Welcome Advice from Renters for Rentals

[Paula]

Greetings:

To take our mind off hurricane Dennis and to get back to normal and look toward the future on lovely 30A, there have been several recommendations to start a thread for "best practices" for rental properties. It seems that the best people to contribute to this thread would be the guests who stay at the properties. So, for those of us who rent out our properties on 30A:

What would you like rentals to provide for you?
What can we do to make your vacation a great one?
What would make you want to come back to the same rental property again and again?
What do you not like (I don't want this to be a "rental bashing" thread at all, but it is helpful to know about bad experiences so we don't repeat them -- so just let us know kindly what you didn't like as well).

Thanks!

 

[dusty]

Thanks, Paula!

I'll start with a few things:

--avoid too many knicknacks (I want to say chotch-keys but I don't know how to spell it ) because they are easy knock over. For example: we have stayed in a place with lots of family pictures along a sofa table in a high traffic area that were just asking to get brushed off by accident. We move these to a safe place while we are there and replace when we are ready to leave.

--please have somewhere to hang towels in the bathrooms. I have stayed in nice places that have no hooks or towel rods whatsoever. When you do install them, please install on the studs so they do not easily come out of the wall.

--please have a real shower rod and not the spring loaded type that comes down when you just push the shower curtain back to turn on the water.

--leave at least one cupboard in the kitchen bare so we can put our dry goods groceries out of sight. Last place we stayed had every kitchen cabinet full, and many cabinets with full of several different sets of glassware--there were 5-7 full sets of wine glasses and cocktail glasses!

--please have potholders! More than two would be nice-- we can put them under a hot dish so we won't burn the counter or table.

--if you have fancy, complicated electronics (flat screen tv, vcr/dvd, stereo speakers and cable, each with a remote) please type out an idiot's guide to turning on the tv and changing channels. Sometimes we have to spend quite some time trying to get it to work. (Then we put the extraneous remotes out of sight so we won't goof it up again )

 

[Kim Smith]

Dusty,

Thanks for your imput. I always email my departing guests to ask them about their stay and how I can make their stay even better and your responses have been a lot of what I have been hearing.

 

[Paula]

Dusty:

Great advice so far. We'll be at our cottages next week and again in August and will follow-up with your advice (the ones we haven't done yet!).

Best,
Paula

 

[dusty]

OK, I'm on a roll here, but one thing that would be nice to have in condo type units is something to get your luggage, coolers and stuff to your door. When we stayed at Dunes of Seagrove there was one of those luggage cart things that they have in hotels and it was wonderful to unload the car in one fell swoop. We have since stayed in two other upscale condo places and neither had the luggage transport thingee. Even a dolly type thing would help. Granted, this is a nice to have, but after you have driven 12 hours, it is nice to have an easy time unloading.

Also, in condo type units, it would be nice to have a notice posted in the laundry room where the garbage can be taken-- a little map. Nothing like walking around in the hot sun with a bag or two of garbage trying to find where the dumpster is hidden.

Thank you, owners for making lovely places available for us to rent. We would not be able to appreciate the area if it were not for you and we do not want to be in some big high rise in Destin!

 

[BeachDreamer]

The best rental I have ever stayed in was in the mountains rather than at the beach, but I wanted to share some of the things that especially delighted us.

The owners had stocked the house full of lovely little comforts. There were movies stored in the entertainment system to watch, a shelf full of games to play for kids or adults, shelves of books to read on a rainy afternoon, and a "toy area" with sturdy childrens' toys.

Outside there were candles set all around the hottub that you could light, and birdfeeders near the windows to entertain us when we were sitting on the porch or inside the house.

We were so amazed that the owners would have gone to such trouble, and were so trusting with their renters, that we went even further our of our way to leave everything exactly as we'd found it.

The owner called after we'd arrived to make sure we'd gotten settled and to see if we needed anything. She was very friendly.

We loved looking through the guest book at all of the different people who had visited the home, and they were all as appreciative of everything as we were.

Of course, not everyone could go to this extent, but it sure made a lasting impression on us. Things for kids - colors and coloring books, games or dependable toys, can be found for pretty cheap and can really make a place seem friendly. It can also establish a base of repeat families who would hopefully appreciate and care for your home while they are there.

 

[amylouky]

What a good idea!
We come down there every August, and never quite know what to expect with our rental. We've had excellent rentals, with plenty of supplies (clean towels, sheets, etc..) and terrible ones, with dirty linens, no patio chairs, and NOTHING to do. (One year, our rental had a library of paperbacks, a few VHS tapes, and some board games.. the next year, our rental didn't even have a VCR! Guess which one we'll go back to?)
Some tips I have are:

1. Be honest. Don't advertise your place as "gulf-front" if it's 200 yards from the beach. Don't advertise a "well-stocked" kitchen if you barely have service for two.
2. I know some of the differences are due to the rental service agencies and what they provide, so maybe keeping comment cards/surveys so you can track whether they're doing their job would help.
3. Guestbooks are fun. It's always nice to read what other people have enjoyed about the place, and add our own comments.
4. Have extra pillows! (ditto for towels)
5. Webpages help. I won't rent a place unless I can see pictures beforehand (been "surprised" before).
6. Knick-knacks really don't enhance my vacation experience. Pictures, etc. on the walls are nice, but I'm always scared I'll break (and get charged for) the little stuff on the tables and counters.
7. Don't paint your walls mango pink, and have a tropical blue, green and yellow sofa. Really. Just don't.
8. A starter supply of tp, laundry detergent, dish detergent, etc. really helps.. we have a 12 hour drive to get down there, and generally aren't in the mood to go to the store when we get there.
9. Have a shelf dedicated somewhere for a library. It will probably refill itself.. I know I left a few of the paperbacks that I brought on the shelf in our last rental.
10. Let me stay for free? (just kidding on that one. Unless you'd say yes? )

P.S.
We can't wait to come down this year. We're hoping that Mother Nature will have mended the beaches some by then.. is there anything we'll be able to do to help? (We're coming down Aug. 13)

 

[phdphay]

There are some great ideas in this thread. I personally have always felt that the rental management companies with which I'm familiar don't provide the amenities expected by someone who spends as much as our guests spend to stay at our home. I have suggested to them that I make up gift bags with extras, but they say they can't do custom amenities for each rental property. I'd just like for my guests to have more of a feeling of home when they arrive, such as the following:

Kitchen - paper towels, dishwashing liquid, coffee/sweeteners for the next morning, bottled water

Bathrooms - nice, big pieces of soap, Kleenex

Laundry room - detergent and Clorox II

... and other amenities mentioned on this thread.

I've thought about just stashing this stuff away and letting the guests find it. But how do I know if one guest just takes home 4-weeks worth of guest baskets home?

So, how about a "Pay It Forward" (from the movie) concept - modified to a 1-to-1 ratio rather than 1-to 3, as in the movie? I provide certain amenities and leave a note asking my guests to replace what they use. Do you think this would work?

 

[amylouky]

I think so, but better check with your rental/cleaning company.. some of them throw "leftovers" such as dish detergent, etc. away.
I always leave more than I brought.. I don't mean trash, but if I have leftover detergents, trash bags, etc. I'll leave them under the sink for the next people.
Now a question.. last year we bought some beach chairs and the cheapy umbrellas. We gave them to a couple who was arriving as we were leaving.. would it be bad to leave them at the rental (on the patio, for example) if we don't find anyone to take them? I never have trunk space for them but hate to waste them.

 

[sunsetDreamin]

I agree with all the ideas listed here! I'll put a couple things that made our past experiences ... interesting, just so ya'll are completely prepared :roll:

1. Make sure that all of your furniture is in good condition - no glass tables that are missing glass, patio furniture that's cracked, or extra furniture (especially mirrors) that's lying around, which could injure someone that might knock it over

2. Keep kitchen appliances in good condition - once we stayed at a place whose garbage disposal made a noise that people could hear for miles. Plus, it was wired wierd with the coffee maker so that one wouldn't work if the other was on or something like that

3. Possibly store some water toys for kids in an extra closet. My family can't fit an extra boogie board (or three) in our van, but a few times the owners had one in their closet, and we sure enjoyed it. Sandcastle stuff or an inner tube would also benefit the trunk space-challenged.

4. Try and keep shower curtain liners clean and mold-free. We usually bring a shower curtain liner, becasue they can get pretty scary. Also, have a skid mat in the shower, so no one, especially kids, gets hurt.