Looking For A Summer Rental Property? What To Ask

When you and your friends or family want to visit a popular destination area for a week or more, looking for summer rental properties instead of a hotel chain has some advantages. They can feel more like home and allow you and your relatives or friends to have a more private experience. However, without experience with these types of rentals, you might unwittingly cause problems for yourself unless you ask questions like the following.

Is This a Privately-Owned Property?

There are some rental properties that are owned by private families and other properties that are owned by corporations and managed by property managers.  The reason that ownership matters to you is that it's sometimes easier to communicate and negotiate directly with the people who own the house. However, if something should break and you have to get it repaired, it can sometimes be easier to resolve that problem quickly because property managers can approve repairs right away in most cases. You might have to wait a bit longer for a private owner to take care of it.

Who Pays for Air Conditioning and Electricity?

While some owners will include utilities of some kind, it is vital that you have a clear understanding of who will be responsible for the air conditioning and electric bills. Life can be rather miserable without air conditioning during hot summer days, but it can also cause the electric bill to spike. If you will need to pay that bill, or a portion of it if you're only staying a few days, you need to factor that into your plans.

At What Point is the Cleaning Deposit Kept?

The ability of renters to keep the property clean and neat can be a source of contention between the owners and those renting the property.  You are likely to have to put down a cleaning deposit which should be refunded to you if the landlord is satisfied with the condition of the property after you leave. You need to find out what would cause the landlord to keep your cleaning deposit so you can avoid causing those kinds of problems.

To make things easier, you might decide to have a housekeeper come in every few days. You should also snap photos of the property when you arrive so that if there is a dispute later, you can present proof of what the space looked like on your first day.

The more knowledge you have about a particular property and how things will work during your rental experience, the better. Ask your realtor for more guidance.

For more information on choosing a summer rental property, check out a company like Pace real estate services


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