Property Management Services

Personal Service

Communication and responsiveness are key ingredients in any successful business partnership and certainly apply to a property management program. To make communication easier for our owners, a Twiddy Personal Representative is assigned to each property owner to serve as a first point of contact for matters concerning your home. The Personal Representative will give you the reassurance that someone at Twiddy knows who you are and can help you navigate around the Twiddy organization.

Rental Brochure

While the majority of our Guests use our website as their main vacation resource, we still recognize the value of a tasteful, comprehensive printed presence. Many guests are reminded that it's time to plan their summer vacation when they receive our brochure each Thanksgiving. Presented in 1/4 or 1/8-page increments, rental home listings are a combination of an exterior color photo and a clear description of the home's location, layout, bedding and amenities. Aerial photographs of communities assist guests in pinpointing the location of cottages and their distance from beach accesses. Subdivision descriptions are also provided to help Guests find their ideal vacation home. General Guest information, such as check-in and payment procedures, cottage location definitions, standard amenity listings and more help guests to easily plan their vacation.

Website

Through Twiddy & Company’s comprehensive, user-friendly website, planning a vacation is made easy. Vacationers can search for a home based on their personal preferences, view interior photographs, virtual tours and slide shows, check rates & availability, access area maps & aerial photos, learn more about the area and individual communities, book their reservation and much more! In addition to detailed photography, in-depth descriptions including amenities and the layout of each floor are provided for every vacation home. Once guests have made their reservation, they are able to peruse online information that will be helpful to their vacation preparations. A listing of local vacation resources and important guest information; including pre-arrival reminders, a list of standard amenities found in Twiddy vacation homes, directions to the Outer Banks, local (printable) directional maps and much more! To help ease them into the Outer Banks state-of-mind, our website also includes fun features such as our Live Web Cam and Images of the Outer Banks showcase.

E-Marketing 

In recent years, our focus has been on marketing through the internet - by far the most effective medium for reaching consumers planning vacation travel and recreation. Search engine interfaces and sponsored links, pay per click campaigns, cooperative website links, banner ads and extensive statistical analysis are all part of our on-going campaign to utilize the latest techniques and technology to maximize cottage rentals.

Owner Website

Our secure Owner Services web page offers homeowners the convenience of booking Owner Reservations online and access to resources such as the Twiddy Homeowner's Manual and Vendor Resource List. This page is constantly updated with important notices and helps keep homeowners up-to-date on their current rental activity, monthly statements, owner newsletters and more.

Rental Pricing

It is Twiddy’s objective to identify the optimum pricing structure for each home that will maximize its rental income potential. Continuous monitoring of market conditions helps us determine optimal rate levels and identify opportunities to increase rates. Recommendations for rates are made for each property in our program after reviewing the rates of similar homes in comparable locations, both within and outside the Twiddy rental program.

Guest Services

Your tenants are your/our guests and we strive to treat them as such. The success of our mutual business depends on a high level of customer satisfaction which translates to repeat/referral business and maximum rental income. Our guests are on vacation and they expect an enjoyable and trouble-free experience beginning with the first contact with our company. Twiddy & Company prides itself on the knowledge, professionalism and company longevity of our staff. Personnel in our Rental Department have an average of over 8 years of experience in the vacation rental industry; several of them served as rental property managers before coming to Twiddy. All are committed to extending excellent service in an environment of personal hospitality. Our Guest Surveys consistently show a high level of guest satisfaction -- over 98% of guests surveyed said they would return to Twiddy & Company.

Operations Department

The three functions responsible for maintaining the physical upkeep of the properties in our rental program are Housekeeping, Maintenance and Security. These functions are combined into one Operations Department in our Corolla office to increase efficiency and insure we meet our goal of maintaining clean and well-equipped properties for our owners and guests.

Housekeeping Services

Twiddy & Company’s experienced housekeepers have consistently provided our guests with clean vacation homes for many years. We realize how important it is to guests and owners that they find clean and neat accommodations upon arrival. Your home will be professionally cleaned to high standards after each guest’s use and at any other time at the owner’s request. Crews are assigned for the season, so the same crew cleans your home every week and develops pride in its appearance. Weekly Linen Service is provided for each home. Included are: sheets, pillow cases, bath towels, hand towels, wash clothes, bath mats, and kitchen towels. Beds are made for the guests for added convenience as part of the linen service.

A comprehensive Annual Cottage Inspection and Inventory is conducted for each owner during the off-season. The report includes recommendations for such things as replenishing kitchen inventory, replacing carpet and furniture, painting or adding guest-requested furnishings, supplies or amenities. While it is important to maintain each property’s uniqueness, standards are necessary to meet guest expectations. A Twiddy representative is always available to consult with owners on how to make their property attractive to potential guests and thereby generate significant rental income.

Maintenance Services

A well-maintained home is an important part of a positive vacation experience which results in repeat or referral business. At Twiddy & Company, we believe that guests on vacation in September are as deserving of a home in good condition as those who vacation in May. Vacationers choosing the northern beaches have high expectations and the construction boom on the northern Outer Banks has produced homes bigger and more elaborate than anyone ever anticipated. For existing homes, that means constant maintenance and improvements are needed to keep up with this changing market. In addition to keeping owners informed about the condition and maintenance requirements of their property, Twiddy & Company‘s in-house Maintenance Department provides timely response 7 days a week to guest-reported maintenance problems. A computerized Maintenance Work Order system is used to record and track all maintenance work performed on each home. Information on maintenance work done and monies expended from the owner’s account is shown on the monthly accounting statement.

Our in-house Maintenance Department provides prompt response to guest calls for maintenance service. To avoid individual service-call charges, our House Call Plus Program provides for service calls of up to one hour duration at no labor charge.

Protecting Our Owners' Interest

While there is the unavoidable risk of damage or theft whenever a property is offered for rental to the public, it is the intent of Twiddy & Company to minimize these risks by making recommendations on furnishing your home, attracting high-quality guests (families only) and implementing a Security Deposit Program which includes a weekly inspection after each guest departure. Each guest pays a security deposit in cash or by credit card authorization in advance of renting your home. After each guest’s visit, a Twiddy & Company Quality Assurance Inspector inspects your home. The inspector reports anything missing or damaged due to negligence or willful abuse and we deduct from the security deposit the amount required to make any repairs or replacements. The inspection is not a minutely-detailed inventory, but the security program does address recognizable minor damage or loss (beyond “normal wear and tear”) and has been a successful deterrent against unwarranted negligence or abuse. In lieu of providing a Security Deposit, a Limited Damage Waiver is included in each guest's weekly rental fee. At minimal cost to guests and no cost to homeowners, fees for this waiver are pooled and used to pay for up to $3,000 in accidental damage per reservation. This Plan offers peace of mind to guests while protecting owners to a higher dollar figure than the standard security deposit.

Management Fees

Twiddy & Company is compensated according to a percentage of the rents. Since we get paid only if your house is rented, we are highly motivated to maximize the rental potential of every property. The Management Fee percentage is determined according to a scale based on the in-season rental rate. The base management fee covers the cost of rental program management, marketing, accounting, reservation processing, and housekeeping. Additional Service Options are available to the owner on a fee basis.

Thank you for taking the time to review the Twiddy & Company Rental Management Program. We hope we may be of service to you in the near future. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for further information.

Twiddy Owner Services Department
888-710-2120  252-457-0489
Fax: 252-457-1166
owner_information@Twiddy.com