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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are you a manager?
Are you a guest?
OWNER / MANAGER FAQs
The following frequently asked questions pertain to vacation rental managers and owners. If you are a rental guest click here to skip to our frequently asked rental guest questions.
Vacation Rental Listings
How can I promote my properties on FlipKey?
FlipKey prides itself on offering a trusted environment for consumers to find great vacation rentals. To ensure our visitors have access to the best homes we only accept verified managers and owners on FlipKey.
Property Managers
If you are a property manager and can prove you offer onsite services, simply apply for the FlipKey Badge Program. It's free and once accepted we will feature your properties on FlipKey.
Click Here To Get Started
Owners
FlipKey will soon allow independent owners to promote their properties using FlipKey. To provide a trusted environment FlipKey is developing a verification process specific for individidual owners. If you are interested in joining FlipKey click here and enter your email address. You will be contacted once FlipKey begins accepting verified owners.
What is a FlipKey Front Desk™?
The FlipKey Front Desk is your virtual store front to represent the reputation of your service and the quality of your properties. FlipKey Front Desks allow users to easily understand the hospitality and guest services you provide and evaluate the breadth of homes you offer. Creating a Front Desk is easy and free.
Click here to learn more.
Can I automatically import my property listings from my website to FlipKey?
If you maintain a website that features over 20 properties FlipKey will import your property listings - at no charge. We will create your Front Desk and add all of your properties.
Alternatively you can manually create your Front Desk to ensure your vacation rental properties and management service are represented to your specifications.
To request your properties be automatically imported to FlipKey, email frontdesk@flipkey.com and a representative will contact you.
How do I create/change my vacation rental property listings?
To add or edit vacation rental property listings simply login to your account and select 'Manage Properties' in the main navigation tab.
To ADD A LISTING select 'Front Desk'. From this module you can edit your Front Desk and add more vacation rental property listings.
To EDIT A LISTING select 'Update Listings'.
How much does it cost to list a vacation rental property on FlipKey?
FlipKey is a free service.
If FlipKey is FREE how do you make money?
FlipKey sells advertising space to support the website. In the future FlipKey will also introduce direct online booking capabilities.
Reputation Management
What is 'reputation' and how will it help me increase vacation rental bookings?
Reputation represents the overall quality of your service and the vacation rental properties that you represent. FlipKey focuses on cultivating and managing reputation across the vacation rental industry to attract the best guests and to help them more efficiently and confidentially find and book their ideal vacation rental.
How does FlipKey Measure Reputation?
FlipKey Verified: If you are a professional property manager you can apply for the FlipKey Badge Program, which informs prospective guests that you provide onsite guest and hospitality services to ensure a seamless vacation experience. Although owner direct rentals are great, they cannot provide the same level of security and comfort afforded by profession property managers.
Did you know 53% of guests would prefer to book through a property manager even if it costs more?
Property Reviews: By collecting feedback from prior guests, FlipKey helps new guests verify properties are as advertised and feel more comfortable about their potential vacation rental by knowing that prior guests enjoyed their experience.
Did you know 78% of vacation renters indicate they are significantly more likely to book a property that provides feedback from prior guests?
Basics of Property Reviews
How can I encourage guests to leave positive feedback about my vacation rental properties?
The best way to cultivate positive feedback is to ask for it. FlipKey makes this easy by offering the Reputation Manager Tool. By logging into your account and selecting 'Manage Properties' you can access your Reputation Manager.
The Reputation Manager allows you to enter the emails of prior guests. FlipKey will then email these guests and ask them to verify your property was as advertised and share their positive experiences. With a few simple clicks your prior guests will leave their feedback, which will appear on your Front Desk.
It's that easy.
Don't worry about false reviews. FlipKey employs several processes to ensure reviews are honest. Should you want to dispute a bad/false review you can easily contact FlipKey and we will suspend the review and investigate.
Is there protection against false reviews?
FlipKey is vigilant about maintaining the honesty of the FlipKey community. FlipKey does not allow open reviews like other services. The only guests that can leave reviews at FlipKey are those who have been contacted by FlipKey via email.
When reviews are submitted they are applied against an authentication process ensuring self promotional reviews, reviews containing profanity and spammers are removed from the system.
Can I protest a review I feel is malicious or false?
Yes. Should any false or malicious reviews sneak through our system you have the power to dispute any review and have it immediately removed from the website pending further investigation by our staff.
FlipKey Badge Program
What is the FlipKey Badge Program?
The FlipKey Badge Program was created exclusively for professional property managers. FlipKey research indicates that the majority of vacation home guests feel more comfortable booking a vacation rental property through a property manager versus directly with the owner.
To help guests understand who is representing a vacation rental property, FlipKey places a certified 'Badge' next to each vacation rental listing that is professionally managed. As an added benefit, vacation rental listings with the FlipKey Badge are prioritized in our search results.
If you are accepted to the FlipKey Badge Program you will receive a badge icon that you can place on your own vacation rental management website. The badge icon is designed to reinforce your reputation as a trusted professional vacation property manager and help drive more rental prospects and guest bookings.
How do I apply to join the Badge Network?
The FlipKey Badge Program is only available to verified professional property managers. Click here to apply and a FlipKey representative will follow up with you shortly to get you started. It's easy and it's free.
Increasing Inquiries and Bookings
How are search results ordered at FlipKey versus other websites?
Most vacation rental listing websites prioritize listing based on how much you have paid for your individual vacation rental listing, if you have purchased a promotional spot and other monetary inputs, such as how many extra pictures you have purchased.
At FlipKey we feel this system only benefits the vacation rental listing service. The old "pay-for" system hides the most relevant vacation rental properties and simply inflates the cost of attracting guests. How useful would Google be if it only showed sponsored results?
At FlipKey results are prioritized by Reputation:
FlipKey Verified Status
Property Reviews
High Inquiry to Response Ratio
Updated Calendars
All inputs are free and designed to ensure guests find the best vacation rental property to match their needs.
Are there Tips and Tricks to attracting more guests through FlipKey?
To get the most out of your FlipKey listings we recommend the following practices:
Join the FlipKey Badge Program: If you are a professional property manager, join the FlipKey Badge Program.
Ask guests to review your properties: FlipKey considers the aggregated reviews of your properties, as well as the volume of reviews. The more reviews the more reputation.
Respond to all Guest Inquiries: Our members hate to send rental inquiries and then not receive any response from owners/managers. Even if you do not have availability or you don't want to rent to the guest, your reputation ranking will improve if you send a 'No Thank You' email response.
Update Your Calendar: The more confident we are that your calendar is up-to-date the more comfortable we are in increasing your reputation score.
Pictures, Pictures, Pictures: Vacationers love to see what they are renting. FlipKey lets you upload 20 pictures per vacation rental property. Each picture is free, so take advantage!
Optimize your Manager Profile: Vacationers want to know who they are renting from. If you are a direct owner, provide information in your Front Desk profile to help guests trust you. If you are a property manager make sure to emphasize your guest service guarantees and onsite hospitality and management services.
Guest Verification
How do I avoid bad guests?
Not all guests are created equal. Most guests are clean and respectful and others are a lighter shade of grey. At FlipKey we allow guests to create profiles so you can learn more about them. A component of their profile are reviews of the guest provided by past owners that have rented to them. FlipKey is a new service, so most guests have yet to cultivate feedback, but over time this will be a quick way to verify the trust of prospective guests.
If you are not satisfied with a prospective guest's FlipKey profile feel free to ask for proof of employment, references and a verified primary address.
FlipKey highly advises that you have all renters sign a rental agreement to protect your interests. FlipKey does not provide rental agreements, but you can find several free and paid templates on the internet.
How do I leave feedback on guests that have stay in my vacation rental property?
A trusted rental community requires trusted homes and trusted guests. FlipKey is the only service that allows owners/managers to rate the guests that have stayed at their vacation rental properties. To leave a review of a prior guest simply login to your account, select Manage Properties and then select "View Emails."
'View Emails' will provide a history of all inquires that you received through FlipKey. Find the guest you would like to review and click 'Review Guest'.
Positive Guest Reviews: By leaving a positive review of a prior guest you win their loyalty for future vacations and ensure they can easily rent at new locations they travel to. Leaving positive guest reviews is one of the easiest ways to collect positive reviews for your properties.
Negative Guest Reviews: By leaving a negative review of a guest you can warn future owners/managers to be cautious when renting to them. Please be respectful when leaving a negative review. FlipKey will remove any review that it deems inappropriate.
Can I review a guest that did not use FlipKey to inquire or book my property?
Currently you can only review guests that have sent you a rental inquiry through FlipKey. In the near future we will allow you to review all of your guests. Stay tuned!
Payment Services
Does FlipKey accept credit cards?
FlipKey does not offer payment services. If you would like to accept credit cards we suggest you create a PayPal account at www.paypal.com. By using PayPal guests can pay you directly using a credit card. PayPal then facilitates the payment.
PayPal is free to set-up and charges a processing fee (2%-2.5%) per transaction.
Do you have suggestions for accepting personal checks and avoiding possible fraud?
Many owners choose to accept personal checks. If you ask your guest to pay via personal check, be sure to ask for payment in advance and avoid the following.
Avoiding Potential Fraud:
Never accept a check or draft for more than the amount due for the rental. If you are offered more, insist on receiving only the amount due. If the guest is uncooperative simply stop communicating with them - they are likely up to no good.
Do not confirm payment until at least five days after you have cashed the check with your bank. If there is not enough money in the issuer's account, or if the banker's draft is a fake, your bank may not realize that there is a problem for a number of days. If the check does not clear, contact the guest. If they can not resolve the issue simply stop communicating with them.
If you have any suspicions, seek advice from your bank or simply tell the guest the unit is no longer available.
FlipKey does not provide formal security or insurance services. You rent at your own risk, so stay vigilant and don't be afraid to ask the guest for more information.
Can I use my existing online booking engine to accept payment?
If you have an existing online booking engine FlipKey can forward users to your checkout process. Please email frontdesk@flipkey.com and a representative will follow up with you to discuss your options.
Things to Consider When Renting Your Properties
Sales Tax
If you rent your vacation property more than 14 days in a calendar year you are required to report sales tax. Sales tax differs by state, so if you qualify start by contacting your city, county and state governments about requirements specific to your location. Ask about registering your vacation rental property. Which governmental entities require registration for your area? Ask how much sales tax you should collect and how often these payments are due to the authorities. Generally, these taxes range from 5% to 15% tax on the total rent charges.
For more information visit the following websites:
IRS.gov: Click here
HotSpot Sales Tax Services: Click here
Rental Agreements
FlipKey highly encourages you to have guests sign a rental agreement. Require a signed copy before you accept any payment. FlipKey does not offer rental agreement templates, but you can find free and paid resources on the internet.
Rental agreements should detail the exact timeframe of a guest stay, all charges, deposit policy, occupancy limits, damage recovery policy and check-in and check-out procedures. We recommend you use existing rental templates versus authoring your own.
Cleaning, Linens and Maintenance Guarantees
The main concern of most guests is knowing the unit will be clean, understanding if linens will be provided and what happens if something breaks or there is a maintenance issue at the vacation rental property during their stay. We encourage you to explain your service and guarantees on your Front Desk to ease these standard concerns.
Contacting FlipKey
If you would like to speak with a FlipKey representative please email us at helpdesk@flipkey.com and a real person will answer any and all questions.
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RENTAL GUEST FAQs
The following frequently asked questions pertain to users seeking a vacation home rental accommodation. If you are a manager/owner click here to view our frequently asked owner/manager questions.
Finding Vacation Home Rentals with FlipKey
What are the advantages of using FlipKey versus other vacation rental websites?
Most vacation rental listing websites prioritize listing based on how much the owner has paid for their vacation property listing. At FlipKey we feel this system only benefits the listing service and not the vacationer.
When you are looking for the ideal vacation rental home, you want to feel confident in booking your vacation accommodation. FlipKey was designed to present vacation rental homes based on reputation. FlipKey focuses on helping you understand not only the amenities and appearance of a vacation rental property, but who it's managed by and the experiences of prior guests who stayed there.
Vacationers using FlipKey know they are being presented "the best vacation rental home" not the vacation rental homes that paid the most. 'Trusted rentals and trusted guests' is our motto.
How do I contact owners to inquire about availability or to ask questions?
Each vacation rental home on FlipKey features a 'Phone' and 'Email Owner' button at the top of the detailed vaction rental listing page. If you have questions or would like to book the vacation rental property we encourage you to email or call the owner/manager.
Most people choose to email the owner/manager. If you select this option you will be taken to our Inquiry Form. Fill out the details of our inquiry and click 'Send'. FlipKey will pass on the email to the owner/manager and the owner/manager will respond directly to you. Responses typically take 24-48 hours.
The owner has not responded to my email inquires, what should I do?
Many owner/manager are overwhelmed with rental inquiries. To maximize responses we encourage you to fill out your FlipKey Member Profile. We attach your profile to your rental inquiries. Owners/Managers are more likely to respond to people they know more information about.
If you still haven't heard back from the owner/manager you should call them or move on to your next vacation rental property option. FlipKey does not have direct contact with owners/managers, so it's their loss if they cannot respond to your inquiry in an acceptable timeframe.
Does FlipKey insure my rental experience?
No. FlipKey is not responsible for your vacation rental experience in any capacity. FlipKey helps vacationers search vacation rentals, but we are not responsible for any of the vacation rental properties, owners or managers featured on our service.
If you would like to insure your vacation there are several insurance companies that offer travel insurance.
Here are some options:
http://www.insuremytrip.com
http://www.travelex-insurance.com
What should I do if I can't find any homes in the location I'm interested in visiting?
FlipKey is continually expanding to new geographic territories. If we do not feature any vacation rental properties in your desired location, our internal system will flag the area and we will begin looking for quality vacation rentals to accommodate your search the next time you visit FlipKey. Please check back or contact us with specific locations you are interested in.
Searching Homes by Reputation
What does it mean if a home is 'FlipKey Verified'?
If a vacation rental property features a FlipKey Verified icon it means the property is managed by a professional property manager. Professional property managers provide onsite guest and hospitality services to ensure seamless key exchange, maintenance and emergency services.
How do I confirm my vacation rental reservation?
Every owner/manager has a different process for confirming reservations. A typical procedure:
Inquire regarding availability
If available, tell the owner/manager you would like to book it
Ask for a rental agreement and payment procedures
Sign a rental agreement prior to sending funds
Many vaction rental owners/managers do not take credit cards. If you are required to make payment by check make sure the owner/property manager is legitimate. Verified property managers will have a public website to represent their credibility. Direct owners will not have a website, so ask for additional information to verify their identity.
Most vacation home owners/managers are very honest; however, there are instances of fraud. Use your best judgment before sending payment to an individual and never send a money order.
How do I book a property using FlipKey?
FlipKey is not a booking agent. Use FlipKey to find the ideal vacation rental home and then contact the owner/manager to arrange for payment and check-in procedures.
Can I make a reservation online using a credit card?
FlipKey does not offer an online booking service, but many vacation rental property owners/managers will accept credit cards. Contact the owner/manager and ask them for payment instructions.
What are the general deposit policies of rental units?
Most vacation rental properties will require a damage deposit. Deposit requests will vary based on the value of the home, but they are usually $300-1,000. Ask the owner/manager for a specific explanation of how deposits are refunded.
How are cancellations and refunds handled?
Cancellations and refunds should be covered in the Rental Agreement. Request to see the Rental Agreement before sending payment.
Avoiding Fraud and Feeling Comfortable with Your Reservation
How can I protect myself from fraudulent rental properties or owners?
Most vacation rental home owners/managers are very honest; however, there are instances of fraud. Use your best judgment before sending payment to an individual.
Verified property managers will have a public website to represent their credibility. If a property features the FlipKey Verified Badge you can feel confident that it's an established business.
Many properties are rented directly by the owner. Although most owners are very honest, direct owner rentals are more susceptible to fraud because it is more difficult to verify them. Before sending payment to an individual speak with them on the phone and verify their employment, identity and non-email contact information.
As a rule, never send a money order.
Are there any Tips & tricks to verify who I am renting from and what the home is like?
FlipKey strives to provide as much information about owners/managers as possible, but you can never be too safe. Here are some tricks to feel comfortable before sending payment to an owner/manager.
A FlipKey Verified Badge indicates FlipKey has verified the vacation rental home is represented by a professional property manager.
Collect as much contact information from the owner/manager as possible.
Never send a money order
Pay only via a check, credit card or PayPal
Require a rental agreement prior to sending payment
Do not send funds until you are comfortable
How Vacation Rentals Work
What is the process of getting into my vacation rental property?
Every property is different. Many people will meet you at the vacation rental property when you arrive. Others will direct you to a hide-a-key and some will mail you a key prior to your departure. Ask the owner/manager how to specifically access the keys to your unit BEFORE you arrive.
What kinds of communication should I receive prior to my arrival?
Confirm the following via email or phone with the owner/manager at least a week before your vaction rental stay begins.
Key Exchange
Directions to Rental Home
Linens (do they provide them)
Deposit Policy
Emergency Contact
Check-In and Check-Out Procedures
Should I expect linens? Parking? Etc?
Some vacation rental properties do not provide linens. We recommend you confirm all details pertaining to linens, parking and other issues prior to booking your vacation rental home.
What happens if there are problems with the rental property?
Typically, vacation rental properties represented by professional property managers will provide you a phone number in case of an issue with your vacation home. If you are renting directly from the owner make sure you have their contact information. In addition, ask owners if they have someone within 20 miles to address any potential maintenance issues. Reputable owners will have a system for resolving issues.
How do I checkout at the conclusion of my stay?
Most managers/owners will ask that you leave the vacation rental property as you found it. It's common courtesy to clean the kitchen, sweep the floors and leave the vacation home in an orderly state. Often managers/owners will leave instructions on where to place dirty linens and when check-out time is.
Joining the FlipKey Community
What are the benefits of creating a FlipKey member account?
By creating a FlipKey account you have access to all of our member benefits - at no charge:
Create a personal profile to help managers/owners learn more about you. Managers/owners are more likely to rent to guests with member accounts.
Leave reviews of your favorite vacation rental properties to help other people in the FlipKey community learn more and enjoy your favorite vacation spots.
Save your favorite vacation rental properties for existing and future vacation arrangements
Keep a history of your initial communication with vacation rental properties for your records
Access to special promotions and member communications
How do I add my profile from existing social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc) to my FlipKey member profile?
Simply visit your public profile on your preferred social networks and copy and paste the weblink (e.g. http://tj.yelp.com). It's that easy.
Members use this feature to reinforce their identity to help managers/owners feel more comfortable renting their vacation homes to them.
Who can see my FlipKey Profile?
Your FlipKey profile is made available to owners/managers you contact through FlipKey. Your profile is automatically attached when your inquiry passes through the FlipKey system.
In addition, if you leave a review of a vacation rental property we allow other FlipKey users to see who provided the review. This helps us ensure honest feedback from our members and accurate reviews on our service.
FlipKey does not allow visitors to browse user profiles.
How can I leave feedback at a vacation rental property that I have stayed at?
To maintain honest feedback, FlipKey does not allow open reviews. There are two ways to leave feedback.
1) Login to your FlipKey account and click on MyFlipKey. Within MyFlipKey select "Emails Sent". This will present a list of all the vacation rental properties you have contacted through FlipKey. Select "Review Home" and begin your vacation rental property review.
2) FlipKey allows managers/owners to email you 'Review Requests'. If you receive an email requesting a review you can simply click on the review button and begin your vacation rental property review.
If you would like to leave a review for a vacation rental property and have not received a Review Request, contact the manager/owner and ask them to send you an invitation through the FlipKey Reputation Manager tool.
How do guest ratings work on FlipKey?
To maintain the most trusted rental community, FlipKey encourages managers/owners to review guests that have stayed in their vacation rental homes.
People love renting to honest guest that are respectful of their vacation rental homes. By allowing managers/owners to rate guests we help you create a reputation within the community, so the best vacation rental homes will prefer renting to you in the future.
Can I protest a review someone has left of me that I feel is false or malicious?
Yes. Should any false or malicious reviews sneak through our system you have the power to dispute any review and have it immediately removed from the site pending further investigation by our staff.
Contacting FlipKey
If you would like to speak with a FlipKey representative please email us at helpdesk@flipkey.com and a real person will answer any and all questions.
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November 1, 2007
©2007 FlipKey, Inc. All rights reserved.
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