Post on 16-Jul-2020
Good Neighbor Practices For Vacation Rentals
Neighborhood Harmony, Less Hassles
Avoiding the obvious! Take Some Simple Steps To Be A Good Neighbor As An Owner/Manager.
What’s The # 1, 2, and 3 Complaints That We Hear?The number one reason why cities and counties move towards stringent regulation over vacation rentals is because neighbors lodge numerous complaints with local authorities. Lets be clear! We understand that some neighbors will never be satisfied regardless of how good a neighbor that you are as a short or long term rental owner/manager, or how cooperative your guests are. This presentation provides the best practices and tips and tricks to preempt local opposition. The top 3 complaints are noise, parking issues & trash left around. In many cases these are an easy fix. Just remember, repetitive complaints stir up unwanted opposition and give us all a bad name.
Being prepared for the worst case scenario!
1. God forbid that you ever have to eject a guest from the home. But if this case should arise you want to make sure that you have your bases covered to protect yourself as an owner or a manager. • Always have a solid contract and clear expectations of what the rules of the home are before a guest arrives. A signed agreement goes a long way towards protecting your rights in this case. Get legal advice if needed on steps to take if this ever happens and know what you have to do at a moments notice to respond. Usually an owner/manager is not prepared for this scenario. • Post rules in the home as a secondary reminder. • Set clear policies/fees that you can have for recourse is they fail to follow the rules of the home.
Neighbor Relations!• Make it a point to introduce yourself to the neighbors. • Tell them that you are licensed and paying taxes on your rental.• Offer a way for them to contact you if they see unruly behavior. Its for your own protection and shows that you care about their property rights and quiet enjoyment also.
You won’t want to find out about this behavior later, so don’t give it a chance to ruin your vacation rental reputation or ours!
Ways Your Neighbor Can Help?
Do you have something in common with your neighbor?Maybe you can use the same local contractors as your neighbor? Pool cleaners, housekeepers, lawn care, etc. Having your property maintained by the same contractors as your neighbor might put them at ease more and also save you $ by using a local vendor that’s already in the neighborhood. Maybe your neighbor is also a vacation rental owner/manager? Find out, share contacts or even tips/best practices, bookings when you are fully occupied. Offer your neighbors the ability to rent your house at a discount price if they have family and friends visiting.
Response Time!
• How quickly can you get to the property if a major problem erupts?• Do you have a local responsible contact? • Many cities now are mandating a 1 or 2 hour response time from a local contact.
Noise!
• We know guests are on vacation and love to let loose but that still must be within reason. Set clear quiet times in your agreements and post that in the property. Make sure they know the consequences. • Ask the guests to treat this home like it was their own. • Monitoring devices now exist from partners like Noiseware if it’s a chronic problem for your home and you have sensitive neighbors.
Parking
• Depending upon the size of your home and occupancy limit usually determines the number of vehicles that are acceptable. Set limits of vehicles allowed or offer options for local parking alternatives. • Know your local HOA/Condo rules if they exist and other city parking requirements. • A good rule of thumb is whatever fits in the driveway is acceptable without blocking sidewalks and right of ways.
Trash
• Make sure that you have a clear understanding with the guest that they must have trash inside the approved containers you provided and placed in a specific location on site. • Know the acceptable times that you as an owner/manager can place the trash out for pickup and then pull in the barrels afterwards. This is usually different for every city or HOA/Condo site. • If the location has a commercial trash receptacle make the guest aware of this.
Know when to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
If you are an owner/manager and find that you need help to properly operate your vacation rental know when to recognize that you are over your head. An average owner/manager spends a minimum of 8 hours each week, per home, on something vacation rental related. Options:• Find a local professional manager to take on your property management role for a fee.• Find qualified vendors and suppliers to streamline your operations. • Use technology and industry software to help you become more profitable and professional.
Lets Keep Our Neighbors Happy!
An ounce of prevention is worth a a pound of cure!