Share VRS039 – Creating a Vacation Rental Owner Network The growth of the big listing sites and the move away from a relationship based transaction between guests and owners is driving more owners towards ways of connecting with customers on a more personal level. Having your own website, becoming a local expert by blogging and podcasting, and creating a solid presence on social media, […]
Share VRS038 – Dealing with Vacation Rental Complaints and Damage I spent the weekend at the Podcast Movement Conference in Dallas, where I spoke on a panel about podcast promotion, networked with 600 other podcasters, and had a thoroughly good time. It was such a diverse crowd of people with shows on topics ranging from juicing to body building, WordPress hacks to selling on Ebay; […]
Share VRS017 – Are You Covered or Exposed? With VR Insurance Specialist Phil Schofield It’s not often you’ll hear me say that I’m looking forward to talking about insurance, but I was actually eager to talk to today’s guest as he is not only a vacation rental owner himself, but is also an expert on vacation rental insurance. Phil Schofield is head of inbound marketing at Schofields insurance, specialist insurers […]
Share Making the Vacation Rental Process Effortless When I first got into the vacation rental industry in the 1990’s it was markedly different to what we see today. I remember going to rental cottages in the UK and being completely tolerant of the thin sheets, dust bunnies under the beds and the long lists of rules and instructions. As a family, we’d […]
Share Why You Should Deliver on Your Promises It’s been a frustrating week here on our RV site in Alabama. While we’ve been watching presidential candidates making promises in their election campaigns that they may or may not keep, I’ve been patiently waiting for the promised internet connection to materialize. From the day we arrived here, ten days ago, the intermittent and poor […]
Share How to Prevent Cottage Rental Disasters by Playing the Insurance Card This guest post is by Phil Schofield of Schofields Insurance At some point, holiday cottage rental owners will come up against problem vacationers. Unfortunately, it’s an occupational hazard – not every booking is good for business. Avoiding certain ‘difficult guests’ can result in fewer headaches and a higher quality experience for the guests you do […]
Share VR Owners Questions –“What happens if renters trash my place?” The Cottage Life Show in Toronto each spring is a great place for vacation home owners to check out cottage-related products and services and the five halls in the Exhibition Centre were packed with everything an owner might need from docks, boats, composting toilets, all manner of patio furniture and cottage kitsch to realtors, insurance […]
Share Top Vacation Rental Insurance Tips for Property Owners This is a guest post by Phil Schofield of Schofields Insurance – a UK specialist in holiday letting insurance. Your vacation rental is a valuable asset and I am sure you have spent a lot of time on making the property perfect for your guests, and that you want to keep it that way. Letting […]
Share The Perils and Pitfalls of Renting from a Distance Years ago when we purchased our first property in Canada, we were still living in UK. Romanced by the idea of owning an idyllic waterfront cottage that we could vacation in when we wanted, and rent it out at all other times, we gave little thought to the logistics of managing a vacation rental from […]
Share Is Your Vacation Rental Adequately Insured? Getting insurance to cover renting out a vacation cottage can be tough here in Ontario. Some companies won’t touch short term rentals, others impose restrictions on the annual rental period or occupancy levels, and rates can be eye-watering. However, finding a good insurance broker who is prepared to do the leg work can uncover a […]
