vacation rentals

Your Hotel Room Has Bedbugs. Now What?

Aja McClanahan — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 09:30:09 +0000

Bedbug infestations can quickly turn into a living nightmare. It seems like almost everyone knows at least one or two people who've been affected by the epidemic. What's more, bedbugs can easily be transported from one place to another via shoes, luggage, public transportation, and found in places you frequent like the grocery store or your favorite cafe.

Perhaps one of the most unnerving discoveries you'll ever make is finding bedbugs in your hotel room or vacation rental. You don't expect the place you've trusted to provide you with rest, refuge, and recreation to add another layer of stress to your life. So when bedbugs pop up, you'll want to know the next steps to take so that you might get some type of compensation or refund for your trouble, and be able to prevent the bugs from coming home with you.

If you find out that your hotel or vacation rental has bedbugs, here's what you should do.

Find the bedbugs

Hunting for a bedbug may not sound like your idea of fun, but it can help set up a convincing case for the hotel to take action. The EPA provides a handy guide on what the itchy offender looks like, along with the evidence that the bedbugs are around: dark blotchy blood stains, insect skins that have been shed, and even small dark droppings left by the bug.

Common places they will hang out include the creases of sheets and crevices of furniture, so start with your mattress. Lift it up. Check the edges and then look around the baseboards, electrical switch plates, curtains, and vents. Basically, anywhere there's a recess that could harbor the small bug is where you should look. (See also: This DIY Bedbug Detector Is Full of Science)

Take photos

Once you find the bedbugs, take pictures of every place you've found them. You want to get "action shots" up close and far away so that when you present the photographic evidence to the hotel, they will recognize their interior and the fact the bugs are, indeed, present on their property. If you can capture a bug, even better!

As you can imagine, there could be people who take advantage and might fraudulently plant or complain about bedbugs in order to get money back or a full refund for their hotel stay. So you want to make an airtight case that proves the presence of bedbugs.

Don't forget to take pictures of yourself, too. If you've got welts or red streaks from scratching, take pictures of them. If you visit a local urgent care facility to be treated, present the record of your visit and any prescriptions given to you for treatment.

Of course, there's no guarantee that your host will offer compensation for the inconvenience, but it's worth trying everything you can to convince them that this problem originated on their premises.

Protect your belongings

Once you're sure your hotel or rental has bedbugs, it's time to check your luggage. Empty your bags, and check your clothing.

Even if you don't find any bedbugs in your belongings, there are few things that you can do to prevent bedbug eggs or larvae from becoming full grown bedbugs that latch onto your luggage and head home with you:

Place your belongings, like clothing, in plastic bags you can seal until you are able to inspect and clean them.
Place the clothing you will be taking home in the wash and then dry on high heat (which bedbugs hate) to kill any bedbugs that could be hiding.
Have the carpets and furniture thoroughly vacuumed. This is an effective way to kill adult bedbugs as well as nymphs and eggs, but isn't a foolproof way to remove all bedbugs from the environment. Professional assistance may still be required, but it works as a short-term solution to the problem.

Alert your host

Your host may or may not be aware of the presence of bedbugs. They could offer you another room or send a pest control worker to contain the problem immediately.

Be diplomatic in your approach, because you could forfeit your chance at getting a refund. Present your photographic evidence, any stained sheets, or the actual bug so they know your claim is real. Be clear on the outcome you desire. If you want your stay refunded, let them know that. If you want them to cover the cost of cleaning or replacing your belongings, make that clear as well.

Report the problem

If your hotel has bedbugs, you can alert local health department officials. They may have even more tips on things you can do to protect yourself in the moment and upon returning home.

If you're not getting anywhere with your host or hotel management in terms of a resolution, reach out to corporate offices. Some people even report their problems on social platforms like Twitter to get an immediate resolution. Most hotel chains want to avoid this negative PR attention, so this can be an effective way to get a quicker customer service response.

Then there are national registries like Bedbug Registry and Bedbug Report, where you can report bedbug infestations at hotels. Don't forget to leave reviews on sites like Yelp and Google business, or even the platform where you booked your stay, like Airbnb or VRBO. (See also: What to Do About a Terrible Airbnb Stay)

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This article is from Aja McClanahan of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Watch Out for These 10 Red Flags With Vacation Rentals

Paul Michael — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 09:00:11 +0000

Vacation rentals are being made widely available these days, especially with the advent of rental sites like Airbnb. Almost anyone, anywhere, can rent their home to you, and that means you have many more choices. But it also means you have a lot more people looking to take advantage of you. Make sure you do your research before you book.

1. Photos of unmade beds and untidy rooms

If you're looking through the gallery of a prospective vacation rental, coming across unmade beds, sinks full of dishes, and cluttered surface areas is a massive red flag. These photos are the owner's chance to put their best foot forward. It's their opportunity to show you just how good the property will be to stay in. If they cannot be bothered to make beds, load the dishwasher, and clean up the counters, you've got one lazy owner on your hands. And where there are lazy owners, there are all kinds of other problems. (See also: What to Do About a Terrible Airbnb Stay)

2. Suspiciously-absent photos of some rooms (or no photos at all)

Todd Barry, a fantastic comedian, does a bit about this and living in New York.

"I had a realtor send me a link of a place to look at… there were four pictures of the apartment. Three of the exterior of the building, and a picture of the stove. I don't think those guys with the camera were looking at an awesome living room going, 'no, let's not play all our cards… oohh, nice paper towel rack.'"

Basically, if there aren't pictures of every room, they don't want you to see them for some reason. If there are no photos at all, you're just asking for trouble.

3. The price is way too good to be true

If it looks too good to be true, it usually is. If you're looking around and see average prices of $1,000 per week in one area, and then out of nowhere a $600 listing shows up, you should ask yourself why. Is it possible that this is an old couple that doesn't really care about profit and just wants to see people happy? Doubtful. More likely, the price is part of a bait-n-switch scam, or some other kind of offer that comes with all kinds of baggage. "Well, yeah, it's $600, unless you were planning on using the bathrooms and the kitchen. Oh, you were? That'll be $1,100 then." By all means investigate the lower prices, but too low is a warning sign of a nightmare coming your way. (See also: 5 Cities Where Airbnb Is Way Cheaper Than a Hotel)

4. The listing is filled with inaccuracies

This can come in many forms. First, look for the obvious grammatical errors. One or two in places that make sense are fine (such as autocorrect assuming a different word), but when the text is just filled with awful grammar, sentences that are illogical, and sayings that just sound a bit off, this could be the sign of a scam. Also, look for other inaccuracies, such as stating the home has three bedrooms in the title, but lists only two in the main body of the ad.

5. The description of the rental is very "creative"

The camera absolutely lies to you, and with a good fisheye lens or sharp angle, a vacation rental the size of a shoe box can be made to look roomy. On top of that, the owner may get a little tricky with the descriptions, and you should be sure you know what you're getting yourself into. "Minimalist" is often used to describe a place with a lot of bare walls. "Cozy" or "snug" could be a red flag that the place is very small. "Quaint" or "old-world charm" is sometimes a way to describe a house in need of repairs, or very out of date. "Vibrant neighborhood" is code for loud, busy, and chaotic; so expect 1 a.m. revelry outside. If you see a lot of these descriptions, and a lack of clear photographs, steer clear.

6. You are asked to wire the payment

Who wires money anywhere these days, with PayPal, Venmo, and credit cards so readily available? There is usually a good reason the owner has requested a wire transfer, but it's not good for you. Wire transfers cannot be reversed once the recipient has collected the cash, and they are also very difficult to trace. In this case, you may be getting conned by someone trying to rent out a property that either isn't theirs, or doesn't exist. In both cases, you could turn up to a property with all your bags, and have nowhere to stay. Always use a guaranteed, safe, traceable method of payment.

7. There are only a few reviews

We are all different, we all like different things, and we all have different tastes. Go to any kind of review site, like Yelp or TripAdvisor, and you'll see a range of comments and reviews from customers. Usually, you want to see many reviews with an average up in the fours. If your budget dictates something less, threes are OK, if there are plenty of reviews stating why. But if you see only two or three reviews that are short and perfect, with five out of five, take heed. This could be a place that has not been genuinely reviewed yet, and these are left by anonymous reviewers who are probably related to (or are) the owner. Some places will be brand-new on the market, so it's unfair to expect a mass of reviews for those. But if they're honest about it, you're in much better shape. (See also: 10 Vacation Rental Alternatives to Airbnb)

8. The owner is not easy to get hold of

Most people who are managing vacation rentals are very responsive. This is, after all, a customer service business. So if you are having trouble calling or emailing the owner, you should find out why. For example, if you're sending out emails in the afternoon, but get replies in the middle of the night, that's a sign the owner is in a different time zone. This could be good if you're renting a place in France and you're in Ohio. But if you're renting a place in Florida, the manager should be able to respond during business hours. Check the email address, too. Is it something normal, like a name or business? Or is it some bizarre collection of letters and numbers? If so, it could be an auto-generated email address belonging to a scammer. And if you call and call and never get an answer, something is very wrong.

9. There's no specific address for the property

Scam artists are everywhere, and vacation rentals are no exception. If you cannot look up the address of the property and do your research, you've got a problem. The owner of a vacation rental may say in the ad that they don't want to publish it due to safety and security reasons, and that's up to them. But if you contact the owner and are still not given an address, something fishy is going on. Google maps makes it easy to scope out almost any place, and if it's not covered by that, there should be other references to it. If you're dealing with a scam of some kind, the scammer will know you'll want to do your research and will therefore not disclose it until you have sent money. After that point, you may never hear from them again, or you'll be given the address to a property that doesn't exist, or was pulled from another listing.

10. The contract has some worrying clauses

If you actually get to the stage of signing some kind of contract, read it carefully. Sometimes you'll come across some language that could leave you out of pocket, or even out of a place to stay. You will no doubt have to put down some kind of refundable security deposit, which protects the owner of the property should you go all metal band and trash the place. But if is says "non-refundable security deposit" or "cleaning services will be deducted from your security deposit," that's a good enough reason to back out and renegotiate. You may even come across language that states the home must be vacated should the owner wish to return at any time. So, don't sign anything that you have not read thoroughly, or do not agree with.

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This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Flashback Friday: 52 Things You Need to Know About Hosting on Airbnb

Chrissa Hardy — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 08:30:10 +0000

So you're looking to make some extra cash, and you realize you have the perfect house or apartment to list on Airbnb. It seems like an easy way to earn money, and many people earn enough to cover their rent or mortgage payments. However, there are many things to consider before opening your home up to strangers as a potential side gig. Here's everything to keep in mind before taking that step.

5 Easy Ways to Make Good Money From Airbnb — Think about the entire process from the customer's point of view. What would make your listing stand out among the rest? Taking professional photos, including personal touches in decor, and offering added services require minimal effort in exchange for big bucks.

13 Things I Learned From Renting Out My Home on Airbnb — Learn from the personal experiences of others. Sometimes the money is totally worth the nonstop cleaning and worrying about getting good reviews. Sometimes it isn't. Seek out honest reviews like this one to understand exactly what you'll face.

5 Cities Where Airbnb Is Way Cheaper Than a Hotel — Understand the market. What are hotels charging in your area? Do you have a second home to rent in a more desirable location where Airbnb might be the cheapest option? Local hotels are also your competitors, so research what they're offering before setting your price point.

What to Do About a Terrible Airbnb Stay — You can't please everyone, and you might run into some unhappy guests. Learn what their rights are compared to yours, and how negative feedback is handled.

5 Costly Pitfalls of Hosting on Airbnb — As an Airbnb host, there are some costs that will come out of your wallet. Before you create your listing and start accepting guests, make sure your budget can accommodate those expenses.

This Is How You Rent Your Place on Airbnb — and Succeed — Airbnb has been around for years, so there are many people who have learned the ins and outs of hosting, and now know how to do it right. This is one of them. Learn from their mistakes, and heed their expert advice.

This article is from Chrissa Hardy of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

What to Do About a Terrible Airbnb Stay

Carrie Kirby — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 10:30:36 +0000

I have a friend, I'll call her "Diane." Diane was excited to find an affordable two-bedroom Airbnb rental in Chicago. She looked forward to spending the holidays meeting up with old friends and saving money by cooking for her family instead of eating out every night.

Instead, she ended up wasting the first few days of her trip on the phone with Airbnb customer service, and the unit's owner — who had provided a nearly empty apartment. This was not what she expected from the listing.

"The whole place felt like an abandoned afterthought," Diane said. She learned the owner had moved out and left very little behind — no couch in the living room and not enough kitchen supplies to put together a meal.

Airbnb can be a great way to save money and enjoy neighborhoods outside tourist districts — when things go well. But some guests have been frustrated by the company's response when things don't turn out as advertised.

Airbnb Spokesman Nick Shapiro calls negative experiences "extremely rare" on the service, but said that when they happen, Airbnb wants to get problems fixed and get guests into a better situation if necessary. He points out that guest refunds come directly from the host, and if the company seems to ask tough questions when people complain, it's because it must protect both hosts and guests.

"We are negotiating with another user's money and we are not there on the premises, so we do our best to work with both the host and the guest to find the most fair outcome," Shapiro said.

It is possible to get a refund or replacement accommodation from Airbnb when a rental isn't up to snuff. But you need to play by their rules — and even then, it isn't always easy. Despite trying her best to follow every rule, my friend never ended up getting the full refund or hotel reimbursement she asked for, although she did get some money back from the host after bugging out early. If you find yourself in a similar situation as "Diane," here's what you can do.

1. Act Quickly

Airbnb's policy states that guests must file a claim within 24 hours of check-in in order to claim a refund. They are pretty strict about this. Just contacting them within the first 24 hours — as Diane did — isn't enough. You have to file a complaint within that period to comply with the refund policy.

The company holds payments for the first 24 hours, to give the guest time to verify that all is as it should be. Shapiro explained that since Airbnb staff can't verify complaints in person, caution is necessary.

"It can be easy for a bad actor to fabricate evidence, which ultimately hurts a host. If a guest contacts us on day three of their five-night reservation complaining that the listing is messy, there is no way to know if that mess was caused by the guest or not."

If you discover a problem late at night, don't wait until business hours to complain. Airbnb provides 24/7 customer service everywhere.

2. Contact the Host

If you call Airbnb to complain about a rental, they'll tell you to contact the host first.

"Giving them a chance to fix an issue is the fastest way to make sure you get what you need," Airbnb explains on its website. But don't wait long to hear back from the host before you request that refund. Remember, the clock is ticking.

For this reason, meeting the host for a walkthrough is a good idea, and the best time to bring up any problems with the property.

When Diane and her husband met the owner at that nearly empty Airbnb, they accepted the keys and said goodbye to the owner, a move she now realizes was a mistake.

"I wish I had been less worried about being polite, and more assertive about the missing items right from the start. Having to confront the person who has your money and holds the keys is really challenging. You just want the guy to leave so you can make a game plan and take it all in," she said.

Another way to prevent problems that the host could fix is to communicate with the host before you arrive," Shapiro advised.

3. Communicate Through Airbnb

Use Airbnb's messaging system when you contact the host, so that the company can see your message, when you sent it, and the host's reply. Also save a copy of all communications for yourself, in case you need them later.

4. Read Airbnb's Refund Policy Carefully

Only certain conditions may be eligible for a refund in Airbnb's policy, even in that first 24 hours:

If you can't get into the rental;
If the listing misrepresents the unit;
If the place is dirty or unsafe;
If there's an animal there that wasn't disclosed in the listing.

When you submit the refund claim, make it clear how the property qualifies for a refund under these specific conditions.

5. Re-Read the Listing Closely Before Complaining

In order to comply with Airbnb's narrow refund qualifications, it's a good idea to study the listing before contacting them to pinpoint any misrepresentation. It's not a bad idea to print the listing before you travel, in case you have trouble accessing the listing while on your trip. And don't forget to check the photos and captions, not just the main listing text.

"Some of the promises for the apartment were in the photo captions," Diane explained. "So when I first wrote to the owner and Airbnb, everyone claimed there was no promise of a stocked kitchen, etc. I felt like I had imagined it. By the time I realized they were in the photo captions, it was really too late."

It's important to plan your initial complaint carefully, because changing or adding to your complaint later could work against you. Remember, Airbnb staff is looking to protect owners from bad actors.

6. Document the Conditions

Airbnb requires proof in your refund claim, as in photos. Take a picture of that broken window, dirty bathroom, or the gaping hole where the kitchen stove should be, and send it along with your claim.

7. Check the Cancellation Policy

Even if Airbnb and the owner refuse to refund the first night of a stay, if the owner has chosen the "flexible" cancellation policy, you can go on Airbnb and cancel the remainder of your stay for a refund. Of course, you'll need to check out at that point.

With the "moderate" policy, you can get a 50% refund for unused nights. For the stricter policies, you can't get a refund for cancellation after checking in. For a long-term rental, the first month cannot be canceled.

8. Try Social Media

If you feel the host and Airbnb are not being helpful, or you've complained but didn't hear back, a nudge on Twitter or Facebook can get things moving.

When Rose Maura Lorre and her family checked into an Airbnb that didn't live up to the listing photos, had treacherous stairways, a minor bug issue, and "a bedroom that really wasn't," her husband first tried emailing customer service, but then, Lorre said, "I took it to their Facebook page and got an immediate response."

Airbnb found them a new place to stay by the next day, and refunded them for the first night.

Diane got a quick response from Airbnb's Twitter team, although the team's proposed solution didn't work for her. They offered money to buy the missing items, but she didn't feel that she should have to spend her vacation time stocking someone else's kitchen.

9. If the 24-Hour Window Has Passed, Complain Anyway

Shapiro acknowledges that sometimes guests discover a problem mid-stay.

"This is where our customer service team has more responsibility to make a judgment call," Shapiro said. "We have to ask questions like, 'Why was this not discovered until now?' 'Is this something that the guest somehow could be at fault for?'"

Airbnb didn't give Diane a refund, claiming that, although she had complained right away, she had raised the qualifying issues with the apartment too late. But other customers have had better luck. The blog Root of Good describes getting a full refund and an apology voucher when he complained two days after checking into a filthy apartment.

10. Try the Owner Again

For Diane, more problems popped up throughout her stay, like a hairball lurking under the bedsheets. When she wrote to Airbnb again, they directed her to its Resolution Center, where you can request money back directly from the host with a click of a button. Asking doesn't necessarily mean getting, but you can try. Diane was able to convince the host to refund the days she didn't use his apartment.

11. Contact Your Credit Card Provider

As with any unsatisfactory customer experience, you can request that your credit card provider withhold payment. One Airbnb customer, who described on AirbnbHell being locked out of a rental for hours, reported successfully getting a refund through this method.

If your credit card offers travel insurance, you could also ask for a refund via that route. (See also: 12 Travel Perks You Didn't Know Your Credit Card Had)

12. If Nothing Else Works, Try the Media

Columns such as Christopher Elliott's The Travel Troubleshooter are able to spur companies — including Airbnb — to give refunds after initially refusing. Besides, it might feel good to vent about a frustrating experience to a columnist or on TV. (See also: 10 Vacation Rental Alternatives to Airbnb)

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This article is from Carrie Kirby of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Savor Your Trip and Save Big With These 5 Slow Travel Tips

Nick Wharton — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 11:00:40 +0000

I've been on the road over five years in total and in that time I've seen 45 countries. This may sound like a lot of places to see, but it averages around six weeks per country. And that slower travel rate has served me well.

In my experience, by staying put and traveling slower, I've not only formed a better connection and understanding of the places that I visit, but I've also saved a lot of money along the way. Here's how.

1. Accommodation

Where you'll stay is one of your biggest travel expenses — and a great place to look for savings.

Long-Stay Discounts

If you know you're going to be staying at the same hotel for more than a couple nights, you can ask for a long-stay discount. I've had hotels offer many free nights just by asking!

Vacation Rentals

Whenever you're booking a hotel or resort for a two-week or longer stay, you're spending a lot more money than you need to (even if you get a discount). If you decide to stay in one place for two weeks or more, you may just find that vacation rentals will give you much more bang for your buck.

Local Apartment Rentals

Vacation rentals are cheaper than hotels, but if you stay in one place for two months or more, you can save even more money by renting a local apartment. Once you start getting into local rentals and out of the vacation rental space, you can find some amazing deals. Vacation rentals are generally reserved for short stays (two weeks to two months) and are often owned by expats, meaning they are more expensive than regular apartments.

On my recent two and a half month trip to Mexico, I paid $50 per night for a small room with a double bed at a hostel. That's $1,500 per month if I had stayed for 30 days! Luckily I only stayed for a couple of nights while searching for an apartment. Vacation rentals were charging at least $1,000 per month, but within three days of looking around I had found a lovely, Mexican-style, two bedroom, two-level local apartment with a large kitchen and dining room for just $400 per month! I landed this price because I was staying "long-term."

House Sitting

Longer stays in each place will also give you the ability to easily find house sitting jobs. It's not easy to line up one-to-three night house sitting gigs while you're moving around a country quickly, but if you plan to stay in one town for a couple of weeks, you may be able to find a house sitting job and get free accommodation.

2. Transport

Your transportation costs can add up quickly, so be smart about how you choose to get around.

Car Rental

It's no secret that the longer you rent a car, the less you pay. A few years ago, I rented a car for five weeks in South Africa and it only costed me $20 per day, including all insurance! All major car rental companies will offer significant savings when booking a car for a month or more.

If you're traveling to a new country every week, you won't be able to take a long-term rental because most car rental companies don't want you to cross borders with their cars. Drive around one country for a few weeks or months and watch the savings add up.

Public Transport

You won't actually get a discount on public transport tickets by traveling slower, but you'll definitely be buying less bus, plane, and train tickets. Many buses and trains cost around $5 per hour or more depending on where in the world you are ($1 per hour in Asia). These costs quickly add up if you're taking a seven-hour bus ride every two days. That's $525 a month!

3. Tours

You don't need to spend all your dough in order to explore your chosen destination.

Time to Shop Around

I can't count how many times I arrived in a city in the afternoon, booked a tour that evening, and left on an excursion the next morning. There's nothing wrong with this kind of speedy shopping, except when you return to town and find the same tour for half the price at another agency! Traveling slower will give you time to shop around and find the best deals on tours.

Spread Out Your Sight Seeing

Taking a tour every day and trying to see everything in a short visit can be expensive. If you give yourself a bit more time, you can spend time doing things that don't cost money, like an independent walking tour or a relaxing beach day.

Taking Advantage of Free Days

Many museums, galleries, and historical sites around the world have special days each week when entrances are either discounted, or completely free. By staying in a city longer, you'll have a better chance of being able to take advantage of these days to save money.

4. Food

Food is a major part of the fun when it comes to traveling, but don't spend all your money on one meal!

More Time to Find the Local Joints

Sometimes it takes some searching to find the best, cheap restaurants in a city. The more time you spend in each place, the more time you'll have to explore and find your favorite hole-in-the wall restaurants with the most delicious food and the best prices.

Discount Days and Festivals

Just like museums and galleries, restaurants almost always have special discounts on different days of the week. If you are traveling quickly, you may miss these days, or not even find out about them. Festivals are also on fixed dates and so you'd have to get lucky to catch one if you're moving from place to place every other day. Stay in one town for a month and you're likely to witness some sort of festival or event that's offering free food and free entertainment!

Cooking in Apartment Kitchens

This is one of the best ways to save money while traveling and it goes with the first tips in this article about renting an apartment instead of booking a hotel. When you have a kitchen, you'll be able to buy your own groceries and cook for yourself. A cheap breakfast in a restaurant may cost upwards of $10 (depending on where you're traveling), while a similar breakfast cooked at home won't likely break a dollar.

5. Visas

More border crossings means more transportation costs, and of course, more entrance visas. Depending on what part of the world you're exploring, visas can range from free, to $150 per entrance. When I was traveling in Central Asia for three months in 2013, I spent over $300 in entrance visas and invitation letters alone because I was moving to a new country every two weeks. This is an extreme case because of the heavy bureaucracy and high cost of visas in this area, but visa costs add up no matter where you're traveling. Stay in one country longer and avoid getting charged (and paying border guard bribes) so often.

Slow and Steady…

Travelers often like to pack multiple cities in one trip to see as many places as possible, but not only can you save money by staying in one place, the experience of living in a foreign place longer than a few days can be just as exciting. See our favorite travel rewards credit cards that will help you get to your dream vacation sooner!

Are you a slow traveler? Where have you been? Where are you going?

This article is from Nick Wharton of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

How to Find and Book the Best Vacation Rentals

Deia B — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 08:48:22 +0000

Vacation rentals are a big part of the sharing economy — the idea that sharing things could financially benefit all involved. For example, travelers have been taking advantage of free accommodation by swapping their homes with each other through HomeExchange for decades. (See also: Home Exchanges: Free Accommodations With Perks)

When you rent a vacation rental, you're dealing with a private property owner instead of hospitality professionals. On one hand, this could mean that the customer service standards won't be up to the level you usually enjoy at hotels. On the other hand, vacation rental owners can be warmer and more accommodating. And the prices are often lower than hotels, too.

The quality of vacation rentals can vary wildly because there are no professional standards that apply to these properties. But if you're careful, you can improve your chances of having a safe and enjoyable stay. (See also: Best Travel Reward Credit Cards)

When You Should Start Looking

You might be able to score a last-minute deal when you book a hotel room. But with a vacation rental, you should start looking as early as possible. If you only have one week before the trip, you might be better off booking a hotel room instead.

Running the vacation rental is usually not the host's main job, so it could take a while for a host to reply to your message and confirm your booking. Allow at least two weeks to sort things out with your host.

Where to Find Vacation Rentals

By far, the most popular vacation rental site is Airbnb. As the pioneer in the peer-to-peer accommodation rental industry, Airbnb has a big pool of relatively active hosts and a high number of listings, so you're more likely to get a confirmed booking through this website.

Over the years, other vacation rental websites have appeared. They may be worth a try if you can't find the right accommodation on Airbnb.

HomeAway, for example, markets itself as "the UK's number 1 website for holiday cottages, villas and apartments." Other vacation rental websites include VRBO, Wimdu, and One Fine Stay.

To save time, you can use a vacation rental search engine called Tripping. Tripping searches multiple vacation rental sites at once, although Airbnb is not included in its database.

How to Do a Property Search

When you perform a search on a vacation rental website, you usually have to enter the location, the dates of your stay, and the number of guests.

Once the website presents you with the results, you can narrow down your choices by price, location, and whether you want a room or an entire property. Vacation rentals can be spare rooms, apartments, houses, or more unusual dwellings like treehouses and boathouses.

For longer stays, the website may automatically show you lower weekly or monthly rates.

What to Look for in Listings

A listing usually has photos, a text description, and reviews from previous guests. If you carefully look at all the information on the listing, you can reasonably judge which properties are suitable for you. (See also: How to Manage a Short-Term Rental Business)

Pay close attention to several parts of the listing.

Amenities

Come up with a list of all the amenities you need. With a hotel stay, you can safely assume that you'll get certain things, such as laundry facilities or a coffee maker. There is no such guarantee with a vacation rental.

When you look at a listing, compare it to your list of amenities. Just because the listing doesn't mention something doesn't mean the host won't provide it. Note which amenities are missing from the listing description and remember to ask the host about these items when you send him a message.

Reviews

After a few stays at vacation rentals, I'm now willing to pay more for a vacation rental that has a high number of positive reviews. The guests who leave reviews vouch for the property's safety and quality, so you're less likely to come across unwanted surprises.

Read the wording of the reviews closely. The reviews are often on the generous side because the guests may worry about getting bad feedback from the hosts in return. A remark that "the place needs some dusting," for example, could actually mean that it's really dirty.

The Host's Profile

Depending on which vacation rental website you use, each host may have a profile you can check out. The profile displays the reviews the host has gotten from all of his listings. On Airbnb, you can also look at whether the property owner has submitted an ID and social media accounts for verification.

Fees

Pay attention to the fees displayed in each listing. Every listing has an Airbnb service fee, which is what Airbnb charges for using its reservation system.

On top of that, the host may charge a security deposit, an additional guest fee, and a cleaning fee. The security deposit covers any damage that may occur during your stay and will be returned to you if everything goes smoothly. You may have to pay an additional guest fee if you have more than a certain number of people in your party. There may also be a cleaning fee to freshen up the space before and after your stay. (See also: 37 Hidden Travel Fees)

How to Confirm a Booking

Before you have a confirmed booking, don't fall in love with any of the listings on vacation rental sites. Sometimes the availability on the website is wrong or the host just never responds to your message, so keep your options open.

Send a message to a few hosts whose listings you like. In the message, tell the host a little bit about yourself and your travel companions. State the dates of your stay so the host can check her schedule and confirm whether the property is available. Don't forget to ask her about the amenities you want that are not mentioned in the listing.

If you want to negotiate the pricing, do so in the message. Aside from the Airbnb fee, the host can change all prices and fees. (See also: How to Negotiate and Get the Best Deal)

Once the host has confirmed that the place is available, you can make a booking. Don't wait for a reply from every single host to make a decision; some hosts may never respond to your message.

When you make a booking, the vacation rental website charges your credit card and retains the money until 24 hours after you check in. This system allows you to claim a refund from the website if you see a problem at check-in time.

What are your best tips in scoring the best vacation rentals?

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This article is from Deia B of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

This Is How You Rent Your Place on Airbnb — and Succeed

Mikey Rox — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 08:36:13 +0000

Almost immediately after moving to New York City I had the brilliant idea to rent out our guest bedroom to tourists. My now-husband and I had a two-bedroom apartment, and we decided on getting the extra space so we could accommodate out-of-town friends and family that we were sure would visit all the time — except they didn't, and that empty room quickly turned into something that we were paying for but didn't necessarily need. (See also: How Much House Do You Really Need?)

Until the light bulb went off, that is. I knew there had to be a market out there for people like me who enjoyed spending their travel dollars on fun things like eating out and exciting activities instead of wrapping all that cash up in expensive hotels. I was right. As soon as I listed our apartment on Craigslist, I started to receive inquiries that quickly turned into bookings. This was all pre-Airbnb and other micro-subletting (the fancy word for short-term rental) sites. (By the way, I don't recommend using Craigslist for micro-subletting nowadays.) Nonetheless, we started pulling in a good amount of money from the get-go, and it only increased when we started listing on the micro-subletting sites once they were introduced.

I won't divulge exactly how much money we've made doing this, but I will tell you that as a direct result we now own a condo in Manhattan and a shore house in New Jersey. (See also: 9 Ways to Earn Extra Cash)

You can find success in micro-subletting, too. Granted, it's much easier to fill our space in New York City than other places, but you might be surprised at the number of inquiries you might receive where you live.

If you haven't thought about micro-subletting before, start. If you've been hesitant to try it, take a chance. This is a very easy and honest way to supplement your income and perhaps even save more money than you thought possible — and it's using what you already have.

We've been renting out our home for nearly six years now; I'm considered a "Super Host" on the Airbnb website. We've hosted hundreds of people from all over the world, and we have more than 150 positive reviews about our accommodations and hosting style. Thus, I consider myself an expert in this field, and I'm happy to divulge my tips, tricks, and advice so you can be successful at micro-subletting, too. Take a look.

1. Make Your Listing Stand Out From the Crowd

The number one reason that people choose to stay with us over other hosts — in my opinion, at least — is the description we've provided of ourselves and the accommodations in our listing. I know this because many times the potential guest reaching out for the first time specifically mentions something positive about the description. There's a reason for that. I took the time to write a description that was charismatic, conversational, humorous, and detailed. I wanted to capture the strangers' attention enough so they'd want to be our friends in just a few paragraphs. Whereas other listings are straightforward and to the point (and, frankly, boring), ours draws the potential guest in and makes them feel at home and comfortable instantly — and that's exactly what you want if you're choosing to stay in the home of someone you've never met before.

2. Increase Your Success With Lots of Amenities

Another reason we receive more bookings than a lot of listings in our area is because we offer great amenities. In the private guest bedroom, there's a mini fridge, flat screen TV with HD cable, DVD player, iron and ironing board, and lots of books and maps of the city. Our guests also have full use of our home while they're here, whether it's cooking their meals, hopping on the computer to print tickets or vouchers, playing our video game system or board games, washing and drying clothes, or borrowing a book or DVD. And it's all included in their stay. Also included is free coffee, tea, and cereal. Our guests get a lot of bang for their buck, and these amenities are our way of giving that extra value that other listings are not.

3. Respond to Inquiries Quickly and Politely

I respond to my inquiries within minutes usually — thanks to the micro-subletting services' mobile apps — and I never let them go for more than a few hours. Not responding promptly to inquiries gives the potential guest time to browse other listings, and I don't want that. I want to be the first and the best so the choice is easy for them. My response time is largely what keeps us booked consistently throughout the year.

The way you respond also plays a part in potential guest's decision on where to stay. Be polite and charming, and you've won them over. Be curt and short, and you'll lose them. (See also: 25 Ways to Communicate Better)

4. Vet Your Potential Guests Thoroughly

The way a guest reaches out to me initially impacts whether or not I'll accept their reservation request. I consider myself a very good judge of character — even online — so if they don't offer up details about themselves, where they're coming from, and what the purpose of their visit is, I'll inquire. If they continue to be standoffish, it's probably a good sign that I don't want this guest in my home.

However, going back to my listing, it's written in a way that invites the potential guests to provide information and details about themselves, so I rarely have to dig for more. Also, Airbnb in particular has verifications for members, including Facebook, Twitter, phone numbers, and more. If the potential guest isn't verified on social media, I generally won't accept the request.

5. Never Accept Locals Under Any Circumstance

I can't stress this point enough. The only guests you should accept are travelers from out of town. Why? Because locals who want to stay with you often come with baggage — and not just the kind they're carrying in their hands. They've broken up with their significant other; they were evicted; or they're planning something far more nefarious, like making copies of your keys during their stay, then robbing you blind while you're not home a few weeks later. Trust me, it happens.

Locals also may be difficult to get out, problems that arise could annoy your neighbors, and you're putting yourself in a potentially dangerous situation with someone nearby who now knows where you live. Feeling unsafe in your own home is not a feeling you want, especially when you could have avoided it. Do not accept locals under any circumstance.

6. Keep Your Calendar Up to Date Online and Offline

A big part of this business — and I do consider it a business — is maintaining the reservation calendar online and offline. The micro-subletting sites keep track of your reserved dates for you in an easy-to-access manner, but I also put all reservations on the calendar on my phone, so I can see what's happening at a glance and what I need to do to prepare in advance.

Failing to keep you calendar organized will result in double bookings eventually, especially if you're using multiple micro-subletting sites. That would be a nightmare for you, and it's not pleasant for the guest either. Can you imagine being told you have nowhere to stay when you arrive at your vacation destination because the host couldn't keep track? You'd be very upset, and your potential guests will, too.

7. Provide Exactly What Is Offered in Your Listing

If you're listing certain amenities that appeal to potential guests, it's imperative that you provide them during their stay. These included items and services are likely part of the reason why they choose you over many other available listings, and it's your duty to be the best host you can be. The downside to not offering what you're advertising in your listing is that the guests may leave you a poor review, and that could turn future guests away when they browse the reviews on your profile.

8. Research Comparable Listings in Your Area

When setting the nightly fee for your listing, research other properties in your area. I live in Manhattan, so I did a search for properties within a 10-block radius in all directions, found the listings that closely resembled my own, and made an informed decision on what fee to set the listing — which is directly related to my next point.

9. Undercut the Competition to Increase Bookings

As I've detailed, the engaging description on my listing along with the amenities offered, the photos, and the reviews, play a large part in a potential guest's decision to stay in my home. Just as large a part, however, is the nightly fee they're paying for what they're getting.

They want a great place to stay, and they want to save while they're at it.

From day one, I've been very savvy about the nightly fee: I simply undercut the competition so I can appeal to more people. Oldest trick in the book, sure, but it amazes me how many people in my area are asking for nightly fees that exceed what they're offering, and their calendars are perpetually empty as a result. Because of our marketing savvy, we're booked most nights from the beginning of April to the end of the year. The winter is a bit slow for business, so as a further tactic during these months I generally lower the nightly fee about 10%, making my listing even more appealing. I'm also more open to longer-term stays in the first three months of the year than I would be the rest of the year. The big money comes in turning over guests every three to five days. More work, of course, but more money, too.

10. Provide an Experience Your Guests Will Remember — and Refer

If you've decided to be a host, it's your responsibility to provide your paying guests with topnotch hospitality. They won't expect you to make them meals (unless you're offering that in your listing; some hosts do), but they will expect the house and especially their bedroom to be clean, for you to provide local intel, and to just generally be nice and approachable. After all, nobody wants to stay in a strange place in which they feel uncomfortable. Commit yourself to consistently great hospitality, and you'll receive the positive reviews you need to procure more and more bookings — and you also may be referred by that guest to their own friends and family. Past guests have referred our listing many times, and we view that as a testament to the service and accommodations we've provided. (See also: How to Be the Host With the Most)

11. Ask Your Guests for Constructive Criticism on How You Can Be a Better Host

I'm always trying to improve what we're offering to guests so often I'll ask for feedback on certain things. Was the bed comfortable enough? Are more pillows needed? Did you enjoy the coffee? This not only shows that you genuinely care about the guests that you're hosting, but it will help you improve your hospitality skills. This also is a good way to let the guests tell you what was wrong in person — if anything — which may prevent them from leaving a poor review on your listing after the fact. (See also: How to Get and Give Honest Feedback)

12. Prepare for Taxes, Because You Have to Pay Them

Now for the bad news. You have to pay taxes on every dollar you make from micro-subletting. All of the micro-subletting sites with which you're listed and making money will send you 1099s at the beginning of the year. This is an important detail to remember because it's very easy to spend that additional income without considering the tax repercussions. You definitely don't want to find yourself in a situation where you owe $8K and you don't have the money in the bank. My suggestion to handle this situation wisely is to put 50% of every booking in your savings account (or more if you'd like), and spend a small portion smartly. By saving and spending our micro-subletting income smartly, we were able to turn one home into two, which means that now we have the means to double the income we were making before. Not a bad deal at all — and you can do it, too.

Have questions or advice to add about micro-subletting? Let me know in the comments below.

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This article is from Mikey Rox of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: