A Year of Vacation Rental Learning – Part Two

Following my previous post on the things we learned in the first half of 2011, here’s the second part.  It was a very successful and profitable year and we enjoyed welcoming a wide range of guests from all over the world. However, there are new challenges every year and since I always keep notes of everything that happens, we can correct along the way.  Sometimes, it just takes a little change as in September’s learning point; occasionally there’s more long term action to take.  I’d love to hear what you learned last year – hearing other owners’ experiences adds another element to making your vacation rental business successful.

July

Hot and humid are the words to describe July in Ontario. How many people know we are on the same latitude as Spain and often experience extreme heat in the summer? Garbage can’t be put outside the cottage because it attracts bears so guests have to keep it indoors and take it to the local dump regularly. We added a few suggestions into the cottage guide on how to handle garbage efficiently and provide large bags so guests can freeze organic waste until it can be removed.

Learning Point: Some people dispense with common sense on vacation, so creating a comprehensive guide on every aspect of living life in the country can reduce the likelihood of calls and issues

August

A new neighbor moved in across the river early last year. We haven’t met since they are there infrequently and seem a little aloof. Anyway, we’d have to swim across to say hello, or drive 15kms to get around the river to their cottage. They complained by email that our guests had noisy children who collected frogs in buckets which were not permitted as the frogs were there for the Blue Heron. Seriously?!! They also commented that they had bought their cottage for the peace and quiet and this was impacted by our guests ‘enjoying themselves’.

Learning Point: Since 80% of our summer guests come back every year – some now on their 6^th visit – we know how much they respect the place and value their time there. However, it’s always worth reminding them of cottage etiquette occasionally. I’ve also learned that it’s important to speak to neighbours about our rental activity and reassure them that we screen professionally and responsibly.

September

We rent weekly only in July and August but move to a more flexible rental operation in the fall. However we have always stuck to Saturday-Saturday changeovers for weekly rentals. We had two weeks rented in September but it was difficult to book the remaining time without discounting heavily.

Learning Point: If we changed our weekly schedule to Friday – Friday, this would leave some full weekends, so we are now offering this along with Friday – Sunday and Sunday/Monday to Friday. This has worked really well so far this winter and enabled us to squeeze in some additional days. A minor change but a profitable one.

October

Our annual road trip took us to Texas this year and we were away for 6 weeks with the RV. During that time, there were 7 changeovers at the cottage. Although we were in touch with our caretaker there were a couple of incidents that required more immediate action than we’d planned – the hot tub quit working; guests had access issues following a fall storm etc. Although the caretaker was able to manage it wasn’t without challenges.

Learning Point: When remote from a property, it’s important to provide your property manager/caretaker/representative with authority to take action, along with a budget, in case of a breakdown that could affect upcoming bookings or resident guests. Don’t try micro-managing from a distance, particularly if you want to avoid stress.

November

The month of the mice! A new deck was installed and the contractors were using an indoor power outlet, so a door into the cottage was open some of the time. Given some poor weather it took a couple of weeks to finish, so we didn’t realize there was a problem until the unwelcome visitors had reproduced somewhat rapidly. With guests booked in when the deck was done it was a race to the finish to eradicate the problem.

Learning Point: Short and sweet….count the traps, and remove them all before the next guests arrive. I’ll say no more on this one but the outcome involved a lot of apologies, a restaurant voucher and a very red face.

December

Some early snow made the road into the cottage a little challenging but still accessible with good winter tires and a lot of caution. Guests booked in for a weekend called to check the conditions and when told about the snow/ice mix on the road, wanted to cancel as they had not realized there had been snow outside the city, and were concerned about safety. Initially, we didn’t refund because the listing and pre-arrival material made it clear about the nature of the access and the potential for wintry conditions, but we did offer a postponement to another low season spring date. They were not happy and argued the case so much, we realized they had just changed their minds and wanted money back, at which point we decided we did not want them to stay at any time, so refunded less a cancellation fee.

Learning Point: We struggled with this one a bit and I’d love to know what you would have done.