Q: What is the Most Important Question we should ask you?
A: "We
have reviewed all the pictures for the property we are interested in
renting from you that you have posted on the listing page. We have
looked at the Google Earth Map that
you provide to see the satellite view of the property and understand
the area around the property. We have read the entire Property
Description on the listing page and looked at all the photos. As a result, we have generated our own
assumptions about the rental property. Should we verbalize our
assumptions and ensure that we understand completely the property we
are renting from you before we rent it?" - YES!
One of the most popular words we get in any feedback from our guests
AFTER they rent with us is the word "ASSUMED". Examples include, "We assumed we could launch a kayak easily from this property", or "we assumed it was a sandy beach, great for kids, that came with the property, that is why we rented it", or our long-time favorite, "we are here on a work-vacation and assumed we'd have great cell phone service and that the internet service was fast and reliable".
If you have any assumptions to make, please let us know BEFORE you rent
the property with us. We want to ensure the property and what's
included with it meets your expectations, but we would rather not hear the word "assumed" after you stay. Please call us - we love to talk to our guests!
Q: Do you offer any of your properties for events or weddings?
A: Sorry, we do not allow weddings or events at our properties.
Q: We'd like to rent a property for LESS than 7 days. Is this possible?
A: Sure, BUT you still have to book and pay for a 7 day rental, except sometimes in the Off-Season*. Why? There are two parts to a rental. One is the income the owner generates from renting the home, the other is the cost of cleaning, doing laundry, utilities, insurance, and administratively coordinating the rental. In order to make a rental "worth it" to the owners, our properties are priced at their best rates including EVERYTHING. With all the cleaning, laundry, etc included, we need to generate the rental rate for a week in each rental. So, if you want to come stay for one or six days, the rental rate is still the same as seven days. Maine has too short of a rental season between June and October to let a property rent for less than 7 days. Our owners would rather a property sat empty for a week, then be occupied on a rent for 3 days at a 3-day price. They can't make enough money back in 3 days to cover the cleaning, laundry, and our costs to make it worth it otherwise. * In the Off-Season, we'll allow rentals less than 7 days if it make sense to the owner. Typically, there is an added cleaning charge for rentals less than 7 days in the Off-Season.
Q: How do we book a property?
A: Select a property that you like the most and then the
dates you would like to vacation. Check the availability of those
properties online. If they are available, you can proceed to book the property online, or call or e-mail us to book it!
We're very quick at responding to e-mails.
Q: When is my first payment due?
A: A 50% deposit on the total rental is required to book your property with us. Our rental season in Maine is less than 12 weeks, so we
need to be sure you are committed to the time period you want to rent
and not miss an opportunity to market the property to someone else if
you aren't committed. The balance is due 60 days prior to check-in . We accept
all major credit cards (except AMEX), but of course prefer checks. If you want to pay
by check, please write your property name and dates of stay the front
of your check. Mail to: On the Water in Maine Inc. , P.O. Box 100,
Rockport, ME 04856. If you want to pay by credit card, call or e-mail
with the card information. We won't charge your card or cash your check until we have a signed rental agreement.
Q: Once I have paid in full, what should I expect next?
A: After you have paid in full, and at least 2 weeks before your rental, we will send you the map, directions,
and access information to your vacation rental property by e-mail. Within the
week before you head to your property, we will contact you by phone or
e-mail to ensure you have all the details as well
as the access code to gain entry to the property. If you don't have
your information within 2 weeks of the stay at your property, please
contact our offices so we can re-send it to you.
Q: Where is your office? Will we meet you or your staff during our stay?
A: Our physical office is located on Route 1 in Rockport near where Route
90 meets Route 1 in the Stonecutters Jewelry Building (205 Commercial
Street). Because we are on the road so often servicing our properties
and guests, you will find it difficult to catch up with us at our
office. However, if you would like to arrange to meet us, we can stop
by your vacation property during your stay. Our business and contact
information is:
Spring Mountain Developments Inc.
DBA: On the Water in Maine Inc., and Waterfront Village Rentals Inc.
Justin Ford – Co-Owner and President, Tiffany Ford- Co-Owner and Vice President
Physical Address – 205 Commercial St – Suite C, Rockport, Maine 04856
Mailing Address – PO Box 100 Rockport, Maine 04856
Q: What does “Max Occupancy” on the listing page mean?
A: Max Occupancy means the most number of guests between the ages
of 1 day and 100 years old (or more) that may occupy the property
overnight. This number must coincide with what the beds will sleep in
a property. For example, if a property only sleeps 4 people in 2 queen
beds, but allows a maximum of 6 guests, it is assumed that the 5th and
6th guests will be younger than 12 years old and that they will sleep
in sleeping bags on the floor or a pullout futon or sofa. “Max Occupancy” doesn’t always mean “Maximum Adults”. Many of our
waterfront rentals use sensitive waste-water treatment facilities
(septic systems) designed for use by a maximum number of adults daily
use. Some of our owners will relax these concerns if the guests are
mix of children and adults, where the children wouldn’t be expected to
shower daily as most adults do.
You are permitted to have guests visit you at the property and exceed
the maximum number of guests as long as they don’t spend the night (ie
– you can have friends over for dinner). However, we do not permit
family reunions, large gatherings, parties, or other occasions at any
of our properties without prior written approval from the owner. You may not park RV’s or erect tents at any of our properties.
Q: What is your Pet Policy? We would like to bring an animal or two with us on vacation.
A: We only allow dogs at our properties - never cats, monkeys, snakes, etc. This is an insurance requirement. Some of our properties will accept dogs, but that doesn't mean we allow all dogs.
Generally, we've found people are very responsible with their dogs.
Despite the strict way in which we present our pet policy, please
understand, we want to be able to accommodate all the dogs our guests wish
to bring and we have found that we can accommodate about 99% of the dogs
that people wish to bring. In fact, we've only said "no" to requests
to bring a dog or dogs a few times in our six year history. Dogs deserve a vacation too!
Dogs under 2 years old are never allowed in any of our properties (another insurance requirement).
We
do charge a $150 fee for all dogs that stay in our properties. There is
sometimes an exception to this. Despite the cleanest dogs, we always spend extra time cleaning a property after a dog has stayed at it, hence the extra charges.
For the most part, the dogs we allow
are the types that won't bark a lot. They are also the type that don't
shed hair, or that don't like to get wet in the lake or ocean and come
back into the property with their wet hair.
Please make sure to talk to us up front
about your dog before booking a property with us. If you are thinking
of getting a new dog before your rental begins, do not assume we will
allow it in your rental property. To review the Pet Addendum to our Rental Agreement, please click HERE.
Q: What other fees and taxes are involved in renting a property from you and why?
A: We take pride in not tacking many fees on to our rental property's
prices although it may seem that we do. Cleaning and the use of all the
utilities are included in the price of your rental. However, there are two key "fees" we must charge:
The 7% Maine State Lodging Tax is for any stay in Maine that is
non-work / non-educational related. This is a Maine State Law. You will
pay this 7% tax no matter where you pay to stay in Maine. Whether it is
a hotel, resort, motel, bed & breakfast, or a vacation rental
property, we all must all charge this tax.
Maine has the second lowest lodging tax in New England after
Massachusetts. New Hampshire charges a 8% Lodging Tax, and Vermont a 9%
Lodging Tax.
Maine
State Lodging Tax Change: Please Note, the State of
Maine's legislature voted to increase the Maine state lodging tax to 8.5%
effective Oct 1, 2009. However, a statewide petition has put the law into
question and now the law goes before the people of Maine in June of 2010.
We reserve the right to charge renters an additional 1.5% in Maine Lodging tax to their credit card on file should
the rate increase take effect prior to the renter's arrival date.- http://www.state.me.us/revenue/salesuse/taxreformsalestax.htm
The 7% Processing Fee, or "Service Fee" includes the Damage Waiver. This shows up as the "Processing Fee" when you complete the booking. We can't include this Service Fee as
part of the rental price, although we'd like to "hide" it there,
because it must be separately addressed as a non-taxable expense. While most vacation rental companies in Maine now
charge upwards of 12.5% to 15% to process your vacation rental booking!
(ouch) - here at On the Water in Maine Inc., we only charge a small 7% fee.
Q: Will our vacation property have air conditioning?
A: Maine has "natural" air conditioning. Most of our homes are on the
water and have fans. There are very few days a year where you will feel
uncomfortably warm in one of our properties. That said, we know some of
our southern guests that are used to living in air conditioned houses
year-round at 68 degrees may be bothered by having 75 degree days in
our rental properties. Again, this is Maine, and this is how it is.
Fans can take the edge off - or take a dip in the water on those few
hot nights. If air conditioning is a must, we do have a handful of
properties that have window units. Ask a reservations agent when you
book your property if air conditioning is critical to you having a
great vacation.
Q: What should we know about the beaches around the property if there are any?
A: Maine is unusual when it comes to beach and waterfront access.
According to Maine law, private landowners can and often do hold
private property rights to the low water mark. These private property
rights are subject to a public easement for fishing, fowling, and
navigation up to the mean high tide line. What does this mean? It means
that unlike other places you have rented a vacation property before,
such as North Carolina, Florida, Maryland, or Delaware, in Maine, you
may not be able to walk the beach except in front of the home you are
renting. Neighboring landowners are completely within their rights to
post signs saying "No Trespassing" on their beaches and may ask you not
to walk on or access their beach. We just don't want you to be
surprised if this happens to you.
Q: If our rental property has a fireplace or wood stove, can we use it?
A: Unfortunately - probably not. The straight truth why: INSURANCE. The
average home owner's insurance policy in Maine runs about $400 per
year. The average "casual home rental" insurance policy that allows our
home owner's to rent their homes to you for up to 8 weeks a year runs
around $800 per year. The next step up is "commercial rental
insurance". These commercial policies are the only policies that cover
allowing renters (you) to use indoor wood burning stoves and
fireplaces. These police average $3 to $4 thousand per year. So, as you
can imagine, our owner's aren't willing to spend an additional amount
of money needed to upgrade to commercial renters insurance to allow our
guests to burn wood a few nights each summer. SOLUTION - Some of our
properties have outdoor fire pits, or - we rent them. Ask one of our
representatives about renting a fire pit - or have a fire on the beach
below the high-water mark if you have a beach-front property.
Q: We rented from you last year or in the past - should we expect everything to be the same at the property?
A: No. This has been a big problem in the past for us, which is why we felt it important to share it here. Our property owners are constantly updating and changing things to
their properties - usually for the better. However, sometimes their
changes may affect something that you are counting on. For example,
they may have changed from twin bunk beds in one room, to a king sized
bed instead. If you have certain expectations about a property you have
rented from us before, please be sure to tell us up front - we don't
want you to be disappointed. Additionally, we keep our listings 100%
up-to-date with the most accurate information. Please be sure to
re-read the property listing for any changes.
Q: I
have allergies to certain things - should I tell you if I do in advance
so I am not surprised when I arrive at my vacation property to find
that something that I am allergic to is there?
A: We have had
guests with allergies to down-pillows, cleaning products; air
fresheners, etc arrive and contact us at 10pm on a Saturday night to
asking us to address these issues. . Had we known in advance, we could
have tried to accommodate them or been able to quickly resolve the
issue before their arrival. If you have an allergy, don't assume we
will know it - tell us up front. Cats - we never rent to cats - but,
some of our owners have cats in the homes during the off-season. If you
are allergic to bees, please let us know! We'll be diligent before your
arrival to check around the property and ensure no nests are evident.
Again - if you have allergies to anything - please tell us when you
book the property - we want you to have an allergy-free vacation.
Q: We will be working or doing business while on vacation and must have high speed internet access and good cell phone coverage. Can that be guaranteed?
A: Unfortunately no. Some guests must work while on vacation. 80% of our
rental properties offer High-Speed Internet access. Some of the
properties even offer wireless access. Internet service in the villages
and towns is generally pretty reliable. However, outside of town in the
more rural areas - it is not. If the Internet goes down, it can often
take days or weeks to get repaired, especially in the busy summer
season. If you MUST have internet access during your stay - let us
know. We will tell you if the property you are renting has better
service than most. We do not guarantee working internet access at any
of our properties and do not offer refunds if it is not working. There
are many public WiFi Hot Spots in Maine that can be used alternatively. In Maine, AT&T Wireless, Sprint Wireless, and Nextel Customers will find little to no cellular signal north of Brunswick on I-95. In other words, less than 15% of Maine has coverage for those Customers. Verizon Wireless Customers will find the best cellular coverage in Maine. If you need reliable cell phone coverage on vacation, Maine may not be the best state for your vacation. Fortunately, most of our vacation homes do have a regular land-line that you can use.
Q: What is expected of me in regards to cleaning of the property after my stay?
A: Your property should be cleaned to your satisfaction when you arrive.
We have 4 rating scales that we use to ask you about the cleanliness of
your property in a survey you can complete at the end of your stay.
"Immaculate" is the highest rating, and we hope that you find your
property that way when you arrive. In your lease, you will see that we
indicate the total number of hours it will take to clean your property
on average after your stay. This is included in your rental price.
However, should the cleaning of the property exceed the hours expected,
you will be charged $25 per hour from your credit card on file for any
extra time it took to clean the property.
95% of the time, we find that guests have left a property just as they
found it minus some basic cleaning when they checked-in, which is
expected. Our cleaners are most likely to disinfect, vacuum, dust, and
make beds when a guest departs a property in order to prepare it for
the next guest. Re-emphasizing our membership with the BBB (Better
Business Bureau), it is not our goal to generate income off of
cleaning, nor do we or the owner generate income from cleaning
charges. Cleaning is a challenging part of the seasonal vacation rental
business.
It is not expected that cleaners should need to clean up new carpet
stains, wash dishes, scrub clean barbecue grills, pick-up excess human
or pet hair, and replace furniture to its original location, etc. after
a guest departs. Our cleaners only have a 6 hour window in which to
clean multiple properties each turnover day (Saturday). The last thing
we want them to do is spend extra time at a property cleaning it
because it was left excessively dirty or displaced as it will set back
their schedule. We only ask that our guests will ensure they will do
their best to leave the property as they found it when they arrived.
We do not review properties with our guests at Check-In to confirm
condition of the property, but guests can let us know of any concerns
about a property when they Check-In.
In summary, we like you to think of the vacation house you are renting
from us as your "Aunt Sylvia's Maine Cottage" and treat it the same way
you treat a family members house if they let you go use it for a week.
Q: What time can we check in?
Check in actually occurs by phone after 4pm on the date of your
arrival. In order to allow sufficient time to prepare the property for
your use, we ask that you do not request early occupancy. You will receive 1 key to your property in the lock-box at the property. After you have settled in and unpacked the car, we ask that you look
around the property and make sure all is to your satisfaction. Then,
give us a call and check-in by phone from the property.
Parking vehicles in the driveway of the property before 4pm could delay
your check-in time by interfering with our cleaners and inspectors.
Q: What happens if we arrive later than 4pm?
A: That's the beauty with renting through us. We don't make you come to an office to pick up keys, you can arrive whenever you want after 4pm on the day of check in but,
only if your reservation is paid in full and the lease agreement is
signed.
Q: What do we need to bring with us to our vacation property?
A: All the food, condiments, and things you need to feel at home. We take
pride that a majority of our properties are fully stocked with all the
tools necessary to have a great vacation. We have "pump" soap in all
the bathrooms and in the kitchen for basic cleaning, so if you want
your favorite soap for washing, you'll need to bring that. Definitely
bring beach towels if you plan on swimming.
Q: What does the Owner provide as part of the rental?
A: Our owners have contractually agreed to provide the following for each rental:
2 rolls of toilet paper for each bathroom
1 roll of paper towels for each kitchen
2 full tanks of propane (for properties with gas grills) at the
beginning of the rental season (renters are responsible for refilling
the tanks throughout the season.)
Enough laundry soap to do a few loads of laundry (if the property has a washer)
1 new scrubby sponge for each kitchen sink
1 pump soap container at each sink filled with anti-bacterial hand soap
Basic cleaning supplies (which we hope you don't have to use)
1 set of clean bed linens (pillow case, top and bottom sheet, blanket
and bed cover) and towels ( bath and hand) for each bed in the house
(renters are responsible for beach towels). * Some of our Bayside
properties do not come with towels, linens, or basic cleaning
supplies. We will let you know at the time of booking if you will need
these items for your property. On the Water in Maine Inc. also offers
the option to rent your sheets and towels.
Some Misc. dry food goods such as spices, flour, salt, sugar, etc.
Additionally,
although they may offer more, all our owners have all contractually
agreed with us to have at a minimum, the following items in their
properties:
A Lobster Pot
An Outdoor Grill (some are gas, others are charcoal - ask if you are not sure which your property offers)
A Dining Room table and chairs to accommodate the maximum occupancy of guests at one setting.
Outdoor furniture to accommodate the maximum number of guests to eat outside.
Outdoor sitting chairs to accommodate the maximum number of guests
Games – at least two decks of cards and then at least one board game
Music player – Boom box or other radio device (not necessarily with a CD player)
A Coffee Maker
A Muffin pan
A Cookie Sheet
A Brownie Pan
An Electric Mixer
A Blender (for mixing drinks)
Ice Cube Trays (2)
Frying Pans (large & small)
Pots and Pans
Wine glasses for maximum guests
Outdoor plastic cups for maximum guests
Indoor glass cups for maximum guests
Dinner plates for maximum guests
Desert plates for maximum guests
Salad bowls for maximum guests
Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in all living spaces and in each bedroom (this is now a Maine Law as of Oct 2009 for all properties occupied under the terms of a rental agreement)
Fire extinguishers in appropriate locations
Grill utensils and a grill cleaning brush
Serving utensils and full eating sets for each person
Serving/Mixing/Colander bowls
A Flashlight
Two sets of sheets for each bed and pullout couch
Two sets of towels for max occupancy (bath, hand, washcloth, dish towels)
A vacuum cleaner
Household cleaners, a broom, and a dust pan
Salt & pepper, sugar, vanilla, spices
Trash bags for all trash receptacles
Iron & Iron Board
A Hair Dryer
A Heat source (furnace, monitor, wood stove)
Fans in every bedroom
Screens on all working windows
Q: Do you include boats with any of your property rentals?
A: We do not include boats such as canoes or kayaks with any of our
property rentals. Individual owners may have boats at their properties,
but insurance requirements prohibit them from sharing the boats with
you. Fortunately, Maine Watercraft Rentals Inc., our other business,
offers boats for rent and we can deliver them right to the property
before you arrive in most situations with life jackets, fuel, and all
you need to get out on the water. Click HERE to see our boat rentals.
Q: Are there any wild or poisonous animals in Maine that I should be concerned about at our rental property? What about bugs?
A: Maine is one of the few states with no poisonous snakes or other
dangerous animals. The most common wild animals of concern that you
will see on your vacation are raccoons and skunks. If you don’t keep
your trash stored in tight containers, they will come around in the
night and make a mess for you to clean-up. In Maine, you can go lay in
the remote woods for hours and the only souvenir you may leave with is
some mosquito and black fly bites. Black fly season traditionally runs
from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day (before the rental season). Village
and Oceanfront properties typically don’t have issues with bugs.
Lakefront properties can have mosquitoes, particularly earlier in the
season. We’ve never seen anyone carried away by bugs, so just be sure
to stop in at LL Bean on your way into the state and pick up a little
bug spray or lotion – over 1.3 million Mainer's live with em’ and so
can you.
Q: What about making a reservation for 2011 or in 2012?
A: Our annual contracts with our owners are not renewed until the end of
each year. We never know what properties we will have to list the
following year until then. As a result, we don't even start to set
pricing or availability for our properties until December of each year.
If you would like to be put on a waiting list for a certain property -
you can let us know and we will try and help you.
Q: How do we get more information on Maine?
A: If you are unable to find the information you need on our website,
please call us. We can arrange to have all the literature on making
your vacation in Maine complete sent to you free of charge.
Q: How do we get to Maine?
A: Click here for a special section of our website on this topic.
Q: Can we preview our rental property - we will be in the area checking out properties to rent for next season?
A: Probably not. In the real estate business or long-term rental business,
it makes absolute sense to view a home before buying it or signing a
long-term lease. In the vacation rental market - you simply need to
accept the pictures and information we provide you regarding the home
or cottage you are interested in renting. That's just how it works. The
most obvious reason for this is that the property you may be interested
in renting is most likely either occupied by other vacationers (who we
would never interrupt) or the owners. If the owner's are in possession
of their property, it is most likely that the property is not in
"rental-mode". The last thing we would ever want to share is a property
that is not 100% ready for a vacation renter such as yourself, which is
something we can guarantee you on the day you will take po session of
one of our rental homes or cottages. If you absolutely must have more
information than we share with you here on our website about the
property you are interested in renting - let us know. We've been known
to go video tape a property for a potential renter before if it made a
difference. Whatever we can do within reason to help you make your
decision, we will do. Please don't visit (or pull in the driveway) of
one of our rental properties without first checking in with our office.
Our contracts with our owners prevent you, our guests or potential
renters, from having contact with the property owners. All
communication regarding rental of a property listed on our website must
go through our office. Bottom line, 99.9% of our previous renters have
rented our properties through information provided on our website only
- and so can you. We recognize that if we fail to provide you with a
great property - our image will be tarnished. As a small business that
relies on building trust with it's customers, we cannot afford for that
to happen.
Q: What happens if you reduce the advertised price on the rental property AFTER we rent it?
A: Nothing. Fortunately this doesn't happen often. We know it can be upsetting if you rent a property at one
price then see it advertised at a lower price several months later. We
operate like any other travel related business
and from time to time need to reduce rates to fill vacancies. Once you
sign a rental agreement with us on a property - your
price is locked in. Like the
airlines or other resorts, if the advertised price on a rental property
drops AFTER you book it and sign a rental agreement - there is nothing
we can do to lower the price or credit you back the difference. We have
a short rental season in Maine - on average only 6 weeks - and we need
to be creative at times to ensure all our properties are rented each
week. You were guaranteed the week you booked at the time you booked
it. Other later rentals that may pay a lower price are not necessarily
getting that same guarantee that you did.
