As a top quality brand in the rental market, we see a lot of interest from owners and managers and many questions. A few of the most popular are shown below:

Booking

Q. Do you accept online bookings and inquiries via Lake Como Villas?

A: Yes to all methods of communication and payments, using secure online facilities and UK banks.

Q: Do you accept cheques?

A: Bank wire transfers work in exactly the same way as a cheque, and are a quick and convenient way of making payment direct to our account, should you not wish to pay by credit or debit card. You can also visit your branch and ask them to make a transfer for you if you are in any doubt. If you are unable to do this and do need to send us a cheque, please confirm this with one of our team when making your booking.

Q: At what times of the year do you accept weekend and short stay bookings?

A: In the shoulder season in the main but some of our holiday homes offer short breaks throughout the year. Please enquire for our selected list of holiday homes.

Q: Can you hold a period for me while I make my decision?

A: Yes, for 48 hours

Q: Do you give a discount for bookings of more than one week?

A: Please enquire as some owners are happy to offer a discount in shoulder seasons.

Q: How do I make a booking?

A: To make a booking is easy; just enter your chosen dates, guest numbers, and click on the green ‘Book Now!’ button on any of our listings, to be taken through to our secure online booking page, beginning by selecting your preferred payment method.

Q: How many nights are your weekend bookings?

A: 3 nights as a rule but some holiday homes offer 2-night breaks.

Q: Is cleaning included in the rental cost?

A: Yes, nearly all our holiday homes have the final clean included in the tariff

Q: What are the arrival and departure times?

A: Arrival & departure times can see viewed on property page on our website.

Q: What are your arrival and departure times for weekend bookings?

A: They are the same as bookings made mid-week. If you would like to arrive earlier or later than the published times, please enquires and we will assist to accommodate your plans where possible.

Q: What happens if I need to cancel my booking?

A: Firstly, please drop us an email detailing your cancellation and circumstances. The initial 30% deposit is non-refundable. However, depending on your circumstances, we will liaise with the homeowner and get back to you.

Q: What is the capacity of the property?

We detail the capacity of each property on the individual listings, to include the maximum number of adults and children. If you have any queries about this then you can always contact one of our team, and we will be happy to help with any questions you have.

Q: When will I get my security deposit back?

A: We aim to process all security deposits automatically within 2-5 working days of your departure. This can sometimes take a little longer to arrive back in your account, depending on your card provider. If there is a problem and the owner requests that some of your security deposit needs to be retained, we will inform you within 2-3 days of your departure, and aim to resolve this as quickly as possible.

Q: When will I need to pay the balance of the booking?

A: The final balance of your booking will be due no later than six weeks before your arrival, but you can pay this any time before then also using our payment page, or by calling one of our team. If you are booking less than six weeks in advance then we will ask for your full holiday balance upfront.

Q: Can you give me the exact location of the property / GPS coordinates?

A: The holiday home address & postcode are presented in the arrival instructions that follow after a balance payment is made. Please enquire if you would prefer GPS co-ordinates?

Q: When are the holiday home changeover days?

A: These are shown on the website. Other days may be available on request.

Q: Do you cater for specific accessibility needs?

A: The villas and apps are not purpose built and can sometimes have difficult access. Please enquire.

Q: Is it possible to book single sex groups of young people?

A: This is at the discretion of the owner and instant bookings with large single sex groups may be refused.

Q: Can I provide feedback on or after my holiday?

A: Yes, if you have provided us with your email address you will automatically be sent an email when you get back from your holiday, we would love to hear how your holiday went. As a bespoke accommodation business we believe that you, our guests provide valuable feedback about our Holiday Homes and our Service. We welcome and encourage this after your holiday with us. We use it to monitor ourselves to ensure we are listening and meeting the needs of our guests and to pass on to the homeowner to help make improvements and changes to the holiday home and the service they offer. We show feedback on individual property pages which have been written by previous guests. We do ask that all feedback that is submitted is fair, appropriate, legally acceptable and relevant so that it may be used. We reserve the right to decide what is published.

Q: Can we change our holiday dates once booked?

A: Yes within the same year, provided the property is available for the same length of stay.

Q: What are your company’s Booking Conditions?

A: Please find our Terms & Conditions on our website footer menu.

Q: Do I need to clean the property after our departure?

A: Guests are asked to leave the property in a tidy manner at the end of their stay. A final clean is included in the price of your stay, but excessive cleaning could mean that additional charges may be applied, or deducted from any security deposit you have paid.

Q: How much is the security deposit?

A: This varies as some of our holiday homes have a refundable security deposit in place and a few ask no security deposit. The deposit value varies according to the property.

Q: Can I bring my dog/cat?

A: Many of our properties are pet-friendly and welcome all our four-legged friends. If you have the option to select the number of pets on the tariff calculator, then the home is pet-friendly.

Q: Can I smoke inside the property?

In respect of our non-smoking guests, all of our homes operate a no smoking policy.

Q: Does the price include heating, water and electricity?

A: Yes, all utility costs are included in the tariff.

Q: Can you hold a period for me while I make my decision?

A: Yes, for 48 hours

Guest Questions

Q: Can you arrange additional cleaning during our stay?

Yes, we may be able to organise this with the owner or the holiday home’s management company

Q: Can you organise a catered evening?

A: Please enquire for our list of local catering companies local to the holiday home that you are enquiring for.

Q: Can you pick us up and take us back to the airport/train station?

A: Please enquire and we will ask the owner or property manager on your behalf or/and send a list of service providers.

Q: Does the price include free use of the WiFi internet?

A: The vast majority of our holiday homes offer complimentary WiFi internet connections. There are a select few that do not offer this, but you can view this in the ‘At a Glance’ section of the property listing.

Q: Is there cleaning equipment available?

A: Generally speaking, all our holiday homes have some cleaning products available for you to use.

Q: What do I do if I break something or something stops working during my stay?

A: If you have any issues during your stay, such as a breakage or something not working as it should, please just call the property manager or owner, and report the damage to them as soon as possible, to avoid any additional charges.

Q: What are the bedroom and bed details?

A: Details of bedrooms and bed types can be found on the property page on our website.

Q: Are there any guidelines when bringing our dog on holiday?

A: Unfortunately, just a few guests and their dogs have caused problems in the past resulting in owners being dissuaded from permitting dogs. We have therefore introduced the following guidelines, which we ask all dog parents to adhere to (failure to do so may result in you being asked to leave without compensation).
* Dogs must be under strict control at all times while on the property.
* Any fouling of lawns etc. must be cleaned up without delay.
* The owner must bring the dog’s bed or basket for sleeping in.
* Dogs must not be left alone in the property.
* Dogs must not lie on beds or chairs, and hair must be cleared up before departing.

Q: Are towels and linen supplied in all holiday homes?

A: Unless specified otherwise, all properties have linen and towels supplied.

Q: Are there any properties with hot tubs?

A: A selection of our holiday homes may have a hot tub. Some offer this facility within the tariff and others offer subject to an additional charge. Please enquire for more information if unsure.

Q: Who do we contact before we arrive?

A: Once you have paid your balance you will be supplied with all details of the property, contact details etc.

Q: Will our holiday home contain everything we need?

Though not every holiday villas is equipped to the same standard, all our properties have everything you need for an enjoyable holiday and many offer far more than most would reasonably expect. From modern minimalist with every convenience to the traditional villas with marble flooring.

GENERAL

We receive many questions that can only be answered in details through correspondence and could be both property and location, requirement specific. Unless detailed on the property page specifically please feel free to enquire. Some examples can be found below:-

Which is the nearest airport?
Can you arrange babysitting / childminding?
Can you provide a baby’s cot?
Can you provide a baby’s high chair?
Can you recommend any local products or services?
Do I need a car to get to your property?
How far away from the property are the shops?
How far away is the train station?
Are there more parking spaces nearby?

OWNERS

If you have a quality property and wish to rent it out then we may be able to help. Some of the general questions we see are listed below:-

Q: I have been running my own business for some years and am looking for extra marketing, can you help?

A: Yes, but we need to understand the current setup and marketing reach and your villa location and whether it will fit our client base.

Q: If I want my villa to be shown on other sites can you help?

A: Yes, but we still act as the booking agent.

Q. Do you accept online bookings and inquiries via Lake Como Villas?

A: Yes to all methods of communication and payments

Q: If I want my villa to be shown on other sites can you help?

A: Yes, but we still act as the booking agent.

Q: I already have my villa on other websites and wish to have these accounts adopted. Is this possible?

A: Yes, we can take on other web accounts and manage them.

Q: Do you have a high net worth guest list you target?

A: Yes we have a sizable and growing list and regularly mail previous guests searching for new experiences and destinations.

Q: Booking At what times of the year do you accept weekend and short stay bookings?

A: We advise our client that these are available in the shoulder season in the main but some of our holiday homes offer short breaks throughout the year, which encourages more bookings as the industry shows that people travel more but stay less at each location.

Q: How much do you charge?

A: Generally speaking we take a modest commission on any booking we make. This is deduced from the payments made to you.

Q: Will you only market my villa out of season whilst I book the peak periods?

A: Unfortunately not. The effort that we expend marketing a property requires that we have the whole available period on our books.

Q: How do make sure we do not have double bookings?

A: We use the latest technology to ensure calendars are synchronized if you use a software package, or you may log in to your own account in our system to see bookings, payments and block out the calendar on our site.