Beach Runner, I rent my houses on my own, so i can't help you in the management compnay department. But, if you ever decided to do this or even work with a rental agency, having a good housekeeper is key as Donna said. That would be my biggest concern if I ever delegated my rentals to a mgt. co.
Its my 3rd season renting on my own, and it can be time consuming, but I get a good feel for the people by speaking with them on the phone. I also e-mail them lots of info prior to arrival, keep family photos inside so it feels more intimate (not too many all over) a guest book, and I also call on turns early evening and ask if the house was clean and satisfactory. I find the calls are well received mostly. I only had serious damages once by unsupervised teenagers and I learned I only will be renting to families during spring time.
Fortunately I hold the deposits so I was able to get reimbursed. I also had one family decide to bring 4 people more than allowed on the lease, and they did not get their security back either. I tend to get a feeling when someone calls or by the tone of their e-mail what kind of guest they will be. Of course doing this on your own requires time for weeding out the inquiries that seem may be possibly problematic. I also do not think that people try to negotiate with a rental company as much as directly with owner, so more weeding.
Otherwise I have had minor damages which I think goes with the territory, like burnt out blenders, dirty hands on the walls, people not cleaning the dishes or refridgerators out. Most of the time I find out from my housekeeper, and then make a decision to deduct or not or call the guest and ask what happened. I had one person leave food in the fridge that she didn't think would keep, and my housekeeper was annoyed that she had to clean it all out and charged me more. After speaking with the guest, I decided not to deduct it from deposit because she felt that perhaps the housekeeper or next guest would benefit from having mayo, mustard etc., so now I just include in my lease addendum that the fridge needs to be emptied to avoid that problem again.
I feel bad that some rental agencies do not report these things to the owners. Why bother collecting a deposit then?
Hope you find a new company that will respect your wishes.
Its my 3rd season renting on my own, and it can be time consuming, but I get a good feel for the people by speaking with them on the phone. I also e-mail them lots of info prior to arrival, keep family photos inside so it feels more intimate (not too many all over) a guest book, and I also call on turns early evening and ask if the house was clean and satisfactory. I find the calls are well received mostly. I only had serious damages once by unsupervised teenagers and I learned I only will be renting to families during spring time.
Fortunately I hold the deposits so I was able to get reimbursed. I also had one family decide to bring 4 people more than allowed on the lease, and they did not get their security back either. I tend to get a feeling when someone calls or by the tone of their e-mail what kind of guest they will be. Of course doing this on your own requires time for weeding out the inquiries that seem may be possibly problematic. I also do not think that people try to negotiate with a rental company as much as directly with owner, so more weeding.
Otherwise I have had minor damages which I think goes with the territory, like burnt out blenders, dirty hands on the walls, people not cleaning the dishes or refridgerators out. Most of the time I find out from my housekeeper, and then make a decision to deduct or not or call the guest and ask what happened. I had one person leave food in the fridge that she didn't think would keep, and my housekeeper was annoyed that she had to clean it all out and charged me more. After speaking with the guest, I decided not to deduct it from deposit because she felt that perhaps the housekeeper or next guest would benefit from having mayo, mustard etc., so now I just include in my lease addendum that the fridge needs to be emptied to avoid that problem again.
I feel bad that some rental agencies do not report these things to the owners. Why bother collecting a deposit then?
Hope you find a new company that will respect your wishes.
Rant over.
