Frequently Asked Questions
The following list of frequently asked questions (FAQ's)
has been put together to help answer some of the common
questions that we have received about Breckenridge
Rental's property
management software. If your question
is not answered, please contact
us. Thanks!
Q: How easy is it to add my property to BreckenridgeRental.com?
Do I need to have web development experience?
A: Web development experience is
NOT required. When you become a member, you are provided
a user id and password to login to BreckenridgeRental.com.
Once you log in, you can create your website by simply
filling in a form. A generic template has already been
developed to format your web page so that it appears
as a professionally completed site. That's it! Quick
and easy! It takes most individuals less than one hour
to set up.
Q: Please tell me more about how my own URL
/ domain name will work?
A: BreckenridgeRental.com
will set up an individual webpage for each member.
This web page will look like a unique site, with
no links back to BreckenridgeRental.com homepage
or other information. As the property owner, you
can direct your potential renters to this site via
emails, ads, search engines, etc. When your renters
access your site, they will be able to check availability
and reserve your property online. From a marketing
perspective, some clients prefer to utilize their own
domain name. For example, you may have registered www.SkiBreckCondo.com as your domain name. When someone accesses your site,
the URL will read www.SkiBreckCondo.com rather than
www.BreckenridgeRental.com/1101. The main advantage
here is marketing. www.SkiBreckCondo.com may be easier
to remember and it also sets you up as a unique business
rather than a sub-page under the overall website of
BreckenridgeRental.com. www.SkiBreckCondo.com is an
actual live property site, as is www.BreckenridgeRental.com/1101.
In fact, they're the same property listing, just marketed
under two different property names. Just click on any
of the links above to check it out.
Q: Do I have to use BreckenridgeRental.com
exclusively or can I also book via other means?
A:
You do not have to use BreckenridgeRental.com exclusively
and are free to utilize other means - including other
property management companies and tools. However, as
BreckenridgeRental.com is a real-time reservation system,
you are required under membership terms to utilize
the inventory management system to keep inventory current
within BreckenridgeRental.com. Inventory management
is easy to do with simple updates to the inventory
per BreckenridgeRental.com administration pages. PLEASE
DON'T DOUBLE-BOOK! Remember that BreckenridgeRental.com
properties are automatically included in online reservation
sites including VTBO.com and BreckenridgeRental.com.
Our site will lose credibility if we book properties
that are not available. In addition, overhead associated
with multiple inventory control systems is high. BreckenridgeRental.com
requires the use of our Inventory Management system
to keep overall costs down.
Q: What if I receive a reservation from a
BreckenridgeRental.com affiliate site and already
have this timeframe booked (i.e., the property is
unavailable)?
A: BreckenridgeRental.com
membership terms require the property owner to keep
inventory rates current in the BreckenridgeRental.com
system. If the property manager cannot accept a reservation
due to an error in keeping inventory management updated,
please contact us immediately. As the property owner,
you will be responsible for returning the reservation
fee - at 100%. BreckenridgeRental.com will not refund
the 12% reservation fee, which means that this is
an expense that you will have to incur. In addition,
BreckenridgeRental.com reserves the right to cancel
your membership due to failure to comply to membership
terms. If your membership is cancelled due to failure
to comply to membership terms, any membership fees
collected to date will not be refunded.
Q: Do I have to use BreckenridgeRental.com's
Online Reservation Process?
A: Let's be
honest here. Some of you may want to save the booking
fee if you're renting to someone that you know
and can accept a check rather than a credit card.
This is perfectly okay and within the terms of your
membership agreement. However, be sure to update
your inventory to mark these dates as "unavailable" to
prevent double-bookings! BreckenridgeRental.com does
not recommend renting to individuals that you do
not know without utilizing a credit card. Think of
your property as a mini-hotel. All hotels require
a credit card on file for any damages or expenses
incurred during stay. It's great protection for you
as a business owner.
Q: What if I have a reservation (with credit
card) that I have made in a verbal agreement?
A:
This can be handled two ways. 1) You can direct your
potential renter directly to your BreckenridgeRental.com
website to reserve your property. Note that there will
not be any links from your page to other BreckenridgeRental.com
properties, so you don't need to worry about competition.
2) You can go online yourself and reserve for your
renter by completing the reservation yourself. Be sure
to have name (as it appears on the credit card), address,
email, phone, and credit card information. BreckenridgeRental.com's
recommendation is to utilize option 1 as often as possible.
When the renter's reserve online, they are automatically
agreeing to be bound by the terms of the rental and
you have less exposure for cancellations and potential
refunds.
Q: Does BreckenridgeRental.com take a booking
fee on all rental reservations?
A: Yes, BreckenridgeRental.com
does have a booking fee for all reservations booked
online via BreckenridgeRental.com or any of their
affiliate sites. This fee will be deducted from the
amounts sent to you for the reservation. Booking
fees will vary depending up on the membership you've
chosen when you sign up. Our introductory booking fee
is 12%. Fees are
subject to change at management discretion for future
clients. However, you lock in at your fee when you
register your property for as long as you remain an
active member. Cancellation of membership and re-sign
are subject to any increased fees.
Q: Will BreckenridgeRental.com do property management for me, providing full property management services?
A: No, BreckenridgeRental.com is not a property management company. We provide system software that can be used by the owner to successfully manage their own properties, allowing them to increase the cash flow on their rental units. The property owner is responsible for all aspects of property management including website set-up, setting rates for their property, cleaning, check-in and check-out services, emergency maintenance for their properties and interaction with renters and potential renters in regards to questions that they have about the property.
Q: Who is responsible for the credit card
fees?
A: Credit card fees are 3% of the
total reservation amount (rate plus taxes) and are
paid by the property owner. Credit card fees are
deducted similar to the 12% booking fee prior to
sending reservation monies to the property owner.
Let's take an example.
| Reservation
Amount: |
$1,000 |
| Sales
Tax Collection: |
$104
(based on 10.4% sales tax in this example) |
| Amount
charged on Credit Card: |
$1,104 |
| |
|
| Credit
Card Fee: |
$33.12
(3% of $1,104) |
| Reservation
Booking Fee: |
$120
(12% of reservation amount) |
| |
|
| Amount
Due Property Owner: |
$950.88 |
Note: Property Owner is responsible for paying all
taxes as applicable. The tax rate is set by the property
manager during property set up. The tax amount is
simply passed on to the property owner.
Q: How do I handle check-in and cleaning?
A:
The property owner will need to set up a contract/company
to do check-in and cleaning and/or provide this service
themselves. Check-in information is entered into
the system (check-in instructions, check-out instructions,
directions and property address) and provided on
email confirmations for any reservations made via
our system. This info is not available on the property
website as we'd only want to provide this if you
had a confirmed reservation. Most areas will have local companies that will
provide check-in and cleaning services. You may ask
other property owners in your condo complex or check
the phone book. If using the phone book, you may
want to ask for references.
Q: Can I cancel my membership?
A:
You are not under any contractual obligations and are
free to cancel your membership and stop using our property
management software at any time. Note that any monies
collected will not be subject to refund. For example,
if you sign up for a one year membership and cancel
after 6 months, no refund will be due to you. My recommendation
is you are not confident in a yearly membership is
to try a monthly membership and check it out!
Q: How do I get paid as a property owner?
A:
Based on your property's rental management reports,
you will be able to keep track of the reservations
made. Property Management & Rentals - the
legal name for BreckenridgeRental.com will
issue you a check at the end of the month in
which the rental occurred. For example, if
you have a reservation for Jan 1 - Jan 7, 2004,
you would get paid for that rental (minus credit
card and reservation booking fee) at the end
of January 2004. Merchant accounts require
that the funds are not transferred to sub-parties
in the agreement until after the services are
incurred, or in this case, until after the
rental has occurred.
Q: What if the renter has questions re: their
reservation or the rental property?
A: As
this system is property management by owner, the
contact information on each reservation will be the
property owners. Name, email address and phone number
of the property owner will be provided to the rentor on the rental confirmation. Questions from potential renters regarding the property will also be directed to the owner for response.
Q: How are rental cancellations handled?
A:
Cancellations are accepted 60 days prior to arrival.
Cancellation information appears on the rental confirmation
letter sent to the renter. If the renter cancels,
you will be notified per email and/or fax. The dates
previously booked will be opened back up as available
inventory. As is typical on vacation and short term
rental properties, BreckenridgeRental.com and it's
affiliate sites do not accept cancellations less
than 60 days from the arrival date.
Ready to get started with our rental property management
software?
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