Holidaymaker Advice

Tips to help with your experience on Simply Owners.

You will find exactly the same properties on other web sites but Simply Owners can be up to 60% cheaper because we do not charge any fees, surcharges or commissions. By booking via Simply Owners you can make significant savings in your holiday.

Because we do not charge commission on your booking we are able to allow you to speak with the owners or their representative BEFORE you make a booking. This is a massive bonus over the on-line booking platforms, and you should make the most of it.
We recommend you telephone the owner and discuss the property and any aspects upon which you may need clarification.

It may be that the description of the property says no pets but if you have a family member with asthma or some respiratory complaint it may be worth checking how long this policy has been in place and have any pets ever stayed at the property.

Similarly, it may say mobility friendly, but you may want to ask about the surrounding area, for example: Is it hilly? Can we push a wheelchair to the shop?
Or, if it says heated pool, feel free to ask: Can you guarantee it is warm enough to swim in from day one or does it take three days to heat up?
You may want to check the exact location and not rely on statements such as ‘just a short walk to the beach, shops etc.’

Simple things like: Is the air conditioning noisy? Is it in every room? Might be important to you, but not detailed in an advert.

This way you can get the perfect match between you and the property, leave a great review for the owner and no one is in dispute over unnecessary issues.

We advise owners and guests to make an inspection of the property and its surroundings identifying and highlighting any defects upon arrival.
Similarly, we advise owners and guests to inspect the property and its surroundings again at the point of checking out, noting any issues.
Both, guests and owners may want to record these inspection tours on a mobile phone or make any notes accordingly.

Once you have sent a message to an owner via the Simply Owners website the owner will then take over all further communications with you. Please be sure to make all further communications with them using JUST the original one email address from which they contacted you. If you receive any emails purporting to be from Simply Owners with a similar email address to Simply Owners or communications from a different email address please contact the owner on the trusted number held on our site for them to ensure that things are in order. We guarantee you are speaking with the real owner or their property manager if you use this number. Be suspicious and check out anyone stating things like ‘now we are progressing to the booking and payment stage please use this secure email address for all further communications. Our main email address is enquiries@simplyowners.net. Scammers have attempted to use similar convincing email addresses such as bookings@simplyowner.net or bookings@info.net and securepayments.net etc.

Similarly be suspicious of anything that changes from the original correspondence from the owner especially any bank details they have sent to confirm details. (Bank details should not be sent by email but obtained by you phoning the owner on the trusted number we hold on our site for them.

Further, be mindful of any pressure for you to make a payment ‘NOW’ for a massive discount or threats that they have someone calling back to make payment tonight etc.

REMEMBER ONLY EVER TAKE PAYMENT DETAILS BY CALLING THE TRUSTED NUMBER WE HOLD ON OUR SITE FOR THE PROPERTY OWNER/MANAGER. IN THIS WAY YOU KNOW YOU ARE SPEAKING WITH THE REAL OWNER/MANAGER VERIFIED BY US AND YOU ARE PROTECTED BY OUR FREE PAYMENT PROTECTION CERTIFICATE.

Be aware of email phishing attempts. Don't click links in emails. Don't enter or share your booking information or passwords with anyone you do not know well. It is very easy for your own email account to get hacked by a scammer, read your emails, see you are enquiring about a holiday rental and then start communicating with you as though they are the owner.

When you have made your booking ask the owner to enter the dates into the calendar on our site via their Simply Owners Admin Console. Then check our site to see its presence. You know then that the owner is working with you on this.

If in doubt at any time raise your concerns with us at Simply Owners by calling 01623 343 343 or emailing enquiries@simplyowners.net our emails are monitored 24/7.

Please follow our advice and we guarantee you will not be scammed. We have been trading for 9 years and never had a single incident with an owner or holidaymaker being scammed. We are so confident in our procedures that we provide a FREE Payment Protection Certificate with every booking.

Simply Owners guarantees payment protection, for those holidaymakers who meticulously follow our method of payment, detailed below.
Don’t allow scammers to phish or hack your emails to redirect your payments to their accounts. Only ever use emails to send general enquiries and receive general information and always check they are from Simply Owners or the homeowner, you should never communicate with anyone else.

• Choose your holiday-home.
• Contact owner by phone or email.
• Discuss all matters except bank / payment details.
• Acquire a satisfactory booking contract that details every aspect of your arrangement not least the terms of payment for deposits, balances, bonds and cancellations etc.
• Phone the owner, using the trusted phone number provided by Simply Owners to verify payment details, found here on their advert:

• Make a direct payment (by credit card, debit card, Paypal or bank transfer) to the details acquired from the call you made directly to the holiday homeowner on the trusted phone number provided by Simply Owners.
• Make a note of the date of the phone calls and payments.
• Do not discuss any payments with anyone other than the owner via the trusted number on the Simply Owners website.
• Retain all documentation and copies of correspondence such as rental agreement terms etc.
• After any booking has been made via Simply Owners, request your payment protection certificate to be emailed to you by the owner.
• You must be in possession of a valid Payment Protection Certificate to be considered for a claim.
• Take careful note with photos or videos of the property upon arrival with particular attention to anything that concerns you or you believe may be faulty.
• Retain all documentation and correspondence related to your booking which can include emails, phone records, rental agreement terms etc.

You can look up the property on Google and other sites and check reviews. You may also want to look on Google earth to see if the location is right for you etc.
Check that the property has the requisite licences and permits to be able to rent their property.
Some countries have legislation that requires owners of holiday rental properties to buy licences enabling them to officially rent out their properties. It is important that you check this out with the owners directly, as Simply Owners is not a 'renter' and only provides space on its web-site for owners to advertise their properties. Properties requiring licenses will often state their licence number in their property description.

Under the data protection act we are not allowed to store personal details for homeowners. We advise therefore that holidaymakers make a note of the owner’s residential address in the event they need to serve any court notice upon them for whatever reason later. The owner's address would normally be included in any booking forms you sign for the holiday accommodation.

Simply Owners does not have the resources, in terms of time or legal expertise, to investigate disputes between owners and holidaymakers. We are unable to collect all the information, assess the legitimacy of it and make judgments as to who is right or wrong. If disputes cannot be resolved amicably between both parties, then the ultimate place for a ruling on matters is in the courts. Simply Owners will support both parties as best we can with any information we have but will have very little weight to bear on legal matters, as we are not party to the contract.

If Simply Owners becomes aware that criminal proceedings are being issued against an owner then we will suspend that owner’s listing as a neutral act until the case has been ruled upon. It would be remiss of us to allow future holidaymakers to follow in the footsteps of a situation that was found to be illegal.

Only receive instructions on making payments during a phone call that you make to the holiday homeowner on the trusted phone number that you have received from Simply Owners.

NEVER accept a call or email from the holiday homeowner or anyone else giving you instructions on how to make a payment. Unlike emails, which are easy to hack, a phone number is unique to an accountable individual and the above payment method protects both you (the holidaymaker) and the holiday homeowner.

Never pay by cash or send wired cash through companies like western union. Only ever pay a deposit, unless it is just a couple of weeks before you travel. Always pay using a credit or debit card, bank transfer or an organization such as Paypal. Be sure you have considered all the terms and conditions of the holiday homeowner before you make any payments. Insist on a letting contract, that includes all the details you need such as deposits, security bonds, check in / out arrangements etc. Also be sure to acquire the owners residential address in the event you ever need to make a claim against them for any reason. Check out your holiday-home on google maps, review sites, etc, to be sure you are getting the best property for your needs. Check out your holiday-home owner via reviews, social media such as Facebook etc to be sure you are getting the best service.

Take time to think about what you want from your holiday home and use the specific filters when constructing your search, to reduce the number of properties you have to choose from. You should not have to compromise on what you need or want, as there are thousands of properties on our web site, all offering that little bit of something different. Make a list of questions you need to ask the holiday-home owner and prepare yourself well before you make the call about the holiday-home.

Simply Owners, verifies homeowners identities and that the property exists, so that holidaymakers can then connect directly with homeowners and their advertised properties.
BE AWARE, homeowners can edit and update the content of their advert at any time, so Simply Owners is unable to verify the accuracy of all content and descriptions of all properties. Please check any points made in property adverts that are important to you before you book with a homeowner.