Are all management agency T&C's like this?
Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 7:42 pm
So we're trying to figure out if we should go down a management company for everything for our holiday home, or if we should take to do with most of it ourselves.
Having looked at one agency in the area, it all sounded very good until I read the small print, and I was very surprised at how stringent it is.
Here are they key points I've flagged up for further discussion with them at a meeting next week, but keen to see if this is the standard across the industry:
1. They dictate the rental price of the property, not us. This includes the standard rate and any special deals, etc, they decide to run
2. They stipulate a minimum of three nights. The company we're buying the house from gave us their books and they made a few thousand out of one and two day stays. They're not willing to entertain the idea however, which I feel makes us lose a potential market?
2. If we want to use the home ourselves, which we will do, a fair bit, we pay them an admin fee of £25 plus standard changeover costs. I'm taking it that the admin fee is basically the cost for them to mark it unavailable on booking.com and other sites.
2a. Even if there are no bookings for the date we want to use it, they can tell us 'No, you can't stay'?
3. Any commission paid to referrers which they organise, they add on to to the top of the standard charges so they don't lose out. I.e, that 10% commission comes out my pocket, not theirs
4. 12 month contract with a £495 cancellation fee
5. A £65 per hour charge if the customer contacts them outwith working hours, even though this is their top tier package which says they greet / deal with during stay / bid farewell to the customer
6. My details available to the customer? Not sure if this is legislatively required? I ideally don't want to be ever contacted by the customer at the home if I'm paying for a top tier management package. Although at a potential £65ph they can phone me all they like!
7. An admin charge if they are required to get the handyman involved, which also charges £35 plus any cost of work.
There's more, but that's a starter for ten.
So we're kinda wondering if we should just arrange booking windows in such a way that I can drive three hours there, three hours back, and do the changeover / laundry myself (£30 fuel in total), or organise just the laundry / changeover companies ourselves. This mob are using external firms anyway, so we may very well be able to organise those companies ourselves.
All basic costs included, a three night stay of £360 will see me walk out with £170 from that booking. Is that average? Normal? Or are we being saddled up like a Blackpool donkey about to be taken for a ride?
Thanks again for your time and input!
Having looked at one agency in the area, it all sounded very good until I read the small print, and I was very surprised at how stringent it is.
Here are they key points I've flagged up for further discussion with them at a meeting next week, but keen to see if this is the standard across the industry:
1. They dictate the rental price of the property, not us. This includes the standard rate and any special deals, etc, they decide to run
2. They stipulate a minimum of three nights. The company we're buying the house from gave us their books and they made a few thousand out of one and two day stays. They're not willing to entertain the idea however, which I feel makes us lose a potential market?
2. If we want to use the home ourselves, which we will do, a fair bit, we pay them an admin fee of £25 plus standard changeover costs. I'm taking it that the admin fee is basically the cost for them to mark it unavailable on booking.com and other sites.
2a. Even if there are no bookings for the date we want to use it, they can tell us 'No, you can't stay'?
3. Any commission paid to referrers which they organise, they add on to to the top of the standard charges so they don't lose out. I.e, that 10% commission comes out my pocket, not theirs
4. 12 month contract with a £495 cancellation fee
5. A £65 per hour charge if the customer contacts them outwith working hours, even though this is their top tier package which says they greet / deal with during stay / bid farewell to the customer
6. My details available to the customer? Not sure if this is legislatively required? I ideally don't want to be ever contacted by the customer at the home if I'm paying for a top tier management package. Although at a potential £65ph they can phone me all they like!
7. An admin charge if they are required to get the handyman involved, which also charges £35 plus any cost of work.
There's more, but that's a starter for ten.
So we're kinda wondering if we should just arrange booking windows in such a way that I can drive three hours there, three hours back, and do the changeover / laundry myself (£30 fuel in total), or organise just the laundry / changeover companies ourselves. This mob are using external firms anyway, so we may very well be able to organise those companies ourselves.
All basic costs included, a three night stay of £360 will see me walk out with £170 from that booking. Is that average? Normal? Or are we being saddled up like a Blackpool donkey about to be taken for a ride?
Thanks again for your time and input!