Amazingly Brazen

[loria]

Hi Seagrape,
There was another thread that was referring to having a forumite meet-up at the villa's. Not overnight, just a gathering. I think it would be a fun idea...to get to see other villa's on the rental mkt. and to meet people that have posted here...

BUT.. I pointed out that on our contracts it says no one but the renters in the villa. It is pretty clear they don't mean just "Staying overnight"
Just wondering if you or anyone you know who rents villas, has an opinion as to if this is "OK" or not.. or how to go about arranging it without getting into trouble with the landlord/agency.

We don't really have any plans to do this ( I am a newbie..and dont really know any forumites yet.)...Just wondering about it. Any opinions would be great!

A few years ago my husband and I hosted a dinner for two other couples (forumites) at the villa we were renting. It never even crossed my mind that we should check with the rental agency or owner to see if it was allowed. Given that we were not having a massive party (just six of us) none of us thought anything of it. In fact, it turned out to be good marketing because one of the couples ended up loving the villa and rented it the following year.

we too have often had friends over for drinks and/or dinner when on the island-- never even crossed my mind that this was something that was not allowed. edited to add : I would NEVER have people stay over or rent a place under false pretenses-- that is over the top bad behavior.

[seagrape]

I am sure that most villa owners don't care about small parties happening at their villas. This, however, wasn't the case. The price difference at this villa was $300 night going from two to six. That's quite a chunk of change. The cost of electricity and all that extra water would maybe let these owners break even if they didn't catch the people. I wonder if I would even allow them to stay on after being caught! Hope that never happens to us...

[mbw1024]

Seagrape, as someone who has rented your villa I had to just pause and think if we had visitors while we were there.
We did not but, like Marcia, I would not think that having visitors for the day or dinner would be something we should be asking approval for. Never would have occurred to me.

Paying for 2 and bringing 6 is a MUCH different scenario, I understand, but I don't think the visitor thing would occur to me. But now I will know to use it as an excuse in case anyone asks me to visit

[northerngal]

Now I'm worried about saying anything negative about any place we stay....I would hate to end up on a black list just because the towels were crap or the beds were hard.....

[Pia]

Trust me saying towels were crap wouldn't put you on a "black list " you should hear some of the demands guests make even before they arrive and there are the ones that call at 2am when the light in the bathroom burns out !!!

Pia

[Xislandgirl]

Saying that they need to replace towels is very different from lying about the number of guests.

People are crazy sometimes. We had a couple years ago show up at the dock with a 6 month old baby. They had rented a one bedroom condo that did not allowed children at all. They signed a very specific contract. When they were told that there would be an additional charge, the claimed they had no money except for credit cards and cash for the return ferry and cab and then left the condo fithly with dirty diapers left in drawers and the linen closet.

[luv2travel]

I am sure that most villa owners don't care about small parties happening at their villas. This, however, wasn't the case. The price difference at this villa was $300 night going from two to six. That's quite a chunk of change. The cost of electricity and all that extra water would maybe let these owners break even if they didn't catch the people. I wonder if I would even allow them to stay on after being caught! Hope that never happens to us...

$300 extra per night for 4 people (7 nights = $2100) sounds like an awful lot of money. When in Rome last year, the difference to add 2 more people to the apartment I rented was $70 per night. I just don't know why the villa is so much more.

Lydia

[liamsaunt]

[$300 extra per night for 4 people (7 nights = $2100) sounds like an awful lot of money. When in Rome last year, the difference to add 2 more people to the apartment I rented was $70 per night. I just don't know why the villa is so much more.

Lydia

Seagrape stated that the villa in question was an upscale villa. I am also guessing that the couple was paying on-season rates. That price progression for a newer home with updated amenities seems pretty standard to me. As an example, one house that I am considering renting this summer starts out at $3600 for 2 bedrooms, and goes up to $6500 for four bedrooms. That's a $2,900/week difference in the off season, but using four bedrooms, whole-house ac in the summer, showers for six people etc. costs the villa owner a lot more than if it was just John and I using one bedroom and running ac in only part of the home. WAPA is really expensive!

There are so many homes and cottages available to rent in all price ranges. If that particular group had a more limited budget than what the posted rates for this property were, they should have chosen a different accommodation. If they could in fact afford the three-couple rate and just tried to get away with paying less because they felt that they could, then I don't have anything nice to say about that!

[Pia]

Electricity prices are 500% higher than in the States - I was told yesterday we are 2nd highest in the world (have not researched that yet though) If they used 2 extra bedrooms and were to leave the a/c on 24 hours per day, and given the unscrupulous nature of these people I would not put that past them, it would not be unreasonable for the villa to have a $1,000 per week electricity bill - I have know "upscale" villas to report electricity bills between $4,000 and $5,000 per month !!!! Add to that extra water (we have to purchase if they run out, housekeeper services upon check out etc, etc, the $300 per night extra for 2 couples for this particular villa is very reasonable - if it is the villa I think it is then it is a stunning villa.

Pia

[Lovermont]

Its called Theft of Services, and we can discuss the topic as much as we want, but what they did is illegal. It's really no different than walking into a store and stealing an item of the same value. I work at a ski area in the winter, and - unfortunately - I've often had to deal with people who poach the mountain without a ticket. The culprit usually gives me attitude about "well, I'm not costing anyone anything." But that's not the point... It's stealing. So, the owner shouldn't have to justify why it's more expensive for more people, although, clearly there are incremental expenses. I wish the renters would be prosecuted. Let's see, if it was a couple thousand dollars, that'd be a felony, right?
ps - I used to own an inn, and one morning I found someone asleep on a couch in our living area. He was an ex-pro-hockey player. I confronted him, and demanded that he pay for the night. Well, he only had $20 in his pocket, so I took it!

[Connie]

This is just so wrong on so many levels.

We rent on STT and at the last minute, my girlfriend wanted to bring her sons girlfriend for the week. The difference was $500.00 for the week. She didn't think it was necessary to tell the owner the amount of people had changed from 11 to 12.

We fought about this for awhile, but she bucked up and paid.

It is stealing period and if I was the owner, I'd prosecute. People just get away with way too much these day.

[luv2travel]

Electricity prices are 500% higher than in the States - I was told yesterday we are 2nd highest in the world (have not researched that yet though) If they used 2 extra bedrooms and were to leave the a/c on 24 hours per day, and given the unscrupulous nature of these people I would not put that past them, it would not be unreasonable for the villa to have a $1,000 per week electricity bill - I have know "upscale" villas to report electricity bills between $4,000 and $5,000 per month !!!! Add to that extra water (we have to purchase if they run out, housekeeper services upon check out etc, etc, the $300 per night extra for 2 couples for this particular villa is very reasonable - if it is the villa I think it is then it is a stunning villa.

Pia

YIKES ! !

Lydia

[GotToGetAway]

I would love to know how it turned out for the "renters"... Did they pay up or did they get tossed out?

[ski2play]

Yes, please come back and finish the story. I agree that it is theft of services and wrong on so many levels.

We are planning a dinner party (4 guests) when we are staying on island in April. As a courtesy, I will now be emailing the owners to let them know.

[Agent99]

Electricity prices are 500% higher than in the States - I was told yesterday we are 2nd highest in the world

Dear God! I was reading P600's blog and was blown away by her electric bills- even when mindful to conserve. I wonder if anyone is looking in to wind mills on the tops of some of those hills.