Whatever type of accomodation your looking for: vacation rentals, hosted stays, or home exchanges, let Stayjourn be your home for travel. See below some frequently asked questions.
A vacation rental is an apartment or home rented out to a guest by a host. The host is not living in the facility during the guest’s stay. A hosted stay is when a host rents out a room or a part of their living space to a guest, and the host continues to live in the facility during the guest’s stay. The host can provide insight on places to see and things to do but is not obligated to. A home exchange is between two parties living in different areas who agree to stay in each other’s homes for a given period of time
The full payment must be made at the time the guest accepts and confirms your booking to secure your reservation.
After you have entered in your payment information, you will receive a booking invoice code confirmation via e-mail.
Yes. You may contact them through their listings page, go to the “about us” tab and clicking on the “email this host” button.
It is up to the host to determine their pricing and what is included in the pricing. For hosted stays, the price is usually per night per room and for vacation rental, the rate is usually per night per apartment but please contact the host if any details are unclear.
Canceling or changing the dates of your reservation after the host accepts your reservation may be subject to the cancellation policy. You should check your hosts cancellation policy and message your host through their listing if you are unsure. The host determines their own cancellation policy, which will be mentioned in their listing: You will be entitled to full refund of the room charges if you give notification to the host about the cancellation or your change in the dates of your stay within the applicable cancellation period per the host’s cancellation policy. Stayjourn’s service fees are not refundable if you cancel. The required advanced notice time period depends on cancellation policy chosen by the host, one of the following:
1. Strict-notification of cancellation or change must occur three weeks prior to 12AM local time on the check-in date. For example, if your check-in is on Saturday, cancel by the Friday of the prior three weeks at midnight. If you cancel less than 21 days before check-in, the first night is non-refundable but the remaining nights is 50% refundable. If you cancel after the check-in date, the first night is non-refundable but the remaining nights is 50% refundable.
2. Moderate- notification of cancellation or change must occur seven days prior to prior to 12AM local time on the check-in date. For example, if your check-in is on Saturday, cancel by the previous Friday at midnight. If you cancel less than 7 days before check-in, the first night is non-refundable but the remaining nights is 50% refundable. If you cancel after the check-in date, the first night is non-refundable but the remaining nights is 50% refundable.
3. Easy- notification of cancellation or change must occur 24 hours prior to 12AM local time on the check-in date. For example, if check-in is on Saturday, cancel by the previous Thursday at midnight. If you cancel less than 24 hours before check-in, the first night is non-refundable. If you cancel after the check-in date, the nights beginning 24 hours after the cancellation will be refunded.
4. None no prior notification is needed to be given to the host and guest is entitled to full refund if they cancel or change the reservation.
There are several reasons. A cancellation policy can ensure the owner that only serious guests will make a reservation and so that in case of cancellation they are compensated for their loss of potential revenue they could have secured from another reservation if they had been given adequate notice. Other hosts have an easy or no cancellation policy in order to appeal to more guests that may be subject to last minute changes to their travel plans.
To cancel your reservation, go to your “my account” page, pull up your reservation and hit “cancel”
Please do your best to keep the host informed of your plans. Not showing up is considered a cancellation and is subject to rules and penalties of the host’s cancellation policy.
A security deposit ensures that guests will take care of the room and the amenities provided by the host. If something breaks or is lost, the cost is reimbursed to the host as all or part of the security deposit. Cleaning fees may also be deducted from the security deposit. Check with the host if you are unsure.
Normally it is paid to the owner upon arrival in cash. This will be specified in the host’s listing. If you have any questions, contact the host.
The key exchange is determined between the guest and the host. The host may leave a set with a neighbor or designate a meeting place where they will hand you the keys.
Usually keys to the apartment and room (if applicable) are provided to the guest, but best to check with the host.
Present the booking invoice code upon arrival to the host. The rest is up to them. Generally you will be shown the space and given any necessary information upon arrival, and at the end of your visit do another walk-through. Again, check with your host if you are unsure.
The first person you should contact with questions during your stay is your host. They may leave other contact information for you in case they are unavailable. If there is a problem and you cannot reach your host or their designated contact, please contact Stayjourn and we will help get in contact with your host.
This, too, should be part of your agreement with the host. Typically the rule of thumb is to leave the property in the same condition as you found it when you first walked in the door.
It will usually be mentioned in the details of the listing. Contact the host if this is unclear.
It is not required, but you may choose to protect yourself in case you accidentally break something valuable in the apartment rental or your personal belongings are stolen.
First, make sure that your host requires one. If they do, you should inquire with them regarding all details concerning the security deposit.
The terms of any incidental costs should be part of the pre-stay agreement between both parties. Typically, costs such as cleaning bills, electricity, heating and cable are included as part of the exchange. However, hosts may charge for anything “extra” such as gas for cars (if cars are part of the agreement) and long-distance telephone calls. Hosts may also set rules on use of any food staples such as coffee, tea, spices and baking products.
If you are not able to access the Stayjourn site to retrieve information under “my account” then e-mail us at help@Stayjourn.com.
Stayjourn does everything it can to weed out any potential bad seeds through Stayjourn certified listings and guest reviews. If, however, this does occur, the host will be immediately banned from the website but we suggest that you:.
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Pick a place wisely- make sure that the host answers any questions you have, that there are clear photographs of the apartment, and that they do not ask you to send money to them before you arrive.
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Read reviews of the accommodation so you know others have had positive experiences with the host.
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You may opt to choose accommodations that are Stayjourn certified which helps validate the apartment and the host.
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Remember, with our transaction model, the host won't be paid until you have verified the accommodation
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You may take out trip insurance if you choose in order to protect yourself against any unplanned occurrences.
As an extra service, for properties in select cities, we offer Stayjourn certification. In order for potential guests to feel safer and more secure about a place they are considering staying in, we physically go the accommodation and verify the following:
-that home is in the neighborhood as described on the host’s listing.
- that the amenities listed on the Stayjourn site are actually located in the apartment or building
- we verify the host’s identity, by checking a valid form of identification.
While we can not be 100% fail proof, we believe that properties that are Stayjourn certified are much more likely to meet the expectations of the guest
Yes, we use a secure system to process all transactions. Please do take the precaution of closing the site as soon as you have finished and erase your browsing history to prevent sharing your information with others.
First try solving the problem with the host. If this doesn’t work, send Stayjourn an email and we will do our best to resolve the issue.
Stayjourn encourages you to review all accommodations you stay at, as all guests benefit from others’ reviews- especially those apartments that don’t have reviews yet. After you have stayed at the apartment and the host has entered the payout code that you gave her/him, you will be able to leave a comment regarding your stay by going to “my account:” and clicking on the reservation you made. Please be fair and careful when reviewing the apartment and note if it met or exceeded your expectations. Everyone benefits from truthful reviews.
If you cancel your reservation within the stipulated time period according to the host’s policy, you will be entitled to a full or partial refund as outlined above. Also, if you pay for a reservation and after you arrive at the apartment, you feel there has been any gross misrepresentation, i.e. there is no elevator and the host said there would be, or there are fewer beds than stated, please contact Stayjourn at help@stayjourn.com and we will review the agreement between you and the host. It is extremely important to keep all email communication between you and the host within the site so we can review it. If Stayjourn resolves that there has been gross misrepresentation, we will withhold payment to the host, and refund you. Note you will not be able to stay at the apartment and will be required to find other accommodations.
Communicate with your renters prior to their arrival. The more you communicate, the more you will get to know them. Use the cancellation policy that you are comfortable with. Part of the service Stayjourn offers is the piece of mind in having collected reviews and visited homes in person. In order to ensure the highest level of trust in the person staying in your home, it is important that the guest agrees to any personal rules you have for staying in your home. It can be argued that your home can be safer with someone staying in it rather than vacant.
This varies depending upon the insurance company. It is suggested that you check what your policy allows and what your liability is in the effect of any damage, theft or injury.
Stayjourn does not create a contract for the apartment rentals, but merely facilitates contact between potential hosts and potential renters/guests. If you like, you may use your own contract with renters. Some of our hosts use them, some don’t.
Provide clear, attractive photos of your property and be specific about its amenities and surroundings. Be sure to include any perks in the listing (an elevator, a private balcony) and contact potential guests in a timely manner. Once you have received guests, encourage them to write a review of your listing so as to encourage future guests to inquire.
One should always be prudent regarding their personal and valuable possessions. Remove or lock up anything valuable that can easily be lost or stolen such as jewelry or cash.
If there is any damage caused to your home during the course of the exchange, the party who caused the damage is responsible. You should immediately file any complaints of damage to Stayjourn and inform the other party that they may not be eligible to receive a refund of all or part of their security deposit. Should the cost of damage exceed the amount of the security deposit, or if none is collected, you should seek reimbursement from the other party. If the other party refuses to compensate the owner, you should contact your insurance company to file a claim.
Generally, because both parties have entered into the agreement and travel arrangements have been made, it is unlikely that either party will cancel. However, as part of your agreement, you should discuss what the terms of cancelation and monetary responsibility will be should a cancelation occur.
The security deposit is usually anywhere from 10-50% of the total rent cost, to be paid upon arrival in cash. You may decide to subtract a cleaning fee from the deposit, or you can include it in the cost of rent. Generally speaking, you should return the security deposit to the guests upon their departure if they have left the space as they found it. Charges for damages are determined by you but note that certain cities and countries stipulate rules regarding security deposits and you should be aware of them.
The collection of all taxes including city,state and federal is entirely the responsibility of the host. Rules vary greatly between cities and countries so you should consult an accountant or other source of information.
Yes, your home can be listed under all three categories, but as we list them under separate data bases with different criteria, you will need to make three different listings of the same property – don’t’ worry, it’s all free!
