Top Reasons Travelers Don't Book Your Rental

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I received the following tips listed below from Flipkey that I think are worth sharing. They apply on all listing sites, although perhaps particularly those that include online payment options.

Some additional comments:

1. Update Your Availability Calendar: On many sites (including Flipkey, Holidaylettings.co.uk and Homeaway), properties that keep their availability calendar updated get preferential treatment in search listings. ( Some sites even allow the renter to search by how recently updated the calendars are.) Hence, this is a great (and free) way to increase the profile of your vacation rental

2. Respond quickly: I recently downloaded the Holidaylettings.co.uk  mobile app, which allows me to respond instantly, even when I am "out and about". All the research says that renters will give preference to owners that respond quickly, and with more and more owners using mobile apps, you need to make sure you don't miss your opportunity.

3. Enter complete and up to date pricing: With some sites now allowing renters to request a firm booking based upon the pricing you have set up, this is a great way to get the renters to commit quickly. Just this week I took bookings from both Flipkey and Holiday Lettings, where all I had to do was confirm that I wanted the booking! No haggling over prices, no back-and-forth with questions. (On Holiday Lettings, I was even able to do this with a single click from my smart phone!)

The Top 5 Reasons Travelers Don't Book Your Rental

"The property isn't actually available for my dates." Sync your calendar and automatically show your listing's latest availability.   "I didn't hear from the owner for over a day." Respond to all inquiries and booking requests immediately.   "It's not clear how much the rental costs per night." Make sure you've set the nightly rate and minimum stay for each rate period.   "My final price was different from what I saw on the listing." Keep your rates and fees up to date and accurate.   "I can't tell if the rental is right for me." Take advantage of our unlimited photos and add pictures from all rooms in the home.