Why rent from professional vacation rental managers?
17JAN/120
Last week TODAY aired a segment on a number of vacation rental scams, highlighting the importance of booking your vacation through a professional vacation rental manager.
Just last week TODAY highlighted yet another reason to rent from professional vacation rental managers. The segment (see video below) detailed a number of vacation rental scams where criminals listed and took payment to rent homes they did not own. In many cases, there was no way for the victims to recover their money, especially for those that wired funds or paid with a check.
Incidents like this have been widely reported in the news lately, stressing a growing concern about the security of renting vacation homes. The prevalence of these scams reinforces the importance of renting from professional vacation rental managers.
Steve Trover, CEO of All Star Vacation Homes in Orlando, FL, said that when researching vacation rentals, there are many things travelers can look for to feel confident in booking.
“Professional affiliations, such as the Better Business Bureau, AAA, VRMA (Vacation Rental Managers Association), and local affiliations, such as the chambers of commerce and destination marketing partnerships, show a commitment to the hospitality and travel industries,” Trover said. “Going with a professional manager gives travelers far more ability to check into the validity of the company and the property than if renting through an individual home owner or single listing online.”
According to Brooke Pfautz, of Vantage Resort Realty in Ocean City, MD, people are being too trusting of those they meet online.
“It surprises me how much research people will do when they are about to purchase an $800 to $1,000 computer. However, when they are ready to drop $2,000 to $4,000 on a vacation rental, they are willing to deal with a complete stranger that they found online,” Pfautz said.
Pfautz offered a number of suggestions for avoiding these scams, including checking the credentials of the rental company, paying with a credit card, being leery of prices that are well below the going rate, educating yourself about the company (reading reviews, asking for references, etc.) and checking the location of the property with Google Maps or Mapquest.
Steve Ingram, executive director of the VRMA, said that confidence and security during the booking process is just one of the many advantages of renting from a professional manager.
“Travelers wanting comfort and value should look for a professionally managed vacation rental to ensure consistent hospitality services and quality assurance standards, as well as professionally cleaned and managed homes, ongoing and objective inspections, and concierge-type services that provide destination expert advice,” Ingram said. “Established companies will offer an emergency guest services contact that guests can call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for questions, maintenance issues, and more.”
Mark Tolan of Seaside Vacation Homes in Seaside, OR, also emphasized service, as well as security.
The TODAY segment detailed the stories of the victims of vacation rental scams -- both guests and home owners. You can view the segment embedded below.
"Aside from having an infrastructure of office personnel and contractors to resolve unexpected maintenance needs, using established management companies offers guests the peace of mind that they will have a place to stay,” Tolan said. “Not risking being homeless on vacation should more than make up for the minimal additional cost – if there is any – for passing on that homeowner-managed property and going with an established brand.”
Tolan argues that properties that aren’t professionally managed may only appear to be a better deal, but upon further inspection the level of service far outweighs any additional cost.
“One of the biggest things vacationers take for granted is the service management companies provide,” Tolan said. “It is easy to shop for a deal online and ultimately go with what APPEARS to be the best deal – one that values physical product and price, and discounts or ignores service. Experienced travelers realize that established companies provide service, which holds significant value alongside the physical product.”
Like Trover, Cheryl Taylor of Ventura Properties also operates in Orlando. Taylor, whose company has been in business since 1989, said that her business has suffered over the years because of the general public’s concern with vacation rental scams – like the ones highlighted on the TODAY segment.
She says travelers will want to ask rental companies how long they’ve been in a business and verify online that the companies are not only licensed to do business, but also submit the required sales and resort taxes. You can verify business licenses with the state or county – or in Florida, at SunBiz.org.
Paying taxes may not seem like something that would directly affect guest experience, but Kevin Kirby of Five Star Vacation Homes in Celebration, FL, says it can definitely come into play – both in terms of security and the difference in price offered by those that don’t pay taxes.
“This figure of 13% (in Florida) is a big difference in price,” Kirby said, “but the largest difference is being worry-free that a county or state official isn’t going to knock on the door of the vacation home and evict the guests from a home that is illegally rented, leaving (the guest) with nowhere to go and a headache to sort through.”
Like Tolan, Kirby says travelers often overlook service in favor of a lower price. In making the case to his guests about the advantages of professionally managed properties, Kirby often shares this quote from John Ruskin:
“The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”
A good resource for those looking to learn more about professionally managed vacation homes is Discover Vacation Homes, a VRMA initiative that details the benefits of vacation rentals and professional managers and offers resources in helping you plan your next vacation.
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