How To Be a Great Guest (And Get Your Full Security Deposit Back)
We just wrapped up our fourth year renting and we’ve seen the lots of different guests stay at Thec Woodbury Cottage. They have been all over the spectrum from great to horrible. While we are lucky that a very large majority have been amazing and we would welcome back, we have actually learned more from the smaller portion that we couldn’t wait to see go. Here are the five most important lessons they taught us.
1. Do your research.
Read all house information and rules. The rental websites require lots of information to build a rental profile so owners need to put a lot of effort into filling out all of the information about their house. Some even go further and set up websites, which is what we did (obviously). We are definitely here to answer all of your questions and address your concerns, but please at least put in the effort to thoroughly read the information we have already posted.
2. Communicate.
Honesty is always the best policy. As property owners, we only want to rent to people we trust. Since you are strangers staying in our house, more communication builds up trust quicker. It helps both sides when communication is on point. You have all the information you need to be prepared and have an amazing vacation. We can rest easy knowing that you’re prepared and we can trust you with our home.
3. Respect the rules.
Staying in a house instead of a hotel may feel more comfortable and more like you are home, but you are still staying in someone else’s home. Owners put a lot of time, money and effort into making their homes the best they can be. So the rules are set up for both you and us. We want to protect our property but also make sure you have the best possible vacation. Just think of it in terms of your own house. No one likes when guests disregard the rules in their home.
4. Don’t leave a mess.
The ferry doesn’t wait for anyone, so you have to make sure that you are down on the pier waiting for it. That means you need to plan accordingly. The cleaning fee doesn’t cover the basics like cleaning or putting away dishes or taking your towels off the clothesline. We try to leave the calendar open as much as possible to people can pick the perfect timing for their vacations. So turning the entire house over within a matter of hours and sticking to our high cleaning standards is a challenge in itself. So the quicker we can get to it, the quicker we can get out and make sure we’re gone by the time you get off the boat!
5. Have fun.
You’re on vacation, after all! Most of why we rent our home with people is because we can’t spend as much time there as we would like and you and your family and friends to be able to create the amazing and unique memories like we have been able to do!
