Renting a vacation home?

There is such a great level of standardization in the hotel industry, and it is generally safe to assume that your room will haveAC, wi-fi, cable, linens and towels. Do not make this mistake when renting a private home for your next vacation.

What is “standard” for a vacation rental varies from market to market. Many homes inmountain destinations for instance do not have AC and in other locations linens will only be provided if an additional fee is paid. Do your due diligence and ask lots of questions about the amenities that matter most to you.

Rent a professionally managed property. When using a site like VRBO or Flipkey, you will encounter listings that are being represented from a wide range of parties, from managers to owners renting a casita or guest house, to the absent homeowner. Ask if anyone will be available should trouble arise. Most professional managers are available for emergencies 24 hours a day, while self-managed homes may not have any emergency contacts available.

Use a credit card for payment. Never pay with cash or cash equivalents such as PayPal. Should you encounter major problems with your rental and have paid for service or a product that you did not receive, you can take advantage of “charge back provisions.” This can be very helpful if there aremajor plumbing or heating issues, environmental problems, or misrepresentations.

Make sure it’s legal. Many popular destinations have laws in place that regulate and even outlaw vacation rentals as a lodging option. Do your research to ensure that the home you have selected is permitted or legal. Should your selection be an outlawed home, you may find that it has been shut down when you arrive for your vacation.

Read reviews. One of the best ways to have confidence in your vacation home is to read prior guest reviews and identify the issues with the home before arrival and ask if such issues have been remedied. Finding reviews that have a manager or owner response is even better as these parties invite guest feedback and are proactive in making each one of their guests’ stays better than the last

Ryan Goodman is chief marketing officer at Kokopelli Property Management (9821013, 877-496-4989) and has been in the business all his life. Ryan’s backgrond is in small-business management and entrepreneurship.