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| > How to edit description, rental prices and availability calendar |
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| > Enquiries from holidaymakers are not arriving in my inbox |
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| > Recognising genuine e-mail enquiries and potential scams |
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| > Why are recent updates to my advertisment not visible on the Internet? |
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| > Can I add an extra property/accommodation unit to my advertisement? |
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| > Can I be listed under 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedrooms? |
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| > Can I change my current property for a new one? |
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| > How can I move position on the list pages? |
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| > What can I do to improve the response rate on my advert? |
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| > How to place a special offer |
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| > Do you have an example of Booking Procedures/Contracts? |
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| How to edit description, rental prices and availability calendar? |
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| Thank you for registering with Compare Away. We have sent your registration details to the email address that you supplied us. |
| 1. Please log into your personal Advertisement Manager. You will see links here for updating your personal contact details, changing your password, adding a new property and also links for updating your current advertisement "Edit Property Details". |
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| 2. The links under Edit Property Details are: |
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| Update description |
| Update rental prices |
| Update photographs |
| Update availability calendar |
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| 3. To update any text or rental prices of your advertisement, please click on the relevant link. This will then bring up either your advertisement text form or your price table. Once you have made your changes, please click on "save" at the bottom of the form. |
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| 4. Your changes will then be automatically saved to our database and will come through to us at Compare Away for our approval and checking. We aim to process changes within 24-48 hours. |
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| 5. For you to update your Availability Calendar we recommend that you turn the whole of your calendar blue (available for rental)) and then fill in your booked dates. To fill in your Availability Calendar, click on the start date and end date and then choose from "Booked", "Available" or "Unknown" on the Drop Down Box. IMPORTANT - Please remember to save your updates using the "Save" button. Your updates to your Availability Calendar are stored on our database and can be viewed immediately on the Internet. |
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| Enquiries from holidaymakers are not arriving in my inbox |
| Due to an increase in the number of spam emails, some ISP's have tightened their anti-spam procedures. As a result sometimes normal emails can often be treated as junk mail. Hotmail and AOL are prime examples of this but it can also affect other ISP's. |
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| Recognising genuine e-mail inquiries and potential scams |
| The vast majority of e-mail enquiries that you receive will be genuine and from potential renters enquiring about the availability of your property. Unfortunately, there are a few unscrupulous people who use Internet web sites to send scam messages. We have a sophisticated filtering system in place which enables us to intercept the majority of scam emails. However, on rare occasions it is possible that you may receive the occasional message from someone that is not a genuine enquirer. |
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| Many of these spam emails are poorly written and refer to bankers drafts and certified cheques. If you respond to a scam email, the usual reply is that they will send you a cheque for a large sum of money (more than the rental value of your property). They then want you to extract your costs - and then return the remainder to them by personal cheque or by electronic bank transfer. DO NOT RESPOND TO THE REQUEST. |
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| If you are in any doubt as to whether an enquiry is genuine or not, then please contact us for advice at support@compareaway.co.uk |
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| Why are recent updates to my advertisment not visible on the Internet? |
| When you make any changes to your text and rental prices of your advertisement, they come through to us in a queue for approving and processing. This is normally done within 12-48 hours (often quicker than this). Photographs can sometimes take a little longer. Any updates to your Availability Calendar go live immediately. |
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| Can I add an extra property/accomodation unit to my advertisement? |
| If the extra property is within the same building, or on the same plot of land, then it is possible for us to change your Advertisement Form to a "multiple property". Please email us to let us know what you would like to add and we will change the form accordingly. You will then be asked to log into your advertisement in order to add the necessary text changes. |
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| Can I be listed under 1,2,3 and 4 bedrooms? |
| Individual properties can only be listed under the appropriate number of bedrooms to the property. A 3 bedroom villa can only be listed under 3 bedrooms, regardless of whether different rental rates are charged for the use of less bedrooms. We have a "Search by Town" button alongside each area which takes visitors to our "Region/Town" pages which list properties by town or area, regardless of number of bedrooms. |
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| Our Advanced Search facility allows for properties to be searched in various ways, e.g. by town or minimum number of bedrooms. |
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| Can I exchange my current properties for a new one? |
| It is not possible to swap one property for another using the same reference number. Please let us know if you wish to withdraw a property and we will arrange for this. You will then need to submit a brand new advertisement for the new property. |
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| How can I move position on the list pages? |
| Positions on each listings page are automatically generated and pages rotate every 24 hours. For example, if there are 4 pages of properties in your region, you will be on the first page once every 4 days. Within the page, the properties rotate randomly, again every 24 hours. As a result we can guarantee a first page position on a regular basis but cannot guarantee the position on the page on any one day. Our town list pages work in the same way as well. |
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| How can I improve the response rate on my advert? |
| As holiday home owners ourselves we have learned through experience how to improve response rates. There are several factors involved - the amount of competition in your area, rental prices and photos being the main items which will affect response rates. |
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| If you feel that you are not receiving an adequate response, we would recommend looking at the other properties on the list pages for your area. You should compare your location, facilities and rental prices and ensure that you are competitive with similar properties in your area. Photographs are very important and it is worth spending time in picking out photos that show off your property. The quality of the photo is critical - are they bright, sunny, sharp and colourful? Do not show pictures of overcast days, always try to show a clear blue sky with photo's of swimming pools. Check that any internal photos are uncluttered, showing a light, airy and tidy property. Think about putting table, chairs, sun loungers and parasols on your patio or balcony. It is also important to get the description of your property right, potential renters like to know exactly what they are getting, how far it is to shops and restaurants and places of interest to visit. |
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| If you have a slack period it is sometimes advisable to consider placing a special offer on certain weeks. |
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| How to place a special offer |
| We have inserted a box for inserting special offers underneath the price table. There must be a start and end date to your offer and the date of the offer must not be more than 3 months in the future. You must leave the usual rental price showing in your price table so that anybody viewing your reduction can clearly see the original price. |
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| A special offer will appear both on your main advertisement and on the list page description. |
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| Please Note: If a special offer does not fulfil our criteria for the use of this facility, we will either remove the wording or we will transfer it to the "price notes" section. |
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| Do you have an example of Booking Procedures/Contracts? |
| There is no such thing as a standard booking procedure. We find that booking procedures and contracts vary from owner to owner. We have provided the following guidelines to give you an idea of the booking process and what should be included in any e-mails or booking forms that you send out. |
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| Responding to an enquiry: |
| You should reply as soon as you receive an enquiry to let the enquirer know whether you have availability for their preferred dates and, if so, verify the cost. Answer any questions that they may have and let them know that you look forward to hearing from them again. A swift response greatly increases your chances of renting out the property. |
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| Booking Conditions: |
| When you receive a request for a booking, please reply immediately to confirm that the dates will be held pending receipt of their booking deposit (Usually 5 to 7 days). Include with this email, details of your booking conditions and inform the potential renter that payment of the deposit constitutes acceptance of the booking conditions. |
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| The following information should be included: |
Let them know how much deposit is required if making a booking (and whether this is non refundable).
State when balance of payment is due (usually 8 weeks before the start of the holiday)
Security deposits to be paid on arrival (it is advisable to take a breakage deposit).
Cancellation refunds:
Up to 8 weeks - no cancellation charge
4-8 weeks - 50% of rate refunded
2-4 weeks - 25% of rate refunded
Less than 2 weeks - no refund
(The Cancellation Refunds and Deposit Refunds also depend on whether or not you are able to re-let the holiday period. We offer the facility for you to place .special offers. and this can be helpful in the case of cancellations).
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| What is supplied in the rental price: |
| Confirm what is and is not included in the rental price, e.g. Electricity, gas, linen and towels included. Pool heating an extra. |
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| Arrival and departure times: |
| Confirm the arrival and departure times. |
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| Payment: |
Confirm whether payment should be made by cheque or bank transfer. If taking payment by bank transfer, you will need:
The name of your Bank
Swift Code
Sort Code
Account Number
Account Name
Your address |
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| Booking Confirmation: |
| Once you have received confirmation of the booking and you have received the booking deposit, send a letter or email of confirmation/receipt of payment to the guest. Thank them for their deposit and confirm the dates of their booking. Also provide them a brief reminder of the booking conditions (balance due, cancellation charges). Inform them that directions to the property and key arrangements will be sent when the balance of payment has been received. |
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| Request for Balance: |
| Around 8 weeks before the start of the holiday send a reminder e-mail that the balance of the rental is due. Remember to provide bank details again. Also remind them that directions to the property and key arrangements will be sent when the balance of payment has been received. |
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| Receipt of Balance: |
| - Confirm receipt of the full rental balance. |
| - Ask the guests for their approximate arrival time. Also remind them of what the earliest arrival time is and explain that arrival before this time may not be possible as the property needs to be cleaned for them. |
| - Provide them with the full address of the property and directions from the airport, channel port or nearest major town. |
| - Let them know how they get into the property and where the key is held or who will greet them and show them around. |
| - Provide a telephone number that the guests can call should they be delayed in their arrival time (make sure that provision is in place for this as flights are often delayed). |
| - Let them know if a Welcome Pack of basic food/water/milk is provided. |
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| Guest Notes: |
| Put together a useful guide for your guests to include property details, instructions, places to visit, local restaurants, etc. A file with plastic wallets is ideal for this. It is advisable to include: |
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| - A few words of welcome. |
| - The full address and telephone number of the property itself. |
| - Telephone numbers for doctors, police and local hospital. |
| - A local contact number for reporting any problems to do with the property. |
| - How to use the kitchen appliances, washing machine, dishwasher, hot water, heating, air conditioning, TV/video, etc. |
| - Garbage disposal, where this should be taken and on what day. |
| - Directions to local shops, cafes, bars, restaurants. |
| - Opening times of supermarkets. |
| - Best beaches |
| - Places to visit |
| - Activities:- watersports, tennis, golf, etc. |
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| After the Holiday: |
| Send a letter/email saying that you hope that they enjoyed their holiday. You could also ask them if they have any comments or suggestions on anything that could be improved. Some owners leave a .guest book. in the property so that visitors can fill in their comments at the end of the holiday. Finish by saying that you hope to welcome them back again in the future. |
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| It is a good idea to include a few short quotes from satisfied holidaymakers in the "Further Details" section of your advertisement! |
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