World Cup 2010 thread

our problems come always from renters(short stay renters), i propose that apartmets having short stay renters pay 50% more community fees.they cause a lot of costs o repairs and maintenance suplies like sunbeds broken,kids walk on the top of de gardens steping on plants,ouners have to prevent this explaining wtha they hae to do ,where they have to put basura,etc.i think that retal prices are very low and we have renters with a low cultural level and they do not how to live on a community.

Hi Luis

It's a very good idea, but I can't see it happening.  We witnessed lots of lovely plants being broken by boys with a ball during our stay in July.  The gardeners were quick to clear up the mess.  I even had a ball thrown from the pool by these same boys which landed on the umbrella I was sitting under and covered me with messy bits.  I would certainly be worried about letting my apartment after meeting some of the renters.  I didn't have this problem in August as I couldn't get near an umbrella or sun bed all week until the day before we left.

It certainly does seem  like many of the short term renters are causing problems that are spoiling the enjoyment of owners and long term renters and which are costing us money and ultimately will cost us the quality of our community.  I am quite worried that if we don't do something our properties are going to continue to suffer terribly.  As Luis says - rents are low and some of those renting seem to have little respect for the place.

Caroline

What reading the general forums in eyeonspain it seems that many developments have this problem.

If renters were staying in a hotel OR on a complex as part of a Thompson Package Holiday they would encounter staff responsible for security that moderate bad behaviour.  In such establishments there are no owners, all users are customers who have to be "managed",

At DV we have a mixture of owners and renters with the greater proportion of renters in July and August.   It is frustrating for owners who have a financial interest in DV when they see it being vandalised.  Ultimately our holiday experience at DV is diminished.  With the beach so far away and no playground for children it is likely that boredom will occur and garden areas will be impacted.  Children will litter the place.

I don't rent my apartment. I'm fortunate that I don't need to do so. 

But there must be many owners who bought solely to rent.  After all didn't the sales agent try to convince us that it was a sound financial investment and maybe we should buy two?   So people need to rent and maybe some have no interest in their apartments other than the rental yield?  They just want tenants.  Any tenant will do.   And of course it tends to be renters with large families who make the biggest savings.

So families with three or more children enjoy the biggest savings by renting compared with package holidays.  Thus the renters may tend to be large families or two couples and as a consequence we have the shortage of sun beds and crowded pools (even with only half of the units sold).  Next year it will be far worse.  Some people with large families tend to drive over too and even bring their family dog(s).

Whilst it may be impractical to have a two tier community charge with owners who rent paying more there may be other solutions.  E.g. If pools are too crowded then economics needs to be applied.  How about paying a fee to access the pool areas in July and August?


Also I suggest we have a big clean up early September.  This would include change the water in the pools, litter pick, garden plant restoration, replace cracked tiles cause by 4x4s and white vans driving on the pavements, spot painting where paint is chipped.

p.s.  Another thought is  to have LESS sunbeds and maybe the renters won't come back next year?

This message was last edited by PMillsom on 8/16/2008.

I too am fortunate enough to not have to rent ,but I do as it is extra income so I can get out and retire there sooner!   As many others may do.  May I say my renters are all very nice (up to press) and you seem to be tarring everyone with the same brush.  I rent out with a web based company but some do rent out with last minute and Thomson holidays.  Customers book it as a package.  The owner is guaranteed rental and for people who bought as an investment this would seem to be the best option.  And yes they will be used to being on a package holiday and someone would be around to control them.  

I agree that there is a lack of sunbeds but if this was a development where we could not rent out, and a lot of owners where there at the same time then we would have the same problem.

Why should we pay more community fee's when we rent our apartment out? 

If you are fortunate not to have to rent or complain about "renters" then can I ask why you bought on such a big development and if you wanted it to be more quiet then again why such a big development when you knew the ratio of apartments to pools.  Maybe if you had chosen a smaller development it would have been better for you and your expectations and what you wanted from your holiday home. 

The renters you talk about may even be owners.  Not everyone is of the same background and may well afford to buy a place in Spain and has been used to going on many a package holiday.  

Sorry if this sounds like a negative response but it seems the same people post the same old things and this thread can at times become more of a whinge thread than a place to gain positive information. 

Having just returned from a wonderful two weeks in Duquesa Village we are sorry that you seem to have such a negative view of those who rent the apartments on a short-term basis.  We certainly did not pay a low rental charge- £1000 per week- and treated the area with respect. We do not approve of sun-bed hogging, but found that when we did not reserve sun-beds in the shade we were unable to use the pools as our children are very fair skinned and prone to sun-burn. We even considered buying sun-beds to use during our time there, but to be quite honest felt that we had payed enough already. We have travelled all around the world with our children and have always had a positive experience as we are open to all cultural experiences and hope that those we meet will be open to us. Please don't write us all off on the basis of a few negative experiences.

I am glad that you all seem to have enjoyed DV despite the issues which I have seen for myself.  It is a shame people have to resort to reserving sunbeds in the time honoured fashion but the fact is people who rent or people who own , like me , do not have a right to reserve a sunbed irrespective of what they have paid to purchase or to rent. The £1000 you have paid does not cover the costs of sunbeds ...that goes straight into the pocket of the owner. Perhaps the owner should be supplying sunbeds and umbrellas out of the proceeds of his income. My wife cannot sit out in the shade so I have bought my own umbrella and take that down to the pool.
There is an EGM soon for owners and one item which is being discussed is requiring a deposit from owners who let  to cover possible damage caused to the community areas by their renters. Afterall they demand a deposit for damages within their own apartment but probably expect the community to pick up damages done outside by their quests

Hi all

Having read the comments below, I personally think targetting renters is not the way forward.  I think it was plain to see by all, that come the "busy" season there would be problems with sun beds, there just are not enough to even begin to go around, so come on, what should be on the list for the EGM is the purchase of more beds.  I am a regular visitor to my apartment and have never seen children deliberately damaging flower beds etc.

However, I would strongly agree that the reserving of beds be disuaded asap.  I would say though that I feel if someone is using a bed and goes to their apartment for lunch and then returns to the bed they were using, I dont think they should be met with abuse etc.

Regards to all, silly season nearly over!!!

M

Hi John
I agree with your suggestion that owners who rent out their apartments should provide sunbeds and parasols for their clients. We left a clothes airer and a tv cable for our owners! As a visitor it is difficult to guage the protocols of a complex, and mutterings around the pool make for an uncomfortable environment for everyone, not just those of us who are only able to holiday for a couple of weeks a year due to work/family/life commitments.

It is the silly season and i am glad to remain away and use my time when its not as hot.  Nobody should face any abuse from anybody and if we all know that if we vacate the beds you must expect that in a busy period you msut let others have use of the beds. That is only fair. We have asked for more beds and some chairs too for those who don't want to lie down but we need more shading umbrellas as it gets too hot for alot of people.

I have seen children picking flowers from the beds, playing in them and i even had to ask one family to stop their child from throwing stones from the garden into the pool. Thats what we are up against...some people will not respect other people's property.

I don't believe people that rent out that should be paying a deposit to the community for damage their renters may cause. How will you police it and ensure that the correct owner pays for the damage. 

Also, everybody has to be treated equally under Horizontal Law (except for pro rated quotas based on apartment size etc.)

Everybody who is an owner should ensure community rules are followed by other people.

I suggest a community rule is added at the EGM to allow owners to ask others about which apartment they are staying or who is the owner of that apartment.

The suggestion about people who rent came from AEA .  I believe that if I damage a fire extinquisher and it came be shown that i have done it then the community can ask me to pay for it. This is the same issue.  How it is policed is difficult i realise but there must be some recourse for us to claim for damages from any people who cause damage  and short term renters will not pay once their gone.  We could pass a motion making it against the rules to rent!!  now that would ensure we have enough sunbeds!!

Are we getting silly now?  I don't think you can stop renting in an established community. It was sold to people on an investment basis as well as personal use.

Any of us could allow our children to use it without rent and if they bring others that have a moment of weakness even though they may be in their thirties and we could have problems.

I can see the old barter system coming into play to avoid the use of the term rental!!!

jeff...didn't you notice the

John, Yes I did notice the  but although it has a smile the eyes look evil unlike this one

Has anybody got a copy of the community rules in English that they can send as a file? I intend to print off, laminate and leave them in my apartment so my children and anybody who rents can see them.

This is what I did at my townhouse in Manilva, and we made it a rule that the community  rules must be printed off pinned up in the kitchen where people can see them.

If we don't have any I can produce some based on the set I have for my house.......what do you think?

Personally,, I think that's a good idea.  Maybe even a condensed version of the community rules (leaving out all the stuff about building works, changing the fascia, satellite dishes on the terraces, etc., which short- or even long-term renters wouldn't really be interested in).

Having spent the last six weeks there, I'm still appalled at the amount of garbage left by the side of the bins (and that's the bright side, not the bags of rubbish left around the community in general!) - and not even that the basuras are full, as I've stopped there and put rubbish into the bins when loads of stuff has been left around them.  I would hate to think that long-term renters and owners are doing this, but how do we make sure short-term/holiday lets aren't just dumping rubbish wherever they so wish?  Notices are clearly posted in the lifts - but then if people aren't using the lifts (especially as half the time they aren't working!!), we, as owners, must make sure they are aware of where the rubbish should be deposited.  In any event, it really shouldn't be left to a notice in an elevator to advise people as to where their rubbish should be put!

That's just one point -  so maybe owners should have some sort of notice/literature available/provided to all tenants as to what is acceptable or not in the community - a bit like the notice on the back of a hotel door or something!!