Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hidden Costs of Rental Homes
Whether you rent directly from an owner or from an agency, calculate the follow-
ing costs into the price of your stay before committing:
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Cleaning fee: Most homes charge between $50 and $270, depending on the
size of the home, for someone to come in and scrub after you've left.
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Taxes: As with hotels, you'll pay 9% in taxes on top of the cost of the rental.
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Commissions: Agencies charge a fee for their services of between 10% and
25% the cost of the rental.
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Car rental: Most rentals are in gated communities, and none at this stage are
within walking distance of the Strip, or any other major Vegas attraction.
Taxis are too costly, so be sure to factor in the price of a rental car into your
overall budget.
umbrella government agency licensing rental homes. So you could arrive at a
home, as I once did, only to find that one of the bedrooms doesn't have any light
source in it (the lamp had been broken and thrown out by the previous tenant; I
made do with a lamp I moved in from the living room, making that room dim-
mer than it should have been). Usually the maintenance issues aren't too bad, but
sometimes you'll be confronted by threadbare towels, squeaky garage doors, and
poorly groomed lawns. And there's no out if you have a big problem with the
home; the owner takes your money well before you arrive (whereas most agencies
will try to move you if you're unhappy).
If you still want to use one of these sites—and I wouldn't dissuade you, you
can find great deals this way—be sure to ask the following questions before put-
ting any money down:
1.
Does the owner live in the state?
It's preferable that she does, as she'll be
better able to help you should you have a problem with the house. I've also
found that the closer the owner is to his property, the better the maintenance
tends to be. If the owner isn't in-state but you like the look of the property,
make sure that there's at least some type of caretaker nearby whom the owner
can call on to come over if necessary.
2.
What's included in the rental fee?
You don't want to show up at a rental
place for 3 days and find that there's no dishwashing soap, garbage bags, toi-
let paper, or other basic household goods. Most rentals do include them, but
it's important to ask. If the house is adjacent to a golf course (many will be),
find out what additional fees there will be to use it. Free local calls and Wi-
Fi or high-speed Internet access can save you a lot of money and are standard
in many rental homes but not all, so be sure to ask about that as well.
3.
Where is it?
Sounds like a basic question, but many owners can be vague
about the actual location of a home, knowing that the closer to the Strip it
is, the more in demand it will be. So be sure to get actual cross-streets, don't
be shy about asking if it's in a gated community (many are), how close the
nearest police precinct is, and what county it's located in. Henderson and
