Vacation rental highs and lows

Many people, including myself, are turning to vacation rentals when researching places to stay while traveling. Typically, the benefits of staying in a rental far outweigh a hotel. Many rentals offer the same conveniences of home for the around the price of a hotel. Before you bite the bullet you have to decide if you’d like to rental from a homeowner via websites like VRBO or Airbnb, or if you’d like to go through a small rental company or a large company. No matter which route you go, there are some ways to help you narrow down your options and protect yourself once you’ve committed.

Pros

Extra space- especially when traveling with family and friends. Traveling can be difficult. I feel like it’s easier to get my son to bed at a reasonable time when he has his own space.

Kitchen-healthier, convenient and more economical food options.

Laundry- you can wear favorite outfit multiple times on your vacation! And you can pack WAYYY lighter..

Cost effective-often less expensive than a hotel, plus save money with less baggage fees and eating out.

Variety-book an off the grid cabin, a big city loft, or anything in between.

More privacy-no more hearing the neighbors TV through the Motel 6 wall.

Cons

In some places vacation rentals face less regulations than hotels. You’re putting trust in a stranger to provide a safe place for you to stay. There are ways to mitigate this risk though.

Tips

I’ve rented a lot of vacation homes, both in the US and internationally. In the past 6 weeks I’ve gone from vacation home high to very, very low. Lessons were learned. I’ve had great experiences staying at vacation rentals, but recently found myself in a big old dump AKA Bungled Beach House (pictures to follow)…

REVIEWS! Reviews are almost everything. I never book a place, hotel or vacation rental, without scouring the reviews. I think it’s important to read what people are saying and how the owner responds. Bungled Beach House had ONE bad review. I turned a blind eye to the fact that the owner basically called the woman a liar repeatedly in response to the review. Guess who they are calling a liar now?

Pay close attention to pictures. Make sure you’re see the home from various angles. Bungled Beach House was billed a private two acre estate. There was nothing private about it. We flew on two large places and one puddle jumper to be on a remote island. Our private estate had a neighbor close enough to hand morning coffee to window to window. All neighboring five houses were left out of pictures.

Book with a person or management company who responds quickly during the booking process. They are giving you a glimpse of how available they will be once you’ve rented the home.

If you do have an issue with your vacation rental, give the owner or manager an opportunity to make it right. Until our recent debacle I’ve always rented from people who wanted to make my stay enjoyable. On a recent trip to Utah I stayed in the most adorable tiny home. The coffee maker had a bit of a mishap, which in my world is devastating. I contacted the owner and within a couple of hours a new one was delivered to our door. This a small, but HUGE thing. Does that make sense?

If the owner does not respond appropriately to major issues, take pictures. It’s really hard to argue with pictures. The pictures shown on Bungled Beach House’s website were taken prior a major hurricane. The stove likely withstood electrical damage and can now shock if you used. Massive props to the person who put the post it note warning on the appliance. There was a power line running to the house from the pole that hung so low a 5 year old could run into it. Not to mention all of the four sets of french doors facing the ocean were locked and foamed closed. I took pictures of everything.

**Always, ALWAYS, book with your credit card. Your credit card company offers protection. In my case, the home I recently rented was uninhabitable. The homeowners have been unwilling to provide a refund, even though they didn’t respond to concerns for days and we ended up moving to another home. This means we paid double for our vacation. As a VERY last resort I can file a dispute with my credit card company. I would only recommend this in extreme cases. It’s time consuming and frustrating. You’ll be expected to hand over plenty of evidence if you want to win, but it’s better than nothing. One thing to note is while PayPal is great about protecting consumers, they have washed their hands of the vacation rental business. Both homeowners and renters are taking a risk when exchanging money through PayPal.

Write reviews, but be fair. Other vacationers are basing their decision on your experience. People should know if the pictures and description of the property are accurate. Things in houses break all the time, expecting perfection is unfair. What’s important to note is how the owner/manager responds if there is an issue.

The negative experience that I recently had will not change how I feel about vacation rentals. For me, the benefits far outweigh the risks. I’ve had one bad experience among countless fantastic experiences!