One of the things we all must realize when renting our vacation rental properties is this – our vacationers need to trust us as much as we need to trust them. When a traveler finds us blindly on the Internet, there is always a bit of uncertainty. Does this property really exist? Are the photos up to date? Do the photos and written description truly depict the vacation rental property? What are the cancellation policies? What does the security deposit cover?

As a way to protect both yourself and your renter, you will want to put everything down in writing. You should send your renter a copy of your rental rules and billing confirmation. These documents are critical. You do not have to mail them. It's perfectly acceptable to e-mail these documents to the renter. Have your renter print and sign these documents and send them back with their deposit check or, better yet, fax them back with their credit card information. (Accepting credit cards gives the renters added comfort that you and your property are legitimate.)

The top 10 things you should have in your rental rules:

1. All of your contact information and the address of the vacation rental property
2. Pet and smoking policies and restrictions
3. Age and maximum occupancy restrictions
4. Check-in and check-out days / dates and times
5. Total bill including all taxes and fees
6. Payment schedule for deposits and rental payments
7. Cancellation policy with detailed fiduciary ramifications for cancellation
8. Check-out policy: your expectations of the renters upon departure
9. Provisions of damage deposit refund
10. Storm and road condition policies

For free copies of sample rental rules, click here.  

What do you have in your rental rules that's not on our list? “Copy of the driver's license of the person signing the lease and a requirement that this person be present for the entire length of the stay. This has helped prevent parents from renting our house for use by their unsupervised teenagers during "beach week" in June. Violations can result in immediate eviction and forfeiture of the total rental amount.” - Cindy, Bethany Beach, DE (HomeAway #114317, VRBO #35815)

 

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