We rent a beach house (condo) almost every summer. Two things that have been greatly appreciated are access to the storage closet in the garage to store beach chairs, toys, etc. and extra pitchers in the kitchen.

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Anonymous wrote:a GRILL, I couldn't belive they removed the grill at the rental we have stayed at 4x and didn't tell us!

I would be perturbed also, but I understand why they did it. Lots of drinking at beach houses, people leave the grille on, don't bother cleaning the grille and it gets nasty, etc.

Then buy cheap grills and count on buying new ones every year or so. People want to grill when they are at the beach.

You would be shocked at how gross and drunk some renters are - they refuse to clean the grille, or pick up after a sugar spill, or run the dishwasher on low and of course, that doesn't work unless you actually scrape the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.....

If they want a hotel, they should rent a hotel.

“Grille”?

Yeah. The thing you should put up your arse.

Good wifi. More and more, I'll do a summer rental so my teens can hang out and I can work.

Removable duvet covers that you wash between guests. Unwashed comforters are common, and gross.

Coffee filters, trash bags, paper towels. Something to store leftovers.

A shady place to sit and eat or drink.

No 1980-era wood crate style dorm furniture. I realize this is made to last but time for an update.

Plus one re: no dogs and must be clean.

Some of the big houses can be downright gross.

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Anonymous wrote:Dog friendly!

Opposite here, I will only book a rental if it is no pets allowed. Pet friendly rentals are never cleaned thoroughly enough to prevent DCs allergies.

Most of the places we rent are listed as "no pets" but I just ask if we can bring our dog along (my spouse is a veterinarian) and 9 of 10 hosts agree to it. So just because a listing says "no pets" does not mean there are no pets staying the week before you are.

Yes. I'm a PP who said on pg 1 that I look for dog friendly. My aunt also has a beach house. She rents it out all summer and specifies no pets, but she always invites my dogs to come along when I stay there. She likes my pets, but doesn't want ones she doesn't know.
Similar to PP above, my coworker rented a beach house in Nantucket in June that specified no pets, but she asked about bringing her dogs and they said yes. So that "no pets" listing had 2 big Labs bouncing around for a week before the next people arrived the day after they left.

I always suspect this because my sister allowed my brother to bring his dog even though it was a no pet house. I personally don’t like to rent a house that allows dogs because we find they often have more wear and tear. But even if you are a careful landlord who knows the pet involved, I would think very carefully about saying “no pets” and then allowing them. Many people looking for no pet homes actually do so due to bad allergies.

We rent beach houses all the time. The number one requirement is clean. Related to to that, we prefer houses without carpet and when we see old shabby sofas we move on (after a few bad experiences where we were afraid to sit down). Second, comfortable mattresses. While a well stocked kitchen and beach gear are also important, be warned that renters will steal things and damage things so I wouldn’t go high-end. My sister owned a house for 15 years and the rent was not cheap but it was unbelievable the things that went missing. Cookware, vacuums and even furniture.

For us, dogs are a negative.

Anonymous wrote:Any bed meant for two people should have a night stand with a lamp on both sides of the bed.

Or sconces, or other type of reading lamp that doesn't require you to get out of bed to turn it off. Night stand preferred but something besides the overhead light is most important. And some lights good enough for reading in the living room.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:a GRILL, I couldn't belive they removed the grill at the rental we have stayed at 4x and didn't tell us!

I would be perturbed also, but I understand why they did it. Lots of drinking at beach houses, people leave the grille on, don't bother cleaning the grille and it gets nasty, etc.

Then buy cheap grills and count on buying new ones every year or so. People want to grill when they are at the beach.

You would be shocked at how gross and drunk some renters are - they refuse to clean the grille, or pick up after a sugar spill, or run the dishwasher on low and of course, that doesn't work unless you actually scrape the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.....

If they want a hotel, they should rent a hotel.

“Grille”?

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Anonymous wrote:

How does Sheets at the Beach work? How do they get in to your rental before you do, to make beds

Like PP said, they drop the bundle on the front porch before you arrive, and you make the beds. At the end of the visit, you leave tge dirty linens in a bag on the porch.

You have to make your beds in a rental you paid for??

It's a thing in New England (maybe just Cape Cod).

No it is not - not at any of the Cape Cod rentals we have enjoyed! We always get maid service and fresh linen service (beds made!) right before we check in (included in the rental breakdown) .

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dog friendly!

Opposite here, I will only book a rental if it is no pets allowed. Pet friendly rentals are never cleaned thoroughly enough to prevent DCs allergies.

Most of the places we rent are listed as "no pets" but I just ask if we can bring our dog along (my spouse is a veterinarian) and 9 of 10 hosts agree to it. So just because a listing says "no pets" does not mean there are no pets staying the week before you are.

Yes. I'm a PP who said on pg 1 that I look for dog friendly. My aunt also has a beach house. She rents it out all summer and specifies no pets, but she always invites my dogs to come along when I stay there. She likes my pets, but doesn't want ones she doesn't know.
Similar to PP above, my coworker rented a beach house in Nantucket in June that specified no pets, but she asked about bringing her dogs and they said yes. So that "no pets" listing had 2 big Labs bouncing around for a week before the next people arrived the day after they left.