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Welcome to Vacasa!
It’s important to work with people who take as much care with your investment as you do. Whether your home is currently set up as a vacation rental or whether you’re looking to improve the return on your investment, entrusting your home to a professional management team is an important decision. Working with Vacasa will help you make the most of your vacation home.
This reference packet is the first step. Here, you’ll find all the details on the policies and procedures we’ve developed to ensure your home is a well-cared-for and successful rental property. Your Local Operations Manager is available to handle any concerns you might have. Or, you can always contact us through our Operations phone line at 877-562-3105 or email us at [email protected].
We recognize that, like each home we care for, each owner has his or her own unique needs. We look forward to building an open, communicative relationship with you!
ChaptersWelcome to Vacasa ..................... 1
Why Vacasa ................................... 2
Operations .................................... 3
Maintenance ................................. 4
Protecting Your Home ................ 5
Guest Satisfaction ....................6-7
Guaranteed Success ................... 8
Owner Info .................................... 9
Homeowner Packet
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When you’re choosing a management company, it’s important to consider the strengths of both larger companies and smaller, local firms. With Vacasa, you get the best of both worlds. We combine the extensive resources of a large company with the in-depth local knowledge of a smaller outfit.
Our sophisticated software, dynamic pricing model, and simple user processes make Vacasa an innovative alternative in the vacation rental industry.
Sophisticated Software
Vacasa has created powerful customized software that allows us to track and analyze data in unique ways. Our database provides extensive information that helps us predict how the industry functions, so we can deliver the best possible return on your investment.
We leverage rates to stay current and competitive, manage an in-house call tracking and email system, record extensive guest history, deduce sophisticated review averages and statistics, observe unit performance metrics and housekeeping metrics, and use strategic testing to gauge marketing success. Ultimately, our software allows us to better serve to the specific needs of owner services, housekeeping, and guest care.
Dynamic Pricing
Unlike traditional management companies that simply set on- and off-season prices, Vacasa maximizes revenue using a complex set of variables. Our dedicated analytics team works to customize each home’s pricing patterns to maximize profitability. We adjust rates based on many variables: season, regional events that draw travelers to your town, property-specific features or amenities that add value for guests, the number of guests each home accommodates, and the proximity to popular attractions. Our rate strategies also adjust for the timing of the reservation, accounting for advance booking potential, last-minute stays, and holidays.
Simplified Experience
It’s our goal to make the vacation rental process simple for guests and homeowners alike. As a homeowner, all you need to do is collect your return at the end of every month. We handle advertising, listing, marketing, rates, permits, contractors, reservations, housekeeping, housekeeping supplies, maintenance tracking, customer service, and guest inquiries. At the end of the year, we send you a 1099 tax form for your use.
We have found that many travelers make vacation plans in the evening and on weekends. We have a reservations team available from 4am-11pm every day of the week to handle all customer service and guest inquiries. This provides a huge advantage over management companies that are only staffed from 9am-5pm Monday through Friday. Additionally, our local managers and agents are always on-call to handle urgent and non-emergent issues.
Why Vacasa?
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Housekeeping
Certain pleasures are inextricably linked with our idea of vacation: the smell of freshly laundered linens, the glisten of an unused appliance, natural light through streak-free glass; soft carpet under bare feet, and squeaky-clean tile flooring. These luxuries are the reason guests choose a vacation rental as a place to create new memories, and this is why a dedicated housekeeping staff is at the heart of any successful vacation rental.
Housekeeping Systems
It’s important to us that all homes are held to the same high standard of cleanliness. To this end, we’ve created simple and effective company-wide systems, including the following:
Vacasa will collect applicable taxes from rental customers, file sales and lodging tax returns, and make all sales and lodging tax payments. We’ll also apply for and track any permits that your city or county might require. Please note that you will be responsible for the cost of any permits.
Supplies
Vacasa is proud to provide its housekeeping staff with a highly competitive wage while keeping cleaning fees in line with industry norms. We view housekeeping as a key investment, not a profit center. For this reason, Vacasa covers the cost of
consumable supplies for our guests and cleaning supplies for our housekeepers.
Vacasa-Provided Supplies for Each Home and Guest
Operations
✔ Shampoo
✔ Conditioner
✔ Paper towels
✔ Toilet paper
✔ Laundry detergent
✔ Fabric softener
✔ Dishwashing liquid
✔ Dishwasher pacs/pods
✔ Dish brush
✔ Kitchen trash bags
✔ Small trash can liners
✔ Cleanliness rating systems collected from each guest after their stay
✔ Regular housekeeping inspections
✔ Task checklists with customized additions for each home's specific needs
✔ Close relationships between housekeepers and local managers
✔ Centralized housekeeping management teams
✔ Supply checklists to ensure homes are adequately stocked prior to every guest’s arrival
✔ Small trash can liners
✔ Internal maintenance tracking-system so that potential issues are monitored regularly
✔ Seasonal walk-throughs
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Reliable, trustworthy contractors are essential to handling home upkeep and maintenance. To ensure that all maintenance is handled professionally in a cost-efficient manner, Vacasa has established a network of locally licensed, bonded, and insured contractors with whom we conduct our business. As we’ve grown, we’ve developed strong relationships with local service providers. These providers work with us directly to assist in the upkeep of our homes. We know whom to call, when, and how to work within an appropriate budget
Our local team of contractors includes handymen and -women, appliance technicians, electricians, hot tub repairpersons, plumbers, roofers, installation experts, carpenters, building contractors, and heating and cooling specialists.
Maintenance
Owner Expensed Services
We ask that owners cover the following expenses inherent in home maintenance:
✔ Snow removal
✔ Garbage service
✔ Electric
✔ Water & sewage
✔ Wireless Internet
✔ Cable
✔ Yard maintenance
If you have a preferred service provider, we are happy to contract with them; otherwise, we can arrange the services on your behalf.
Sporadic Maintenance
As we know, homes can require unexpected minor repairs. In the case of repairs, general maintenance is billed to the owner. Owner-expensed repairs include, but are not limited to, appliance replacement upon malfunction, electrical malfunctions, plumbing issues, and replacing worn items (couch, towels, sheets, vacuums, etc.). Essentially, owners are responsible for items considered necessary for the general safety and comfort of the guest. Owners are not, however, responsible for such expenses in the event of guest misuse; Vacasa will charge and collect repair or replacement costs from the guest when appropriate.
Vacasa-Expensed Maintenance
As your management company, Vacasa is happy to absorb the costs for regular upkeep of the home, including but not limited to the following: changing lightbulbs, delivering Vacasa-expensed supplies, and appearance and protection of appliances.
Expense Approvals
It is our intention to ensure the general comfort and safety of our guests in emergency situations. However, in non-urgent and non-emergency matters, expenses greater than $100 are brought to the owner’s attention for prior approval.
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Protecting Your HomeDamages
Our housekeepers are trained to notice and immediately report any damage that occurs during a guest stay. Vacasa will arrange maintenance for time-sensitive repairs that total less than $100 and deduct those costs from the monthly statement. We will notify owners of any damage and communicate with you if necessary repairs cost more than $100. Vacasa will charge the guest when they are clearly responsible for the damage.
Guest Screening
We take great care to make sure the guests we invite into your home are respectful and considerate. Our reservationists are trained to screen any suspicious guests while booking. We look out for weekend reservations of all adults that are at or near capacity, guests who have difficulty making the required payments, reservations made with college email addresses, and patrons whose exchanges lack the maturity we associate with a formal transaction.
No Party Policy
The maximum occupancy refers to the number of people who are allowed to be on the property at any time, not just for the night. Guests are warned that parties at the home are not permitted. Both neighbors and local managers reserve the right to inform necessary authorities if there is a noise violation after 10pm. Local managers are vigilant when discerning the difference between appropriate guest celebration and misuse of the premises.
Damage Deposit
In order to maintain a simple booking process and to secure more bookings for each of our homes, we refrain from asking our guests for a damage deposit up front. Instead, our housekeepers conduct inspections between each guest stay to identify the party responsible for any damage. This process makes it easy to address any issues with photo documentation. Additionally, upon booking, guests are required to comply with a basic rental agreement. This agreement is also available on our website.
Insurance Liability
We want to protect the safety of your investment as much as we want to protect the safety of the guests who enjoy it. Our local managers will work with you personally to evaluate your home with a discerning eye and provide suggestions to prepare your home for guest use. Although we are bonded and insured and responsible for any negligence on our part, we require all owners to present a declaration of their homeowners’ insurance for our records. We ask that all owners maintain a comprehensive liability insurance policy in a minimum amount of $500,000 that specifies Vacasa, LLC as an additional insured. In the case of rare and extraordinary events, we refer to your insurance policy, as it is intended to protect you from these unusual instances.
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Guest Satisfaction Reviews
After guest departure, we submit a survey to each of our guests to help gauge what aspects of our service were particularly enjoyed and where we can improve. Our survey asks guests to provide ratings for the following categories:
✔ Overall satisfaction
✔ Customer service
✔ Cleanliness
✔ Location
✔ Property condition
We use insights from these surveys to increase future bookings and deliver a higher level of service to our guests.
In addition to surveys, we encourage all guests to write a full review of their experiences. We post reviews on our website and encourage guests to post them on VRBO and other listing sites. Reviews are an essential part of our marketing strategy! People are much more likely to book stays in homes with superb reviews.
We take our reviews seriously. Our dedicated Reviews Manager works with our local management teams to develop suggestions for how to improve guest experiences. Keeping a close eye on guest experience helps us continually improve so that we can earn more revenue for every homeowner.
Guest Rental Agreement
Prior to their stay in your home, guests must sign a rental agreement with Vacasa. This agreement stipulates the following:
✔ The property shall not be used at any time by more than the amount of adults and children as per the reservation.
✔ Pets are not permitted unless specifically noted in the reservation.
✔ All guests under 21 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian unless prior written authorization is received from Vacasa.
✔ No smoking is permitted on the premises.
✔ No tents or other structures may be erected on the property.
✔ Renter is liable for any damage to the property and agrees to accept charges to the card on file should damage occur during occupancy.
✔ Cancellation Policy: Rental payments (less a 5% processing fee of the full reservation amount) are fully refundable up until 30 days prior to the reservation.
✔ Trip Protection: If Trip Protection is purchased, the guest will receive a full refund for any nights of his or her reservation cancelled due to death in the family, illness, flight delays, flight cancellations, or road closures due to bad weather.
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Guest Satisfaction Cancellation
Within 24 hours: Guests can cancel up to 24 hours after the initial reservation without penalty.
More than 30 days: If the reservation is more than 30 days away, guests can cancel with a 5% penalty charge.
Within 30 days:If the reservation is within 30 days, we offer no refund unless the guest purchased trip protection (offered at the time of booking for an additional 6.95% of the reservation-cost).
Guest Fees
The following fees are paid to Vacasa when a guest books a stay in your home:
✔ Pet fee (if pets are permitted): $10 per dog per night, with a $40 minimum.
✔ Cleaning fee: Cleaning fees vary based on the size of the home, number of bedrooms, number of windows, and other factors.
✔ Booking fee: The booking fee is 4.5% of the rent plus the cleaning fee.
✔ Trip Protection: Guests can opt to purchase Trip Protection for 6.95% of the booking total. The booking total is the rent, cleaning fee, booking fee, and any other applicable fees.
✔ Late checkout: If there is no new reservation that day, guests can arrange late checkout for 6.25% of the nightly rate. This gives them access to the home until midnight the day they check out.
✔ Cancellation fee: Vacasa charges a cancellation fee for reservations cancelled more than 30 days in advance. This fee is 5% of the booking total.
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Guaranteed SuccessManagement Fee & MarketingWithout a strong marketing strategy, even the best homes can miss out on superb booking opportunities. At Vacasa, we spend far more on marketing and web development per property than any of our competitors. For every home, we reinvest a large portion of our 35% management fee right back into advertising your home to future guests.
Performance GuaranteesFor vacation rentals currently managed by professional property managers, Vacasa guarantees a $5,000 increase in net revenue during the first 12 months. For vacation rentals currently managed by the owner, we guarantee we will at least meet your prior rental income - while we do all the work.
Fixed Rent OptionMany owners prefer the security of a guaranteed monthly income to the seasonal ebb and flow of vacation rental income. Accordingly, we offer a fixed rent agreement, in which Vacasa pays the owner a consistent amount every month in exchange for the ability to rent the property out as a vacation rental. There are several factors considered, including restrictions on owner usage, whether the owner is paying utilities, and whether the home is listed for sale. Please ask your local agent for more details regarding this option.
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Owner InfoOwner Support
In order to deliver the best possible service to you as a homeowner, Vacasa employs a team of local experts: a Local Operations Manager who is familiar with all aspects of your home and a dedicated Housekeeping Team to make sure your home sparkles. You also have toll-free access to our Operations Department at 877-562-3105. This department is staffed from 4am-11pm daily. You may also email [email protected] with non-urgent questions.
Please save this information as your primary contact number and email for Vacasa. This will ensure that your inquiries are handled in the most efficient manner possible by a member of our management staff.
Owner Usage
When in doubt, block it out! Family reunions, time off to relax -- there’s no limit on how often you can use your vacation home! However, it’s important to honor guests who have reserved and paid for time there. Be sure to block off dates through your Owner Login when you think you may want to visit your home, even if it’s at the last minute, so those future dates show as unavailable to rent. (You can always unblock them if you decide not to go.) Please call Operations if you have questions about blocking out dates.
