If you rent your vacation rental to a member of the armed forces, please remember that soldiers must follow orders, even when those order conflict with their vacation plans. The Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act passed in December, 2003, gives these men and women certain rights. The intent of the law is that no US soldier will be negatively impacted by the need to our government to call that solider into action. That's the law. On the human front you can either make it harder or easier for the soldier to concentrate on his/her orders. When a member of the US Armed Forces must cancel their stay in your vacation rental home, due to military deployment, we suggest you take the following actions.

Do ask for a copy of the orders. As one of our former presidents once said, “Trust, but verify.” Don't hold the money if the orders are valid. Think of it as though you've been randomly chosen to help a soldier out. Do offer the soldier another week in the future when he/she returns. Tell him/her to email you in the future when he can get some time away and you'll do what you can to slot him in. Do call HomeAway. If you treat the soldier respectfully, we'll help you fill the week you lost with a free special offer and a featured listing.