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24711 Perdido Beach Blvd. |
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24711 Perdido Beach Blvd. |
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We appreciate this opportunity to present our Property Management Program to you. The purpose of this Property Management Guide is to give you a highlight of the Pleasure Island Properties' Management Program, outline our management policies and procedures, and provide you with a basic overview of our marketing strategy. All of us at Pleasure Island Properties realize that your property is a valuable investment and we are committed to providing you the most professional management services available. We also recognize there are a wide variety of choices in rental management companies and that each company's procedures and operations are diverse. We encourage you to review our Property Management Guide carefully. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION
MARKETING RENTAL RATES CONSIDERATIONS IN DETERMINING A RATECOMPUTER SYSTEMS RESERVATION PROCEDURES CHOOSING THE CORRECT VACATION PROPERTY FOR A GUESTMAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS MAINTENANCE ON CALLHOUSEKEEPING WELCOME ABOARD!! Pleasure Island Properties first started in 1996, and the rental operation was started in 2001. Pleasure Island Properties has been listing, selling and managing Alabama's finest gulf coast properties. We have a proven track record. We can help you get the most value from your real estate investment. Our Property Management Program
These affiliations provide us with the means to keep abreast of the ever-changing trends within our industry and provide invaluable information and training. We also receive marketing leads and data from the local tourist organizations. Thank you for your time and interest in our Property Management Program. Please don't hesitate to contact us to discuss our program in more detail, and we would like to represent you! Marketing is critical to the success of any business, particularly vacation rentals. At Pleasure Island Properties we are committed to further investing in technology and refining our marketing programs to keep them operating at peak efficiency. We maintain an aggressive print media campaign throughout the year. Print advertising is divided into two categories, newspaper and magazine. We regularly advertise in several magazines such as Southern Living, Southern Living Vacations, Coastal Living, AAA Home and Away, Texas Monthly Magazine. Our newspaper advertising covers the major cities in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. We also place newspaper advertising in hundreds of small papers in the aforementioned states to acquire customers in the outlying areas and small towns. The centerpiece of our marketing program is our vacation brochure. All of our advertising is targeted to prompt the potential customers to call the toll free number. We also print brochures that are geared towards promoting specific properties during the off peak seasons. We print and mail brochures and post cards three of four times per year to both repeat customers and families that we know have an interest in vacationing in the area. Direct mail is another very important part of the Pleasure Island Properties marketing program. We currently mail brochures to prospective guests and repeat clientele. We also direct mail over 1000 other pieces of correspondence per year. This mail consists of brochures and postcards. This supplements our print media campaign to build occupancy in the shoulder seasons. Our mailing department is state of the art. We purchased automated mailing equipment to facilitate mailing thousands of pieces of mail per year. This allows us to expedite our mail to the customer without having to rely on a bulk mailing company. We currently maintain a mailing list of names and addresses of individuals and families that have vacationed or inquired about planning a vacation on The Alabama Coast at some time in the future. At Pleasure Island Properties our Internet advertising sets our company apart from all other property management companies. We currently average over 350 unique visitors per day to our Internet site. The key to effectively marketing our rental inventory in today's competitive environment is research and development. We have made tremendous investments in technology to facilitate this process. We closely monitor all of our marketing to ensure that we are spending our marketing dollars in the proper media selections. We have implemented a computer system that monitors our call center at real time. The data that is collected through this system allows us to make adjustments "on the fly" in order to maximize our marketing dollars. We also collect marketing data from all customers that call into our call center as well as the customers that make use of our Internet site. This gives us further insight into what marketing efforts are the most effective so we can make adjustments as necessary. Our greatest source of revenue comes from repeat business. Pleasure Island Properties has acquired a customer base, and we communicate with these customers throughout the year to encourage repeat rentals. Our mission is to set the standard for quality of service and we believe it is this focus on quality, particularly of the units on our rental management program, which keeps our customers returning year after year. The off-season months continue to offer the greatest potential for growth. We pay particular attention to developing this market. The winter months of January, February and March are increasingly popular with our "snowbird" guests. Our research indicates that one of the keys to developing the fall and spring seasons is the availability of golf packaging. We have established a relationship with a local company who specializes in amenity packaging. Currently we are offering golf through this package. Families and individuals that are traveling today are looking for added value packages. These packages appear as part of the room rate to the guest so they feel that they are receiving the benefit for free.
Since each property is different, you the owner, and a representative of Pleasure Island Properties will give careful consideration to the rental rate that should be charged. Considerations in determining a rate We will evaluate the property, conduct a market comparison, and then suggest a rental rate. The goal is to allow you, as owner, to reach your maximum earnings potential without overpricing your property. Overpricing of a property will severely reduce the properties gross rental income potential. We have detailed histories on all types of rental properties. We can provide you with a projection of gross rental income on your particular property. Rental rates are adjusted on an annual basis, based on past rental demand and performance. During the summer season, private homes rent weekly from Saturday to Saturday. If a weekly rental is unattainable, a three-night minimum will be accepted after April 15th. Monthly rental rates are also available during the off-season periods for both condominiums and private homes. We ask that your property be available for rental during eight weeks of the summer season. However, if the property is vacant, we welcome owner occupancy. We do require that you call in advance to reserve the property for personal use. All owner reservations will be confirmed in writing. Please be sure you receive this confirmation letter and verify the accuracy of the dates. We ask that you follow our normal check-in and check-out times. When calling to book your property for personal use, please let us know if you will need to pick up keys, especially if you will be arriving after office hours. When a reservation is confirmed to a guest, you, as owner, agree that the rental lease takes precedence over personal usage. For this reason Pleasure Island Properties confirms all owner dates in writing to guarantee owner occupancy. It is also very important that you reserve your property prior to arriving. Please note that Pleasure Island Properties requires an exclusive rental listing, meaning that we must handle all paying rentals.
Pleasure Island Properties operates state of the art computer network that employs the latest in technology software systems. Computerized Property Management Our property management software was developed and is supported by M/K Software Inc. M/K Software Inc. has long been recognized as the leader in the property management software industry. This system offers many benefits for the property management company. In order to insure the fairest possible booking system we employ what is known as a rotation system for booking. This system determines which unit will be presented to the reservation agent as next in line to receive a booking. This is done by computing a rotation number for each unit. That rotation number is based on the number of nights that a unit is occupied during a given calendar year. The unit with the lowest rotation number (i.e. the lowest number of nights occupied for the calendar year of the reservation) is presented to the reservation agent at the top of the list. This rotation system insures that the units are booked in a manner that is fair to all owners. Our software gives us the ability to accurately track, prioritize and resolve maintenance problems. Our work order system insures that maintenance problems never "slip through the cracks". The work order system provides an accurate method of billing owners in a timely manner. This system also provides a 5 year detailed history of all maintenance performed in the unit. Housekeeping We employ an automated housekeeping system for scheduling and billing. This system insures prompt housekeeping and inspection for all departing and arriving guests. The system also tracks the billing for housekeeping which drastically reduces the number of errors. The same computer system that we use to manage property also keeps all of the financial data necessary for our owner accounting. This automated system provides us with the ability to produce timely and accurate owner statements which are mailed to all owners on the rental program on the tenth of every month. We print and mail statements with checks by the tenth of every month for all activity for the prior month. This statement will give a complete accounting of all activity in your account for the month. The information included on the statement will include both rental income as well as any expenses charged against your account. Any expenses charged to your account will have a copy of the work order that was responsible for the charge. We are currently developing a system that will allow owners access to a secure Internet site that will provide information about their property. The features of the owner website will include past and future booking information, access to key personnel within the company and the ability to check availability and book owner reservations. We believe that this new system will greatly enhance communication between the owner and Pleasure Island Properties, as well as provide the owner with near real time information about activity in their rental unit. The vast majority of all reservations are made in advance by telephone. When a call is taken by one of our reservationists and the customer has not selected a particular property, the following questions are asked to help guests select the property most appropriate for them. Choosing the Correct Vacation Property for a Guest In most cases, these questions will help the reservationists determine which accommodation will be most suitable for the guest. All properties are set up on a rotation system and if more than one property is suitable and available, our computer system will automatically select the next one in rotation. The rotation system is specific to a particular complex. In the event that a reservation agent is searching all like units in a given complex then the units in that complex are displayed in rotation order. Once a property has been selected and reserved, the reservationists explains that a deposit is required for confirmation. All properties require at least a $150 deposit for daily or weekly rentals. Monthly condominium rentals require a deposit of $200. Deposits on private homes range from $300 to $500. This deposit method allows the guest to prepay rent equal to the deposit amount. Upon check in the advanced payment is applied towards the total rent and tax. In lieu of a damage deposit the credit card that was used to make the advanced payment is electronically swiped and the guest signs an agreement that states that the credit card can be charged in the event of damage. Upon departure the unit is cleaned and inspected for damage and missing items. In the event there has been damage the repair bill will be charged to the credit card. This method is by far the most common method of securing a reservation. In some cases a damage deposit is the preferred method of securing a reservation. In this case the guest must mail a check in the amount of the deposit within 7 days of booking the reservation. The reservation is not confirmed to the guest until the deposit is received. When the check is received it is deposited into an escrow account and held there. Upon check in the guest must pay the full amount of rent and tax. Upon departure the unit is cleaned and inspected. If there is damage the amount of the repairs is deducted from the deposit and the balance is mailed back to the guest. If there is no damage we will mail a refund check to the guest. All policies and procedures are explained to each guest when the reservation is made. The guest also receives our policies and procedures in writing with their confirmation letter. This confirmation includes notice of check-in times and check-out times, cancellation restrictions, and our "No Pets Policy". Check-in time is from 3:00 to 5:00 PM. All monthly reservations and all private home reservations require a 30 to 90 day notice of cancellation. Daily and weekly condominium reservations require a 14 day notice of cancellation. If the required notice is not given, a guest will receive a refund of their deposit only if the vacancy is filled. Rents not paid in advance are due upon arrival. At check-in, guests receive keys and directions to the property, as well as other helpful information in their check-in packet. Guests are also asked to return their keys to the office where they checked in and to check out by 10:00 am so that we may have time to prepare the unit for the next guest.
Pleasure Island Properties also offers services for sub-contract repairs and will arrange for subcontractors, if needed and approved by you. Cost for damages proven to be caused by a guest will be deducted from that guest's deposit. A copy of the work order for all repairs will be provided to you with your monthly statement. All guests are asked to report any problems to the office where they checked in. Pleasure Island Properties offers 24-hour a day, 7 day a week maintenance service to handle these situations as they arise. The Pleasure Island Properties maintenance staff and subcontractors that are utilized by us are highly qualified and have done quality business with Pleasure Island Properties for many years. Preventative maintenance is conducted on a regular basis. This service includes inspection of air-conditioning filters, smoke alarm batteries, fire extinguishers, as well as interior and exterior lights. Your property is also checked for any noticeable maintenance problems and then repaired or referred to you. Should you desire, items such as carpet or furniture cleaning and deep cleaning can be scheduled with your Rental Manager. Annually, a major inspection and inventory is conducted to ensure that your property is in an attractive condition and offers the necessary amenities. During the year, your property may be vacant at different times. Pleasure Island Properties takes this opportunity to check for any maintenance items that may need attention.
Pleasure Island Properties realizes that housekeeping is an important aspect of vacation rental management. We take great pride in supervising the care and upkeep of your property. Housekeeping is provided after each departure whether a guest or you, the owner, have occupied the property. This service includes a general cleaning of the unit, bed linen and initial supply of toilet tissue and bath soap. A supply of bath towels is also included. After your property is cleaned and checked, someone from Pleasure Island Properties will personally inspect the overall condition of the unit as well as the cleanliness. We believe that the only way to manage a property effectively is to physically inspect it after each departure. Twice per year properties receive a deep clean. This is a very thorough clean. During the deep clean the property is inventoried and assigned a unit rating. Also during the deep clean carpets and upholstery are professionally cleaned. Helpful suggestions for all units:
Thank your for considering Pleasure Island Properties as your management company. We are dedicated to providing you with the highest quality service for your investment. We look forward to you joining the Pleasure Island Properties family. If you have any questions about this document or any of the other documents in this package please don't hesitate to call us. We are happy to answer any questions or resolve any problems that you may have.
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