Private Holiday Home Rental

[FreddieFly]

Good idea or bad?

Below are two very recent examples which I've very quickly found, and straight from the owners mouth. I guess a couple more added to GuestScan...

Two families with young children left a trail of destruction. bottles, glasses, food debris, spillages and worst of all was sick in the bedroom which was never cleared up (adult bedroom not the children).

The worst that I had was that someone had left towels under the bed that they had used to clean up faeces (or perhaps they had just used the towels for a toilet)

But hoteliers still continue renting rooms and don't only accept selected guests. However, to be honest, I think this whole thing is a wind up. I am with Tough and will leave you to your sneering about your guests. Good luck in the hospitality industry - you are going to need it.

Rose I note in an earlier thread you said "as long as they pay the going rate". That's simply one of your terms and conditions surely, which you choose to impose? Everybody has the right to state whatever terms and conditions they like, I reckon. Clearly it's more important for you that their wallet can afford your bill, rather than who they are. I respect your decision on that. Personally, I've sometimes made reductions if I feel that my rental is a bit out of their price range, or offered an extra night at no charge. But that's provided I think they will be a good guest in the first place

This is not a class issue as far as I can see. It's hard to tell who's going to shit your place up and leave behind the kind of mess you'd probably not see in a third world shit-house. And frankly - anyone who thinks FF and Chandalier are being elitist, classist or whatever ist have clearly never worked or owned property in the leisure sector. If they had they'd be singing a different tune - that I can guarantee!

Exactly!

Sorry, that's not correct. I was Head Receptionist in a hotel for 5 years in my twenties, and I saw & heard things that would make your toes curl, I can assure you.

I don't know. There's just a feel of snobbery about it all on this thread. I didn't read the other one. It was the mention of google street maps that got me up on my high horse. I don't live in the best area of my town - but I make my bed in a hotel, tidy the dishes in a restaurant etc. I wouldn't dream of damaging someone else's property.

We regularly hire cottages for use on holidays and never have a problem if they require some form of bond, likewise if we left any damage we would happily pay - even down to informing the owners about a glass which got broken accidentally (they didn't make us pay as they accepted accidents happen!)

There is no "sort" of people who don't care about other peoples property and there is no reason why someone shouldn't make sure that they aren't left out of pocket by other idiots.

No serendipitious - of course you wouldn't - which is presumably why it still surprises and disgusts you when people do. But you KNOW they do. Now if you actually owned the property - had saved hard and worked hard to reach the position where you owned it would you not do everything in your power to make sure it was treated decently? Obviously nobody can get it right every time but I'm damned sure I do everything I could to protect my investment and local reputation. To say otherwise is just airy fairy foolishness.

Honestly, that part I agree with. I think a deposit should be taken, it's only sensible. The business side of it, I get.

It's comments like this that I take issue with -

I don't know anything about anybody on this forum, as far as I am aware, and I have judged nobody as being a snob ( I confess to a few other things, but not snobbery) It's not about snobbishness and I'm very glad that a couple of other people, Fart and Sirzy, who knew nothing about what went before, have stepped in with more sensible view than everybody else.
As I said before, the little that I have has been provided and paid for out of my pocket, not my guests, and I will protect it in any way I see fit

Look, if I Google a house, and I see a pile of uncleared household rubbish, old sofas, chairs, piles of old newspapers, KFC cartons, etc, in their front garden, ripped curtains at the windows, what exactly is wrong with my not wanting them in my property? Give me one single reason, anybody?

And one of the things that pissed me off was "With regards to well spoken phone calls, emails can be a giveaway too. How they are written and the tone, give so many clues for suitability." As for payment, I too discount and make offers, it is sound business practice. But, I do not discriminate because I can't possibly know based on someone's house on google, or their accent or email, what they will do. But, innocent until proven guilty in my world.

Rose see my post above re Google, and give me an honest answer. Would you rent somebody like that your cottage?

On the google maps things, I have no idea what has been said but that really doesn't give an accurate picture anyway. Google maps shows pictures that are at least 3 years old. Anything could have happened in that time. I would be pissed off if I moved into a house and was discriminated against because of a picture someone saw on the internet from before I lived there!

What if it was taken before they lived there? You're making a judgement on someone based on a snapshot that might not even be relevant

I knew nothing of what went before. I didn't read the other thread.

Can you explain why you would take single sex party bookings of gay men and not straight men, for example? Do you really think that all gay men are neat and tidy? Do you think that a whole mass of people are all the same? It just confuses me how you seem to not be able to understand that some of the stuff you're saying is unreasonable.

I also think you wanted a fight. If, like you say, you got battered on another thread - why start another one in AIBU? Because you want a reaction - and then when you get what you wanted, you're all defensive

Google streetview was not recent. Ours was done 3 years ago. As I don't seek that information about guests, I don't know if they have stayed or not. But, if you give people somewhere lovely to stay, in my experience, they respect that.

X post, Serend. Agreed

Loving "airy fairy foolishness" If you could see my thighs......

SH I take your point about the fact that they may not be entirely accurate, and I'd also like to say that I have never refused a booking because of it. If I was in doubt, I would then have to make a decision.

I most certainly don't think all gay men are neat and tidy, and I've known many. I put it that way because I didn't want to say that I wouldn't want same sex men, or women, who would most likely be going specifically for a jolly, or stag or hen party, and end up pissing up the wall in my bathroom because they can't see where the lavatory is, puking in the hallway, leaving their powder remains on the coffee table, disturbing my neighbours etc. Basically, my target market is a much older bracket, because they are statistically more likely to behave, and that's who I want to have. Based on "the balance of probabilities".

I started this thread because somebody requested that it was carried over, because there was a lot more to be said, (which I agree with) who is conspicuous by their absence on this.

I'm not defensive, unless fighting my corner, and that of owners generally, is defensive.

If it is, then yes I am. And if that's wanting a fight, bring it on.

Just seen this - people being a bit hard on FF here. We all make decisions in business and personal lives based on what we can gather. We endlessly google schools, areas, restaurants, hotels and check out as much as we can before we commit. Why not do it with a business? I'm self employed and there are certain people I won't deal with because I know I'll not get paid. Once bitten, twice shy. It's my money.

I worked three years in the serviced lettings sector and there was damage, there were "guests from hell" and there were lovely people. Most were just normal. BUT I weeded out the ones I thought wouldn't pay or the stag parties - it's good business; you are just evening up the odds.

Unfortunately in my personal life I am still too stupid trusting as I didn't check the references well enough of someone and have just lost myself £800.

I've got everything that I posted on the old thread, and take none of it back, and am perfectly able to refresh memories.

Busy thanks, that's the crux of it. We are all able to check out businesses etc. and decide where we choose to spend our money, so what is wrong with checking out guests, renters, tenants? Something about boots and feet here (no pun intended)

I can't help but notice not one of you has given a direct answer to my question about old sofas in the front garden and ripped curtains. We've had a lot of crap about Google being out of date (which can be easily verified whether it's your crap or the previous owner or tenants,) but no direct yes or no

How can you verify a) whos crap it is and b) for what reason it is there. For all you know it could be waiting for the council to come and collect it which here can unfortunatly mean it being sat out for a week or more as they don't give an exact date.

The simple truth is you can not make an accurate judgement via google earth!

Oh, and Boots "letting out rooms" is vastly different from letting out whole properties.