Read the fine print
Unexpected charges at vacation rentals can catch travellers completely off guard
When I walked into my Hawaii vacation rental, I collided with a wall of hot, humid air. Instinctively, I scanned the house for a thermostat or air conditioner. I found a small wall unit, but I couldn’t plug it in. It had a lock on it. I called the owner, who said she’d be happy to remove the lock — if I paid her an extra $300.
Seriously?
Seriously.
Apart from cleaning fees and insurance, vacation rentals used to be one of the last all-inclusive travel products. You could count on utilities, wireless internet, cable TV and other basic amenities being included.
Not anymore.
“There is nothing more maddening than when your expectations for your vacation are shattered just moments after you arrive,” says Steve Schwab, chief executive of Casago, a property management and vacation rental company in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Schwab and other industry experts say experiences like mine are becoming more common. Owners and managers are quietly instituting new fees to offset rising expenses or to meet increasing customer demands. You can easily spot most of these fees before you book — and it’s worth a careful look. Otherwise, you could be on the hook for something like overpriced air conditioning.
The vacation rental owner in Hawaii said she started locking the wall unit after a previous tenant ran the air conditioning constantly, leaving her with a costly utility bill. I assured her that we would run the AC only during the hottest hours of the day, but she wouldn’t release the lock unless I paid the $300. I refused.
For the rest of our stay, we made plans to be out of the house during the early afternoon to escape the oppressive heat. It was a valuable lesson learned. When I checked the property description, there was no mention of the air-conditioning fee. I called the vacation rental site through which I’d booked the house, and it quickly refunded $280, the full amount of its commission.
Kiedra Hinkle-Tyson, who coowns vacation rentals in St. Louis and in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, explained the economics of vacation rentals. She says that there is a surcharge for electricity usage at both houses, and three additional fees at her St. Louis house: a cleaning fee, an “extra person” fee and a service fee.
“We have additional fees because our vacation rental companies charge us fees,” she says. “Airbnb charges us three per cent, and Booking.com charges us 15 per cent. So to offset some of these charges, we pass those charges on to the customer because they are the ones staying and enjoying the home.”
“The best way for renters to know about these fees is to ask,” says Jim Prugh, owner of Lindsborg Vacation Rentals in Lindsborg, Kan.
Sometimes, emailing the owner a simple question — “Is everything included?” — will clear up any misunderstandings.
Prugh points out that travellers can also avoid booking fees from Airbnb, HomeAway and Booking. com by reserving a stay directly with an owner.
But most important is to read the contract before you agree to pay a deposit. It should describe everything you thought you read in the property description, including any special terms — or conditions about air conditioning.