Security deposit

[la vache!]

For anyone renting out to English or Welsh people who have any problems with damage or non payment, you may be interested in this on line claim system, which you can use regardless of where you live in the world, as long as you have a UK address for correspondence.
www.moneyclaim.gov.uk
Someone who owns a B&B in Brittany successfully sued a couple who left their place without paying using this method - it is useful for owners who don't live in the UK.

[roxytoo]

my husband used moneyclaim to get monies back from a non payer for a job he did and it was very successful! so I would recommend it

Only thing is I need something like that to get money back from someone in Spain!

[Vally]

Yes I am pretty laid back about most things ... though guests' parking habits are making my hair grey at present!!
My pal and I had a run through the security deposits idea this morning and I think we will formalise something regarding breakages etc.. though I do not think I will go as far as charging. I only have small properties , do not take kids or animals and am 99% of the time on site so the area's for mishandling my things is minimalised.

[Big Sis..]

Hi Vally

I must agree with the others about the security deposit, I dont take much [£100] I actually call it the key/Damage deposit. As I post the keys & want to make sure theyre returned safely.
Ive only kept it once as theyre was a lot of damage[felt tip on doors] Ruined sofa covers, that sort of thing.

Ive been pretty lucky & not had much damage.
The worst thing is that I feel for the next guests in as the houses arent as they should be for them.[Sat-Sat changeovers]

The worst thing that happened was the marble sink surround in the Downstairs Cloakroom.
I think someone sat on it It came off the wall and was cracked.
At the time a "FRIEND" was staying and "didnt notice- must have already been done-the cleaners must have done it-it wasnt marble"
The washing machine door was broken too,This also wasnt her as she had "read the instruction book before using it".
As we all do [Im surprised she could find it as Im not sure its even there]
Of course I only charged her a token rent and I hadnt taken a deposit of her.
Luckily I was covered on my insurance and didnt even have to pay an excess.[Axa]

The only problem was the people who arrived that day[8] could only use the upstairs sink for a week. Not great for 8 people ,they also managed to rig something up & use the washing machine.
My daughter arrived in our other house next door & I asked her to talk to them.
They came on the phone to me to tell me what a great time they were having-how lovely the houses were-etc.
I also got a lovely letter thanking me for the use of the house.
I sent them theyre damage deposit & a bit extra because of the incovenience.
How come some people are so inconsiderate & some people are so Lovely

[Vally]

Like most things on Forums they are " food for thought" my friend and I are discussing what we will do as regards this for next year, her place is very luxurious and she has quite expensive things in it (deceased rellies house) this year a £200 ornament was broken and I think she was lucky to have got paid for it, last week 2 of a set of good glasses were broken, don't know how that worked out in the end ..I will ask her on Monday.

[Mouse]

I tend to view damage deposits as security that I could charge and also hope that it makes people more aware of what they are doing. Sadly that doesn't always work.

We have had genuine accidents and always try and look on those favourably - but its the inconsideration or general abuse that I get frustrated about.

I think we all hate to deduct small amounts (I've never deducted more than £75) but I often wonder how I would feel if I had to keep the whole lot.

A friend who also rents her villa out (it sleeps 10) takes 1000 euro deposit which she feels is as much as she can reasonable take. But she has just had an experience where an expensive set of outdoor furniture (1 year old) has cigarette burns (2). It now looks shabby and she's upset because it was obviously sheer carelessness. The damage deposit wouldn't even touch the cost of replacement - she's now wondering should she keep the whole deposit and if not then how much should she deduct?

A tricky situation.

Mouse
x

[Normandy Cow]

I received the following email this morning, from the people who are arriving next Saturday:

I am slightly concerned that the postdated chque that we sent you has been cashed, my understanding of a postdated cheque is that if we have no extra costs or breakages etc, you either return the cheque to us or tear it up and only if there were problems cash it, would you please confim what is happening and how will that money be returned to us?

This is how I responded (a bit long-winded I know, but my husband was fuming. I, on the other hand, put on my polite customer service hat before I wrote it ):

I'm sorry that you have misunderstood the process for the security deposit, which is the standard procedure for the vast majority of privately rented holiday homes. I too would prefer to just hang on to the cheque and then send it back to you at the end of your stay, as this would be much simpler for me than having to remember to go and bank the cheque before your arrival, then after your stay having to write a new one from my bank account and post that off to you. Quite apart from the inconvenience, there is also a cost implication - the bank charges for the two transactions alone amount to £1.30 (it's a business account so no free banking...).

Unfortunately we are obliged to go through this process as having a cheque in our possession is no form of security unless we bank it before the guests' arrival, because if we don't do so then there is nothing to stop an unscrupulous person from causing damage and then picking up the phone and calling their bank to simply stop the cheque before we are even aware that there have been any problems.

I know that some holidayhome owners reduce the hassle and cost by taking and banking the deposit at the same time as the final payment, i.e. 8 weeks before the start of the rental. This means that they are effectively benefitting from your security money for at least 9 weeks! I don't think that this is fair to the client...

We are very fortunate in that the majority of our guests have been lovely people and only once have we had to deduct anything from the security deposit before refunding the balance, but you have to understand that we are entrusting our house and all its contents to strangers and we have to have some form of protection (although £200 is really a very small sum in comparison to the value of the fixtures and fittings in the house as I am sure you will appreciate once you arrive).

I hope that this clarifies the situation for you, and rest assured that your deposit will be refunded within a couple of days after your return home (and certainly within the 2 weeks maximum which we quote in our rental contract).

If you need any further information, as always please do not hesitate to email or call us. In the meantime, we wish you "bon voyage" and a happy holiday.

Let's see what happens next...

[Guest3]

We raised our damage deposit for next years bookings from £100 to £200. People don't like paying a large security deposit (even though it's refundable)....but...
3 weeks ago we had to get a brand new leather corner suite...even though we say 'No smoking inside the villa'... hypothetically speaking what would I do if there are cigarette burns on the brand new leather suite? The damage deposit wouldn't even cover the damage....also I don't think my insurance would pay out for damage done through negligence.

[la vache!]

£200 isn't a lot when you consider what potential damage could be done - that more often than not isn't covered by most owners insurance policies. An American lady who stayed with us last year was telling me that in a US rental she went to earlier this year, she had to pay $1000 as a security deposit.

[A-two]

£200 isn't a lot when you consider what potential damage could be done - that more often than not isn't covered by most owners insurance policies. An American lady who stayed with us last year was telling me that in a US rental she went to earlier this year, she had to pay $1000 as a security deposit.

There's no such thing as accidental damage insurance in the US at all (that I can find), so a claim could not even have been made in the above example where someone stood or sat on a marble topped sink and cracked it. Hence the owner's personal risk is greater, which may explain the higher levels of damage deposit normally taken in the US, although $1,000 would still be considered high in many places for a one week rental.

The charming US family who arrived today produced an insurance certificate naming us and our property as an additional insured on their own homeowner's insurance for the duration of their stay. That's the smart thing for the tenant to do as it doesn't cost anything except a quick phone call to the insurance broker. Still wouldn't cover the marbe sink though.

[Big Sis..]

Hi Crystal

Just a thought but if there was damage to the leather suite [or anything else] after someone has stayed ,unless it was in a prominent place.
How could you be sure that it was caused by this weeks guests[especially if they denied it and said it must have already been there]

I know a lot of things are spotted by the cleaners but they have a quick turnover in my houses and I would not expect them to spend a lot of time scrutinising everything [although the leather suite would be one of the first places Id like them to check]

Otherwise are you going to get a situation a bit like with car rental, where you have to point out all the scratches before you pickup the car, in case youre going to get the blame.

Are we going to get a flurry of phone calls saying "theres a mark on here" "a scratch on there" when they first arrive.

I know Im stating extreme cases, but I would feel awkward unless I was sure[as with the sink!]
As I said to my "FRIEND"
when she said" it must have already been done" Im sure that the cleaners would have noticed a marble sink surround hanging off the wall when they cleaned it before you arrived.
Didnt get any money off her though

Please let me know how you handle these sorts of situations.
I would find it useful for the future

Thanks a lot

[Normandy Cow]

I have thought about this in the past, and I did start to write a one-page "Handover Checklist" document, designed for our keyholder to go through with our guests and for them to sign at the start of their rental to confirm the condition of the house. But I never got around to completing it, as I was concerned that it may be a bit over the top and I wasn't aware of anyone else doing something similar. But I think it would certainly help to solve any disputes such as the one mentioned earlier about the leather furniture, and I may well have a go at resurrecting it for next season.

Le Gaillon – Handover Checklist

Welcome to the Gaillon. This checklist has been compiled as an "aide-memoire" to ensure that we explain all the important points to you on arrival, and to confirm that the house is in top condition when you move in.

Unless otherwise indicated below, all furnishings, rugs etc throughout the house should be in a clean condition, with no major stains, damages or tears. Please let us know within 6 hours of your arrival if this is not the case, or if you find any discrepancies with the descriptions below or in the inventory overleaf.

...it then continues with a list of things to be explained, such as where is the stopcock and the electric meter, and then a list of the condition of the major things in the house, such as:

"TV/Video and CD Player operational, with remote controls for each"
"Fridge, cooker, cooker hood, microwave, dishwasher – all clean and operational"
"No major stains or scratches to dining table"
"No major stains or tears in leather of chairs"

etc etc...

Then at the end, they would sign it to confirm the condition of all the items listed.

What do you guys think???? Am I being a bit anal and over the top???

[Clexane]

CatherineS,

I think it would be quite of putting to be confronted with this requirement. Most guests are tired when they arrive and they are also a little wary about signing that everything is OK - as much as this is about protecting yourself from the 'bad' people out there who make up about 1% of people, our guests also fear the 'bad' people who may be renting to them and trying to bump off problems onto them - you should see how I check rental cars because I regularily find scratches and other 'stuff' that the company has not picked up on from previous renters.

When our guests arrive the main task I feel is to make them feel at home. Yes there are bad apples out there but we won't set our standards and processes based on the lowest common denominator - if that means we get caught out then so be it. The guest experience for the other 99% takes precedence and we will deal with the bad apple when it emerges as best we can or grin and bear it.

[Hells Bells]

I have got a small sentence in my wlecome folder, along with an inventory, asking them to contact our representative in resort if they notice any damage, or anything is missing. My friend check the inventory after they leave (unless they're French, as they like ther to check before they leave), and lets me know of any problems. So far there's been a broken waste basket but that's all. Not sure how long that will last though.

[Big Sis..]

Hi Clexane

Thats exactly my point. A lot of what we do is based on trust.
We are trusting them to act in a respectful way regarding our property and furnishings.

Theyre trusting us to give them what theyre expecting from our description of the houses.
Theyre not just gambling the money theyve paid[which in some cases can be quite a lot]. But also their precious holiday time away ,which cannot be replaced.

As in all things in life there are some "bad apples"out there,[on both sides] but there are also some "peaches"
As long as the good clients outnumber the bad thats fine