Another good topic ... I agree with wiffie, when I discount for no other reason than I just feel like being a nice guy I seem to regret it for the same reasons, however that doesnt mean I dont discount.

In this case a good offense is the best defense. When responding to an inquiry offer a discount right away if its warranted to incentivise the booking. For example if someone is inquiring to arrive on a day of a departure, or book within 1 week of arrival, I immediately offer a discount (night free, 10% etc) to encourage the booking vs just hoping they will pay the full rate. This way I have offered my rate for a good reason and they can take it or leave it.

Garage sales are for haggeling NOT vacation homes. STICK TO YOUR RATES! Its better for everybody. 

Mike Cushing

www.bookbyowner.com

I've found that hagglers and people asking for a discount don't understand the value of my property or appreciate the work and costs associated with vacation home renting. When I've agreed to give them the discount it's as if I'm also agreeing with them that my property, work, and costs aren't valuable. And, unfortunately, its ended up costing so much more in the end in terms of damages, extra work, etc.

Now, when asked if I give discounts I very simply say "No" without any explanation. Take it or leave it.

I haven't been able to be on the forums for a long time recently because our life has been upside down, but we have been getting so many "Low Balling Lesters," (as one of the blogs called them) lately, that I just had to sign in an do a little venting.

I swear, what in the world is going on??!!!  I haven't had one inquiry in the past month that hasn't been someone either asking for a huge discount, telling us that they would be willing to pay $XXXX for seven nights, or asking if we would take $XXX?  Of course, the $X amount is something that is less than about $80/night, and I actually recommended to one of these that our area has a hotel down the street that might be in that price range!

Am I being too sensitive, and taking this too personally?   We have a beautiful home, and the very first sentence that we have on our listing is that our home is a luxury property for the discriminating traveler.  Of course, we all know that no one actually reads the listings... they just send out 50 inquiries and see who bites, but really!  Some of these I find truly insulting.  I just received an inquiry this evening, and I think it was the straw that broke the camel's back.  And it wasn't even one of the bad ones!  He wrote:

"Four guy's on our annual golf trip Nov 5- 12. We are  hoping to keep our cost as reasonable as possible. Please make us an offer that  includes all charges. We will are ready to book and once we can agree on a price  with someone we we stop shopping!"

Excuse me, but "make us an offer??!!" We have really worked hard to hone in on our rates, and they are posted on our site.  We are not inexpensive, but he didn't check our rates or he would have seen that we aren't the property to inquire about to keep ones rates as reasonable as possible.  We have a luxury property, we pamper our guests, provide a beautiful place with every imaginable amenity, and I just find it so rude when these "shoppers" treat finding a vacation rental as an auction.

As for our experience with these people, I am so sorry to admit that we actually took one of these low-ballers last week, and it was a disaster.  First, he called on the phone and said he was willing to pay $X for 8 nights. The property is currently vacant for several weeks, so hubby talked me into going ahead and taking him (single man coming on business... self-professed clean freak so "won't be much cleaning afterwards."

Well, I had a very bad feeling about him from the beginning, so we did a walk-thru with him before and after his stay.  (I always listen to my gut feeling... just proves its the best thing to do.) The house was a mess.  I'm not talking about things that needed putting away so much, but dirt.  He especiallly got dirt all over our loveseats in the TV area, and when we said that we were going to have them cleaned but that the ARDI insurance would take care of it he got all huffy and said that they were that way when he got there (even though we had it noted that they were spotless,) made several comments about our home being the nicest place he had ever stayed but that it was "over-the-top" nice, and what did we expect from someone renting? He actually told us that our home was "too nice!" for a vacation rental!  He also said that if the insurance company contacted him about the spots on the furniture that he would deny that he was responsible for them.  And, oh, by the way, he broke the bottom rack of our dishwasher, but blamed that on the previous person as well.  Funny, it wasn't broken when he checked in... it must have been Gremlins. Again, glad we had insurance.

This was the very first time we have ever had a renter in our home who "haggled" with us on our price, and we caved in. Every renter we have had to date has just accepted our price, paid it without fussing, and left the home as clean as it was when they checked in.  We have had fantastic reviews, (VRBO listing #333950) and all of these people were people who contacted us wanting to rent our specific home... not shoppers.  Never again will we rent to someone who wants to steal our home for less than the price of an average nightly rate for a Holiday Inn. He has by far been the most difficult guest we have had, and ironically paid us the least we have ever accepted on a nightly basis. Boy, have we learned our lesson the hard way.

But beside all of that, what is it with this sudden rash of guests treating us like Priceline?  Is anyone else finding this going on for them?

Sorry for the rant.  Just had to get this out of my system!

I went through a spell of renters in August that made me question whether I should continue to rent out my home. Many people called asking for discounts. But what was worse was the horrible condition the renters left my home in.

We are located within 200 miles of several military bases. The military couples, without a doubt and invariably, are the worst. I don't know why but they are.

Ever since I changed around the wording of the welcome letter, people have been MUCH, much more respecting of my property (HomeAway Property #282933) http://hillcountrysinya.com.

Here is some of what it contains:

"Before you take your shoes off…

1. Burn Ban in Effect!

Our area is experiencing an exceptional drought and extreme wild fire weather conditions. Do not burn anything outdoors and notify the owner if you want to use the grill.

2. This is a NON-SMOKING property.

Smoking is strictly prohibited in the tent, on the veranda, or anywhere on the Sinya property.

3. You will get your deposit back if:

• No      damage is done to the property, foliage, the tent, or its contents,      beyond normal wear and tear.

• No      towels or linens are permanently stained, lost or damaged.

• No      charges are incurred due to contraband, pets, or collection of rents      or services rendered during the stay.

• All      keys are left on the hook by the front door.

• All      charges accrued during the stay are paid prior to departure.

• “Recyclables”      (glass, aluminum, plastic bottles, and tin cans) are separated from      the trash.  The      trash is disposed of in the grey trash receptacle at the pump shed      and the recyclables are left in a trash bag on the veranda near the      steps.

4. We are here for you!

Let us know immediately if something isn’t working, gets broken or becomes stained.  Do not attempt to clean or repair any damage yourself. Attempting to clean it yourself will make the problem worse. Let us take care of it for you.

Thank you for your care and respect of Sinya."

The other major change that seems to have made a big difference is that I long longer refer to it as my vacation rental, but instead, it is my vacation home. It seems that when people understand it is your home, rather than something you rent out, they show a little more respect.

We've only owned our rental home for about 6 months, and have already had several inquiries about, "What is the best price you can offer us?"  As the apartment is abroad, we rely heavily on a management agency to oversee its day to day running although we deal with all the inquiries and bookings from our end.

Our firm response to such inquiries is along the lines of, "Whilst we know that potential guests invest a lot of time and effort into planning their vacation we, too, have invested a lot of ourselves into creating a holiday home that will provide every comfort, convenience and long-lasting memories of a visit to this wonderful city.  As it appears that price seems to be a factor in your vacation plans, we can highly recommend that you visit listing numbers ? ? ? ?   for apartments that would be more in keeping with your budget".

We NEVER, EVER haggle over an inquiry such as this; gut instinct tells us that this initial question is only the beginning of more and more problems............ 

We firmly believe that we are in-line with our 'competitors' prices', and would absolutely prefer to see our place sit empty than worry about what might be going on abroad in our absence.  If someone is disrespectful at the outset to haggle over a fair price, then it portends of future problems.

You either want it, or you don't!!!!!  Period...........

Deborah         HomeAway 365199               www.thevenetianterrace.com

As a frequent vacation home renter, I would like to chime in.  I often ask for discounts, or exceptions to the rental policy (AKA will you take a pet, or will you consider a 5 night rental versus a week.)  I don't do it all the time, but when it makes sense I do so.  Typically I will do this for the following types of scenarios:

1) When I see a gap in the calendar that looks odd, maybe a 5 day gap, when the rules say week rentals only

2) When the rental says no pets, but their calendar looks sparse.

3) When there are several open properties in the area that are being offered at a lower price, for seemingly the same ammenities, etc.

4) Or if it's an area I am not familiar with, or perhaps its not quite in the area I want to be, or perhaps I have to make some concessions like taking a 2 bedroom with a sofa bed versus a 3 bedroom.

On the flip side, I am also a very good renter.  I pay quickly and typically leave the unit cleaner than when we showed up.  As such, I think I'm worth the occassionally discount, but its understood that you as the owner don't know that in advance.

On that note....why you guys don't provide a discount to previous renters, I'll never know.  The easiest customer to get is an existing customer.  Ask me if you can place my email on your email list, send me a note if you are offering a seasonally or short notice discount.  Even better, give me a TBD% discount if I come back in the next TBD months!  Each time I go to repeat location, I look at all the units in the area.   If I had a discount in hand, I probably wouldn't think twice and just book the place I had stayed at previously.

I don't think you need to shy away from discounts, but you certainly need to think them through to make sure they make sense. 

We have a 3-night minimum at our condo and often rent to travelers for long weekend or a week at a time.  We recently had someone who wanted to rent our 3-bedroom (sleeps 6) unit for 3 weeks.  We offered a slight discount over our posted rates because A) we didn't have any other requests for that time period and B) it was an "extended period" longer than our usual rental.  That wasn't good enough for potential renter.  He was insisting that his budget was XXX dollars and couldn't I work with him?  Also, when I asked how many people would be staying, he hemmed and hawed, that it would be himself and maybe a few employees who would be working at the State Fair.  He was downright rude, insisting that he would be doing me a favor by renting "almost a month" (no, 3 weeks is 3 weeks, not a month).  I had visions of a dozen people being crammed into the unit.  I refused to lower the price down to the $62.50 a night he wanted.  Yes, my unit remained empty, but I'm not sorry!

Hi,

I take the middle ground.

I will offer discounts to repeat guests if they are booking at a time that I otherwise wouldn't have booked (e.g. I wouldn't offer a discount over the Christmas Holidays since I can book them at full price and need to do so to help cover costs).

I like when guests make reasonable offers.  It gives me the opportunity to better guage the market.  On occassion, they have informed me that the going rate for similar properties has gone down and I've adjusted appropriately.

The final decsion is always mine and is always based on many factors (possibility of renting at full price, length of rental, how the rental "fits" my calendar, my 'gut feel' of the guest, etc..) 

In general, renting to a low-baller is asking for trouble but some people make reasonable offers that I will consider especially if it fills an 'odd' gap in my calendar.

P.

In the beginning, we had probelms with negotiators too but we put a stop it by posting a sign where the clients register, "Prices NOT Negotiable!"  We have had no problems since.  Now we do offer some other options.  We have a guestroom attached to the house for 1/3 less or if they stay two or more nights, from Monday thru Thursday, we give 10% off.

It is funny how those who try to negotiate drive the most expensive cars. (?)

I, too, have had too many requests for discounts.  I've never given one because:

1.  My property is in a prime location and has amenities that a lot other properties in my area don't have.

2.  I've spent many, many hours researching and determining my rates, so they're as low as I'm able to offer.  My rates already include some discounts.  I charge $50 for cleaning when it really costs me $70 and I don't charge for cleaning or security access if you rent for a week or longer.

3.  I've owned my condo for two seasons now and I haven't increased the rates in that time.  As a matter of fact, the rates have gone down.

4.  I've heard too many horror stories about "discount renters" to make me want to provide a discount.

5.  I believe that you get what you pay for or attract.  If you offer discounted rates, you usually attract those renters that can only afford discounted rates.  Not to sound like a snob, but they are usually the sort of people that are not used to the type of accommodations I provide and they will not give the appropriate care that my property needs and deserves.

Yes, hotels do give rate concessions to frequent lodgers and I belong to a few hotel loyalty programs because of that.  However, the discounted rate or free night are rarely realizable upon my next stay and every stay thereafter.  You usually have to accrue a large amount of points before you can cash them in.  Even then, most of the time you're subject to black-out dates or places.  Once you cash them in, you have to start accruing points again before your next discounted or free stay.  I don't know of very many hotels that provide what my property provides.  I know of none that provide what my property provides at the price I'm asking.

Here are some tips to renters:

1.  Respect our asking rates.  They are set at that amount for a reason.

2.  Don't be rude - you cannot bully me into renting my property to you.  I will blackball you and let other property owners in my area know about you.

3.  Your profession, marital status, personal trials, prior rental experiences don't really mean anything to me.  I don't know you and I don't know if you're telling me the truth or just making up a story to pull at my heart strings so I give you a discounted rate - I won't.  I've been through many tough times too.

4.  It's usually easier for me to "leave it empty" then to rent it out.  As a matter of fact, my Winter rates do not cover my actual expenses.

5.  You can't realistically expect to stay at the Hilton and pay Motel 6 rates.

6.  My property is in a gated community where we have year-round residents and vacation renters.  All of us owners talk to each other about our experiences and people who are staying or have stayed on the island.  If you cause problems during your stay, chances are you will not be able to rent in our community again.  If Security gets involved, you definitely will not stay on our island again.

I know it sounds like I'm a crabby person, but I'm really not.  I've just had too many rude people looking for ridiculously low rates take up too much of my time.  Like someone else said, I'm renting my condo to assist with it's costs, it is not a business venture for me.  I purchased it primarily as a vacation home for me.  I'm renting it to share my good fortune with others.

We do get some requests for discounts and once in a while I'll honor one.  We've had exceptionally good renters, no damage, early and ontime payments etc.  The requests I detest are "we're a family of four/six coming through the area and would like your best rate for one night".  What??? Our home is not a hotel!

I actually upped our rates and changed to a four night minimum so that hopefully I'll actually get the 3 night rentals that we will agree to.  We offer a 3 night "Getaway for Two" special during the week, not the weekends.  That's been fairly well received.  This is just the end of our second season and we are finally getting some return guests so we are happy to reserve them without a damage deposit.  That's our main concession.  We have encountered the military discount thing but so far they've always been a 2 night reservation which we have not agreed to.  Another thing I hate are the generic e-mails that you know have gone to 30 other homes in the area.  Depending on what they are asking for I sometimes don't even respond to them because I know they have not even read the first sentence of our listing.  Also on this same "hate" list are the e-mails asking for your best rates and availability.  DUH!  I  will not answer them.  I love the phone calls I get because they are serious and usually rent right away.  No problems with them, for the most part.

We are protected from dubious renters because our VRBO is the lower level of our home!  Yes, we actually get people who rent from us and they love it.  But because we are here all of the time, they know that they can't get away with being abusive.  Our listing is #258017.

My experience with hagglers is that they are generally not the class of people that I want to have stay in our cottage. We are not in a resort area so, we do not get as broad a spectrum of renter types as those who have a beach house or a home at a ski resort.

I have made concessions to folks who enqiure about available dates which are only days away. I never reduce my rates if there is still plenty of time to get other enquiries for specific dates.

The "request for discount" practice is definately on the rise.  And it can be very frustrating, not to mention insulting.

We have had similar experiences to others and have learned that the bigger the discount, the bigger the loser who is renting your home. 

We have actually spent some time figuring the cost per night, per person for renting our home.  This includes utilities, cleaning, toilet paper, wear and tear, etc.  Then we know exactly what our costs are and in no way are we willing to lose money, even if we are just trying to cover the mortgage.  Subsudizing someone's vacation is not the goal for us.

We do what alot of others have done; we kindly say that we are sorry we are not able to offer the rate they want and perhaps LaQuinta Inn would be a more affordable option. 

I have even gone so far as to outline the cost for putting up 10 people in a home (our home sleeps 10) vs. renting out the hotels rooms that would be required to sleep 10.  In some cases, our home is actually a better deal for 10 people than a hotel would be.  Some people see this and immediately book and others still say that it is too expensive.

I have to say that there are people out there that have not gone to the trouble of determining costs.  If you are not looking at that it can seem as though any amount of money is better than no money.  And if you are feeling desperate to have your mortgage payment met I am sure it is tempting to offer too low a rate.  We have decided that we are not willing to compete with those folks.

On the most part I don't discount except to loyal repeaters.  I often give away free nights for fund raisers so I don't feel guilty about not discounting to the general public at large. However, that's not to say I don't give a special rate at a moment's notice to fill a slot.  I will do it if we're having a good season and we've got an opening during a mostly booked month.  It's good p.r. and I thoroughly enjoy making the guest(s) happy.  When a rude haggler contacts me and wants to know why I won't negotiate, I tell them that when I'm traveling I don't ask for a special rate so why should I give one?  If they feel they deserve special treatment while traveling they should join a travel club.  It usually silences them and tends to make them a bit more respectful before we end the conversation.

One thing I do which garners much appreciation: If I do not have guests checking in the same day as my current guests are scheduled to depart, I tell them that they are welcome to stay another night, free of charge. They rarely take me up on it but, it is much appreciated and it is great PR.

People who write and initially ask for a "best price" automatically get under my skin. If I answer, I simply tell them the price is what's posted. These people think they're entitled to a discount without any communication.

On the other hand if someone in their initial inquiry tells me something about themselves, indicate they like the house, and ask to confirm rate and availability, I'm open to negotiation on a second e-mail.

I agree about no point in posting discounts. My experience has been that the people who respond are royal pains. One man, who wanted a discount for his 5-night stay, also wanted me to spend a few thousand dollars to install a heater in my pool so that his 2-year-old would be comfortable in the water.

Personally, I expect and welcome negotiators.  During these difficult times, I always expect it and it doesnt bother me at all.  If someone is rude about it, then i probably dont give them a discount, but if people are polite and ask, i will usually accomodate them unless its peak season which is always booked 100%.  Dont forget, a week with no renters is lost revenue that will never be recovered. 

A rental price too low and you get every Tom, Dick and Harry.  A price to high and you loss business.  You have to find the right price in between to not have the problem of people wanting a different price.

Hey 'wiffle".....this was a good topic for discussion you raised!

If they ask for the best price that is fine (especially at the last minute) but if the continue to chew on the price I usually say, "Sure but without pool heat."  That makes them realie you have expenses.   HOMEAWAY has done so much to dwindle the respect guests have for us owners. That damage is far and deep. When you tell guests to reply to mutliple owners and that the only way to feel secure that the home is legit is to BUY THE CRAP INSURANCE they sell what would you expect.

See new concept being touted by a Canadian company, holiday rentals.ca (I'm not certain if this company is affiliated with any other vacation rental sites):

www.cottagecountry.com/auctions

If this link does not work search vacation rental in google news, it came up on a search minutes before I posted.

I'm actually on the other side of the equation. I’m a renter and a spontaneous traveler, and I like booking nice properties with the last minute discount. What is wrong with that?

I always prefer to rent a nice condo or a house over a hotel, mostly not because of the price, but rather because it gives me more local and unique experience.

Some luxury penthouse may have $300-$500 daily rate posted on the web site, but my daily budget is only up to $200-$250. I will offer this to the property owner and totally fine with getting “no” as an answer. But this sounds silly to me, because why keep your property unoccupied, when you can get $1000 for 4-5 days.

I probably rented about 20 properties like that through VRBO in past 5 years. And I came back to some properties several times, always with this last minute booking and a discount.

I don't offer discounts. I have a nice, well maintained property with high end furnishings, bedding etc and I offer it at a reasonable price, right in line with my competitors who may have a little less to offer than my place. If someone doesnt' want to pay the going rate, they can rent one of the other properties. I'm fine with that. I'm not desparate to rent.I can see if you need the rental income to cover costs, you may be more open to offering discounts but I think you should set a fair price and stick with it. I'd rather rent my place at the full rate for a shorter time than a discounted rate for a longer time - more wear & tear, electric & other expenses...

I'm with you.  When it comes to discounts, we simply don't offer them.  We do offer a 10% discount for second weeks, and always offer returning guests last year's rate, but beyond that, when asked if we would consider renting the property for less than advertised, we politely refer them elsewhere.

We've heard plenty of stories of people renting on a discount damaging the property, being very demanding, and leaving the place a real mess and then complaining because additional cleaning fees were deducted from their security deposit.

Like most owners, we rent for a couple of reasons:

1.  It helps defray the expense of owning a vacation property;

2. We enjoy sharing what we have with others, just not for free:)

We rent at a reasonable rate.  We're one of the best values in a very nice area.  We're fortunate enough to have guests who post great reviews, and return in subsequent years.

Our policy is:  if it's within 60 days of a rental, we need to receive the check in five days.  The post office delivers first-class mail within 4 days to anywhere in the continental US from anywhere in the continental US.  We've never had a check 'lost in the mail', and we do offer a credit card option for those who are getting close to their arrival date and wish to settle their account that way.  We also do not accept rentals within two weeks of the arrival date.  We just use the place ourselves, or with friends and family.  We get this opportunity about one week in every three rental seasons, so we never really lose any significant money with this policy.

Best policy for those when confronted with someone wishing to negotiate a discount:  give them a regretful no. 

Jim Van

Avondale Properties

http://www.avondaleri.com

I am not personally offended by hagglers, but I also do not rent to them either. They fall into the category of 'unhappy' people I don't want to rent to...those that I think at least are more likely to be unhappy: they question the deposit, or disagree with some clause in the contract, or want to nickle and dime things. I'm looking for the happy-go-lucky on vacation types that will love and appreciate what we provided, not look for reasons to whine.  I always remind myself I don't have to rent and I would much much rather it be empty than not really comfortable with our guests.

On the other hand, I do offer discounts of my own making, either spontaneously (e.g. I really want this couple for a week in off season), or as a posted deal.