Vacation Rental Management Services

vhkw office

Why Choose VHKW ~ Vacation Homes of Key West to Manage Your Vacation Rental?

VHKW ~ Vacation Homes of Key West is an established locally owned and operated vacation rental management company (VRM) that specializes in providing personalized and integrated services for privately owned vacation rentals in Key West, FL. We have a long track record of 15+ years of working together with clients to target Key West homes that will lead to the greatest performance as a Key West vacation rental investment. Our focus is on marketing, renting, and maintaining weekly and monthly vacation rentals. Our Director of Operations holds a real estate license, furthering our preparedness to assist you with purchasing and selling properties that can become profit centers as vacation rental investments.

We are a diverse company targeting all services essential to making each property we represent a unique and successful vacation rental for property owners. Utilizing an adaptive proprietary software system that our company has developed 'in-house,' we take the burden of operating Key West vacation rentals and turn them into customized profit centers for property owners. We make absentee ownership simple.

Do you own your home on Sunset Key? Please visit our Sunset Key Vacation Rental Management Services page for more information.

Business Services:

Established in 1997, by Cindy M. Rhoades, Ph.D., VHKW ~ Vacation Homes of Key West is a thriving locally owned and operated vacation rental business with a custom in-house vacation rental management system. Autonomous from large corporate companies, such as HomeAway / Expedia, and Airbnb, we have a proprietary vacation rental management software program integrated with Quick Books, providing real-time financial reporting, and integrated with a custom marketing / management website. We began developing this soft-ware long before off-the-shelf packages for vacation rentals were available and vacation rentals become an industry. Since our company does not use a pre-written software package, we have flexibility in our presentation and management of each unique property we represent. Our customized adaptive systems are designed specifically to meet the specialized marketing needs of destination Key West, and the hands-on management required for vacation rental properties on our tropical island 150 miles out to sea.
VHKW provides efficient and professional vacation rental management business services, including reservation services, vacation rental contracts, collecting rental payments, check deposit, credit card services, security deposits, travel insurance, collecting and paying required Florida state sales tax, Monroe County tourist tax, bill paying, bookkeeping, and licensing. Our administrative staff understand the licensing requirements and local governmental code restrictions unique to operating vacation rental properties in Key West and Monroe County, and are committed to assuring our properties are operated in compliance with local vacation rental ordinances regulating short-term property rentals.
VHKW provides detailed record keeping for all services for each vacation rental, including income, repairs and maintenance, housekeeping services, collected and paid taxes, monthly statements, 1099's, and end of the year profit and loss statements. We offer owner access for reservation calendars and rental income stream available to review anytime on-line. Our company handles vacation rental properties for absentee as well as locally based property owners.

Marketing Program:

Our vacation rental management custom website provides an extraordinary presentation of all the vacation rentals we market, setting us apart from the rest. We use only professional architectural advertising photography, we create detailed ad copy written by a professional writer, for each vacation rental, and have an in-house graphic designer. The result is an artistic marketing piece for your property this is likened to a 'House Beautiful' type magazine. Each property we represent receives this level of marketing at no cost to you.
We promote our business and your property through a combination of search engine optimization (SEO) and social media including our high-profile VHKW ~ Vacation Homes of Key West Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts, custom YouTube videos, and our Vacation Rentals Blog. We also provide supplemental website advertising through unique domain names we own, links to specialized websites, and concentrate on more locally based Florida Keys based on-line advertising such as keywest.com, Key West Business Guild, and the Key West Chamber of Commerce. We also selectively interface with external booking engines such as plus mega such as VRBO, Trip Advisor, and travel websites, to round-out our marketing.

Maintenance and Housekeeping Services:

Our vacation rental management company has an established head housekeeper and maintenance and grounds keeping supervisor who has worked with Vacation Homes of Key West for over a decade. We provide consultations on interior staging and design recommendations for improvements designed to meet market demands and increase revenues. We also provide scheduling for private housekeepers, quality assurance, and maintenance staff employed by property owners.
Maintenance: Pre-arrival and departure property preparation and inspections, periodic maintenance inspections with written reports and photographs. Timely response to problems and after-hours requests. We use reliable local vendors who are qualified to handle nearly any situation at reasonable prices, including a/c, electrical, building, swimming pool, painting, and indoor environmental services contractors.
Housekeeping: Scheduling of pre-arrival and departure housekeeping services, daily housekeeping, mid-stay cleaning, and periodic absentee owner cleaning, deep cleaning, and cleaning for owner stays.
Our housekeeping staff has been trained and certified by CleaningCertification.com. Required courses are based on guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

How We Are Different:

A vacation home is a huge investment to make in Key West, Florida. As you decide how to go about buying, selling, renting and managing your vacation property, there are basic approaches to consider. As owners of vacation rental properties ourselves, we understand each approach first-hand, which drove us to create our specialized vacation rental management company.
Vacation rental management (VRM) is a specific business. Vacation Homes of Key West is a specialized VRM, with specialized staff who can also assist you with real estate needs. Managing weekly and monthly vacation rentals involves operating a 24-hour on-line travel service combined with hospitality, cleaning, and maintenance services. It is very different from long-term real estate management and selling real estate. We invite you to contact our Director of Operations, a licensed real estate agent who can offer additional information and assistance with the unique and specific demands of vacation rental ownership and property management.
Renting your own vacation rental property may seem simple, but constant demands of answering emails, screening guests, making reservations, rental contracts, collecting rental fees and security deposits, returning security deposits, paying required sales and bed tax, scheduling and overseeing housekeeping and maintenance, and responding to emergencies can become a demanding business that often becomes a burden to manage, especially in Key West. It becomes a job.
Vacation rentals have been a trending industry the last few years. With rapid technological development, peer-to-peer on-line booking services, and several web-based off-the-shelf vacation rental software systems, some real estate companies are also creating add-on vacation rental management divisions, with no depth of knowledge for selling, buying or managing a property as a vacation rental. While it seems like a logical extension, real estate and vacation rental management are very different. Combining the two requires focused professional skills in hospitality and customer service. We have the professionals with these skills, whom understand the real estate market as it pertains specifically to vacation rentals, and who are experienced in interfacing with both property owners and short-term guests who stay at their properties.

Homeowner Testimonials:

"VHKW has been our rental agent for 11 years and we are happy with the arrangement. Their website is terrific, they do a good job of screening prospective tenants, are responsive to our requests and, it would seem, to those of the tenants judging from the repeats. We have recommended VHKW to our friends.” - Denny Ellerman & Elena Castedo
"I’ve had the pleasure of working with VHKW for the last three years and they have been nothing short of wonderful. My property is on an island and therefore presents unique and challenging management issues. Yet, the team at VHKW is extremely attentive and always willing to make sure, that any and all issues are taken care of, and that the home is well maintained. In addition, they have a successful track record of rentals. The entire team is very professional, with a real commitment to caring and service. I am grateful to be able to entrust my home and the rentals to the great group of people at VHKW." - Maria Bradley
"I have been very pleased with the service that VHKW has provided for us and our vacation rental home in Key West. They have been very successful in keeping our home rented throughout the year. My rental income doubled once I signed on with their rental service in 2008. The book keeping is first rate and the monthly statements and checks arrive on time every month. The maid and service teams are excellent and very helpful in keeping our home looking good, clean, and in good condition. The office staff are friendly and very efficient in handling everyday business and in dealing with any problems that may arise. I highly recommend Vacation Homes of Key West for your rental property management." - John Gallup
"We want to take this opportunity to thank Vacation Homes Key West, and their outstanding staff, for the service and commitment they have provided to us in our over fifteen years of affiliation with them. We look forward to many, many more years of VHKW handling our Key West properties. The consistent attention to detail, both toward us, our properties and the guests needs and concerns are amazing. It is a pleasure to do business with a group that totally understands the concept of client service. Thank you!" - Dan & Eleanor McConnell
"We have used VHKW for over ten years to market and manage our premier oceanfront property. We were doing ‘OK’ with another local company previously, but saw an immediate increase in bookings and a constant increase in our bottom line for years, after we made the change. We can depend on the great staff to handle anything that arises from minor tenant problems to dealing professionally with the rare inconsiderate raucous guest. I have no reservations in strongly recommending VHKW to my friends and colleagues. The management and staff do an outstanding job for us." - Bill Goldner
"VHKW is a win win for home owners and renters alike! They are true professionals in the Key West Hospitality Area. Always a pleasure to work with. We own a resort in Wisconsin so we appreciate the great relationship we and our guests have with VHKW. THANK YOU TEO And your fantastic staff. ! Thank you for taking the stress out of ownership and the stellar results you produce! Not five but ten stars !" - Dr and Mrs Edward G

Contact Us Regarding Vacation Rental Management:

Please contact us with questions regarding vacation rental management. You can use the form below, or call our office with the contact information listed here.

Vacation Homes of Key West
Local Phone: 305-294-7358
Toll Free Phone: 888-404-2802

E-Mail: vrm@vhkw.com