It’s hard to make generalizations or give advice about renter complaints without knowing the specifics because each individual situation will be slightly different. However, the two most common grievances can be handled effectively by following these simple instructions.

The Weather:

Unfortunately, the weather is uncontrollable and unpredictable. Therefore, it should be communicated in the rental agreement that unsatisfactory weather will not result in refunds. While this will not help appease an angry renter whose vacation was ruined due to unforeseen bad weather, it will provide you with a firm ground to stand on when securing your business transaction.

Cleanliness:

By far the most common complaint heard by owners pertains to the cleanliness of their property; however, defending this problem may be tougher than blaming Mother Nature. This issue affects long-distance owners more often, since their accessibility to the property is limited. As a result, long-distance owners must rely on their cleaning staff to prevent this from happening. Since everyone’s perception of cleanliness differs, you cannot afford to leave any ambiguity when it comes to informing your cleaning service of your expectations.

To avoid cleanliness complaints from guests after they’ve left your property, I recommend establishing a check-in policy. The policy should instruct renters to check for cleanliness upon their arrival, and to report any dissatisfaction to the housekeeper immediately. Both you and your housekeeper’s contact information should be available to your renters. If they do not take that opportunity to notify anyone of their frustration, then you are not at fault. Make your policy clear to your renters: if they do not notify you or the housekeeper right away, there is no way to rectify the problem.

Since we put in all that time and effort, there is a lot of pride that we, as owners, have in our vacation homes. Sometimes complaints can be taken as constructive criticism. Keep this in mind: for every person that complains about something, there are probably five others renters who just let it go and say nothing. How many times have you eaten in a restaurant, and your food was not hot? There are some people who would send their plate back every time until it was perfect, and there are others who just would never return to that restaurant again. So when you get a complaint, be sure to take it seriously, and if you can, resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

© Christine Karpinski 2006