months) from the East to West Coast and Europe, we have learned many ‘ins and outs” of finding a suitable rental. By sharing our experiences you will gain insight into the good and unanticipated issues with vacation rentals. Our guidance and tips will help find the right vacation rental.
VACATION RENTAL WEBSITES:
Today’s technology makes locating the right vacation rental for one’s need reasonably simple. Whether using Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO.com), Homeaway.com, airbnb.com or local rental agencies for a specific area, the Internet offers the ability to know the basics of the property, the amenities, view pictures, take virtual tours and even a location map. Also, the availability calendar on many sites include rates per day, week, and/or month. Renters’ reviews provide positive and negatives of the rental, as well as, how the owner or manager handles issues.
VACATION RENTAL TALES:
Neighborhoods are for Neighbors NOT Vacation Rentals. VRBO Not Welcome! – No to VRBO! These are just some of the signs in the neighbor’s yard, for our Labor Day one-week rental. Thankfully, the rental owner alerted us. We learn the neighbor’s son is in the “sign making business.” On another rental, the website clearly state it is 1.5 bathrooms. Where is the half bath? It’s hidden in the laundry area – a toilet and sink. Nicknamed the “Secret Bathroom,” it’s the grandchildren’s favorite bathroom. Being next door to a summer camps for boys and girls, “bugle calls” woke us each morning and alerted us to bedtime. There was no driveway or entrance into the garage on a mountain rental. Heavy rains delayed the driveway being completed, so it’s a day delay before we can check-in. Just a few samples of unique experiences with vacation rentals. A few deserve a bit more explanation.
Seeking a vacation rental in Italy, the options are a one-bedroom or a three-bedroom. A November rental is challenging as tourist season is over. We opt for the one-bedroom and notify both owners of our decision. FUNNY! An email from the 3-bedroom owner, says, “Thanks, I knew you had a rental, as you are renting my wife’s place.” Arriving in Poggibonsi, Italy the GPS cannot locate the rental. Thankfully, a gracious Italian lady at the grocery store calls the owner. It’s like a movie scene, the Italian lady uses her hands as the owner gives directions. For five days we are the ONLY renters on this 14 unit property, a unique series of buildings on a hilltop in Tuscany. Heat is an issue and the thermostat is different. The owner sets it. It’s still cold. Being humorous Richard says, “We’re having to cuddle each night to stay warm.” That night we turn down the bed. Yes, the owner added an extra blanket. Finally we master the thermostat. Scrittoio , I MELOGRANI DEL CHIANTI
On our Yellowstone National Park Road Trip, we plan a 3-week respite in the Rocky Mountains. After careful research, we locate a rental outside Breckenridge, Colorado. We had issues on prior mountain rentals so now we verify if there are paved roads to the property and steepness of the driveway. In an email on these questions, the owner mentions the rental is at 11, 400 ft. elevation. After arriving, Richard is lethargic, no energy, and doesn’t want to leave the rental. It’s altitude sickness! The highest peak in the Rockies is 13,123 feet, yet, we Floridian’s are staying at 11,400 ft. Immediately we contact our primary physician for a script for Altitude Sickness and a visit the ER to get script for oxygen.
For a one month rental in Swannanoa, NC, we check-in at the rental agency. Official check-in is 3:00PM, but we decide to drive by the rental to see the exact location. The unpaved road is washed out! Even our SUV can’t climb the steep grade. It’s back to rental office. It is not acceptable to spend a month in a place that is this difficult to reach by car. Now to locate a last minute rental in “high season.” We leave a message at the sales office at the Village of Cheshire in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Searching the Internet is unsuccessful, so we get a hotel room. That evening the sales agent of the Village of Cheshire calls. There is a new home for rent. We meet to tour the Owl’s Nest, a treehouse (3-story house) that is beautiful. The next day we finalize a rental agreement. The Owl’s Nest is perfect and we rent it the next summer. Now, the Village of Cheshire is our preferred location in the NC Mountains.
GUIDANCE AND TIPS FOR VACATION RENTALS
Must Have
In preparing for a vacation rental evaluate what the “must haves.” Sometimes in researching it is easy to overlook something then later realize it’s a necessity. Below are recommendations on locating and seeking what is important when considering a vacation rental. While some may seem obvious this is a good review of the variety of things to consider for a rental.
Websites
A good starting point is to check out the websites of VRBO.com, Homeaway.com, and Airbnb.com for rentals. Usually, local rental realtors also list on these sights, so it provides a venue of connecting with them. Websites can save a lot of time. Learn how the site works and the various benefits it has in narrowing down a search for the “right” rental. This includes:
• Review the specific websites to see filters available for price and bedrooms.
• The “more filters” options helps narrow down the search. This saves time of sorting thru rentals that do not meet the desired needs. An example if bringing a pet, then only look at rentals that allow pets. These filters usually include: Property Type, Location, Property Reviews, Features & Amenities, House Rules, Safety & Accessibility, Neighborhood, etc. Decide the most important features for the desired rental to narrow the search.
• Sign-up – It is good to sign up on the website. Rentals can be saved as “favorites” (Trip Boards) for comparing later. This is much easier for comparing rentals than writing down rental numbers.
DETERMINE BASICS FOR THE VACATION RENTAL
Desired location: Geographic specifically City, State.
• Very helpful today is rental websites often have a location map (googlemaps.com) which provides the ability to see exactly where the rental is both by map and satellite.
• Even without the address, the location can be pinned down so renters can also see what is around the property.
General Location: Mountains (verify the altitude), Waterfront, Lake, Beachfront, Downtown, Urban, Rural, etc. Some places can be miles to the nearest town, a short drive, or even walk to town. Know the preference as what is most important.
• Websites frequently give mileage to the city center which is helpful in seeing if it fits for location.
• In the mountains a few miles can equate to a longer drive time on winding mountain roads. For mountain rentals, we prefer a little closer to town.
Property Type: House, cabin, cottage, condo/apartment, bungalow, chalet, villa, lodge, townhouse, studio, room, etc. What is your preference? Website filters allow for the selection type of rental to narrow the search. Also consider whether it is one, two or more stories. Plus condos, apartments, or lodges might not have elevators even though multi-stories.
Length for rental: How long for desired rental? Desired days or weeks or months.
Price: Have an estimated budget for rental per day/week/month.
• Rates should be less for longer stays.
• Be alert to add-ons of taxes, rental fees, cleaning fees, deposits, etc.
• We have success negotiating decreased rates as we share that we are “seniors.”
• Frequently, we connect directly with an owner and negotiate a better rate than the published website rates. Negotiating directly with the owner, when possible can eliminate rental fees (avoiding VRBO or local realty fees), as well as, cleaning fees. Our rentals are consistently cleaner when we leave.
• Rentals through real estate companies are much more difficult for negotiating rates. The agent has to contact the owner being either your advocate or the owner’s advocate.
• Whenever possible, our goal is to deal with the owner as opposed to a realtor or property manager.
Rental Agreement, Payments, Security Deposits, Cancellation Policy, etc.:
• Payment Options: While rentals accept either a check or credit card for payment and/or deposit, a majority prefer a check. When opting to pay by credit card, there usually is an extra fee.
• Payment schedule: The amount and time of the payment varies for each rental. Typically, upon confirming rental dates and agreeing to the rental, a percentage of the rent is due then. The amount can be up to 50% of the rental price for long term rentals and even 100% of the rental for short rentals. The owner/manager should provide details of payment dates and amounts due. Some rentals will require full payment be made even 60 days in advance, where another may require the final payment the day of check-in. Consider how the payment schedule works for the desired rental and timeframe. See about negotiating a change in the schedule, if appropriate. Keep track of the payment due dates to assure payments are made timely.
• Rental Agreement: The rental agreement can be a simple document explaining dates of payments, deposits, cleaning fees, and basic rules for the rental. Others can be a multi-page document prepared by an attorney with legal wording of rules, responsibilities of each party, deadlines, cancellation policies and more. Read any rental agreement carefully to assure it is satisfactory. Keep a copy of any rental agreement signed.
• Security Deposit: Frequently rentals require a Security Deposit. The amount will vary depending on the type of rental. Typically, the rental agent/owner/manager will actually hold the check for the Security Deposit and return the check once the property has been checked and verified no damage was done. If any damage was done, then it will be deducted from the Security Deposit. We successfully avoided security deposits on many rentals as senior renters.
• Cancellation Policy: The cancellation policy is very important as an emergency situation can occur that prevents using the rental. For many rentals in “high season” especially, the cancellation policy can be up to 30 days before the rental while others are as close as the day of check-in. In the past year, we have had two instances with an emergency that caused cancellation of the rental. Lucky for us, in each instance the rental agreement cancellation was the actual day of check-in, so we were able to cancel without any monetary penalty. Note: We have not used rental insurance for any of our rentals. This is something each individual should consider based on their personal situation, the specifics of the rental agreement and comfort with the rental owner/manager.
• Cleaning Fee: It is normal for most rentals to automatically have a cleaning fee. This is usually around $100 but can be more for a larger rental (house). Renting through agencies, there will always be the cleaning fee and no option for removing it. Being very neat seniors, we consistently leave any rental cleaner than when we arrived. We’ve frequently had the cleaning fee waived when dealing directly with the owner. One owner sent a special thank you note to us, saying he had never seen the house left in such “spic n span” condition.
• House Rules: These include check-in and check-out times, no pets/pets, non-smoking/smoking, minimum age renter, maximum number of guests, parties/no parties. Usually house rules are also included in the Rental Agreement. Just be sure to review the House Rules to assure all is in line with how the rental is to be used.
Time of year: This can have a huge impact on rental availability and price. When planning a rental in “high tourist season,” it is necessary to plan months or even a year ahead of time to have more choices. While shoulder or off-season can be fairly easy to locate rentals.
No Pets/Pets: This is a major factors that quickly figure into the desired rental. Always utilize this filter when researching a rental.
Bedrooms: Number needed and type of beds preferred. From pictures or details of the rental be alert to furnishings in the bedrooms, spaciousness, and how it fits for your needs. For extended stays be sure there are dressers and closets.
• Usually King or Queen bed in Master Bedroom (4 posters – one rental had a four poster bed that was very high. It was hard for us short leg people to crawl in and out.)
• For multi-level rentals what floors have bedrooms? We prefer Master Bedroom on the main floor.
• Who else is staying? What are needs for bedrooms? When our family visit the preference is one bedroom with king/queen and another bedroom with twin beds.
• Are lofts counted as bedrooms? Lofts do not have privacy. One rental had the Master Bedroom in a loft over living room. From the living room the entire bedroom was visible through the railings. Anyone in the living room could hear any conversation and see any activity (dressing, etc.). Lofts for children to sleep in are a problem. Early bedtimes limits visiting, watching TV, etc. in living area.
• A 3-month rental had no closet in the Master Bedroom.
Bathrooms: Number and type: Consider is one bathroom adjacent to Master Bedroom, is a bathroom convenient for guests, single or double sinks, tub/shower, shower only, toilet, counter and storage space, overall spaciousness, etc.
• A 3 bedroom rental with a 1.5 bath is tight with 6 people sharing the main bathroom.
• In two different rentals the bathroom was very narrow and the door opened into the bathroom sink- it literally hit the sink. You had to push the door in, then walk in, and close the door to get to the sink.
How many people does rental sleep? This confirms whether using hideaway sofas or other for the sleep count. Depending on planned use and time for the rental, sometimes groups are seeking enough sleeping space (family gatherings or ski groups). Our preference is all guests sleeping in bedrooms, allowing use of other living facilities for early risers or night owls.
Square footage: This square footage provides an idea of the spaciousness of the place. Places can be 3 bedroom but in a very small square footage – where bedrooms are tiny. In a townhouse rental it was difficult to just walk around the bed.
Living Area & Furnishings: Determine what is necessary for the living area. Usually, a couple of good chairs, couch, TV, tables, lamps, are the basics. How many people will use the unit? Can all be seated in the living area?
• Do the furnishings look comfortable? How spacious is the living area. From the pictures see if the furniture looks comfortable, bare bones (not necessarily comfortable), and fresh.
• Rentals (especially in ski areas where they rent to groups of young skiers trying to get a lot of people in one rental) there is TOO much furniture.
• Often rentals have upscale furnishings including knickknacks, not fitting for renting when little children are around.
Dining Room/Dinette: Verify the dining room meets the needs for the visit. It should be able to seat as many guests as the rental can sleep.
Kitchen: This can be from a kitchenette to full kitchen. What is desired? This should include stove (electric or gas), refrigerator, dishwasher, sink, microwave, coffee maker, and toaster. Verify the dishes, utensils and glassware.
• Enough dishes for the number the rental sleeps.
• Some rentals have a lot of cooking utensils while others are bare-bones.
• Pantry items are nice for rentals – some will offer and others do not. This may include starter set of paper towels, dish and dishwasher soap, coffee, sugar, tea, salt and pepper, as well as some other kitchen staples.
Entertainment: TV (satellite or cable), DVD, CD, games, books, etc. Depending on how time is spent will decide what additional leisure items are needed. With tablets and smart phones these may be less important.
• What rooms have TV’s? For renters who like to watch TV, then be sure the TV will get preferred channels. With SMART TV’s provide more choices. A rental may not have full access to the various TV channels available at home.
• Consider if other entertainment is important for the rental which includes games, puzzles, and books.
Internet: In today’s electronic age this is a “must have.”
Access and parking: Ease of access to the rental can be very important.
• Is it accessible by paved road or other (gravel –dirt). Be sure to know the ease of access from main road, the driveway, and parking situation. Some rentals can have surprises of steep driveways, gravel roads, limited parking, only street parking, etc.
• What is parking and turnaround? Be sure there is space for turning around- usually at least for 2 cars.
• Other features with rentals is garage (is it available to renters), carports, or multiple parking spaces.
• For condos and apartments verify parking spaces assigned for the rental. One friend renting a beach condo wouldn’t go out to dinner, as on return the guest parking spaces were consistently taken.
Outside Amenities: This covers a variety of outside amenities including:
• Porches/Verandas: Covered or not, screened in or not, size, lighting, ceiling fans, location, spaciousness, and furniture are important to know.
• Deck/Patios: Location, furniture, features (grill, fire pit, picnic areas).
• Pool/Hot Tub: Size, depth, screened, consider the basics of how using the rental and what is important for the visit. Any restrictions on use of the pool or hot tub.
• Pool/Lake Access: sometimes the rental may provide pool/lake access for condo or subdivisions. Verify ability to have access and that appropriate passes are provided as part of the rental. Rentals in Shanty Creek, Belleaire, MI provided access to a really nice off-site lake. We were glad the passes to the lake were available at the rental.
• Exterior Lighting: Especially if you may be coming and going at night, what exterior lighting is there. Often motion detectors are in the driveways and parking areas to assure it is safe when exiting a vehicle to the rental. Some rentals can be very isolated away from street lights to outdoor lighting is very important for security and safety reason.
Air Conditioning/Heat/Fireplace: Verify the type of A/C & heat. Central air and heat is often the norm but many cabins/cottages might have window units. Be sure that these meet the desired needs for the rental.
• In winter and summer months some locations will have an additional charge if electricity is over a certain usage or a basic extra charge for heat (Europe rentals often have this).
• Window units can be from the basic to today’s more sophisticated units.
• Fireplaces are found in many rentals. These may be gas, wood fireplaces or wood burning stoves. Some rentals provide wood and starters for fireplaces. Some may have a fireplace but don’t allow renters to use it. Check to make sure this meets with the needs of the rental.
Other Basics for rentals: Usually under the rental description it will include and clarify most of the following:
• Washer/Dryer – these can be full size modern washer dryers to basic stackable washer/dryers.
• Iron & Ironing board – while not important to everyone, many renters still like to iron or touch up attire so an iron and ironing board is important. (A rental in Colorado not have an iron and ironing board which is still important for many renters. The owner said she never ironed so there wasn’t an iron and ironing board. I shared that I didn’t drink coffee but if I had a vacation rental, it would have a coffee maker.)
• Hair dryer(s) – usually rentals have hair dryers but nice to know ahead of time, when packing.
• Linens provided – this usually includes towels, wash clothes, sheets, pillows, blankets to accommodate the number of people sleeping in the rental.
• Safety Features: Check to see what additional safety features the rental has which may include Carbon-monoxide Detector, Fire Extinguisher, and Smoke Dector/Alarm.
These tales and tips should provide a good basis for anyone seeking a vacation rental. Don’t let the many details get overwhelming, just pay attention to what the “must haves” are for the rental. Then be alert to the other items that will assure it best fits your personal needs for a fun vacation getaway. Now, find the “right” vacation getaway. ENJOY THE TRIP!