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Hello All Cabin Lifers,

I just wanted to offer to answer any questions anyone may have about RENTING cabins.  Oh the horror stories that "R" word, "renting" can conjure up in our heads.  This word is actually Rated R in fact (for parties, alcohol use, and mild profanity).   After many thousands of nightly rentals, my worst story is a of a mountain cabin I managed that lost power during a large snow storm.  The 16 guests fed the 3 huge wood-burning fireplaces as much wood as possible until the chimney caught fire and burned 1/3 of the cabin (6000 sft total).  Yet this horror story turns into a happy story. The un-injured guests upgraded to a nicer cabin at no charge.  They had a great vacation.  And the Cabin?  It got a brand-new kitchen and living room, all free, paid by the good insurance company (I'll get their name).  They even paid the owner for future bookings we had to cancel.   I re-took the digital photos for the website, showing the re-moldeled areas.  Rental demand and rates went up by 20%.  Oh, the chimney was re-built too.  

I have taken care of hundreds of cabins and vacation homes among the mountains of Park City, Deer Valley, Snowbird ski resort, and Heber/Midway.   I have seen it all.  Most important, I've learned exactly how a cabin can be rented and maintained in great shape.  It can create more than enough revenue to pay for the number one maintenance cost........ carpet cleaning.     

Renting to the RIGHT guests takes some basic screening questions.   Look behind the scenes of those stories you hear, and you'll find violations of the rules to good renting committed by the owner.    

Just curious to know how many readers rent their properties and how many don't because of "stories"?

Happy Times,

Rick Ferguson