Holiday Damage Deposits

Aren't you insured for damages/contents ?

I've often been asked for a damage deposit and don’t mind at all, I think £75 was about the usual amount for a weeks stay.

I'd be happy to pay.
As tanith says £75 per week seems reasonable. However, with the damage you describe that wouldn't go far.
I know the deposit is refundable but still has to be found at the time if paying. Adding approx. £100 to the bill maybe prohibitive for some.
Catch 22 in my eyes.

we stayed in self catering a couple of times when our son was wee.the last time the owner refused to give us our deposit back because we had taken a throw off the settee and it would need cleaned and ironed. ?????We had cleaned the flat from end to end stripped the beds and folded the bedding for washing and even left her a bottle of wine and a thank you card.I've never stayed in self catering since ,she held back the full weeks payment we had left as a deposit and refused point blank to even speak to us .One little note telling us that was the reason...all I can say is washing and ironing is a lot more expensive in Cornwall ,it certainly wouldn't cost a few hundred pounds here .This was the flat that said it had a sea view..which it did IF you stood on a chair in the attic bedroom !!

I think it depends on what type of property it is and how much you’re charging. If it’s at the premium end I wouldn’t expect to pay a deposit. You could try things like putting instructions for dealing with the fire, a warning about moving the bath feet and saying that smoking indoors sets off the smoke detectors in the guest handbook and make it a condition in your contract that the full price of damages will be invoiced. We are rarely asked for a deposit these days.

It's reasonable to ask for a deposit. We stay in lots of holiday apartments/cottages and I can't think of one that didn't ask for a deposit. It's usually between £100 and £250. We've always had it back at the end. We have no objection at all.Jude some of the things that have been done to your property are outrageous.

Yes I agree with ninathenana it's a catch 22 situation. Even if you have insurance the premiums will go up every time you make a claim.
I'm not sure what the answer is, maybe less expensive soft furnishings so they are more easily replaceable. That doesn't help with the other issues but sometimes you just have to go with it and look at the overall picture. If you are still making a reasonable profit then that's what happens when you rent out a property, if not then increase the overall rental. People don't like to pay additional charges in my experience.

I am actually put off by agencies asking for a deposit usually well over £100, when we are paying a great deal for a holiday property. We always treat properties with respect, and think you have been unlucky with the damage you have had. If we break a glass etc. we always replace, but I think some element of wear and tear is to be expected when people use your property. I would have thought tax relief for wear and tear, plus insurance, or a built in premium on rental, covers for such eventualities? Perhaps I am wrong?

We book self catering cottages a few times a year, often sharing with friends, and usually book nicer cottages which are obviously more expensive.

If we book via a cottage company there always seems to be a damage deposit, which more recently has been around £200. When you have paid perhaps in excess of £1,000 for a week's rental it is annoying to also be asked for a deposit.

I also object when this deposit is payable with the final rental payment, 8 weeks before you go. Usually returned 2 weeks after you leave. There have been times in the past when we would have really struggled to find an extra £200.
I must say we have always had the full deposit back, but have often had to chase it. I would fully expect to be charged if we damaged or broke anything more significant than a glass or plate.

We are always very careful to look after the property and its contents and leave it as we found it, but I appreciate this is not always the case.

Thank you all for your input. 'Cheesey' I agree with you that asking for a damage deposit 8 weeks in advance is OTT and a slow return of the deposit would also be unacceptable in my opinion. However, on behalf of owners of the properties that you pay over £1000 a week for, I would like to point out that these properties are obviously of a very nice standard, in order to give you a 'home from home' experience, and therefore if items in the property aren't treated with the appropriate respect and are damaged they are likely to cost a lot to replace or repair, which is why owners ask for damage deposits.

To 'Paddyann', you were obviously VERY unlucky with the owner of the property where you experienced an extremely raw deal, and I would certainly not even consider charging for the situation you have described.

Mamissimo - If you provide a high end property then that's exactly the reason why you need to take a damage deposit. For example if your property is at the lower end of the market, then replacement costs of cheap sheets, duvets etc, are bearable, but if you are paying out for top quality bedding and furnishings in order to give a memorable and luxurious holiday experience, and then it's treated with a total lack of respect, frequent paying out for replacements soon adds up.

'Lazygirl', owners are not able to claim tax relief for wear and tear anymore.

I would also like to explain that property owners expect 'wear and tear', and most wouldn't dream of charging for a broken glass or whatever, but damage caused by a sheer lack of respect is not only disappointing, but sometime can have a severe knock on effect, for example, imagine if you have someone who causes a flood through sheer lack of respect and carelessness, not only does it cost money, but also in some cases you only have 5 hours in which to get the damage sorted out for the next guests, and if it can't be sorted out in that time, then the owners bear the responsibility for paying out not only for the repairs and damage, but also for new accommodation for the incoming guests. So really our reasons for considering a damage deposit, are not so much to cover financial loss, as we do hold insurance for major problems, but more to encourage respect of the property and it's contents.

Hi NudeJude.
We also have a holiday cottage. We have it with 2 agencies - one asks for a damage deposit and one (Airbnb) does not. The rental prices are the same on both sites. We get a lot more bookings through Airbnb, so I kind of assume that the damage deposit does put people off (though it could also be that more people look at Airbnb of course).
We have never had to claim on a damage deposit. Once a dog damaged a chair cover, but we just replaced it outselves. Once a guest put a disposable bbq on an outside wooden table, but they were so apologetic and repaired the damage themselves.
Having the security deposit does give me a bit of peace of mind I suppose.

DSiL has serviced accommodation businesses. He's been horrified at times by the serious damage caused especially by groups staying. He's had painstakingly refurbished apartments trashed completely. It's been heartbreaking at times. Eg beautiful chandeliers taken to bits and thrown through windows. Nothing trivial!
Obviously GNers are careful considerate people but not everyone is and it's those ****s who give rise to the need to make damage deposits necessary.

Thanks for putting me right on that score NudeJude. The agency I often book with does not ask for damage deposits, but they also do not allow group bookings. I guess groups may be more of a risk.

We stay in numerous high quality holiday places and a deposit does put me off. We have paid once, and it took ages to get it refunded as they forgot. To put it in perspective, National Trust, who have a reasonable standard, do not charge. I think, to be honest, that the cost of these replacements needs to come out of the profit as it is inevitable. However I would certainly invoice for any cigarette burns in a non smoking property.

Invoicing after the event wouldn't help. Too easy to ignore.
My Sister had some holiday cottages. No dogs. Yet some people obviously brought dogs and allowed them to foul round the house! Some extremely rotten apples out there can spoil it for all the other clean considerate tenants.

Once again, thanks to those who have responded.

Unfortunately 'Telly', it seems that 'Jane10' is absolutely right, we turned to our marketing company for assistance with regard to the cigarette burns, they advised the guests that they were held responsible for the damage, and we supplied receipts for replacement items, but even with the company telephoning them EVERY day, and promises to pay later in the month, the cash never did materialise, so it seems that to try to recoup losses after the event just doesn't work.

'Jane10' is also correct in saying that a few rotten apples really do spoil it for the decent respectful people out there, it's just disappointing that we seem to be getting more and more of the rotten apples, which will necessitate either our putting our prices up to try and out price these people or having to impose a damage deposit. So sad, but it seems a fact of life these days.

We've stayed in properties and had to pay a damage deposit. On all but one occasion we got it returned without having to fight for it. I'll add, that we look after any properties we are in, replace anything if we break it (glassware- once) and leave it as clean or cleaner than it was on arrival. (That can vary from spotless to grubby on rare occasions when we arrive).
The occasion we had to chase the owner for our deposit was after a warning from the farmer whose land his property was on. He told us this individual had a habit of disappearing and not paying up, even though the individual concerned had told us he would return our deposit on our last day if he was happy with the condition of the house. Forewarned, we collared him, showed him the cottage and asked for our deposit, which he reluctantly paid up.
But, back to your question. No I don't think it's wrong to ask for a deposit, as unfortunately there are some people who just don't give a d..n about other people's things. They might think twice if they might lose their deposit. We tend to be asked nowadays for a separate cheque which they hold and return to us if they are happy, which they always have been. Another owner, who lived on site, took a cash payment and returned this to us on our last day.

We stay in high end properties and always pay a damage droisit.

Sorry deposit and posted too soon. It can’t put people off as these properties are fully booked usually by Easter. I never expect to be charged for odd breakages eg glasses however.

It seems to be more and more common to be asked for a damage deposit. I've never been put off booking somewhere by this, and I've never had any problem with it being repaid - usually within the week.

I also think that compared with years ago many self catering properties are of a much higher standard

Why would anyone want to move a bath?

'Badenkate' I was interested to hear that you're finding it more common to be asked for a damage deposit these days, perhaps a sign that more owners are experiencing these sort of problems?

'Oldgaijin' we have no idea why anyone would want to move the bath. The second time it happened, as the people were at least upfront enough to let us know that they'd caused a flood as soon as it occurred, we had hoped that they'd be straight with us and tell us exactly how it had happened, in the hope that we could prevent people doing it again, but when my husband asked if they'd mind giving us precise details of what had caused it, ie, who was in the bath at the time, who sat at which end, whether they got in one at a time or both jumped in together etc., the guy suddenly got very defensive and said that it had only been him having a bath, and he didn't know what had caused it!!! Bearing in mind that only that morning we'd told them about the previous event, we would have hoped that they'd have entered the bath with a certain amount of care, but perhaps for some stupid reason they decided to try and recreate the situation. However, when he rang me to let me know what had happened, he clearly said that THEY were getting in the bath, so it's obvious that it wasn't just him, and the fact that there was also a broken wine glass on the floor, which they very kindly allowed my husband to lay on when he went to investigate, makes me inclined to think that a certain amount of booze had a role in the situation.

It's such a shame that a few bad apples have to spoil it for everyone isn't it?

Good grief NJ. Perhaps remove the bath completely if they are having rumpy pumpy in it - less damage in a shower?