TRUST. It’s a word that appears more and more frequently in business and social messaging today. But how do you know who to trust to rent out your static caravan? Is social media really the best platform? How can you be sure any guests you welcome into your beautiful holiday home will respect it as much as you do?
The staycation industry has enjoyed a remarkable revival in recent years, initially due to the impact of COVID on international travel, but more recently as holidaymakers fell back in love with our beautiful country. Unfortunately, there has been a corresponding rise in the inevitable unwanted consequences affecting both guests and owners.
Many owners choose to list their caravans on social media and classified listing sites believing that in doing so, they’re in control of what happens. And whilst this is the case, unfortunately it can attract guests that cause issues for owners. This can be in the form of late payments, no-shows (when cash on arrival has been promised), pets brought on holiday when this hadn’t been agreed and damage to the holiday home with little recourse after a guest departs.
Research we’ve undertaken revealed that 73% of our website visitors think an online booking option increases trust, and 91% preferred card payments to arranging bank transfers which are generally unprotected.
Once registered you can manage your listing and any bookings from within the owner portal. If you choose to utilise our Booking System, we will take care of all guest payments anytime you receive an online booking and it won’t cost you anything extra.
Guests who wish to book your static caravan or lodge must register a Guest Account with us. In doing so, they are required to provide us with their name, telephone number and home address.
Deposits and balances can then be made using a credit or debit card which our payment processor (Stripe) can then verify card details against the address used for booking which acts as another layer of protection for owners.
As standard, we provide your guests with a Payment Protection Guarantee on all bookings made using our booking platform, at no additional cost to you. This enhanced level of trust means that owners who use our booking platform can expect to see more bookings throughout the year, than those using social media or classified sites with the reassurance and peace of mind that our UK based owner services team are available 7 days per week by phone & email should you need them.
Owners have the flexibility to set their own specific, refundable damage deposits which is state visible and prominent to the guest throughout the booking process. This deposit is retained by our payment processor and only released back to guests after the Owner has checked the caravan and authorised it’s release after each stay.
Sometimes, after your guests leave, you may have cause to retain some or all of the damage deposit to help offset the cost of replacements or repairs. In most
cases, guests acknowledge accidental damage, but in the event of any dispute we’re there to help. Your first point of reference is our Online Resolution Centre that allows owners and guests to communicate in an open but respectful way. Each party can upload evidence and supporting documentation that in the vast majority of cases results in a mutually acceptable outcome and is monitored by our team at all times.
As the UK’s leading private static caravan and holiday home listing website, we’re proud of our industry leading reputation. Our 5-star Trustpilot rating is testament to this and is evidence of the high levels of care and attention our owners provide their guests.
As leaders in our industry and in partnership with our friends at NACO, UKcaravans4hire are committed to providing a trusted online environment enabling static caravan and holiday-home owners to confidently let out their holiday home. We’re always exploring new initiatives and solutions for our community of owners.
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Published on 21 December 2022 By Jenny Blumsom