What You Should Know About: Warranties

We are often asked: “Are home warranties beneficial in the vacation rental world?” The short answer is NO. While it is possible that home warranties can result in savings for your primary residence, it is a completely different situation for vacation rentals.

Home warranties, appliance warranties and maintenance agreements are notorious for delayed responses, inefficient technicians and an incomplete resolution. Consider the fact that large and important purchases or repairs (refrigerators, air conditioners) are most likely needed during the busy season of high use. Ideally, this is the time when the property is filled with paying guests, hoping for a few nights of relaxing vacation. When a system needs repair, the guest expects an immediate resolution. Warranties add delays and uncertainty. This creates potential liability for the property owner. The longer a guest waits, the more likely a credit or refund is expected. More often than not, the perceived savings of a warranty will turn into an expense with having to move and refund a frustrated guest. In addition, this guest will likely leave a negative review which could impact future bookings.

If you have a warranty or maintenance agreement, please make sure we have the information. As long as we are aware of the existing warranty, we will always try to use it first. However, if it is a time-sensitive issue and the warranty technician cannot go that day, we may decide to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, without going through your warranty.