Category: Top » Family » Holidays

Vacation Rentals - Renting from an owner vs. renting from a manager

Tags: vacations, families, rentals, sanibel, captiva

There is a category of family vacationers who are not content to stay in a hotel. They have discovered the benefits of renting a privately owned condominium or house. They have become accustomed to the extra space and privacy a condo or home gives them.

If you are traveling as a family, having a separate room for the children not only means more space. It also means more privacy. What adult wants to walk around in various stages of bedroom dress while kids are in the room? In fact, what kid wants to see they spectacle?

It’s also generally more pleasant just to have a room to get away to. Some condos offer extra bedrooms, and most houses have several options for who sleeps where. Families with more than one or two kids find the benefits even more advantageous.

Of course, you always can rent multiple hotel rooms or suites. Most families don’t have that kind of money however.

For example, a recent survey of hotels/motels/resorts vs. condos/cottages/vacation homes in Lee County, Florida (aka “The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel”), indicated that the average daily rate in March 2008 for the former was $232.44 and the average daily rate for the latter was $261.73. Since condos and homes almost invariably have at least two or three bedrooms, the equivalent space in a hotel/motel/resort would be somewhere between $464.88 to $697.32.

And the average hotel room or suite lacks another benefit of condo or home vacationing: the availability of kitchen facilities. The ability to prepare your own food from time to time takes the pressure off your timetable and your budget.

The next question is whether to rent directly from a private owner or through a rental manager.

The advantage of an owner direct rental usually is a price break. If an owner hires a rental manager to maintain the property when the owner is away, check in guests when they arrive and standby for repairs and emergencies, the rental manager is going to want to be paid for those services. Without a rental manager to pay, the private owner can rent his or her place for less, discounting the cost of the manager’s service.

As with anything else in life, however, you get what you pay for.

If the private owners, who often live somewhere different, have to keep tabs on the condition of the unit, they still have to hire someone to clean and inspect the property, and do necessary repairs.

We all know that some contractors are only as good as the person watching them. There would seem to be a good possibility that the unit will be cleaned superficially, and faulty appliances and HVAC systems will only be diagnosed when the guests show up.

What vacationer wants to cope with waiting for service or repairs when arriving for their long anticipated vacation?

As a case in point, good friends rented a private guest house in the Southwest directly from the owner. They specified the need for high speed internet access, to which the owner agreed.

Upon arrival, they found that the promised internet connection had been disconnected. They asked to have it reinstalled only to learn that the owner was short of cash to pay the delinquent cable charges. They were required to pick up the charges to have the cable modem reinstalled. They agreed to do so, only to learn that it would take three weeks to complete the installation. The upshot was that the first three weeks of their one month rental were spent making frequent trips to Starbucks and Kinko’s to get on line.

While waiting for the hook-up, they took a two day side trip to a nearby town. When they returned they learned that the electric power also had been cut off due to failure to pay the bill.

They reported that it was a very hot summer and there was no way they could stay in guest house without power even to run a room fan. They had to relocate to a nearby motel. Fortunately, they reported, the motel not only solved the power problem, it also had high speed internet service. It was a relief for the three days it took to get the electricity turned on, but not a place they would have chosen to spend their month’s vacation.

It’s a good bet that no professional management firm would have rented the place without being sure that it was as promised services. It’s an equally good bet that, if these problems had come up when they checked in, a professional rental manager would have found another place for them – and probably with a complimentary upgrade.

Unfortunately, since the owner had only one place, there was no other place to move our friends. They had to deal with the problem and handle it themselves. As a result, they felt that the money they saved with the direct rental was more than canceled out by the distress of the situation, on which no price could be placed.

Granted, this was an anecdotal experience. Most direct-from-owner rentals don’t turn out this way. Based on my research, however, it happens more often than you or I ought to accept.

And there are other complications. For example, how do you check in if your owner is not on the premises? Did you get a key in the mail? Are you sure the key will work when you get to the unit? What if it doesn’t work? What if you misplace the key, or lock yourself out of the unit? How will you get back in?

If the owner has arranged to have a neighbor or friend let you in when you arrive, what happens if your arrival is delayed. Will the neighbor be happy to let you in at 2 am in morning?

What if something unanticipated happens while you are there? One horror story I heard involved a woman staying in a condo when the unit above it flooded. The water decided to come through the ceiling, bringing some of the ceiling with it. The owner in a distant city was called. The tenant was told that nothing could be done for a day or two, until the unit had been inspected and a repair contractor contacted.

The tenant called a third-party rental manager in desperation. That company, which had nothing to do the original direct rental, was able to find her another place the same day. Of course, she had to pay for the new place. Had she rented a similar unit from that manager in the first place, the problem would have been handled promptly at no additional cost.

Then there is the question of cleanliness. A private owner can contract with an independent cleaning service. Again, the cleaning will be only as good as the contract cleaner. If the bed linens are laundered in the unit, will the water be hot enough to sanitize the sheets and towels? A professional manager will have a professional linen service that is required to replace linens used by the previous occupant with freshly laundered and sanitized items.

Even overall condition can be questionable. Periodically, we read about people who show up at their units only to find that the photos representing the place were taken months and many tenants earlier. Furnishings are worn and premises are dirty. In one case, the renter refused to stay overnight in the unit because it was so filthy. The owner’s response was that he had paid an individual to maintain and keep the place clean. The owner had no idea that the individual he hired had not done the job.

While that may be a good excuse for the owner, it was scant satisfaction for the guest whose vacation started out as a disaster.

As tempting as is the appeal of a lower cost, the consequences may be far more costly in time, money and vacation experience than the savings. For some families, the savings may be worth the risk. Just so long as they understand what the risk is.

Seed Newsvine

Comments

No comments posted.

Add Comment

You do not have permission to comment. If you log in, you may be able to comment.

<h1>Vacation Rentals - Renting from an owner vs. renting from a manager</h1><br />by eyewriter<br />There is a category of family vacationers who are not content to stay in a hotel. They have discovered the benefits of renting a privately owned condominium or house. They have become accustomed to the extra space and privacy a condo or home gives them.<br /><br />If you are traveling as a family, having a separate room for the children not only means more space. It also means more privacy. What adult wants to walk around in various stages of bedroom dress while kids are in the room? In fact, what kid wants to see they spectacle?<br /><br />It’s also generally more pleasant just to have a room to get away to. Some condos offer extra bedrooms, and most houses have several options for who sleeps where. Families with more than one or two kids find the benefits even more advantageous.<br /><br />Of course, you always can rent multiple hotel rooms or suites. Most families don’t have that kind of money however.<br /><br />For example, a recent survey of hotels/motels/resorts vs. condos/cottages/vacation homes in Lee County, Florida (aka “The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel”), indicated that the average daily rate in March 2008 for the former was $232.44 and the average daily rate for the latter was $261.73. Since condos and homes almost invariably have at least two or three bedrooms, the equivalent space in a hotel/motel/resort would be somewhere between $464.88 to $697.32.<br /><br />And the average hotel room or suite lacks another benefit of condo or home vacationing: the availability of kitchen facilities. The ability to prepare your own food from time to time takes the pressure off your timetable and your budget. <br /><br />The next question is whether to rent directly from a private owner or through a rental manager.<br /><br />The advantage of an owner direct rental usually is a price break. If an owner hires a rental manager to maintain the property when the owner is away, check in guests when they arrive and standby for repairs and emergencies, the rental manager is going to want to be paid for those services. Without a rental manager to pay, the private owner can rent his or her place for less, discounting the cost of the manager’s service.<br /><br />As with anything else in life, however, you get what you pay for.<br /><br />If the private owners, who often live somewhere different, have to keep tabs on the condition of the unit, they still have to hire someone to clean and inspect the property, and do necessary repairs.<br /><br />We all know that some contractors are only as good as the person watching them. There would seem to be a good possibility that the unit will be cleaned superficially, and faulty appliances and HVAC systems will only be diagnosed when the guests show up.<br /><br />What vacationer wants to cope with waiting for service or repairs when arriving for their long anticipated vacation?<br /><br />As a case in point, good friends rented a private guest house in the Southwest directly from the owner. They specified the need for high speed internet access, to which the owner agreed. <br /><br />Upon arrival, they found that the promised internet connection had been disconnected. They asked to have it reinstalled only to learn that the owner was short of cash to pay the delinquent cable charges. They were required to pick up the charges to have the cable modem reinstalled. They agreed to do so, only to learn that it would take three weeks to complete the installation. The upshot was that the first three weeks of their one month rental were spent making frequent trips to Starbucks and Kinko’s to get on line.<br /><br />While waiting for the hook-up, they took a two day side trip to a nearby town. When they returned they learned that the electric power also had been cut off due to failure to pay the bill.<br /><br />They reported that it was a very hot summer and there was no way they could stay in guest house without power even to run a room fan. They had to relocate to a nearby motel. Fortunately, they reported, the motel not only solved the power problem, it also had high speed internet service. It was a relief for the three days it took to get the electricity turned on, but not a place they would have chosen to spend their month’s vacation.<br /><br />It’s a good bet that no professional management firm would have rented the place without being sure that it was as promised services. It’s an equally good bet that, if these problems had come up when they checked in, a professional rental manager would have found another place for them – and probably with a complimentary upgrade.<br /><br />Unfortunately, since the owner had only one place, there was no other place to move our friends. They had to deal with the problem and handle it themselves. As a result, they felt that the money they saved with the direct rental was more than canceled out by the distress of the situation, on which no price could be placed.<br /><br />Granted, this was an anecdotal experience. Most direct-from-owner rentals don’t turn out this way. Based on my research, however, it happens more often than you or I ought to accept.<br /><br />And there are other complications. For example, how do you check in if your owner is not on the premises? Did you get a key in the mail? Are you sure the key will work when you get to the unit? What if it doesn’t work? What if you misplace the key, or lock yourself out of the unit? How will you get back in?<br /><br />If the owner has arranged to have a neighbor or friend let you in when you arrive, what happens if your arrival is delayed. Will the neighbor be happy to let you in at 2 am in morning? <br /><br />What if something unanticipated happens while you are there? One horror story I heard involved a woman staying in a condo when the unit above it flooded. The water decided to come through the ceiling, bringing some of the ceiling with it. The owner in a distant city was called. The tenant was told that nothing could be done for a day or two, until the unit had been inspected and a repair contractor contacted.<br /><br />The tenant called a third-party rental manager in desperation. That company, which had nothing to do the original direct rental, was able to find her another place the same day. Of course, she had to pay for the new place. Had she rented a similar unit from that manager in the first place, the problem would have been handled promptly at no additional cost.<br /><br />Then there is the question of cleanliness. A private owner can contract with an independent cleaning service. Again, the cleaning will be only as good as the contract cleaner. If the bed linens are laundered in the unit, will the water be hot enough to sanitize the sheets and towels? A professional manager will have a professional linen service that is required to replace linens used by the previous occupant with freshly laundered and sanitized items. <br /><br />Even overall condition can be questionable. Periodically, we read about people who show up at their units only to find that the photos representing the place were taken months and many tenants earlier. Furnishings are worn and premises are dirty. In one case, the renter refused to stay overnight in the unit because it was so filthy. The owner’s response was that he had paid an individual to maintain and keep the place clean. The owner had no idea that the individual he hired had not done the job.<br /><br />While that may be a good excuse for the owner, it was scant satisfaction for the guest whose vacation started out as a disaster.<br /><br />As tempting as is the appeal of a lower cost, the consequences may be far more costly in time, money and vacation experience than the savings. For some families, the savings may be worth the risk. Just so long as they understand what the risk is.<br /><br /><h2>About the Author</h2><p>William Ernest Waites is an author with 20 years experience in the tourism and hospitality industry. He currently hosts two web sites concerning <a href="http://www.aboutsanibel.com">Sanibel</a> and <a href="http://www.aboutcaptiva.com">Captiva</a> Islands.</p> <br /><h3><a href="http://www.content4reprint.com/family/holidays/vacation-rentals-renting-from-an-owner-vs.-renting-from-a-manager.htm" title="Vacation Rentals - Renting from an owner vs. renting from a manager">Article Source:</a> <a href="http://www.content4reprint.com" title="Free high quality articles">Content for Reprint</a></h3>