Owners FAQ
Owners FAQ
Owner Portal
Property owners may access their Gulf Tide Vacations account via the OWNER PORTAL tab at the bottom of the home page at www.gulftidedestin.com. Owners are issued log in credentials, and may view monthly statements, reservations, and notices online.
Owner Reservations
Owners may make personal reservations via the Owner Poral. If changes or adjustments are needed to an existing owner reservation, please email [email protected]. Please let us know if you are planning to stay in the unit or if a maintenance block is needed. Due to online booking capability, our properties are often booked at the last minute. It is important that we know when your property is occupied so we may organize housekeeping to ensure the property is ready for arrival. Please Note: Once a guest reservation is booked, we cannot relocate the guest reservation to a different property in response to an owner’s request.
Occasionally we must relocate a guest party to a different property due to situations beyond our control such as a malfunctioning air conditioner or refrigerator.
Guest of Owner Reservations
Gulf Tide Vacations welcomes owners to permit family members to use their property at no charge. It is also common for owners to offer a “Friends and Family Discount’ to their personal guests. However, the success of our business is dependent upon collecting rent for guest reservations. Therefore, we do not permit owners to “rent’ their property and collect money from friends in exchange for using the property. Our staff is paid to manage every aspect of providing clean and well-maintained accommodations, and we need to collect rent in order to support these services.
Owner Closet Locks
If you are storing items in an owner closet, please install a deadbolt on the door. If there is an electrical panel, water heater, or air conditioner unit in the closet, please provide Gulf Tide Vacations with a key. Any items of value should be stored in the owner’s closet (portable electronic devices, collectibles, etc.
Management Fee
Gulf Tide Vacations charges a flat percentage of the gross rental revenue that a property generates. We do not charge property owners for credit card fees, amenity fees, or other miscellaneous fees.
Linens
Gulf Tide Vacations will provide hotel grade linens that are designed to withstand repeated washings at high temperatures. There is a daily fee deducted from each reservation to cover the cost of the linens. All linens are placed in a linen pool to be used and laundered as needed. The cost of replacement linens is offset by the housekeeping fee charged to guests, therefore, there are no recurring linen replacement fees charged to owners.
Sales Tax
Your property will be registered with the Florida Department of Revenue and Walton/Okaloosa County under the Gulf Tide Vacations sales tax account. Monthly sales tax returns and payments to state and county authorities are submitted on behalf of owners.
Owner Statements
Monthly income and expense statements are available to owners by the 10th of each month. Revenue payments are processed via ACH deposit to the owner’s checking account by the 15th of each month.
Unit Maintenance
Gulf Tide Vacations provides the Yale electronic door locks, the ongoing expense of door lock maintenance, and monitoring free of charge to the owner. We also provide light bulbs, air filters, remote control replacements, batteries, and small repairs (tightening door knobs, replacing smoke detector batteries, and other minor maintenance items) free of charge. Any other maintenance necessary is charged to the owner according to the time it takes to complete the job. Major repairs will be discussed with the owner before undertaken.
Yale Electronic Lock
Gulf Tide Vacations will install an electronic door lock (Yale lock) on the entrance door of the property. The owner will be issued a door code annually that will be active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We ask that owners do not provide their personal owner door code to service vendors, realtors, friends or extended family members. Our reservationist will issue a unique door code for vendors, realtors, friends or extended family members.
Housekeeping
The check out time for departure is 9:00 am, and the housekeeping staff will arrive at that time to clean the unit. If you cannot depart by 9:00 am, please reserve an additional night so the housekeepers will plan to arrive the next day. If the housekeepers arrive after 9:00 am and the property is still occupied by the owner, a trip fee will be assessed.
Please Note:
A full housekeeping fee applies to all owner stay departures. Our housekeeping company is responsible for the condition of the entire house, therefore, they are required to change the sheets on every bed and completely clean every room regardless of the number of people who stayed at the property. We regret that we cannot offer a reduced clean fee for owner stays even though we know that our owners will leave the property in great condition.
Property Inspections
After each guest departure, the property is cleaned and inspected by a housekeeping manager for cleanliness. A member of the Gulf Tide Vacations team then inspects the unit for damage and arranges maintenance work if needed.
Beach Chairs, Umbrellas, and Toys
We do not suggest that owners provide beach chairs, umbrellas, or toys for guests’ use. Most guests expect to bring their own beach items. Gulf Tide Vacations will not be responsible for replacing beach items if they are lost or left at the beach.
WIFI
Owners are required to provide wireless internet service for guests, and service must be activated prior to the first rental.
Guest Inquiries and Reservations
Gulf Tide Vacations responds to each and every guest email inquiry within 5-10 minutes, and our staff members are available by telephone to answer questions. Guests (age 25 years or older) may book reservations online through our website, the VRBO website, or other sites we list properties on. Gulf Tide Vacations does not utilize a “rotation” system, nor do we use a “rating” system for our properties. When a guest contacts Gulf Tide Vacations to reserve a particular property, the reservation is booked in that property. We do not steer guests towards or away from a property unless the guest has certain needs that cannot be met in the property they originally inquired about.
Guest Stay Reviews
After departure, each guest party is sent an invitation to submit a review for the property they stayed in. Reviews are automatically posted on the online property listing.
Damage Waiver
Unintentional damage to the premises by a renter is covered up to $1500 per rental. Any damage to the premises that is not considered to be accidental in nature or accidental damage in excess of $1500 is the responsibility of the owner. Ongoing maintenance and repairs to the property from normal wear and tear are the responsibility of the owner. Any damage (intentional or unintentional) to a golf cart is not covered by the damage waiver, but may be covered by the guest’s automobile insurance policy.
