LISTING PLAN
Owning a villa on any island is bittersweet. It is wonderful to have, but many of us weren't ready for another career as a rental agent. I have been renting my own villas for 10 years now and have done a lot of things right and wrong in the process. I have double-booked my own house once or twice and have learned many painful lessons along the way. I now have good booking software, contacts on the island and  feel I am getting much better at  developing websites and the internet marketing of villas. I respond quickly to inquires--which I have found is a key to getting bookings.

Grand Cayman Villas  is not a "referral" site like www.vrbo.com or www.homeaway.com . There are no annual fees, no contract to sign, no uploading of photos/text/amenities/calendar, etc. There is no "bidding" for position priority or paying for click-throughs. You have to do basically nothing to stay current on the site. This booking service was designed to be straight-forward from your point of view. It can just be an easy-to-use (and more convenient) supplement to your existing marketing efforts on referral sites, other websites, etc. We do the work and keep the site up-to-date.
 
We are simply a booking/marketing agent. For some of the properties, we manage the owners entire marketing effort (including other internet advertising sites) as well as their personal website. We will take good photos (not professional--but good enough). There is no increased commission percentage for that-- just reimbursement for the annual fees paid to the internet marketing sites, web-hosting services, etc ( MARKETING PLAN link). We do not offer "property management" services with maintenance, maids, licensing, inspection or paying the occupancy taxes for you. You must must have an on-island manager to take care of those items (we have the names of 6-8 managers if you need one).
 
The principals at Grand Cayman Villas will work with you via e-mail/phone and will lift photos/text/rates from your current marketing and advertising programs or you can e-mail us higher resolution photos. You point us in the right direction and we will develop your mini-site, FLASH™ movie, list of amenities, rates, etc.
 
The cost to the villa owner for an accepted rental contract  is calculated very simply: GCV&T passes on (by US Bank Draft or Bank Wire-$40 fee)  87.5 percent of (net of 2.5% credit card fee) funds collected from the rental guest.  Almost all of the clients prefer using a card these days as they get miles and benefits and a level of security (actual cost to process charges is over 3%-- it works out to 2.5% on average as some will send checks).

Unlike most commissioned agents-- we send you 100% of the initial client deposit. Our commission is subtracted from the SECOND 50% payment after which  the penalties of cancellation would more fully protect both the villa owner and GCV&C from potential financial loss. We don't get paid until you get paid in full.

Note--sometimes Travel Agents approach us to book homes-- and if you accept a rental from them (thru us) we have to pay an introductory travel agent 10% of the "base rate" (as calculated by Cayman Villas-- {really works out to 7% of gross})-- we reduce our 12.5% commission to match that paid to the agent. The result is a slightly higher total commission (about 14%)-- but travel agents can bring us rentals many times for slower months-- I also try to get them to use agency checks instead of credit cards- so IT IS A NOMINAL DIFFERENCE (1.5%) AND WELL WORTH IT.
OUR BASICS:
 
VILLA LISTING REQUIREMENTS
  1. 100% of our villas are on the water. We don't list properties that are not.
  2. We need to know the maximum occupancy (adults/children under 18) for your villa. If you have a maximum number of adults that is less than the max occupancy, we need to disclose that. We put in all of our leases that exceeding the maximum occupancy is grounds for immediate eviction with no refund. We are villa owners ourselves and know the drill.
  3. We need to know your minimum rental period, whether you have a standard "roll" day of the week, whether you want us to bother you with a "lower-than-rack-rate" offer and whether you have any "special" rates for holiday weeks, etc.
  4. All of our rates advertised include the Cayman Island DOT 10% occupancy Tax. Please provide rates that reflect the 10% tax.
  5. GCV&T  needs your best (3) (landscape orientation) photos that are at least 450 pixels wide by 300 pixels tall for a FLASH Movie on your site. We also would like at least 5 or more additional photos for your photo gallery (the more the better). I wholeheartedly recommend David Wolfe. He charges CI$800 for a half-day but is worth it. www.davidwolfephotography.com . Courtney Platt also does amazing work as well.
  6. Also, GCV&C WILL NOT knowingly lease your villa to local (Caymanian) guests without disclosing it to you. We also have had good/bad experiences renting to locals. Also, if there is to be a wedding, we need to know if there are any additional requirements to make the guests aware of.
  7. We must have a www.homeawayconnect.com calendar for your property. We want to do the homework up front and bring you a lease and invoice to approve without a lot of effort on your part. No back-and-forth e-mails checking availability-- if it is shown available on the calendar, we should be trying to fill that vacancy for you.

LEASE TERMS

GCV&C will draft the lease for the rental period. A copy of that lease will be e-mailed to the villa owner/agent  for his/her approval and to have a copy for their records.

A.     Our standard PAYMENT terms are 50% deposit to "Book" the villa and the remaining balance 60 days prior to occupancy (yours can be different).

B.     Our standard CANCELLATION terms are somewhat unique (yours can be different, but know these are what we send out unless you specify):

1.    Once "booked" (paid 50% of Rental Charge); should the client decide to cancel prior to paying the full charge, 25% of the Rental Charge will be returned to the guest as soon as it is received from the villa owner. Should GCV be able to replace the reservation, the other 25% will be forwarded immediately upon receipt of replacement booking funds, less any discounts or fees paid. Should Grand Cayman Villas & Condos not be able to replace the reservation, the remaining 25% is forfeited.

2.     Once full payment is due OR you are "paid-in-full" (paid 100% of Rental Charge); should the client cancel; every effort will be made to re-lease the property. We will contact other rental agencies, managers, travel agents, etc. in an effort to re-lease the property. Should we be able to replace the reservation, you will receive 100% of your Rental Charge, less any re-booking charges, commissions or discounts incurred. Should GCV&C not be able to re-lease the property, the entire rental amount will be forfeited; however, 50% of that amount will be credited on a non-assignable basis towards a subsequent available week at the same villa (regardless of high/low season). This credit will be exercisable by the lessee for 13 months. We think this feature is both unique and very fair, as rebooking within 60 days is very difficult (air fares, etc.), and most families have already made their vacation plans well in advance. You might consider travel cancellation insurance to protect yourself from unforeseen events.

 
HURRICANE LANGUAGE/CAVEATS
The following Language is printed at the bottom of each of our leases:

Grand Cayman Villas & Condos, LLC (GCV&C) operates strictly as a marketing/booking agency for rental villas located on Grand Cayman.

GCV&C neither owns nor manages individual properties. It is exclusively a booking agency with no liability for any physical or financial injury sustained by guests during their stay. In the (very unlikely) event that a contracted villa is either unavailable or uninhabitable for a guests’ stay (for any reason); GCV&C will make extraordinary efforts to obtain similar (or better) accommodations for the guests (subject to their approval). GCV&C maintains strong relationships with many on-island managers, owners, villa rental agencies and the Cayman Islands Tourism Department. However, should acceptable accommodations not be found, the limit of financial liability for GCV&C will be a prompt, full refund of all monies paid or an alternate stay at the villa (at the choice of the guest). Evacuation or travel delay due to hurricanes will result in prorated refunds up to the total of the rental amount, prorated by # nights stayed
 
 
KEY POINTS OF LISTING WITH GRAND CAYMAN VILLAS & CONDOS
  1. No Contracts or Statements, No Annual Fees. Each lease stands on its own.
  2. Pay for Performance (rental contracts) Only. If we bring you a rental, it costs you a fixed 12.5%. You don't have to accept every rental, but if you do-- it is the 12.5%. We don't offer any owner a better rate.
  3. Our commission comes out of the second 50% payment. We take risk of cancellation.
  4. More "owner-friendly" cancellation terms protect both the owner and GCV&C.
  5. Much lower commission rate than full-service agents, www.caribbeanway.com, www.villascaribe.com, etc..
  6. No Photos to upload or rates to change
  7. Professional Website Design, Search Engine Submission, pay for clicks, SEO program
  8. Island (Local) knowledge is very important to the Clients; We send them Concierge Service Contacts.
  9. Knowledge of Villa Proximity Leads to Multiple Villa Bookings for Larger Parties/Family Vacations.
  10. Standardized Lease Terms (Deposit/Cancellation).
  11. Payment via USA (SunTrust) Draft mailed to your Preferred Address or manager's address in Cayman. We also wire internationally ($40 wire fee).
  12. Accept Credit Cards (Visa & MasterCard).