How to Rent a Vacation Home

For your next trip, skip the impersonal hotels and rent someone else's vacation home!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet Access
• Pens
• Stationery
• Computers
• Pens

1. Determine your needs for a vacation home rental, including occupancy dates, desired location, space requirements and costs.

2. Call or write the chamber of commerce or tourist board in your desired location to request a listing of available rental properties.

3. Investigate other available vacation rentals through Internet listings, rental property management companies, travel agents and classified newspaper ads in your desired vacation spot.

4. Narrow your search by checking on the availability of specific vacation homes during your scheduled vacation time.

5. Find out the owner's policies about pets, smoking, security deposits, refunds, cancellations, damages, utility costs, arrival time, checkout time and maximum number of occupants.

6. Ask for a written rental contract, especially for seasonal or monthly rentals, to protect your interests.

7. Reserve the vacation home for a specific time period by submitting a deposit and requesting confirmation of your reservation.

Tips & Warnings

• Search the Internet to find great vacation homes for rent in foreign countries.
• Avoid vacation disappointments by getting references about good vacation home rentals through friends, neighbors and family members.

[itsagoodday]

on 8/7/2009 Vacation Rental Want Ads at www.vacationrentalwantads.com is a great resource.

[sunnytexas]

on 1/28/2009 If we are renting out our vacation home in Texas, do we need to charge a hotel tax?

[TikiTraveler]

on 5/16/2007 I have found the best discounts using online listings that allow direct access to the homeowners. The site I found the most helpful was destinationvillas.com because it had last-minute deals that I could track and a rental rate calculator that took away the guesswork and any hidden charges. We have been renting privately owned vacation condos and homes now since 1991 and prefer it over a standard hotel room.

on 11/22/2005 If you are renting someone?s personal vacation home, offer to tidy up or do some chores before you leave. You could wash the dishes, towels, and sheets. If the property has a fireplace, offer to bring some wood in from outside. You get the idea. Large companies pay people to do this. The typical person who rents their spare property will usually have to do these things too, and they do not look forward to it.

on 11/22/2005 If you can, find someone to rent from directly -- a friend, or friend of a friend -- because you can save a lot of money. Property managers for vacation homes charge approximately 50% of your rental fee, so if you can find a friend and clean up after yourself, you can come to a much lower price.