We've all imagined it - the horror felt by a frantic homeowner who has two families sitting on the doorstep of their rental home. Double booking is not only a nightmare for homeowners, it's a major fear for vacationers as well.
How can this happen?
Most double bookings are a result of poor bookkeeping. You’re out to dinner, on the phone with a prospective tenant, and scribble the booking on a napkin which you leave at the restaurant. Or you record the wrong dates on your calendar trying to get back to an impatient friend waiting on the other line. Or the only calendar you have available is the family dog-walking schedule.
How can you avoid it?
Record bookings in one place
You can avoid having a double booking panic attack by putting everything in writing and employing a good record management system. Record every bit of information: the lease (when you sent it and when it’s due back), the security deposit, the payments, details about the tenants, etc. Use an efficient and dependable online
Booking Management System to keep track of not just the actual booking but of all the other valuable tenant information as well. When a booking is recorded, the listing's calendar is automatically updated to reflect the change in availability and
will not allow an overlap.
Communicate and confirm on a regular basis
Be sure to confirm all tentative bookings with your property manager, booking partner, or realtor. When you send your tenant the lease, ask them to confirm the dates of arrival and departure on the lease and also capture this information by email. Then, several weeks before their tenancy begins, contact them again by email to confirm their arrival and departure dates and times.
What to do if it happens
Do not rest until you find alternate accommodations for your guests. We invite all vacation rental homeowners on the Cape and Islands to call us right away. We'll be happy to help get you in touch with available listings in and around your Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket rental. And, naturally, refund every penny they had sent you as soon as possible.
What would you do if you were caught in a double booking nightmare?