So you are the proud owner of a vacation home – congratulations. But just as with your own home, a vacation home needs a lot of tender loving care. Who is going to look after it when you are away? And, perhaps, how is it going to pay its own way? Thoughts like these tend to push vacation home owners into thinking about appointing a property management company. So what should you be looking for in a property manager, and how do you go about finding one with the qualities you want?

* The first expression is a firm which will ensure the highest standards of care and attention to the fabric and contents of your property. Lots of rental income will not make up for the damage caused by careless renters. Make sure that your chosen firm will keep on top of every

* Personal check-in and check-out of every rental. Many firms take advantage of the availability of keyless coded locks to allow renters to check themselves in and out. This means that they never know who is in your property, and whether your four-bedroom home which is supposed to have a maximum of 8 guests actually has 16 grad party celebrants all over the floors.

* The highest standards of cleaning. Cleaning a property thoroughly is time-consuming and expensive. Many property management firms cut corners here, and if they do, you will eventually pay the price in worn-out carpets and other forms of dilapidation.

* Superior marketing capabilities are important. Marketing vacation rental properties has become a sophisticated business these days. Make sure that the primary website on which your property will appear is ranked highly against the most popular keywords for your location. A local firm without much experience in search engine optimization may be able to take good care of your property but they won’t generate a lot of income since no-one will know that they exist.

* Great service for guests. Look for a manager who knows how to offer excellent service to guests: arrival baskets of food and drink, pre-booking of activities, restaurant reservations etc. If guests feel they are well looked-after, they will be more inclined to come again, but also feel more of an obligation to take good care of the property they are in.

* Great service for you. You should expect VIP treatment when you are using your own property, but also VIP service when you call up your property manager to enquire about availability, discuss renovation and maintenance issues, query your income statements or any other matter. Make sure you will always get to speak to someone senior who knows you and your property.

Whistler property management for a company which looks as if they know what they are doing. But make sure you talk to them in detail and go over the management contract with a fine tooth comb before you sign on the dotted line. You should expect to pay 35-50% of gross rental income to the management company; if they charge less you might want to be suspicious of what they are offering; if more, they’re probably too expensive. This may sound a lot, but remember that they are looking after your property for no fixed outlay to you, and they only make money when you do as well.

The internet is a marvelous tool for finding vacation properties. But the uninitiated may not realize that there are many types of rental property provider out there, and they don’t all offer equal levels of value and service.

The first type is the general vacation rental website. There are many of these available, and they are perhaps most suitable when you haven’t decided where you want to go. You can browse these sites for ideas on where to go and the larger sites may well have a reasonable choice of homes in certain destinations, particularly the most popular ones. These homes may be advertised by the individual owner, or by companies who manage multiple rental properties.

However, these sites have their limitations. You will rarely find any information about each destination, since these sites typically cover the globe, albeit with varying levels of inventory available in any one resort or location. Also, the site is really nothing but an advertising venue; it takes no responsibility for the accuracy of any of the information posted by the owners who use it, and you will have no comeback to the operator of the website if it turns out that the property is misrepresented, is not available when you turn up even though you have paid or, in the worst but by no means unknown case, does not even exist.

The second type of site is often advertised as ‘by owner’. These sites may be global, or they may be destination-specific. Such sites frequently claim that by dealing directly with owners they are cutting out the middleman and saving you money, and in certain areas owners who market their properties directly can escape some types of tax. However, these sites also have drawbacks. As with global vacation rental sites, ‘by owner’ sites provide no guarantees about your holiday; they are just a way of putting you in touch with the owner. Furthermore, the owner is not worried about the credibility and reputation of the site as a whole; their main concern is to promote their own property. Finally, if the property becomes unavailable for any reason, the owner may be restricted in their ability to provide an alternative. So be cautious with these sites.

The third type of site belongs to a property manager with an inventory of homes in a individual destination. He does not usually own the homes but rents them out on behalf of the owners. He does not mind which home you choose, so his incentive is only to find the property most suitable for your group. If, exceptionally, your property becomes unavailable for your dates, he will be able to find you an alternative from other properties he manages. Finally he will have consistent quality systems in place to ensure that your place is in perfect condition for your stay. So if you want to be sure of the quality of your vacation rental, choose a property management company which specializes in the resort of your choice.

All you have to do is to click and carefully choose what you want to order.