All Forum Posts by: Jen Faulkner

She sends us a monthly invoice.  

We have a vacuum at each location.

We ask that guests set the thermostat back to a certain temp.

We ask them to load and start the dishes.

We have them start a load of towels, and if time permits, put them in the dryer and start a load of sheets.

We have them take out the trash.

I have a Facebook page called Branson Quality Vacation Rentals.  Whenever someone inquires about us on AirBnb, I tell them the name of my FB page, and they find me that way.  Then from Facebook, I give them an email address or phone number so that they can contact me.  I haven't had an issue with this so far, and I plan to start doing this through VRBO once their platform changes.  I noticed tonight that I still was able to see someone's email address even though they just sent an inquiry.

Okay, this is a weird thread.  Haha, but . . . I market ours on VRBO and AirBnb, and our rentals do very well.  I also have a Facebook page that details our rentals, and I try to post a couple times a week with ideas about things to do in the area when people travel.  When I first started the page, I set up a drawing that offered a free 3-night stay, but each person had to "share" or "comment" under the contest in order to be part of the drawing.  I got a pretty big following by doing that, and it has led to some bookings.  I have done Craigslist a few times, and I always tell myself that I need to start sending emails to previous guests, but I think I get kinda lazy with it since it's already doing so well on VRBO and AirBnb.  

I don't think I'd charge anything either.  In the grand scheme of things, your cost at fixing or replacing is really nothing compared to $6K that she paid you.  I would eat the cost, hope she leaves a positive review, and then decide whether or not it's worth to rent it to her again in the future.  I wouldn't risk a negative review over something that small.

Yes, I was just going to said what @Aaron T. said.  What specific advice are you asking for?  What questions do you have?

I have a guest who will stay at one of our properties in September.  He paid the first half in May when he reserved the dates.  He told me today that the debit card he used has been stolen/hacked, so he canceled it, and he asked to make his second payment with another card, which is fine.  However, my question is what happens to the payment from his first card since I haven't received the payment yet?  Anyone who uses VRBO knows that the guest gets charged up front, but the owner doesn't get paid until after the guest leaves.  Is it safe to assume that the card has already been charged, and the funds will still make it to my bank account? 

@Rebecca Dillon, would you mind sending me a copy, too?
@Ariel Smith, we also ask the guests to strip the beds and start the dishwasher, along with starting a load of towels.  And to agree with a comment above, it's not a rule--we just have check-out instructions on the refrigerator, and this routine is part of it.  Almost everyone complies, but if they don't, it's just an annoyance for the cleaner.  The guest does not get penalized by this.  I also use VRBO and AirBnb as a guest, not just an owner, and everywhere I've ever stayed, the owner leaves instructions to do some sort of checkout routine like this.  I like the idea of personalizing the house cleaner.  I will now be adding "Jane the cleaner" to my Expectations list.  :)
This has been a great thread!

Following.

@Kendall Luelf and @Luke Carl, question for you.  We now own two vacation rentals several hours away, and I've been self-managing with no trouble.  I have a great crew on the other end!  However, my question is about payment and possible software.  I have been accepting payment through the usual places like VRBO and AirBnB, and I've accepted some through PayPal so that the guest can avoid the service fee through the other sites.  However, when I accept money through PayPal, I have them pay the entire balance up front, whereas VRBO, they can make half the payment and then pay the rest 30 days prior to their arrival.  I have only been asking for full payment because I don't feel like I'm organized enough to keep track of people who've only paid half.  Is there a software or some other type of system to keep track of people who've only made partial payments?  I want to offer partial payments through PayPal or credit card over the phone, but only if I know that I can stay on top and keep track of it.