Frequently Asked Questions

Travelers overwhelmingly prefer to pay with credit cards rather than send cash - it is safer, easier, and more secure. We can also take eCheck/ACH but prefer to use credit cards. Credit card companies do charge for their service, we deduct a fee of 3% - 4% from the gross rent to cover their fees and insurance. Rolling these items together is not standard, we do it for your convenience.

Once you book, we’ll invite you to our Guest Portal where guests can view their reservation information, receive their door code for their rental, get directions to your property, get nearby restaurant suggestions, and more. Anyone can download this app and we encourage homeowners to do so. The application is
listed as Sol Vacation Rentals, under Sol Vacation Rentals Vacation Rentals.

Although virtually all guests begin with an email or phone call, we do allow them to view, book, and pay for a property online.

The guest will never know the name of the owner for privacy reasons (unless you really want us to tell them). We take the call and dispatch the appropriate vendor. We pay the vendor and then put the bill onto your homeowner statement (taking vendor charge out of the revenue owed to you for that month) - that way you don’t have to worry about paying out-of-pocket for anything unless it happens to be a major repair. Sol Vacation Rentals does not charge any additional fees for these types of emergencies.

Unless we approve otherwise, you must be over the age of 25 to book a Sol Vacation Rentals vacation rental. Please know that we do have a strict policy of evicting guests upon any sign of noise, partying, or over-occupancy. We want guests to enjoy themselves, but we do not tolerate abuse of your property and
contractually have heavy measures in place to evict and charge additional fees if necessary. In an effort to keep your guests and property safe, we will install several types of noise monitors and customize the decimal level settings for your specific property. Our local teams will receive an alert if the noise volume
exceeds these settings and address it for you.

There is nothing you need to do to schedule or pay the cleaners. If you wish to have your home cleaned while you, a family member, or friend are using it, just let us know and we will clean it and bill you for it as part of your monthly statement.

Research at VRBO shows guests are far less likely to book a rental if a security deposit is required. VRBO itself has taken steps to eliminate such deposits and this has become a trend in the industry. VRBO expects large adoption of this and Sol Vacation Rentals wants to take advantage of this trend.

Sol Vacation Rentals requires each guest to purchase a minimum $3,000 damage waiver. This enables owners to rest assured damage is covered. However, owners should expect that normal wear-and-tear will happen outside the policy. A standard practice in the property management industry is to withhold 4% of gross rents to cover the costs of small items. Sol Vacation Rentals does not do this. Owners should expect every now and then they might have to replace a fork or knife, do some touch-up painting, replace a sink
or shower fixture, etc. All homes require periodic maintenance. Guests sign a contract committing to pay for damage via their credit card on file, and there are strict policies in place to determine when additional cleaning is needed.

We are often asked what types of items are replaced under this policy. A good rule of thumb is that well-maintained, durable items in good working condition that are damaged as a result of a guest’s actions are covered. The damage waiver is not a guarantee that nothing will ever be broken or stop working in
your home. It is intended to replace items a guest may have broken or damaged accidently.

Everything from small appliances, to plumbing fixtures, furniture and electronics wear out eventually. If a guest drops a blender and it smashes on the floor, the damage protection kicks in. But if a guests is using a blender that is several years old and it just stops working, it is not replaced as part of the damage waiver. If a rug is dirty from regular foot traffic, it is not replaced as part of the damage waiver. If a guest spills a bottle of red wine on a rug, the damage waiver kicks in. If a guests sits down on an inexpensive couch and a leg breaks off, it is not their fault. If a guest spills pasta sauce all over it, then the damage waiver applies.

The damage waiver applies to most furniture as well. It does not apply to furniture that is clearly old, worn, visibly weak or rusted or things like fragile antique seating or dining tables, and inexpensive plastic seating. These are all items we highly recommend removing from a home for safety purposes. And while we love in- expensive furniture from Ikea or other discount stores, it is known not to be very durable. The damage waiver does not apply to furniture that is not designed to hold up to regular guest use, particularly MDF or plastic furniture.