Everyone Chooses to Rent their Cottage for a Different Reason
Typically, we hear three reasons, the most commonly, why a property owner decides to list their cottage for rent:
1. It’s an investment property, bought, set up, and maintained solely for rentals.
2 The family cottage isn’t getting used as much as it used to, but the bills keep stacking up.
3. The cottage has been bought for retirement, and it needs to pay for itself until then.
Whatever the reason you choose to rent, it’s important for you to decide if you’re goal is to achieve a high nightly rate with little bookings, or a high annual income, with more frequent reservations. It’s very, very rare for both scenarios to be true at the same time, and knowing this will help CLRM lead you to your unique version of success.
The following is a guide to how we work; what we expect from the cottages in our portfolio and the philosophy of hospitality that has made us one of the best agencies in Ontario.
Whatever your reason, we take a tailored approach to your decision to rent and build a business plan around it. This way we can help meet your goals from the right perspective.
We’ve rented out our own cottages and been guests as well, so understand what it’s like from both sides. With that in mind, you may find we are not like other agencies who still ask guests to clean the cottage before they leave or have endless rules and restrictions.
Instead, we respect the people who pay a significant amount to vacation in the homes we represent and provide high-quality accommodation in return. CottageLINK Rental Management offers the largest coverage area across Ontario to both our property owners & guests alike!
Renting out your cottage with CottageLINK Rental Management guarantees expertise in the industry and high standards of quality for the best experience for owners and guests.
CLRM’s Philosophy
The moment you decide to accept money in exchange for accommodation you become a provider to the travel and hospitality industry. This brings responsibilities, such as an acknowledgment that guests have expectations of a set of standards that should not be compromised.
We prefer to welcome ‘guests’ and not ‘renters’ as the former expression embodies where we fit into the travel industry as hospitality providers.
In our discussions with new owners, we encourage them to think about this role and to be comfortable with what it entails.
So, while we take care of marketing, matching guests to each cottage, all the booking administration, and helping guests plan their vacations, it’s our owners’ responsibility to create and maintain a hospitable and welcoming environment.
This means providing a super-clean and well-equipped property, maintaining and exceeding (if possible) our minimum standards, and delivering a great experience to every group of guests.
Cottage Standards & Cleaning
Guest expectations are rising as more of them have experienced vacation rentals in urban settings and even other countries. The primary expectation is for a clean and well-equipped cottage with up-to-date furniture and furnishings. Please ask for our “Minimum Standard Inventory” checklist as this describes our recommended items to provide. Bear in mind that the more amenities your property has to offer, the more appealing it is for prospective guests. In our experience, properties that show attention to detail and care are the ones that are most sought after and receive the greatest respect from guests.
When guests check out of your cottage we ask them to leave it in a tidy condition with all furniture in its original location, kitchen counters cleared, fridge emptied, and all garbage dealt with according to the cottage guide.
We strongly recommend hiring a professional cleaning team rather than doing the cleaning & changeover yourself.
Everyone has an attachment to their cottage (be it emotional or financial), you see it in a different way than a cleaner would. He or she sees a place that’s been occupied by a family for a week and simply gets down to tidying, cleaning, and getting it ready for the next guests. On the other hand, you may walk into a ‘mess’ and feel disrespected, which in turn can be upsetting.
Many owners have learned from experience that it’s way less stressful and time-saving to find a great cleaner. On the flip side, if you don’t have a cleaning team in mind, let CLRM help with this. We offer cleaning as a higher “tier” of service, which helps ease your mind when you know we’re just taking care of it, giving you a bit more of a hands-off approach to rental ownership.
Spring Cleaning
A major spring-cleaning is necessary and required each year in order to prepare your cottage to seasonal vacation rentals. You may handle this task yourself; however, we strongly recommend that you use a professional cleaning team – spring-cleaning is a big job. (In addition, a mid-season cleaning may also be needed. After six or eight weeks of rentals, your property may need to be brought back up to the condition it was in at the beginning of the season. Please be prepared for this potential additional expense.)
Issues Management – What about Insurance & Damage protection?
Renting out your home isn’t without risk. Over the course of a season, there is going to be wear and tear, such as scuffs on the walls, soiled carpets, broken glasses or dishes, missing utensils, and tired appliances/equipment. This should be expected. Most will be minor issues that will have minimal cost to repair or replace.
CLRM requires that you carry insurance for your cottage. You will need a cottage rental, short term rental or vacation rental rider added to your policy, along with a minimum of $2 Million in Liability protection. This is a minimum requirement, with some municipalities requiring higher amounts of liability protection.
We have dealt with just about anything you could imagine over the past 25+ years. Here are a few examples:
- Arranging for a pest controller to pick up an electrocuted (and still alive) raccoon after it chewed through an outdoor cable.
- Talking a guest through re-priming a water pump following a power outage.
- Arranging a tow for a guest stuck in a snow drift.
- Helping organize a search party for a guest with Alzheimers who had wandered off a trail.
- Delivering a birthday cake, balloons and flowers for a surprise event for a guest family member.
- Sourcing an emergency cleaner when a life event prevented the changeover team from showing up.
- Guests who arrive a day early or believe they have booked an extra day, but have failed to leave.
- …And a whole bunch of other stuff that keeps our team busy throughout the season!
Accidental Damage Protection Plan
More significant damage is rare, but occasionally happens. Almost always, it’s accidental and will be covered by our Accidental Damage Protection Plan, which covers guests up to $2500 of damage reported to us during the stay. This could be a broken window, a burn on a countertop, or a spill on a carpet. We have a claims process that we ask you to follow, which requires estimates for replacement or repair.
We also hold an authorisation to recover costs for any non-accidental damage or charges for additional cleaning, for up to $1500 for any given reservation. Before we release any payment we ask to see photographic evidence and/or invoices for repairs, cleaning, or maintenance over and above the standard time normally taken on a changeover.
Guest Communication & Guide Book
CLRM uses a variety of communication method with guests before their stay, but during their time on the road and at the cottage, we try to be mindful & reachable, without disrupting their vacation. So, we text guests a few times throughout their reservation to ensure things are going well! In this communication includes: fireban notices, a link to their digital guest guide, the wifi login details and so much more. This phone system is monitored from 9am-9pm 7 days a week, so you can trust that their urgent messages aren’t being missed.
During the overnight hours, we do have office coverage during our busiest times of year, but we also have at least one manager on call at any given time incase of any after-hours emergencies.
We use a digital guest guidebook that guests can download on their phone or open on any web browser. It’s easily accessible, comprehensive, and includes a variety of media, including video.
For example, guests can access a quick video demonstrating how to stand up on a paddleboard; how the hot tub controls work, and even how to operate an entertainment system via remote controls. This type of material eases the frustration guests can experience when they are eager to use a feature but can’t quite figure out how!
Automated messages are to guests that remind them about the digital guidebook, and how they can use it to find directions, access information and the wifi password – the 3 most important things they want to know.
Registering with CLRM & Safety Inspections
We select our cottages very carefully and only accept those that will be in keeping with the high quality that our guests have come to expect.
To become listed with us is a three-step process. Firstly we send you our Owner Information Pack that details the processes involved and our criteria for accepting cottages into our programme.
Secondly, we jump on a phone call or video chat and go through all the details of renting your cottage. CLRM collects information about your property, while you can ask any question you can think of! Some popular questions we hear are:
- How much will my cottage rent for?
- What do your services cost?
- How many weeks do I need to give you to rent?
- What does your screening process look like?
- Do I have to accept pets?
- What marketing/advertising do you do?
Third, once you have decided you’d like to move forward with CLRM, we will get a management agreement sent over to you to digitally sign.
Following the signing of the management agreement, CLRM will come out to each property and personally inspect it, along with completing a professional interior and exterior photoshoot, along with a 3D virtual walk-through tour & capture video footage which we can use for additional marketing.
Safety and liability are huge issues facing owners who rent their cottages. An accident on your property could leave you facing millions of dollars in liability claims and even with a good insurance policy in place, the stress over the years it might take to settle can threaten livelihoods and relationships.
Our Breezeway Certified Short-Term Rental Safety Inspectors offer a safety inspection that covers the primary safety elements that could cause a problem for you.
We take safety very seriously, so this is part of our evaluation of the property and is at no cost.
Once we have edited the photos and built your listing, you’ll get a link to our digital Owners Manual, where you will find all our checklists, inventory lists and rental advice. Then we’ll get started with marketing & advertising to get you some bookings!
What does CLRM do that I can’t do myself on Airbnb or VRBO?
Some cottage owners have lots of time to manage an Airbnb or VRBO listing; deal with all the messages, and look after the issues that arise when guests are at the cottage.
They enjoy doing that, and if that is you then you don’t need us.
Our registered owners are often busy people with jobs, children and active lifestyles and prefer to leave all the day-to-day administration and communication of a rental booking, to a seasoned company with over 25 years of experience and a full complement of staff.
Specifically, our key tasks are:
- Screening guests and ensuring they are the right fit for your cottage.
- Dealing with in-stay issues and only involving owners when absolutely necessary
- Responding to every guest communication from the first enquiry to the end of their stay and beyond, to include re-targeting and marketing.
Couple all of that with a 24-hour call centre, 7-day week operation, a comprehensive owner manual that will guide you every step of the way, and the support of a friendly bunch of people who know this business inside and out, and you have the whole package.
How much does this cost?
Our commission rate varies according to a couple of factors.
The first being the level of service you require: Do you already have a cleaner and are looking to manage them yourself? Or, do you need to be as hands-off as possible in your cottage rental journey?
How many weeks we have available to rent on your behalf, and the rental value of the property are two additional, big key factors.
For example, a cottage that rents for $8K per week in high season and for which we have 80% available weeks year round, will attract a lower commission rate than a $2K per week cottage with 5 open weeks.
The range is from 18% – 25% and averages out at 22%, depending on your level of service.
Renting out your cottage with CottageLINK Rental Management guarantees expertise in the industry and high standards of quality for the best experience for owners and guests.
