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Booking
Your Vacation Rental
by Robin
Fowler
When you get a call
from someone that is interested in renting your vacation
home, you might be tempted to reserve the dates even
before they send you any money. Is this always a good
idea though?
Starting a vacation rental business is hard. You might
find it slow in booking guests at first, and you might
feel obligated to give in to potential customers who
want to “promise” you that they will send payment if you
book certain dates for your vacation rental up front,
just to get your business going. However, this practice
can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and one big
mess!
When you receive an inquiry on your vacation rental for
a certain set of dates, it really should be your policy
to NOT book those dates until you have received some
money from the customer (such as a deposit or first
night’s rent). While it might be very easy and tempting
to be a nice guy (or gal) and hold your rental until the
customer decides to commit with payment, blocking off
dates too early can lead you to lose other customers, as
well as money!
This policy might annoy potential customers who feel
that their word should be good enough for you, but you
are, after all, in business. Think about it this way,
customers don’t get to take home merchandise (usually)
if they merely promise to pay for it, right? There is an
exchange that occurs in business: your product or
service for their money!
It is in your best interest to let all inquires know
that the applicable deposit amount is what holds a
reservation, not a promise. This protects you from
losing other customers who might call you, ready to pay
for a reservation on the spot, for the same dates (which
will inevitably happen to you at some point…it’s called
Murphy’s Law!).
A good and polite practice for you to adopt might be to
let the interested party know that while you cannot
reserve the dates until you receive payment, you will
call them immediately if someone else becomes interested
in the rental property for the same dates. They will
likely appreciate your candidness and honesty, and this
will give them the idea that they are getting first
choice on the rental! And if you do have to call them,
and they are still indecisive or hard to reach, it is
perfectly within your rights to book your vacation
rental to the customer who is willing and able to pay!
You have been up front all along with your customer, so
there should be nothing for you to feel badly about!
An uncertain potential customer might have the best of
intentions, but you can’t let their indecision (or
procrastination in paying) keep you from running a
moneymaking business! Use your instincts, and make
exceptions when it feels right, but make it your general
rule to never hold dates for your vacation rental
property until your have received proper payment.
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Need
help? Call toll-free 1-800-929-VLBO
