Little ways to cut rental expenses
By William May
Published: 08/04/03
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Comments: 0
Vacation home owners have a number of pretty big concerns. But there are few nagging little ideas I hear from owners about saving money that might be worth sharing in case you're not already on top of them. Here they are:
- SIMPLE THERMOSTATS: I mentioned these a month ago and had lots of feedback. Set-back thermostats are great at your full time home but most guests operate them incorrectly often running up the heat in winter and the AC in summer. They can really jack up your bills. A simple (and often cheaper) setback thermostat will save you money. You know - they kind that you turn up and then turn down. Really simple. Its more likely that a guest will turn it up and down when they leave the premise than that they'll leave a complicated one alone. And when they mess with your fancy thermostat it will cost you money.
- ONE DAY'S SUNDRIES: We want guests to feel like family in our homes. So naturally its necessary to provide those little sundries for guests such as toilet paper, paper towels, bath and hand soap, laundry and dishwasher detergent and so forth. We certainly don't want them to check in late one night and not have TP. But I am continually amazed at how much tissue folks can run through. Now I REALLY don't want to know where it all goes. But its clear all the guests in the world have formed a conspiracy to use up all the sundries in the unit even if you have boxes of the stuff..
So - the solution is simple. Remembering that we are somewhat of a cross between a hotel and a long term rental home - many owners are limiting the sundries they provide to guests to "one days worth" with it written into leases and pre-occupancy letters that guests have to bring more for their own use. They do, after all, remember to bring food on their own don't they? They can buy additional sundries as well.
(The only exception to this would be if you are located way out in the wilderness. I don't think I'd want to fly into a lake home in Alaska only to realize its 100 miles by foot to the nearest store)
- FOOD STUFFS: Some owners also provide limited food stuffs to guests such as restaurant on-serving size mustard, catchup and so forth. Certainly its no big deal to leave a good supply of salt and pepper. Its cheap and not something they can really scarf down in unlimited quantities. We also leave a big supply of coffee filters because they are so cheap. But here again one days supplies is more than enough. Guest's simply do not expect more than that.
- REPLACEMENTS: You also have a number of replacement type items to keep in stock. Things like light bulbs, extra batteries for the smoke alarms and so forth. You can expect these things to wear out during a guest's stay so it is necessary to leave out a few of each in a good location in case they are needed. If you have a laundry room that's the place. But the majority of your inventory of replacements goods should also be locked up or they'll disappear. Can you imagine how many batteries a bunch of kids can go through in a Nintendo game? You don't want to know but I'm guessing its far less if Mom and Dad have to shell out for the batteries. Don't donate yours.
NOTE: Will you get complaints? The answer - not even one. Providing, of course, that you'll told the guests the rules and made it very clear what you provide and what you do not. Hey, even McDonald's hoards the catchup don't they?
- BUY GENERIC BRANDS: You don't want to buy cheap paper goods. Have you ever been to a mid price hotel with TP you could see through? Yuck! And (not to be too graphic here) but guests will just use more of the thin stuff. On the other hand, buying the expensive "quilty" brands really won't win you any points either. So, shop around. Every retailer has Generic House branded sundries. Those are the ones to buy and usually come in large sizes as well. You'll save money.
- OWNER LOCK OFF: It is not sufficient to put out one days sundries and put the rest in a cupboard. Even well meaning guests will find anything and everything you have in the house and consume it without regard to your purpose. They are voracious. You could put a label on the extra sundries asking them not to use them - but they will of course. So the only way to protect your investment of a million rolls of TP from Costco is to put them in a secure lock off area such as a closet or cupboard.
HINT: And by secure - I mean secure. Even a well door well labeled "keep out" won't stop some folks. Simple thumb locks may not either. We recommend finding a way to secure your lock off with a combination lock - either the built in kind or even a modest sized hanging one. Yes I know it can be ugly but it really does tell visitors they are not welcome inside.
HINT: And why a combination you say? Well, first with a combination its impossible to lose the key and you all know that eventually you will lose the key. If you have a bad memory then write the code somewhere it won't be found such as on the top of a door (not the door jam, but the door itself.) You'll have to get on a chair to find it but I have one that's been easy for me to find and impossible for anyone else for 15 years. (and yep I do forget the combination!)
Another reason for using a combination lock is because in a true emergency you can give out the code to guests. If there is a storm, or other catastrophe (even those made by guests themselves) you always have the option of giving them the code over the phone. Just when you think this won't happen we all have to remember September 11th. Someday if you have a guest unable to find a plane home and the shipment of even the simplest supplies slowed and difficult to find you'll be glad you have a big stock of the little things locked in a room somewhere.
- BEST BUYS: And where to buy those sundries and supplies? Well if you're lucky enough to have a Food Purveyor who serves hotels and restaurants delivering to your area you can order everything you need from them. They will usually have a minimum order but if you buy up big quantities it will be worth the convenience. For most folks the best way to buy is form a big box retailer like Costco or Walmart. It may feel kind of funny the first time, but buying 200 paper towel rolls at one of those places can really save you some money. When you start buying the really huge sizes you'll be amazed at how cheap each piece is.
Hey, I'm not a big spender (and you may have guessed from the newsletter, far from it) you can even raise a few eyebrows at Walmart when you take 6 carts through the checkout aisle.
***** As always I seek your feedback. Please share you thoughts, stories, compliments and complaints on this or any other subject by writing me at Director@Vrai.orgDirector@Vrai.org.
Author: William May – Volunteer, Vacation Rental Association
Blog #: 0023 – 08/04/03
Comments: 0
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