Reading how the locals resent the renters

[beachmouse]

98% of the guests down here are great people. It's the last, lowest 2% that'll drive you stark raving bonkers and/or incite fierce rage at times. And live down here long enough, and you will end up with your share of 2%'er stories.

And there's something about the week of 4th of July that gets to the locals down here. It's like you're halfway through the worst of the crowds, and mid-August when they start to thin out seems so long away. You're sick of having that many people around who are all doing their best to love the place to death. You start long discussions about assumptions you make based on license plates (Georgia drivers- generally good; Alabama- good natured, but not used to dealing with traffic laws as laws rather than suggestions; Texas- high number of 2%'ers; Tennessee- generally inoffensive) You start dreaming about October when the weather is good, but the crowds are smaller.

Add in the usual hurricane stress to the usual 4th of July grumbling, and it makes for a bunch of tense and occasionally snippy locals.

 

[Camp Creek Kid]

You are exactly right.

 

[jennyrae]

Hey thanks all you nice 'rentees' for posting! I was worried there for a bit, thinking all felt the same towards us but I am so glad to see I was wrong.

My 3 sisters and I meet every year in Nashville and drive down from there ffor a week of no work, kids, or husbands! It's my job to find the perfect place to stay and I think every year, each place is even better than the prevoius year. I use Garrett Realty but after reading here, I am thinking of renting directly from home owners. Do most of you list on VRBO? I already have a few bookmarked from there for next year. I would love to have a landlord as nice as some of you seem to be.

We are all in our 50's and always leave the houses in perfect condition. And beaches are sacred! Would never dream of so much as littering on a blessed beach. It's always such a relief when I get there in March and see that precious beach.

On another note, my husband is going to come for clean up this year. I know it will get done without him but it always made me proud that he gave up his time to help. I hope all of you come out of this OK and have minimal damage.

Thanks again all. Hope to rent from you someday!

 

[jennyrae]

Sorry typo! My husband IS NOT able to come help this year. I should have previewed.

 

[bhilyer]

I have just "discovered" your wonderful area this summer. I have spent the last 12 summers in Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area, but after Ivan the area wasn't ready. Some friends invited us for a weekend in Seacrest. Fell in love with the area immediately! So I began looking for a place in your area and I came upon VRBO. I have now rented two homes this summer using this web sight-one in Santa Rosa near TopSail and the other in three weeks in Seagrove. I like being able to speak directly to the owner. And the two owners have been nothing but kind; going out of their way to make our visit a great one. It makes it more personal. You feel a responsibilty to take extra good care of things.

I am amazed at the stories I have read today from the owners. I'm sorry people don't have more respect for your things. I was taught you always take care of other peoples belongings better than your own. And if you break something, you replace it. We've had to do this, with an umbrella the wind got a hold of and a glass was broke and we replaced it with a new set.
It's just what you do. And this can be stressful when you're bringing a lot of small children, but they have to learn respect for property, too.

 

[bhilyer]

Okay - why am I a "BEACH CRAB" and not a "beach tourist" or "beach lover"?

 

[BeachDreamer]

Okay - why am I a "BEACH CRAB" and not a "beach tourist" or "beach lover"?

Your "status" changes as you post more. Everyone started out as a little sand crab, no worries!

 

[wetwilly]

I was a "renter" orignally in the Destin area (Cabana Club Condos) for 8 years and then rented in the Santa Rosa/Seagrove area for 10 more years and just became a home owner this past April. As a renter, we always treated everyone's homes/condos with great respect because we know how hard people worked to make the places special and the area and people were/are great. We just bought a house this past March after owning and selling a lot in Santa Rosa Beach and we now are "rentees".

We now rent our house "Lemondrop" (20 Brown Street at the corner of Eastern Lake Road in Seagrove) using VRBO and 2 other sites. Additonally, Beach Rentals of South Walton manages our place locally too. But this topic is for another forum on this site...

The point I would like to make is that with the rental company swamped and dealing with other priorities (didn't hear from them until noon today via email), it was the local "friends", service providers, and neighbors that we have made in the Eastern Lake and surrounding area that gave us the scoop on our house and the area. My landscape maintenance guy, Rivard realtor, the pool folks (Coastal Pools--Amy you rock) my neighbor behind us Ed and Sharon, a friend down from Atlanta checking on his houses, and others have helped us deal with the uncertainty that set in as we drove away last Saturday morning.

So, big kudos to the folks that live fulltime and run businesses in SoWal, Kurt, Smilin JOe, everyone else contributing to this forum and this board for all of the info. Because of this and all of the past memories, 30-A and SoWal will always be my favorite place in the world. Keep up the spirit and good vibe and if you are a renter and you use the last bit of laundry detergent, the last bit of dish soap, or think about taking something with you when you leave, just remember that we need your support and we are watching you and we have 100x more renters that will replace stuff too. :clap_1:

 

[andrus]

99% our guest have been incredible. They have replaced broken items on there own and have fixed minor things on their own.
RBP

I would like to think that most homeowners would just as soon have the renter who loses or breaks something replace or fix it on their own than leave it to the homeowner to do, as long as replacements are comparable if not exact and repairs are safely made. I have replaced broken glassware, for instance, with close copies but left wondering if the homeowner was irritated by the fact that it was not reported to the management company as "damage." What is the homeowner's preference?

 

[Paula]

If it's one glass or dish, I assume that's normal wear and tear and the guest doesn't have to replace it unless it leaves too few glasses, dishes, etc. for the next guest (and, in that case, it's very kind of you and other guests to be thinking about the next guests). But I put plenty of glasses, dishes, etc., in the rentals so that a few broken glasses or dishes won't affect the next guest. When I get to the cottages (about every other month), I check to see if we need anything new.

It would be important for the rental management company to know if anything useful is missing or broken. For example, if there's no can opener, cork screw, broken coffee pot, shortage of dishes/glasses/utensils, etc., that would affect the next guests. Management companies keep extras of these kinds of things so that guests are never left short.