Property Management Frequently Asked Questions

Signature Vacation Rentals
Property Management
Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is your management fee and what do I get for it?
  2. Are there any start up costs?
  3. Who pays the cleaning fee?
  4. Do you collect a security deposit?
  5. Who handles maintenance issues and guest concerns?
  6. When do I get paid?
  7. Does Signature Vacation Rentals do routine inspections?
  8. How will you advertise my home?
  9. Do you perform credit and criminal background checks on potential renters?
  10. Do you have a copy of your management contract that I can review?
  11. How should my home be furnished?

 

 

1. What is your management fee and what do I get for it?

We have several service levels to choose from. Please call us to discuss what plan fits your needs. Our basic plan supports the following:

  • Reservations department schedules bookings, in office and online
  • All advertising, including State of the Art Website and MLS
  • Consistent contact with previous guest via direct mail and email
  • Showings of property to potential guests
  • Capable employees available to answer questions and resolve all guest and/or owner problems
  • Property Superintendent on-call status 24 hours/day for emergencies, 7 days per week
  • Initial pictures
  • Guest information on likes/dislikes for improvement to property
  • Improvement recommendations/scheduling of service
  • Regular property inspections
  • Guest concierge service
  • Peace of mind

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2. Are there any start up cost?

Yes, we have a $500 start up fee. The start up fee goes towards the professional twilight photography, building the property profile on our web site, writing the property description, duplicating keys and inspecting the home. The actual cost for bringing on a new home is over $1000.

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3. Who pays the cleaning fee?

When a guest stays in your home they pay the rent, tax and cleaning fees. If an owner or owner guest is staying in the home we also need to have the property professionally cleaned after guest departure. For this we will bill you the appropriate fee based on the size of your home.

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4. Do you collect a security deposit?

All of our renters will pay in full for their reservation 30 days prior to arrival. The renter is required to purchase a $1500 renters insurance policy at the time of booking. This will cover against incidental damage during their stay. If our renter is a long-term tenant paying month-to-month rent we collect an appropriate security deposit for the home. We also run a credit and criminal background check for long term renters that are paying month to month.

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5. Who handles maintenance issues and guest concerns?

Signature Vacation Rentals has a 24-hour on call emergency maintenance man. We can handle small repairs and have a database of trusted contractors that we recommend for any major repairs. Maintenance repairs will be completed on your property based upon the Management Agreement dollar limit. Anything over the dollar limit you will receive a telephone call before work is started unless it is an emergency. Charge to pickup/delivery of supplies is a $25/trip plus cost of supplies. Maintenance labor charge is $45/hour.

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6. When do I get paid?

All of the money from the rental is placed in the Signature Vacation Rentals Trust Account. We do monthly reconciliation’s of the trust account. This process generally takes 9-14 days and the process begins on the 1st day of the month. Generally our owners receive the rental income from the previous month by the middle of the current month.

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7. Does Signature Vacation Rentals do routine inspections?

Our management contract calls for monthly inspections of your home. We do a 25 point inspection that includes filter replacement, light bulbs, batteries for remote controls and smoke detectors, flushing the toilets, walking the property inside and out, and reporting on any landscaping and/or pool issues. We also do a pre check-in inspection within 24 hours of guest arrival and we do a post inspection within 24 hours of guest departure.

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8. How will you advertise my home?

Signature Vacation Rentals has an advertising campaign that is second to none. In addition to hosting your home on our official home page at one or more of our websites, we also have an exclusive marketing agreement with top ranked vacation rental web pages and a portal to travel Agents around the globe. We list all of the homes on the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service which markets the home to local realtors, and also places your home on dozens of other real estate web pages like Zillow for example.

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9. Do you perform credit and criminal background checks on potential renters?

Short-term seasonal rentals are always for a specific time period, for example, January 1st to March 31st. With these short-term seasonal rentals we require full payment 30 days prior to arrival. At check-in we require the guest that made the reservation to personally visit our office so we can verify their identity. We photocopy their driver’s license keep it on file. We also have the guest sign our reservation policies and rental agreement. If we have a long-term tenant (more then 5 or 6 months) or a tenant that wants to rent month to month, we will in most cases have the prospective tenant fill out a rental application so we can run his or hers credit and also run a criminal back ground check. In this instance we will also use the 10 page MLS lease contract.

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10. Do you have a copy of your management contract that I can review?

Yes, we are happy to supply a copy of our management contract. Follow this link Property Management fill out the form and click submit. One of our agents will respond via email within 24 hours.

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11. How should my home be furnished?

We recommend contracting a professional decorator to furnish your home unless you are the naturally gifted decorator type doing such things. That being said, we have a minimum recommended furnishings list. There are certain things renters expect to have these days, like flat screen TV’s and Hi-Speed Internet on the top of the list. A home should also have a well-equipped kitchen, pantry and linen closets. Follow this link Recommended Furnishings fill out the form and click submit. One of our agents will respond via email within 24 hours.

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Author: Spencer Farnsworth.

Copyright © 2010 [Signature Vacation Rentals].

All rights reserved.

Revised: 2013.