Owner Frequently Asked Questions

Each guest during their booking process is charged for an end-of-stay cleaning fee. We arrive at the pre-determined amount with our cleaners based on the size/time a standard cleaning should take for your home including outdoor areas, laundry, appliance wipe-down, organization, and any re-staging. We then pay our cleaners the amount stipulated. In instances in which our cleaners must charge more (excessive dirtiness, abnormal cleaning, etc.) we will work with the guests to recoup those extra costs or reach into the security deposit when applicable. Any cost of cleaning between guests or when an owner vacates the property will be charged to the owner.

Monarch Luxury Villas requires we use our professional cleaners prior to a guest check-in. This guarantees that the cleaning will be done to the standard that a luxury vacation rental requires. Thus, we require our professional cleaners to handle all end-of-stay and owner-exit cleanings. However, it may be possible to add your housekeeper to our vendor list if their cleaning qualifies under our standards.

Monarch Luxury Villas provides the following replenishable items for each check-in: Luxury Hotel Quality white linens for each bed including pillowcases, fitted and flat sheet, and duvet cover. Our standard linens are manufactured by COMPHY and we also offer Hotel Collection. 2 sets of Hotel Quality Luxury towels per person (including bath, hand and face towels) 1 pool/beach towel per guest 2 rolls of paper towels per kitchen 3 rolls of toilet paper per bathroom 1 small dish soap per kitchen 1 new sponge per kitchen sink 4 dishtowels 1 hand soap per sink (kitchen and bath) Laundry Pods – one per day of reservation length Dishwasher Pod (1 per day of reservation length) Garbage Bags (1 per day of reservation length) Hospitality amenities (1.5 oz) per guest of Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash, Lotion and small bar soap. Kitchen Condiments – salt/pepper, ketchup, mustard, mayo, relish, olive oil, vinegar, ziplock baggies, tin foil, trash bags, coffee & filters

• 1 White duvet insert for each bed

• Clean down alternative pillows (replaced annually) and pillow protectors – 2 for each twin bed and 4 for each King, Queen or Full-size bed

• 1 Clean mattress pad/protector for each bed

• 1 hairdryer in each bathroom

• 1 ironing board and 1 iron

• Drip coffee maker with filters (preferred), and/or Keurig machine with pods

• Blender / Electric Mixer

• Dishes (dinner plate, salad plate, soup bowl) – twice the number of maximum occupancy

• Glassware (coffee mugs, tall and short glasses, plastic tumblers, wine glass – twice the number of maximum occupancy

• Flatware (dinner fork, salad fork, teaspoon, tablespoon, knife) – twice the number of maximum occupancy

• Steak knives – 1 per number of maximum occupancy

• 2 Cutting boards • Chef knives

• Can Opener

• Microwave

• Toaster/Toaster Oven

• Tea Kettle • Kitchen wastebasket • Paper Towel Holder • Potholders / Oven Mitts • Corkscrew / Bottle Opener • Measuring Spoons / Cups • Peeler • Cookware (pots and pans) • Mixing bowl set • Large salad bowl with serving utensils • Serving platters and Bowls • Cookie Sheet and Muffin Tins • • Casserole Dishes • Colander / Strainer • BBQ tools (if applicable) • Tupperware or other food storage containers • 1 Toilet brush per bathroom • 1 Plunger • Fire extinguisher • Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors • First aid kit • Extra light bulbs • 2 sets of keys minimum for guests

• Closets and drawers must be empty of personal items • Hangers must match in each closet or hanging space • Wireless internet available • Air conditioning available in bedrooms • Heat available throughout the home • Ceiling fans are functional and quiet • Furniture in good condition and tasteful décor • Walls, floors, floor coverings, fixtures, décor, furnishings and appliances free of damage and stains • No clutter and personal items such as family photos • All lighting functional with spare light bulbs provided • Home is well ventilated with no musty smells • No pest or rodent issues in home and no pest traps visible during guest stay • Fireplaces are neat and clean • Cold and Hot water consistently available • No severe staining on any surface (between tiles, on shower curtains, along bathtub line, on walls) • All pots and pans in adequate amounts, clean and in good condition • All lawns, gardens, patios, etc. well maintained (swept and neatly landscaped) • Any pools, hot tubs, fountains, barbecues, heat lamps are clean and fully functional including heaters and pumps. • Adequate patio furniture in good condition and clean • Enough seating for maximum guest count

Monarch Luxury Villas offers a scale between 20% and 30% commission structure. Our 30% commission structure is completely full-service management to our property owners who can comfortably sit back and collect their booking disbursements each month without any of the headache of management themselves and no additional fees being billed to them for house replenishments, linen provisions, check-in and checkouts, and any time for maintenance calls or surcharges on fronted expenses. With our 20% structure, certain fees such as online subscription renewals, photography expenses, provisioning and time are charged to the owner and there is a 15% surcharge on maintenance parts or service paid by management on the owner’s behalf.

Owner Statements and Disbursements occur on the 10th business day of each month. Same day deposits are not possible as our accountants audit our bookkeeping before authorizing payments. Likewise, if the 10th day falls on a weekend or holiday, funding will delay to the next Monday business day. We cannot start payment processing until all charges and expenses are accounted for as they are deducted from owner distributions. Our terms and conditions allow up to the 15th day of the month for direct deposit to process.

Depending on the management commission fee option that you choose, there may not be any mark up of services. In the case of 30% commission structures, Monarch Luxury Villas only charges its fee onto the nightly rate. We will not upcharge on maintenance work (parts or labor) nor will we charge on laundering or the household supplies including restocking for the home (these costs are passed directly to our clients without markup). We also will not charge for our time for check-ins or any guests requests outside of concierge services that require time away from the office. If we are required to go to the home for something unrelated to a vacation rental guest, Monarch Luxury Villas does have a set hourly fee. This is most commonly instituted in the case of structural, plumbing, electrical, gas, or other high-level repairs which require someone to be at the property to meet with and oversee the appropriate vendor and their work. If you select a lower commission structure, the upcharge range is 15 to 20% with respect to out-of-pocket payments to vendors and excludes our hourly rate.

Cancellations tremendously impact the guest who has taken great pains to find the right home for their vacation, having relied on our level of service and is likely locked into and paid for their air travel and rental cars. In addition, most of our guests who book with us do so with family in mind. Many individuals may be impacted by the cancellation of a confirmed booking. In such a case, we will attempt to relocate the guest in a like-for-like property and impose on the homeowner a $2,500 cancellation fee to cover the extra time involved in relocating the guest. In addition, the owner may jeopardize their relationship with Monarch Luxury Villas and could possibly lose our management services. However, there are circumstances where the cancellation fee is not imposed. For example, if the reason for the cancellation is: Unexpected death or serious illness of a host, guest or immediate family member Serious injury that directly restricts a guest’s ability to travel or a host’s ability to host Significant natural disasters or severe weather incidents impacting the location of destination or location of departure Urgent travel restrictions or severe security advisories issued after the time of booking, by an appropriate national or international authority (such as a government office or department) Endemic disease declared by a credible national or international authority (such as the US Center for Disease Control or the World Health Organization) Severe property damage or unforeseen maintenance issues that directly impact the ability to host safely Government-mandated obligations issued after the time of booking (ex: jury duty) These exceptions are reviewed independently, require sufficient documentary evidence and may ultimately be decided by not only by Monarch Luxury Villas staff but also by the channel partner in which provided the lead (Airbnb.com, VRBO.com, Flipkey.com, Booking.com, etc.).

Yes! We have a recommended set of rules and will discuss with you anything specific to your property. We advertise those rules on the listing site, include them in the rental agreement and in the house Welcome Manual which is required for each property (with step by step instructions for all aspects of your home). In addition, we carefully screen the guests pre-booking and we will without question evict guests who do not adhere to the rules. We generally recommend a minimum age requirement of 30-35 years of age, with an exception if it is a younger single family with children. Some of our owners feel their home is not safe for children and refuse guests with children under 10 years of age. We encourage owners to prohibit gatherings or events at the property, consisting of more than the maximum number of overnight guests the house accommodates and impose a “good neighbor” clause to ensure there is no outdoor noise after 10:00 pm.

For some listing sites, such as Airbnb, the transit occupancy tax is charged to the guest and paid directly to the City (San Diego) by Airbnb. Other websites, such as Homeaway.com or VRBO.com allow the manager/owner to charge the TOT to the guest and then collect that amount. However, not only is it the responsibility of the owner to then pay the TOT to the city, a different calculation method may be required to arrive at the proper tax as some fees and income items may also be taxable (such as cleaning fees, pet fees, and other mandatory fees imposed). We offer this monthly service to our owners at no added cost.

You can optimize your listing nightly using our integration of Beyond Pricing software to adjust for price based on season, inquiry activity, comparable home prices, and calendars. Dynamic pricing updates your listing with rates that take into account day of the week, length of stay, time from booking to stay, special events, holidays, comparable homes (their prices and occupancy), nearby hotels (their prices and occupancy) and approximately 100 other data points. Daily optimization adjusts the rate every single day. A price may move down as an open date gets closer and remains unbooked. The software will start to lower the price (never going below the minimum) in order to appear more attractive for potential travelers. You can set the Minimum Rate so that the software will never allow the rate to fall below this amount. You can also set a Base Rate from which the software will use to fluctuate depending on peak seasons, special events, holidays, and any surge in inquiry & booking activity for your home, nearby homes, hotels and other properties we manage. You can optimize your listing nightly using our integration of Beyond Pricing software to adjust for price based on season, inquiry activity, comparable home prices, and calendars. Dynamic pricing updates your listing with rates that take into account day of the week, length of stay, time from booking to stay, special events, holidays, comparable homes (their prices and occupancy), nearby hotels (their prices and occupancy) and approximately 100 other data points. Daily optimization adjusts the rate every single day. A price may move down as an open date gets closer and remains unbooked. The software will start to lower the price (never going below the minimum) in order to appear more attractive for potential travelers. You can set the Minimum Rate so that the software will never allow the rate to fall below this amount. You can also set a Base Rate from which the software will use to fluctuate depending on peak seasons, special events, holidays, and any surge in inquiry & booking activity for your home, nearby homes, hotels and other properties we manage.

Our guest-exit walkthrough involves a Monarch Luxury Villas team member going to the property following the guest’s departure and either before, during, or after cleaning, inspects for obvious signs of damage and especially for any signs of smoking. Monarch Luxury Villas has a strict “no smoking” policy and as such any guest who violates this rule will forfeit their security deposit and may even suffer additional charges to their credit card for smoke remediation services. Guests will on occasion rearrange items in the house for no apparent reason and as such, we do our best to relocate everything to its original position.

Although vacation rentals are highly profitable to an owner, it can be difficult to get our head around having strangers in our home – especially when their habits and cultures may be different than ours. On one hand, the attention and maintenance upkeep to your property is much higher than a long term rental because we are monitoring and tending to it on a weekly basis. On the other hand, with strangers becoming guests and foot traffic becoming wear and tear, be prepared for use and abuse of your furnishings, accessories and common areas (walls, walkways). You will see things go missing (towels, linens, kitchen supplies) for no other reason than guests take these things to the beach and forget they are in the car when they return home. You should be prepared that marks will appear in places in the home that seems irrational and confusing. You may have a “no shoes in the house” rule and the reality is, there is no way to enforce or expect that as a condition of rental. There is no way to protect against all of these things and the many things that cannot be planned for. Short of intentional destruction of property, theft or similar, consider everything else a part of the cost of business – especially when you are realizing profits in the tens and hundreds of thousands or more.

Deciding to hire a property management company is an important personal decision for any homeowner interested in renting out a property. Here are a few signs that indicate you could benefit from hiring a property manager:

• Keeping up with the maintenance of your property has become overwhelming.
• You wish to spend less time communicating with renters.
• You are not currently located in the area of your property.
• You prefer to spend less time with errands, daily tasks, and hands-on aspects.

If any of these ring true for you, we can help. If you have further questions, we would be more than happy to speak with you over the phone to discuss what a property management relationship would look like. 

Yes. Each guest is thoroughly screened to ensure responsibility before finalizing a booking. We verify who is staying on the property and the reason for their visit to feel comfortable that they will be a suitable tenant. This is done to protect your property and ensure that the rental process goes smoothly.

While these two entities often take on many of the same responsibilities, they are not the same. Landlords own the property that they manage while property managers are third party services hired by the property owner. 

Property managers take on responsibilities associated with renting properties so that the property owners are able to be more hands-off. They wear a lot of hats. From organizing maintenance and repairs to providing personalized concierge services and unique experiences to all tenants, the list of responsibilities and services is quite lengthy. If you would like to talk with someone about the specific services we can offer you, please contact us.