Private Holiday Home Rental

[FreddieFly]

Good idea or bad?

Freddie, the thing is all the three credit agencies are well known, Guestscan isn't so I wouldn't be able to correct any entries. Without being contacted, how is that fair? Not sure what the requirements are, where is toughasoldboots?

BJ, I think you need to take it up with GuestScan. They will tell you their procedure. A property owner could find out if you're listed, but if that's what's concerning you, I think it's quite unfounded, so don't worry

Erm... yes you did!

I shall use guestscan. This has made my day.

SH well if you call responding to some previous comment "bringing it up" I guess I did, so I'll rephrase, "I wasn't the first to bring it up". I merely responded to the earlier comments. Interesting though, why you ask me for my stance and nobody else.

I was just genuinely interested! You started the thread! Stop being so defensive, blimey.

I missed your first thread. How is this any different to landlords taking references for longer term rentals?

We use AirBnB because they insure against losses/damage anyway. I don't want to know if someone got pissed and vommed in a Blackpool BnB on his stag weekend. A couple of years later he may well be a settled, sober and great guest. And it's retrospective. Like thinking the sex offenders register lists everyone who will ever abuse children

SH, okay. I will try to stop being so defensive, but I think it's with good cause. I've needed to be. But I started the thread on request, and it didn't mention discrimination, just holiday rentals

The thread follows on from one where it was suggested (perhaps humorously) that FF uses Google to check on the state of prospective renters houses in order to determine whether or not they are fit guests for a holiday property. I can't quote exactly but this led to some discussion. I just wondered about criteria used to select guests as we don't select but others clearly do.

Chocolate it's no different at all to landlords taking references and deposits from longer rentals, which was a point that I made on the earlier thread, almost verbatim. The only difference is that with longer rentals the deposits are much higher

I like to think of it as more like a hotel that would not take references or a deposit.

I have been renting privately since 2000 and have never had my depoist withheld and have often had comments from property owners on how clean and tidy we have left property.

I am a holiday home owner and I actually google my potential guests. I know some may say that sounds contentious, but I have had instances of fake enquiries from a holiday company local to my home, and some that sound very dodgy. If you get an enquiry and see on their facebook that they are 18 and want to have a stag night or lairy party this summer, it wont be in my home!
I know that would be considered to be discrimination, I absolutely don't care

Oh, and i have only held back deposits 3 times in 8 years. Once when the electricity useage was 3 times the average and I heard from my property manager that the air con was on with doors open, and when guests held parties leaving 15 bags of rubbish for us to dispose of. I would not dream of renting to anyone without a deposit the first time. Repeat guests don't have to leave one.

I do this Pierpressure. After the first successful stay from a guest, any repeats and they are straight in! I have one group that have stayed with me 9 times in 6 years. I withhold deposits very rarely. When I do it is because the damage is a whopper.

Pierpressure, it doesn't sound much different from using Facebook, a number of large employers review profiles of potential employees.

Don't blame you about parties for 18 year olds, wouldn't want my own children to have one at home, let a week long one.

The Google thing came up originally because I stated that I often use Google street mapping to look at prospective renters houses before I accept the booking. Nothing wrong with that as far as I can see, I said that I didn't want any old riff raff in my property. I also said that renters will check out owners properties before they book them, and if they don't like the look of them they will jog on to the next. I don't get huffy about that, if they prefer somebody elses property.

I also Google them to see if there is anything written about them that I don't like. Maybe they're on RipoffBritain or something, or know scammers, and I know plenty about that too.

BJ they also use LinkedIn and several others. People are too quick to splat information about themselves on the Internet and then wonder why they get blacklisted.

And have any renters given any thought to the amount of times owners get ripped off for 100s or 1000s by fake guests? No?

Sorry, I meant to say known scammers, not know! I know a few....

If you Google my name, I don't appear, but a woman who is a nurse in a nearby town does. My house isn't on the streetmap thingy either.

Maybe I don't exist?

How can you have a fake guest? Very puzzled. They pay in full and then they arrive to stay. You have all their information: phone, address etc. how can they be fake? Maybe we have been lucky up here near the North Pole but you lot have clearly not. We occasionally get emails from (clearly) fake companies along the lines of I want to book your property for 40 delegates for 6 months and I think - no - that is fake. But otherwise, how can you tell and what would a fake guest want with a cottage for a week.

Rose sorry I didn't really make myself clear did I? The obvious ones are along the lines of what you said, but they are getting very sophisticated now and not enquiring as companies, but couples or individuals, often very plausible. They are also getting their wording right. I nearly fell for one last week

Then there are the others where many owners have fallen foul, not necessarily losing money, but where guests will actually rent a property and turn up, they then advertise it as a long term rental, taking deposits off numerous unsuspecting people and disappear.

Thanks. Will watch out for those. However, they would soon get bundled into the sea by all the hairy arsed fishermen I know ;). I do think we are protected to a degreeby our location, clearly.

my dd is 18 and she is going to rent a small apartment abroad in May, she is fully house trained and I know she will leave the accommodation as she found it. So to anyone thinking they cannot rent to young people please do not tar them with the same brush..... she is more houseproud than me :)

Yes my dd is the same age as yours Wanna and would be careful in a rented apartment too but i guess your dd has her friends travelling with her ? She might find that they are not so good at looking after the place as she is, and that will be quite hard to control.