Christa Wagner

Twelve percent of Vancouverites are leaving town during the Winter Olympics, and taking advantage of the huge influx in visitors. Home rentals are bringing in big dollars for those who choose to jet-set to a sandy beach somewhere far away from the chaos and congestion. 

Most would agree that allowing strangers into your home is a gamble, so before you get on the plane (if you can make your way to the airport,) do your homework and prepare your home for your unfamiliar guests.  Here are some tips to make this as simple as possible. 

1. Confirm your agreement:  Prior to your renter’s arrival, confirm all details of your arrangement to avoid any surprises.  Include details such as amount received as deposit, total rental fees, period of rental agreement, insurance coverage, and condition of property at the time of arrival.   Be sure to use simple, precise language, and provide a copy to both parties. 
2. Make your renters feel at home:  Leave a welcome letter.   This letter is a nice hospitable touch and is a great way to communicate any other items not covered in your agreement.   Explain any instructions for home appliances, alarm systems, or lighting, as well as anything else you’d like to add about your home or local area. Leave a list of phone numbers in case of emergency including the police department and fire department. 
3. Clean your home:  You want your renters to respect your home as much as you do, so take the time to clean all rooms and remove garbage.  Ask that they leave the property in the same condition upon exiting.  It’s also a good idea to remove any breakable or personal items (like birth certificates) and lock them in a safe place. 
4. Where will your renters sleep?  Who is coming, how many are in their party, and where will they sleep?  Do you have enough sleeping space?  Do you have a sufficient supply of bed linens, pillows and blankets?   Your renters are treating your home as a hotel so all sleeping essentials must be present. 
5. Bathroom:   Launder towels and washcloths. Make sure you have one for each guest.  It’s not necessary, but is a nice touch to provide basic toiletries like a fresh bar of soap, shampoo, and conditioner. 
6. Getting around town:  Your renters could be from anywhere, and they are not familiar with our city.  Help them out by gathering city maps, a map to the Olympic events and transit maps and schedules. Tourism Vancouver (www.tourismvancouver.com) provides many of these maps for free. Let your renters know that Translink offers a Games Transit Pass that provides unlimited travel on the bus, SeaBus and SkyTrain (including to the airport.)  Go to www.translink.ca. 
7. Dining out:  There are many choices for food in Vancouver. Give your renters a list of your favorite restaurants to help them decide where to dine. 

I have to admit, sitting on a warm sandy beach sounds wonderful, but in order to enjoy your vacation, take a few minutes prior to departure to prepare your home for your Olympic renters. 

For more information, go to www.savvysolutionsorganiznig.com or contact author Christa Wagner at 778.839.5792.

Tags: Organizing Vancouver, professional organizer vancouver, Vancouver professional organizer

This entry was posted on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 9:16 am and is filed under Home Organizing, Residential Organizing, Time Saving Tips, Vancouver. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.