The Ugly Side of Vacation Home Ownership

Up until now I've been focusing on all the positive reasons for us to own a vacation home. All those things are still there, but you never know when you'll come across a negative. 

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but my Brother and Sister-in-Law own a vacation home in Davenport Florida with friends of theirs. This week they stumbled (unwillingly I might add) onto the ugly side of vacation home ownership.

As owners (potential owners in our case), you hope that anything out of the ordinary will be reported to you by guests or your management company. I guess sometimes things fall through the cracks. This week a guest informed my brother-in-law that the door to their owners locker wasn't secured.  Not Good!  In came the management company and they looked to see if all valuables were accounted for....unfortunately that was not the case. 

Owning a vacation home that you rent out to other vacationers is a great opportunity. It allows you to own a home that you can enjoy in a favourite destination and share it with others with like interests. At the same time you hope that what little private space you have in your home is respected. Curiosity may have killed the cat (satisfaction apparently brought him back, but that's another storey), but stealing from the people that allowed you to rent their home is crossing the line. 

I hope for all owners and renters out there that these are isolated incidents.  For all you vacation seekers, make sure you report anything that looks out of place or any damage to the owner of the home or their management company. It benefits everyone when you do! 

If you're looking for a great place to stay on your visit to sunny Florida check out my Brother-in-law's place, Sunset Villa http://www3.nf.sympatico.ca/a1nzyk78  Have a Great Weekend!