We just returned from the 23rd annual Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA) conference and showcase in New Orleans where we engaged in a number of discussions about vacation rental property management versus ‘rent by owner’ (also known as RBO).

Just as homes can be sold directly by owners or by real estate professionals, vacation rentals can be rented directly by owners (RBOs) or by vacation rental property managers. More than 98% of the vacation rental properties on PickPackGo are managed by professional property managers. We focus our efforts at building and developing our inventory of professionally managed properties for a number of reasons:

Professional property managers run real businesses focused on making sure your vacation is a success.

When you make an inquiry, a professional property manager has reservation staff available to respond to your request. If the home you are interested in isn’t in the perfect place, they can recommend other options that are available, saving you the time and hassle of further research. Once your questions have been answered, a management company can accept credit cards for payment, which can be more convenient and trouble-free for you, the renter.

Property managers live and work locally, and can tell you more about special events and activities that take place during your stay than property owners who might live hundreds or thousands of miles away. They can provide detailed and up-to-date local information, handle key exchanges, and provide lock-out and other emergency assistance.

Professional property managers have staff to assist you throughout your stay.

If your flight is late or your car breaks down en route, professional property managers have procedures to take care of you. Late check in and check out may be stressful for you, but staff work hard to ensure there are no surprises upon your arrival or after you’ve returned home.

And, should something go awry during your stay, an on-site presence means immediate attention to your needs. In the unlikely event a home is unavailable due to unforeseen circumstances, property managers can usually provide alternate accommodations quickly.

Professional property managers strive to provide the highest quality accommodations.

If you rent a lot of vacation homes, you may have already noticed that professional property managers have greater resources to provide high levels of maintenance, cleaning and attention to properties under their management. The volume of business they do requires it, and so does maintaining their professional reputation, which ultimately results in a more highly maintained property for you, the renter.

You might have difficulty checking the reputation of an individual owner, but property management companies establish reputations, which can be verified by a local Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau. Property management companies are also governed by local laws that protect guests, and they pay local taxes, which benefits the area you’re visiting.

At PickPackGo, we make it easier for you to find the ideal vacation rental home by providing a link to “View manager’s other properties” whenever you are viewing the full details of a property on our site. When you click the link, all of the properties displayed in the search results are managed by the same property manager.

With all of these advantages, why would we show any owner-managed properties on our site at all? Stay tuned to learn why. In the meantime, we’d love to hear from any of you who have rented from both professional property managers and individual owners, and how you felt about your rental experiences.