19/08/2017
The website homeaway/ownersDirect has made it mandatory now for homeowners advertising on their site to use their " Online Booking System". THis means that the owner can no longer communicate with the client at all, the client will have to pay the full price of the rental instantly ( my policy is 25% to secure the booking with final payment 8 weeks before arrival). The client will also have top pay a 10% booking fee to Homeaway . THe owner will not recieve the payment until a day after the clients begin their holiday in their home ! As anyone who runs a holiday home Businees knows, the 25% deposits received on bookings is generally used to maintain the holiday home...bills and other expenses. Also why should Homeaway be holding on to all the money, in some cases for many months? Looking at reviews of "homeaway' on "trustpilot" the disgraceful and greedy behaviour of homeaway is causing a massive headache for homeowners and clients alike. It is a fact that unless we, the small Business owners can find other ways to advertise our holiday homes as well as creating again the confidence in 'would be' clients to book our holiday homes then many of us will be forced to sell up and give up. I have now created my own website for the Padstow house.go to...padstowyachthouse.co.uk which I will be putting out there through as much social media as I can find and I will also be doing the same for the 3 french houses we also have advertised on homeaway. It is inevitable that most people looking to rent holiday homes in the future will be put off by 'homeaways'policy and it will be a very sad day for a lot of genuine holiday homeowners offering fantastic accomodations across the globe.
★★★★★Our stay at the Yacht House was perfect. Spacious enough and ideally equipped for 8 adults (plus baby), with a large kitchen and conservatory come dining area and four bathrooms. The location was great - up on a hillside with lovely views across the River Camel and within easy walking distance…
