I’ve seen a lot of vacation rental properties in the last few years, many of which would be ideal for the purpose if the owners did some small repairs and improvements to the decor. On most occasions, the people I have worked with have understood the concept, and regardless of how small, rustic or basic , have created an attractive, ambient space and provided their renters with real value for their holiday dollars.
Unfortunately however, there are some owners who are just not getting the message that it is not OK to provide substandard accommodation. I talk to a lot of renters over the course of a summer season and it’s heart wrenching to hear of their nightmare vacation stories. Dirty properties with rodent infestations, leaking ceilings, botched repairs, and a general disregard for paying guests are among the complaints I’ve heard.
One owner told me that renters expect too much, and if they are looking for 5 star accommodation they should look elsewhere. This attitude just blew me away. I can pay $70 for a hotel room and although it may be basic and lack some of the niceties, it should still be clean and functional. Duct tape repairs and stained ceilings are the realm of the sort of motels that would send me running a mile; definitely not the sort of rental property I’d want to take my family to.
Another owner said that that if his renters didn’t like his property, they wouldn’t come back – there would be plenty more to take their place. At at time when renting a vacation home is becoming more popular, we should be looking at ways of raising standards, not retaining an outdated attitude of complacency.
Those of us who rent professionally and spend time and money on making our properties comfortable, attractive and welcoming to our guests, will ultimately win out. More and more rental sites have a facility for rental guests to write reviews, and owners who don’t respect their renters will find their ugly secrets displayed for all to see.
My regular readers will be familiar with my views on raising standards in the rental industry. These views are not extreme; simply a hope that more owners will appreciate their role in the vacation industry to provide a high standard of accommodation regardless of the age or size of the property.
