Bluewaters said:
We are new to the rental business and are wondering where people have obtained the contract they use for their weekly rental contracts. If you used an attorney to develop your contract would you recommend them to us? What elements are most critical in your opinion?
I am sure there are pros and cons regarding this subject...but I have two by-owner vacation rental properties in different parts of the South and have operated them successfully for 4 years and have never used a contract. I've never had a dispute or a charge-back to a credit card, and any minor issue that came up was settled in deference to the guest. All pertinent information is on my website, along with a guest-friendly summary of dos and don'ts. Only once can I remember being asked for a contract and in that case I sent something a little more formal in an email. Important information to provide are rental rates, payment timetable, deposit policy, check-in & check-out, cancellation policy, smoking and pet policies, and housekeeping arrangements. It's also important to do some common sense screening by telephone when setting up final arrangements for the rental. You'll find that 95% of the contacts come from women who are in charge of making all the arrangements and all they want is a nice vacation for the family. By and large, they are very easy to work with. (Now that I think of it...the only instance of anything nearing a controversy involved a guy who had done all the arranging.) If you deliver the product you have promised, you won't have any problems. Also, accept the fact that things are going to get broken from time to time and some things will walk out the door. It's just a cost of doing business. If you're overly excitable about such things...you'll start treating 100% of the customers like the 5% of customers who aren't ideal...and problems will result. Good luck. I'm sure others have experiences and suggestions to share that have worked for them.
