Lake of the Ozarks Vacation Rentals: 5 FAQs About Vacation Rental Management

In today's blog, we thought it would be fun to take a look at the most common questions that we get asked by owners looking for a vacation rental manager at the Lake of the Ozarks. Below is a list of the most popular questions from over the last 14 years of speaking with over 400 potential owners.

1. How Much Do You Charge?

This is usually the first question that I get asked. The amount a vacation rental manager charges will vary from company to company, and should depend of the level of services they offer, experience and the type of results they can deliver. For our area, the fee is typically between 25-40% of the gross rental fee.

2. What Services Do You Offer?

Most companies offer the same basic services; it is the other services that separate the men from the boys. You should be asking if they inspect their properties prior to guest arrival, if they inspect the cleaning, if they offer landscaping, maintenance, decorating assistance, pest control, etc. Find out what you are getting for what you are paying.

3. How Do You Advertise?

My guess is that most vacation rental companies at the Lake of the Ozarks, like us, do the bulk of their advertising on the internet. Some companies who charge a lower percentage make you pay for your ads on the top vacation rental websites in addition to their management fee. As a large rental company, we spent a lot of money on advertising and we don't charge extra to place your property on the top vacation rental websites. We also have an extensive past guest list or more than 8,000 names that we e-mail on a monthly basis.

4. Why Do I Have to Have Keyless Entry?

This is one of the few costs to be on our program, but one of our most essential requirements. Our own internal research has shown that 100% of our guests would rather have keyless entry than to have to pick up keys, keep track of keys and then return keys when their rental is over. I recently had a potential owner say that the reason he didn't choose us was because the other company wasn't going to make him change his keyed lock. They would just use the lock he had. We were unwilling to compromise on providing great customer service to our guests.

5. What About Damages?

Many owners are concerned about their property getting damaged. I completely understand their concerns. Stranger are in your home or condo at the Lake of the Ozarks, and maybe they won't take the best care of it. Most vacation rental companies charge a deposit, get a credit card on file or have a damage protection plan. We get a card, offer the damage protection plan and it has worked great for the last 14 years, as we have had minimal damages with over 10,000 rentals and counting.

Do you have other questions about renting your property as a vacation rental with us? Give us a call at 573-365-3367. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our rental program. Your Lake Vacation is here to help our owners and our guests have a wonderful experience with vacation rentals at the Lake of the Ozarks.