Hi everyone! I have two bungalows I rent out as vacation rentals and both are on the same complex. I love long term rentals and with me being in southern Arizona I get snowbirds every year requesting stays. So far, 4 months has been the longest I have had a long term guest. He was a wonderful guest to have while visiting from Chicago and wanted to escape the winter there. He also was an elderly person at 80 years of age. He travels with his dog and stayed in our Pet Friendly bungalow paying an additional up charge fee for having the pet. So I would like to share with you all things I have learned having such a long term guest with a pet.
Housekeeping services for long term guest are not free other than having me coming in as often as you would like to change out the bedding and towels. So I offer my guests two choices. 1. You are welcome to do the housekeeping yourself and I will provide you with all the equipment and cleaning agents you need. Just let us know when. 2. We will come in and do the housekeeping on your request which includes top to bottom cleaning for a $35 fee which is due when you checkout at the end of your stay. Again, for fresh towels and bedding I don't charge for this. But for dusting, vacuuming, catching up on your dishes, cleaning out the refrigerator, cleaning the oven/stove, trash, mopping and so on.... I will charge. Also note; when a guest makes a reservation, I also charge a standard cleaning fee of $35 and this is not to be confused with any additional cleaning charges throughout the stay. That fee is the final cleaning fee of any guests who stays here. Too my surprise, most guest take me up on the extra housekeeping services because I have found they generally have a housekeeper at home and are use to it.
I also leave available cleaning agents in each of my bungalows should during their stay a counter top needs cleaning off. Something gets spilled on the floor or whatever. But when we come in as housekeepers we also bring our own agents for cleaning.
I just started accepting corporate bookings and again, these services are offered and my corporate guests love this option too. Especially since the company they work for is paying for it.
For pets who are also staying: I have pet clean up products available for "accidents" such as pet urine remover, old cleaning rags and leave those available in the bungalow and I also charge an additonal one time charge pet cleaning fee due at checkout. So far, it is working great. Another tip regarding pets. For any guest who is going to be a long term visitor (21 days or longer.) I require them to have a pet rider insurance policy which any insurance company they use can set them up on and it is very affordable on their end. Otherwise, you cannot bring your pet with you while staying here. Any person(s) who travel a lot with pets knows of this rider policy and generally already happens to have one. I ask for a copy of the policy to insure it is still valid and I know the source of the insurance company behind it should I ever have to file a claim for pet damage above $50. So far, I have never had to file a claim. But it brings me peace of mind. I also have restrictions on size and breeds of pets. So insurance companies will not insure certain breeds I have learned. I follow their recommendations regarding that. But for the record I allow up to two medium to small size breeds not to exceed 65 pounds combined. No cats are permitted.