Good  Neighbor  Practices  For  Vacation  Rentals  

Neighborhood  Harmony,  Less  Hassles

Avoiding  the  obvious!  Take  Some  Simple  Steps  To  Be  A  Good  Neighbor  As  An  Owner/Manager.

What’s  The  #  1,  2,  and  3  Complaints  That  We  Hear?The  number  one  reason  why  cities  and  counties  move  towards  stringent  regulation  over  vacation  rentals  is  because  neighbors  lodge  numerous  complaints  with  local  authorities.  Lets  be  clear!  We  understand  that  some  neighbors  will  never  be  satisfied  regardless  of  how  good  a  neighbor  that  you  are  as  a  short  or  long  term  rental  owner/manager,  or  how  cooperative  your  guests  are.  This  presentation  provides  the  best  practices  and  tips  and  tricks  to  preempt  local  opposition.  The  top  3  complaints  are  noise,  parking  issues  &  trash  left  around.  In  many  cases  these  are  an  easy  fix.  Just  remember,    repetitive  complaints  stir  up  unwanted  opposition  and  give  us  all  a  bad  name.  

Being  prepared  for  the  worst  case  scenario!

1. God  forbid  that  you  ever  have  to  eject  a  guest  from  the  home.  But  if  this  case  should  arise  you  want  to  make  sure  that  you  have  your  bases  covered  to  protect  yourself  as  an  owner  or  a  manager.  • Always  have  a  solid  contract  and  clear  expectations  of  what  the  rules  of  the  home  are  before  a  guest  arrives.  A  signed  agreement  goes  a  long  way  towards  protecting  your  rights  in  this  case.  Get  legal  advice  if  needed  on  steps  to  take  if  this  ever  happens  and  know  what  you  have  to  do  at  a  moments  notice  to  respond.  Usually  an  owner/manager  is  not  prepared  for  this  scenario.  • Post  rules  in  the  home  as  a  secondary  reminder.  • Set  clear  policies/fees  that  you  can  have  for  recourse  is  they  fail  to  follow  the  rules  of  the  home.  

Neighbor  Relations!• Make  it  a  point  to  introduce  yourself  to  the  neighbors.  • Tell  them  that  you  are  licensed  and  paying  taxes  on  your  rental.• Offer  a  way  for  them  to  contact  you  if  they  see  unruly  behavior.  Its  for  your  own  protection  and  shows  that  you  care  about  their  property  rights  and  quiet  enjoyment  also.  

You  won’t  want  to  find  out  about  this  behavior  later,  so  don’t  give  it  a  chance  to  ruin  your  vacation  rental  reputation  or  ours!

Ways  Your  Neighbor  Can  Help?

Do  you  have  something  in  common  with  your  neighbor?Maybe  you  can  use  the  same  local  contractors  as  your  neighbor?  Pool  cleaners,  housekeepers,  lawn  care,  etc.  Having  your  property  maintained  by  the  same  contractors  as  your  neighbor  might  put  them  at  ease  more  and  also  save  you  $  by  using  a  local  vendor  that’s  already  in  the  neighborhood.  Maybe  your  neighbor  is  also  a  vacation  rental  owner/manager?  Find  out,  share  contacts  or  even  tips/best  practices,  bookings  when  you  are  fully  occupied.  Offer  your  neighbors  the  ability  to  rent  your  house  at  a  discount  price  if  they  have  family  and  friends  visiting.  

Response  Time!

• How  quickly  can  you  get  to  the  property  if  a  major  problem  erupts?• Do  you  have  a  local  responsible  contact?  • Many  cities  now  are  mandating  a  1  or  2  hour  response  time  from  a  local  contact.  

Noise!

• We  know  guests  are  on  vacation  and  love  to  let  loose  but  that  still  must  be  within  reason.  Set  clear  quiet  times  in  your  agreements  and  post  that  in  the  property.  Make  sure  they  know  the  consequences.  • Ask  the  guests  to  treat  this  home  like  it  was  their  own.  • Monitoring  devices  now  exist  from  partners  like  Noiseware  if  it’s  a  chronic  problem  for  your  home  and  you  have  sensitive  neighbors.  

Parking

• Depending  upon  the  size  of  your  home  and  occupancy  limit  usually  determines  the  number  of  vehicles  that  are  acceptable.  Set  limits  of  vehicles  allowed  or  offer  options  for  local  parking  alternatives.  • Know  your  local  HOA/Condo  rules  if  they  exist  and  other  city  parking  requirements.  • A  good  rule  of  thumb  is  whatever  fits  in  the  driveway  is  acceptable  without  blocking  sidewalks  and  right  of  ways.  

Trash

• Make  sure  that  you  have  a  clear  understanding  with  the  guest  that  they  must  have  trash  inside  the  approved  containers  you  provided  and  placed  in  a  specific  location  on  site.  • Know  the  acceptable  times  that  you  as  an  owner/manager  can  place  the  trash  out  for  pickup  and  then  pull  in  the  barrels  afterwards.  This  is  usually  different  for  every  city  or  HOA/Condo  site.  • If  the  location  has  a  commercial  trash  receptacle  make  the  guest  aware  of  this.  

Know  when  to  say  ENOUGH  IS  ENOUGH!

If  you  are  an  owner/manager  and  find  that  you  need  help  to  properly  operate  your  vacation  rental  know  when  to  recognize  that  you  are  over  your  head.  An  average  owner/manager  spends  a  minimum  of  8  hours  each  week,  per  home,  on  something  vacation  rental  related.  Options:• Find  a  local  professional  manager  to  take  on  your  property  management  role  for  a  fee.• Find  qualified  vendors  and  suppliers  to  streamline  your  operations.  • Use  technology  and  industry  software  to  help  you  become  more  profitable  and  professional.  

Lets  Keep  Our  Neighbors  Happy!

An  ounce  of  prevention  is  worth  a  a  pound  of  cure!