Although there are a growing number of options when it comes to booking a holiday home, many travelers still find the rental market a bit chaotic, at least in comparison with more traditional accommodations such as hotels / motels. The increasing popularity of holiday rentals as a valuable alternative to more expensive hotels has led to an abundance of options that can be overwhelming.
Here are some tips for booking your holiday home to ensure that you get the most chance to celebrate your holiday But while protecting yourself from scams or disappointment.
Reserve a holiday home Tip # 1: view niche lists that focus on specific destinations.
Whether you have rented a holiday villa or not, you will want to work with a local company and representatives who know their things.
If you are interested in a beach house in Santa Barbara, a qualified representative earns his stripes by guiding you through the suitable accommodation available based on your unique needs and wishes. For example, if you bring your three Bernese Mountain Dogs, they recommend beach locations in Santa Barbara that are dog friendly and free of brainstorming.
In addition, as soon as you arrive, you will want to enjoy concierge services to help you get reservations in that trendy new restaurant or simply recommend a walk that looks out over the ocean. An anonymous operator who is away from three states can not deliver that level of local service.
Book a holiday home Tip # 2: Use a credit card to protect yourself and minimize risks.
You want and expect that every detail of your holiday is perfect. But unfortunately that is not always the case. So you have to protect yourself.
Renting with your credit card through a Santa Barbara management company offers you that protection. If the property for whatever reason does not meet your expectations and the management will not do anything to repair it, you can keep track of the problem and dispute the charges with your credit card company.
person-to-person usually states that a check for 50% of the holiday home is reserved, and the other 50% cash upon arrival. If you later discover cockroaches that go home from your holiday home kitchen, or other elements of the property that are grossly misrepresented, you have no influence because you have already paid in full in cash.
Book a holiday Rental tip # 3: Get the most value for your money.
Dollar for dollar, a vacation rental offers you so much more than a luxury hotel. You get exponentially more space (both inside and outside). You get a range of amenities, from private pools to luxurious kitchens to top flight entertainment systems, all for your exclusive use. Unlike an anonymous hotel room from a busy hallway, you have a serene home away from home to call your own.
But there are a large number of invaluable immaterial benefits that you get when you book your holiday home through a professional management company. Working with a leading management company to find your ideal holiday home offers you a completely new service level. A professional company has the skin in the game. They work to establish a good reputation and a list of returning customers, rather than just trying to make money quickly.
In the best-surprise-is-no-surprise category, unlike an absentee owner of Craigslist, a professional The Santa Barbara rental company has 24/7 someone who solves problems solving problems and works hard on it to keep both tenants and owners happy.
The most underused facility is the professional staff. As soon as you arrive at your rental villa in Santa Barbara, they are ready for you and you call. Concierge and housekeeping services are just a touch of a button. The local Santa Barbara knowledge and connections of the staff can make something great out of an average vacation. There is no extra cost and the refund is invaluable.
Rent a holiday home Tip 4: Book with confidence.
There is a BIG difference between someone you just want to sell a room and a professional holiday rental agency who wants to make sure that you enjoy your ultimate holiday in Santa Barbara so much that you return again and again. The key to that difference is realizing what is promised.
Many rental offices are only large clearing houses with properties, sometimes all over the world. They are usually not specialized in a region and do not offer any other services, except rent matching. They can not give any guarantees about the Santa Barbara beach house that you have booked, because their representatives never visited them, inspected them for health and safety reasons or even met the owners. They can not guarantee the actual condition of the holiday home, the advantages and disadvantages of the location, etc.
Some agencies simply want to book the rent from the beach and collect their costs. They may not care too much about what happens during your stay.
If you have never visited the Santa Barbara beach house that you are considering, or received a first-hand report from a trusted friend, you have no idea if the picture has seen the website correctly display. They may be out of date, retouched or from a completely different place. (It goes without saying that you can never rent a holiday home that does not offer photos!) Beware of any site that only offers image or outdoor shots. If they are not willing to show you what the holiday apartment looks like, you do not want to stay there.
With a professional holiday rental company you can be sure that the quality you see is the quality you will receive.
Rent a holiday home Tip # 5: Go with the highest quality standards.
Professional rental companies are kept to higher standards than private owners. Even if an owner fervently believes that his holiday home in Santa Barbara is clean and up-to-date, his standards may not match yours. The non-visible-substance rabbits and the hi-fi system of a person are filthy and anachronistic. A professionally managed holiday home in Santa Barbara will also be a professionally cleaned and serviced holiday home.
Reserve a holiday home Tip # 6: Understand the risks of booking through free listing sites such as Craigslist. [19659002] An entry on a free site is, well, free. No crime in that (who does not like it?), But that could indicate a general laissez-faire attitude of the owner towards his property and tenants.
The owners who are willing to pay a fee to keep their holiday homes that have been booked and are in top condition have shown their care and dedication to a working relationship that is beneficial to all parties. The management companies they work with are companies that you can rent without worrying.
Reserve a holiday home Tip # 7: do not be afraid to negotiate.
The more often these holiday homes are occupied, the happier the owners are, so if you plan to stay at the last minute or long-term or if you are a frequent visitor, there is often room to negotiate about the price of your holiday home. Sometimes the discount is as much as 30 percent.
Rent a holiday home Tip # 8: research and compare rates, amenities and conditions before you sign a rental agreement.
you try to limit your choice for a holiday in Santa Barbara, make sure you compare apples with apples. A smaller house on the beach probably costs more than a larger house in the hills. Know what you get from every home and from every management company. Follow your bravery and go with the company that cheerfully appears in the middle of the night to snake the sink.
Another advantage to working with a Santa Barbara holiday rental professional management company is that it is so easy to perform a background check on them. Call or visit the Better Business Bureau or a holiday rental site like FlipKey.com. Has the office submitted reasonable complaints against them? How are they solved? Type in the name of the holiday rental agency of Santa Barbara and its owner in Google and you will get a wealth of informative opinions.
The increasing popularity of holiday homes in Santa Barbara has led to an abundance of online resources. It is best to do due diligence and compare prices, facilities, reputations, opinions and conditions before entering into a rental agreement. It is your vacation and booking the right accommodations will ensure that your vacation will meet and exceed your expectations.