Reviews on rental accomodation

[poshbeck@gotadsl.co.uk]

I may have missed it but is there a section where you can leave reviews on holiday accomodation? We have booked a lot of accomodation via the website over the years and feel it would be nice to leave reviews just like the ones we have left for restaurants we have eaten in. I am sure thats lots of people would be able to leave reviews and it would be helpful for the owners as well as the people who stay.

 

[eleanor]

Assume you refer to private rentals here? They are called private rentals as that is what they are. The advertising on a website is to assist the promotion but is a private transaction between the website and the advertiser. If you refer to a hotel or a similar business then that is a business and may be classed differently and evaluated as such.

As far as private rentals are concerned, Personally I do not agree with this idea at all. There are a couple of good reasons the first being that it can be used for the wrong reasons and remember the property is someones home and not necessary a business. Everyones idea and taste is different but an unfair evaluation can have awful consequences. The majority of private renters will give a true and honest indication to the potential renter of any known issues the ups and the downs! Most with a second home have worked hard to make it their home and therefore it is close to their heart. To have someone come along and write a review for public knowledge is totally unacceptable.

The other reason is that many people would not want the name of their property all over a website or able to be googled. For various reasons which might include tax reasons, for reasons that perhaps a block is only allowed to let family and friends have use and also for privacy.

If this were to be allowed i for one would object very much. And before anyone says I have something to hide then yes - my privacy!

 

[CliffB]

"Everyones idea and taste is different but an unfair evaluation can have awful consequences" as it can with the restaurant reviews, but we see those as fair game and are only to quick to point out a poor service. Re. the tax point,I pay the correct amount of tax and therefore I see no reason why everyone else should not do the same.I see reviews as a tool for owners to increase the standards of their properties , it might even wake a few up to the fact that some apartments are greatly overpriced for what is actually on offer.

 

[eleanor]

The renting of a private property is usually to help with the cost of owning it. There have been posts before relating to the costs involved and I think anyone who doesn't own would be really quite surprised at just how much money is involved with the running of a property on the island. The cleaning and laundry alone is much higher price than the UK as well as all the additions. Anyway this could be argued and argued but remember also the actual renting season compared to other places is much shorter too. If you were to compare the cost of a private apartment with the cost of staying in a apart hotel or the like you will know that many are very good value. The cost of which is for the actual property too and not per person. Just take a look on this site alone and you will see there are some 2 bed apartments at very reasonable prices. I actually found one at 350 euros a week. Not bad for four people especially when around 100 euros of that will go in laundry, cleaning, electricity community charges etc etc.
"To wake up a few' is an insult to many good hardworking people who go out of their way to ensure that people have a good time in THEIR home. There may be a few that fit your description but certainly not the norm. I'm sure you do pay your taxes as do I but i'm also sure you wouldn't wish your private business to be all over a website!

Remember equally for every 'bad' rental, a 'bad' renter can be found too. Shall we suggest that we start a thread naming a few of those? I think not! I am aware of rental properties that have been left in a disgusting state, with things broken or stolen and with no respect whatsoever. This again has to be paid for.
As always there are 2 sides to a story.

We are talking about real people here and real peoples homes! The property is rented on that basis. It is for the renter to decide if that is what is wanted. If you want a holiday group with all the back up they offer then look at one offering just that and look at their prices too!

 

[cherylbb]

i'm also sure you wouldn't wish your private business to be all over a website!

QUOTE]

Surely if you are advertising your property on a website then its already out there on the web to be googled etc & is no longer private.

 

[Rosie34]

Remember equally for every 'bad' rental, a 'bad' renter can be found too. Shall we suggest that we start a thread naming a few of those? I think not! I am aware of rental properties that have been left in a disgusting state, with things broken or stolen and with no respect whatsoever. This again has to be paid for.
As always there are 2 sides to a story.

I can see Eleanor's point here - we have got to know the family from whom we rent a villa in summer and some of the stories The love us renting as they know they will find the villa in an acceptable and clean condition when we leave as we treat it as we would our own home - but apparently there are others who don't have the same attitude

 

[eleanor]

This is exactly why many websites are now giving reference numbers to private properties rather than quoting the name. This is for security reasons to as most rental properties have a calendar which gives a very clear idea of when the property is not occupied. Perhaps this is something this website should think about?

Sorry posts crossed = I was referring to Cheryl's comment.

 

[eleanor]

Thanks Rosie that was my point. The attack is always in the direction of the person who dares to rent their property out! This is evidence of the other side of the coin!

 

[cherylbb]

Thanks Rosie that was my point. The attack is always in the direction of the person who dares to rent their property out! This is evidence of the other side of the coin!

Why do you assume a review would be an attack? Surely there would be good comments that would help to increase custom? Recommendations are always the best way. As a renter myself I wouldn't be against a bad renters list (although legally it would be tricky), & thought that you owners had your private thread so you can discuss such things.

 

[CliffB]

Eleanor,I think you are missing the point, you state,"To wake up a few' is an insult to many good hardworking people who go out of their way to ensure that people have a good time in THEIR home" you are missing the word "few",of course there are many people who have fantastic rental properties but dont fall into the trap that all properties are like that.I had to fully clean the apartment I stayed in this year on arrival,then spent 2 weeks fighting ants and chasing a lizard who was obviously enjoying eating the ants.When I pulled out the fridge there was a mass of mouldy food under it.For me that is unacceptable.This I paid 800 euro a week for.Good rentals and good renters have nothing to fear.

 

[pollensa]

This query has actually been raised before and at the time we advised that we do not allow reviews of Private Rentals and have no intention of doing so.

If any one has had issues with any of the properties advertised under Private Rentals then guests are always requested to contact us directly & not via this forum. Any concerns will then be passed on to the advertiser concerned. But this is in fact very rare.

And as we've always said if anyone is concerned about booking independantly in general or are thinking of booking a specific property, then we can also be contacted directly by email or phone - see Holiday Webs - Contact Us Puerto Pollensa (Port de Pollenca), Majorca (Mallorca).

 

[poshbeck@gotadsl.co.uk]

I didnt intend to stir up a hornets nest in fact I wished to show my appreciation of the accomodation that my family had stayed in but I feel that some people have taken my innocent enquiry in totally the wrong way.

 

[eleanor]

Thank you Pollensa. I think perhaps enough has been said by me and views have been exchanged. But to conclude I think what Cliff has to say about his rental property is disturbing. The owners would have put their trust into employing a cleaner who was supposed to do a thorough job and obviously didn't. Ants are everywhere in Mallorca and the most clean of places would still have a war on their hands. Mouldy food is not acceptable and certainly the owner should have been informed. He/she then could act and perhaps change the cleaner. It would be the cleaner that deserved the bad review!

Thank you Pollensa for clarifying.

 

[pollensa]

I didnt intend to stir up a hornets nest in fact I wished to show my appreciation of the accomodation that my family had stayed in but I feel that some people have taken my innocent enquiry in totally the wrong way.

Don't worry! Unfortunately it just isn't as simple or as straightforward as it sounds.

 

[snowy2007]

Is renting out not a business the same as running a shop or restaurant you can always post on Trip Advisor. Lots on there.

 

[eleanor]

The written word and the spoken word can often mean different things!
The glory of any forum is that views and information can be exchanged. It doesn't mean one is right and the other wrong it just means the sharing of thoughts and ideas. I apologise if you felt it was a hornets nest that was not my intention. I actually felt ganged up on but hey ho!

 

[Mark]

This query has actually been raised before and at the time we advised that we do not allow reviews of Private Rentals and have no intention of doing so.

Is it OK for members to leave reviews of villas and apartments that are rented from the villa companies advertised on this site such as sealandvillas and villa parade etc ?

It's a tricky subject I know.

 

[pollensa]

Is it OK for members to leave reviews of villas and apartments that are rented from the villa companies advertised on this site such as sealandvillas and villa parade etc ?

It's a tricky subject I know.

As you say it IS tricky & we just do not have the resources to deal with & police 'reviews'. There are already several threads here where people have asked about properties that are featured in these companies brochures & websites & previous guests have responded. Of course this is fine.

 

[cherylbb]

The written word and the spoken word can often mean different things!
The glory of any forum is that views and information can be exchanged. It doesn't mean one is right and the other wrong it just means the sharing of thoughts and ideas. I apologise if you felt it was a hornets nest that was not my intention. I actually felt ganged up on but hey ho!

I'm sorry you felt ganged up on Eleanor, you were quite strong in your opinions & surely everyone has a right to reply & their own opinion too. No-one was rude, just stating their view on the subject with no intention of ganging up.

 

[cherylbb]

As you say it IS tricky & we just do not have the resources to deal with & police 'reviews'. There are already several threads here where people have asked about properties that are featured in these companies brochures & websites & previous guests have responded. Of course this is fine.

I think on reflection this is the best way to go, if people want to know about a specific property then they can ask for members experiences. Although it doesn't help when people just want to praise a property & their owners but maybe this could be included in a general holiday review.
Obviously its quite a difficult area & would be more trouble than its worth to have it as a thread.