Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat key information should I look for? What do I do when I find a rental I like? What is MyVacations and how does it work? How do I find a listing if I already know the property ID? Do you have a list of long-term winter rentals? What general advice do you have for renters? How can I provide feedback on my vacation at one of the rentals? What assurance can you provide regarding the vacation rentals? How do I find a rental?There are two ways to find a vacation rental: Power Search -- This is the most popular and efficient method. Indicate your rental property preferences, including your vacation time frame, number of bedrooms, maximum price, proximity to beach, and key amenities. Select a specific location, an entire region, or even a combination of towns. The search results will be presented as a list of suitable properties according to price (you can choose to view them "from most expensive" or "from least expensive"). To use the search method, select the "Power Search" link on the home page, or click here. Once you have performed your search, you can save both your requirements and the results by using MyVacations. Please see below for information on how this feature works, or click here. Browse all rentals -- A directory of all of the rentals in each town listed by occupancy, high to low, within each town. To see all rentals in a specific town, select the "Browse all rentals" link on the home page, or click here. What key information should I look for on a listing?Calendar -- Most of our properties have an availability calendar, indicated by the Owner Specials -- Many homeowners post an Owner Special with a special offer or discount. Look for the bright pink message. Last-Minute Availability Alert -- Look for this icon: Videos -- Some of the listings have videos. Look for this icon: What do I do once I've found a rental I want to inquire about?When you find a rental you are interested in, you can phone or email the rental's contact person. The contact information is displayed at the top and bottom of the picture page, as well as on the calendar. To email, click on the hyperlink "email." This will bring you to a form to complete; this form will be sent directly to the rental's contact person. In a given session, you need to input your information only once; you can then send email to the lister of as many properties as you wish. You will be able to email all listers a general comment about the composition of your party, etc.; you will also be able to send a message to individual listers if you have specific questions about their property. What is MyVacations and how does it work?MyVacations enables you to indicate the search criteria of your ideal rental, which we will save for you. We will also remember the rentals you find; when you return, you can rerun your search and add to your existing list of favorites. In addition, you can take online notes about the rentals and even rate them. You can share your list with family and friends, and they too can record notes and rate them. In order to use MyVacations, you must provide your email address and an optional password. You can do this either before or after performing the Power Search. Once registered, when you return to WeNeedaVacation.com, you will choose the MyVacations link on the home page. Log in and you can either review previously set up "vacations" or start a new one by performing a Power Search. Learn more. How do I find a listing if I already know the property ID?To find a listing by its Property ID, look for "Find by Property ID" field our home page. Put the property ID number in the field and click "Go." Do you have a list of long-term winter rentals?Our Long-Term Rental Directory lists, by town, the rentals available for one month or longer, generally during the off season. Select the "Long-term rentals" link on the home page, or click here. What general advice do you have for renters?Length of Stay
Summer rentals usually require a minimum stay of one week and generally run from Saturday to Saturday. However, some rentals begin on another day of the week, especially on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Off-season stays are generally more flexible, with many homes available to rent on a daily basis or for long weekends.
Check-in/Check-out Time
Check-in time is most often early to mid-afternoon with check-out time in the mid- to late morning.
Security Deposit
Most homeowners and realtors require a security deposit for a rental home. Check with the homeowner or realtor for details.
Lease
It is in your best interest, as well as that of the homeowner, to have a signed lease that spells out the details of your tenancy, including information about the security deposit, schedule for payment, and the cancellation policy. Many homeowners and listing agents require a security deposit and at least half of the rent due at the time of lease signing, with the remainder of the rent due a month or so prior to tenancy. Generally the deposit is returned two weeks to a month after tenancy.
In-Season and Off-Season
“In-season" generally refers to the weeks in July and August. Some homeowners interpret the term differently and have a range of prices for in-season, shoulder season, and off-season. Check with the homeowner or listing agent for details.
Book Early
Because of the tremendous popularity of the Cape and Islands as a vacation destination, we encourage you to begin your search early for a rental property. Many rental homes are often booked for the summer by the end of February. This is particularly true with waterfront and water view properties. Plan ahead to accommodate a greater number of guests, as larger homes tend to book first.
Visitors to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket in particular are advised to make precise rental and travel plans well in advance. If you intend to take a car to the islands, make ferry reservations early in the year through the Steamship Authority at 508-771-4000. For Island ferry info.
Utilities
Most short-term rentals include all utility costs, with the exception of the phone costs. It is very common for homeowners to put a phone block on the home's phone, in which case a credit card must be used for long-distance calls.
Household Supplies
Unless otherwise noted, all rental homes supply kitchen utensils, dishes, and cleaning supplies. You are expected to supply your own linens and towels unless the listing specifies that the owner will supply them via "linens included" in the amenities section. There are linen rental companies, several of which will even deliver the linens.
Pets
You can find homes that will consider pets by checking the “Pets considered” box in the amenities part of the property search. Many homeowners ask for an additional deposit for a pet. Please be aware, however, that many of the Cape and Island beaches prohibit dogs beginning as early as late May and continuing until after Labor Day.
Prior to Your Vacation Before you leave for your vacation home, be sure you have precise directions; a key (or arrangements for picking up the key) to the home; and the phone number of the homeowner, listing agent, or property manager, in case you need to contact someone when you arrive at the property or during your tenancy there.
A common problem can be difficulty in contacting homeowners immediately before tenancy; many owners travel, so do not wait until the last minute. If anything is amiss at the home when you arrive, contact the owners or their agent immediately. We are happy to say that we have had very few reports of this type of situation.
Click here for information on the Cape and Islands individual towns. To see actual properties, use our Power Search or our "Browse all rentals".
Homeowners Are Responsible for Their Own Listings and Information
All of the information found on the individual property pages has been provided by the property owner or listing agent. WeNeedaVacation.com is not responsible for the accuracy of the content provided.
How can I provide feedback to you on my vacation at one of your rentals?If you would like to write a review about your experience in a vacation rental, go to the listing and click on the link "Write a review." Your review will be sent directly to the homeowner, who will appreciate hearing what you liked about the rental and any suggestions you might have. At the discretion of the homeowner, some of your feedback may be quoted in the Guest Review section of the listing, and if so, only your first name and home town would be used. If you would like to contact us directly about a particular rental, email us about your experience. In the unlikely event that your experience is unduly negative, let us know in detail. We will follow up with you and the homeowner to seek resolution. In most cases, we do find that the disagreements are due to mis-set expectations: Questions answered vaguely or not asked. So be sure that you take the time to verify that the home you select meets your needs. Substantiated and serious complaints have led to removal from the site of homeowners that we do not deem responsible. We have had to remove an average of one listing per year since our founding in 1997. What assurance can you provide regarding the vacation rentals?At WeNeedaVacation.com, we want you to have peace of mind when booking your vacation rental home. You can feel comfortable and confident when booking your vacation home on WeNeedaVacation.com because:
How can I contact you?Address any questions or concerns to us. (See contact info below.) Remember that we do not book the properties; we help the owners advertise them and they do all bookings. Also, all the information that we have is on the website, so if you email us about specific needs, we will usually refer you to the website. If you have any feedback or suggestions on how we can make our website easier for you to use, please let us know! Joan and Jeff Talmadge, Owners
|
||||
