No Permit = No Risk, right? Wrong.

January 22nd, 2011

Our company was built on the foundation that we would only operate and manage properties that were following the law and paying their taxes.  In Canmore, that means having a current Tourist Home Permit and a valid Business License.  These are the laws set forth by our local municipality, and we follow them implicitly. Every week, we are asked to manage an unlicensed property in Canmore and our answer is simply “no”.  The risk is not worth the reward — plain and simple.

We are frugal travelers ourselves, so we certainly understand the allure of choosing  ”risky bargain” over “confirmed value”.  As a traveler, why should you care about whether your chosen property is following the law?  The laws have been put in place to protect visitors, and residents of Canmore.  If you find an unlicensed vacation rental offering a price that is too good to pass up, you should at least consider what you are risking and take actions to protect yourself:

  1. Will the property still be in operation upon your arrival?  Licensed Tourist Homes pay a property tax rate that is 1.75 times higher than a residential home.  Unlicensed Tourist Homes do not, which equates to stealing from other taxpayers (who must make up the difference of the tax shortfall) or losing jobs and local programs when tax revenues fall.  Therefore, our local authorities don’t wait until someone lodges a complaint before shutting down an unlicensed Tourist Home.  They search the online listings just like visitors.  If you can find a property offering rates for a stay of less than 28 days, so can our municipality staff.  It may take them months to gather enough evidence and then proceed through the hearing process, but they will eventually succeed and a Cease Use order will be issued on the property.  If you are OK with risking the property won’t be in operation prior to your arrival, ask the owner to put in writing what their contingency plan will be if the municipality issues a ‘Cease Use’ order prior to your arrival.  Are they moving you to a hotel? What if the hotels in Banff/Canmore are sold out? This is common on holiday weekends and during special events. If the hotel is more expensive, who is paying the difference? Consider buying Trip Insurance. However, we do not know if Trip Insurance will over a claim for an unlicensed property.  Read the fine print.
  2. Does the property meet minimum Safety Code?  The Tourist Home Permit requires the property to be inspected by a Safety Codes Officer.  99 guests could stay at an unlicensed property and not have encountered a safety issue due to a code violation, and the 100th guest could have a completely different experience.  Alberta Safety Codes are lengthy and involved — they are put in place to protect us. This would be a risk you would just have to accept.  If there was an accident, one of the only recourses would be to pursue the matter in Civil Court and proving negligence on behalf of the owner. Having a family member hurt while on vacation is bad enough; having to get recourse through the court system is a lengthy and unpleasant process. Proceedings would have to take place in Alberta, which would mean travelling back here to proceed (assuming you are coming in from outside of Alberta).
  3. Does the home carry commercial or rental insurance?  Residential home policies will rarely cover a claim if a residential property was being used commercially.  With the rental insurance on our licensed properties, we must provide our insurance company with a copy of our Booking Agreement and every single group must sign the Agreement prior to arrival.  Unlicensed properties rarely have guests sign agreements because they don’t want a ‘paper trail’. We recommend asking the owner for a copy of the insurance policy to verify that their insurance company knows about the rental traffic.
  4. Does the property actually exist?  Unfortunately, online vacation rental scams are much to easy to put together (read the article).   Protect yourself when booking online (here’s a few tips).  If you find an amazing deal that is too good to pass up, please be extra diligent in making sure the property actually exists outside of cyberspace.

Illegal, unlicensed, unsafe and fraudulent vacation rental properties hurt visitors and operators of legal-licensed-safe vacation rental properties.  Rockies Rentals is not the only licensed/permitted vacation rental operator in town. If our properties do not fit your needs, budget, availability or otherwise, we are more than happy to refer you to other licensed vacation rental owners and operators.

We want visitors to enjoy their time in the mountains, and return home with wonderful stories about the “best vacation ever”.  We don’t want you returning home with stories of a ruined vacation.

How to Avoid Vacation Rental Scams

July 16th, 2010

Everyday, people turn to the internet to plan their vacations.  In the vacation rental industry, most of the business comes to us via online advertising.  It is not as though we get drive-by traffic by having a billboard or flashing “No Vacancy” sign.  So how do you protect yourself from being scammed online?

Please note:  While some of these points are applicable to any area, some are specific to the Canadian Rockies.  The moral of the story is take some time to get familiar with the laws,  customs, and price points of the place you are visiting.

Red Flag #1 ANONYMOUS EMAIL ADDRESS: Does the owner/manager communicate with you through a free email address from Hotmail, Gmail, or Yahoo instead of an info@<insert company name>.com ?  A domain-based email address  costs about $20/year and is more professional.  The owner of a domain can also be searched online by doing a “whois” search.  Be leery of an owner who will only communicate via anonymous e-mails, and don’t hesitate to pick up the phone to ask the owner/property manager detailed questions or even request more photos.

Red Flag #2 PAYMENT ADDRESS: Where is the payment being sent to? Is it a PO Box?  Some companies use a PO Box for simplicity’s sake, but so do scam artists.  Is there some other way to verify the address that you are sending your hard-earned vacation dollars to?

Red Flag #3 PAYMENT OPTIONS: Do you shop at any store that tells you they only have one payment option?  Be leary of sending personal checks, money orders, wire transfers or PayPal payments when that is the only option available.  A successful company will have several different options available — you choose which one works for you.  It can be costly and time-consuming for a scam artist to set up multiple accounts and options — they generally choose one and stick with it.

In Canada, the safest bet is likely paying by credit card.  Merchants are required to go through a lengthy verification process in order to be granted a Merchant Account.  Also, your credit card company may offer some level of protection if you have been scammed.  Please note: you should still be verifying who you are giving your credit card number to by using some or all of the other methods listed here.

Red Flag #4 LOW PRICE: Be familiar with the going rates in the area, and be cautious if a price seems too good to be true (it probably is).  If you find a great price, ask the owner why the price is lower than other available properties.  There might be a very good reason.  Maybe they’ve reduced the price to fill specific dates. Maybe they clean the property themselves and have less overhead costs. Maybe the property is new and they need to entice some guests to try it out.

Red Flag #5 GUEST REVIEWS: Most vacation rental advertising portals have a Guest Review section.  If a property is so great, why are there no reviews?  That being said, be careful of relying solely on reviews.  They are easy to fake.  It is unlikely that 100% of guests are happy 100% of the time, and guests often have suggestions as to how to improve a property.  Be wary of pages of positive reviews without one single negative or constructive comment.

Red Flag #6 UNLIMITED AVAILABILITY:  Try asking what other dates are available in that month.  While many owner/managers maintain availability calendars, some choose not to for various reasons.  An empty calendar may mean there are multiple properties available; a scam artist will be ready to accept your reservation deposit no matter what dates you request.

Specific to the Canadian Rockies: Key holiday dates are still available within one month of arrival; the calendar shows no bookings in place at all; or there isn’t a calendar at all. We will readily admit that keeping online calendars on multiple websites up-to-date can be time consuming, but it is a common practice in this area for illegal properties to not post an online calendar as this is how they got caught by our local authorities.

Red Flag #7 LIMITED ONLINE PRESENCE: Is the property only listed on a free website?  Is it only listed on one of the many vacation rental websites?  Professional owners want to advertise in as many places as possible, but that can be too costly for a scam artist who is just looking to make a quick buck.

Red Flag #8 INSULTED BY, or UNABLE TO ANSWER, QUESTIONS: The simple way to avoid being scammed is to ask questions! Ask questions about the area and attractions.  Most scam artists do not live in the area that they are advertising. Scam artists don’t have answers for tricky questions.  Scam artists become insulted when they are asked to verify their legitimacy.

Legitimate businesses are happy to answer questions about their business. They are happy when guests/customers are interested in the company. They are excited to talk about the area and attractions.

Red Flag #9 NO WRITTEN AGREEMENT: Get it in writing — the dates of your stay, payment details, damage deposit details.  It may seem inconvenient when compared to staying in a hotel (where you sign the agreement upon arrival), but you need to know what the expectations are.  What is required in order to get your full Damage Deposit back?

Red Flag #10 UNABLE TO VERIFY LOCAL CONNECTIONS: Check the address at the municipality website.  If no website exists for the municipality, call them on the phone and ask about the laws regarding short term rentals.  They will know the local laws better than you will.  Ask the owner about a local restaurant or attraction.  If you are visiting Canmore, click here for  some information on how to verify a property.

Any one of these red flags does not mean you are being scammed, but if 3 or 4 red flags occur you may want to consider looking for a different property.

If you have any more suggestions on how to avoid online vacation rental scams, please share them here.  If you have been scammed by someone already, feel free to post that information as well.  Hopefully you can save someone else from falling into the same trap.

5 Steps to Vacation Rental Scams

July 1st, 2010

You probably thought this was an article on how to avoid vacation rental scams.  For that, you may wish to read this article.  We’ve taken a different approach here — let’s see how easy it can be to either scam or be scammed …

For the criminal:

  1. Get yourself a few photos of a nice property. They are plentiful on the internet.
  2. Post a free online ad at Kijiji*, CraigsList*, etc.  If you would like to get a bigger return, spend a couple hundred dollars listing the property on a popular vacation rental website because visitors think that these listings are actually verified (but they are not).
  3. Advertise a price that sounds almost too good to be true
  4. Wait for deposit checks to arrive from multiple guests all searching for a “hot deal” for a popular vacation destination
  5. Leave on your own vacation with the thousands of dollars you’ve just made with your minimal investment of a couple hundred dollars.

For the Guest:

  1. Search a popular vacation rental website for the perfect property, or find a deal on Kijiji*, CraigsList*, etc.
  2. Send payment in full to an unnamed/unverified individual
  3. Brag to family and friends about the “hot deal” you found for your fabulous vacation
  4. Arrive at your destination to find out the property does not exist, and there are 35 other families standing on the street with you who also booked the same property for the same dates.  Why would you all have the same dates? Because it is easier and more profitable for a criminal to pull off this scam during busy holidays on which rates are the highest and many properties become sold out making visitors desperate to find a good deal for their dream holiday.
  5. Realize that your money is long gone; you have nowhere to stay on a holiday (if you find a place available, it will be at a much higher rate than you want to pay); and it is unlikely that the police will ever be able to recover your money from some guy using a hotmail/gmail/yahoo email. Most people will not even report this crime to the police because they are too ashamed to admit that they should have known better.

*Some legitimate companies (ourselves included) will post Last Minute Deals on free sites like Kijiji and CraigsList.  However, no legitimate company would use these free sites as their sole source of advertising. If you found a property on a free site, be sure to verify that it exists elsewhere.

How To Verify Tourist Homes in Canmore

June 1st, 2010

So, you’ve planned your dream vacation and found a perfect property that fits both your needs and budget. And now for the big question: will the property still be in operation once you arrive?

There are a number of illegal vacation rental properties in Canmore advertising lovely homes at great rates.  That ‘great rate’ comes at a price for both the visitor (you) and the people of Canmore.   For the visitor, the ‘great rate’ means accepting the risk that the property might be shut down prior to your arrival.  For the people of Canmore,  the ‘great rate’ means that the homeowner is not  paying the correct taxes to our municipal, provincial, and federal governments.  Many Canmore homeowners are none-too-pleased when they are notified that their taxes have been increased, when their neighbour is illegally renting their house for $5000+ per week.  As a result of this contentious issue, our municipality began actively investigating vacation homes advertised on all of the major vacation rental websites.  If you can find the ad online, so can our municipality.

In order to rent out ANY property to accommodate a stay of less than 28 days (whether a hotel, vacation rental or B&B), local laws require a business license and proper zoning.  If you would like to make sure that the property you are booking is legally operated, you can find much of this information online.

TO CONFIRM ZONING

*Updated April 12* Our local municipality has now made it easy to verify if a property is zoned to allow nightly rentals:
Tourist Home Information
Scroll down to the section called “Permitted Tourist Homes” for a PDF of all properties zoned to allow nightly rentals

If you have been sent confirmation of your short stay for an address not listed, I urge you to forward this information to the Town of Canmore.

TO CONFIRM LICENSING

  1. Visit the Town of Canmore Business Directory .
  2. Enter the name of the company and click <Perform Directory Search>.
  3. Or, enter the address that you have been asked to send payments to and click <Perform Directory Search>.  Some of the illegal properties have been giving out a licensed company name, but have directed guests to call a different phone number and send payment to a different address. To be certain, call the phone number on the Town of Canmore listing, and only send payments to the address connected with the business.

TO CONFIRM GST REGISTRY

Canada is a beautiful country where we have a high-level of infrastructure to keep our residents safe, healthy, educated, and happy (police, schools, hospitals, roads, etc.).  These services are paid for by taxes.  When an individual or business does not fully comply with tax legislation, an unfair burden is placed on law-abiding taxpayers and businesses and the integrity of Canada’s tax base is jeopardized.

The Good & Services Tax (GST) is a tax of 5% that applies to the supply of most goods and services in Canada. Almost everyone has to pay the GST/HST on purchases of taxable supplies of goods and services, including short-term accommodation.

In order to perform this search, you will need some information from the business: The correct business name and GST number (9 digits).  When asking for this information, you may get some version of the following answers from the business owner:

  • “We don’t charge GST”. Businesses in Canada who have a minimum number of sales in a year are required, by law, to collect and remit GST. This is mandated by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA – the equivalent of the IRS in the United States). Although long-term rental properties are exempt from collecting and remitting GST, short term rentals are not exempt.
  • “We don’t make more than the minimum amount, so we are not required to charge GST”. Even the smallest property at the lowest nightly rate makes more than the minimum amount as set by CRA.  One of the only ways for this statement to be true is if the owner is only renting a few times a year (perhaps while they are on vacation themselves). The challenge for guests in that situation is this:  An individual who rents “on the side” may not care about guest satisfaction as much since they do not have a business reputation to be concerned with.  An individual may not have  a system in place to keep track of guest payments, and return deposit money on time.   A company that charges GST and relies on revenue made from Booking Fees is more committed to guest satisfaction (or at least they should be, if they intend their business to be successful).

There are many legally operated Tourist Homes in Canmore.  Although you may wish you didn’t have to pay GST, it does offer more security that the property actually exists and is being run professionally.

  1. Visit the Canada Revenue Agency GST Registry.
  2. Read through the CRA terms for using the registry.  Click <I Agree> at the bottom of the page.
  3. Enter the 9 digit GST number.
  4. Enter the company name.
  5. Enter today’s date in the following format yyyy-mm-dd.
  6. GST Numbers are tied to the specific sectors of businesses so that CRA can better understand how much revenue is generated by each sector.  So, if someone gives you a valid GST number for “Joe’s Plumbing” they should not be collecting GST under this number for their rental business.

If you have been charged GST by someone using an invalid number, please contact Revenue Canada.

We are sorry if we have scared you with this information. We have struggled with whether or not to ensure visitors are aware of this problem. We have decided that if we save even one guest from having a less-than-perfect time in the Rockies, then it was worth our small effort.

Moving Tips Part #2

May 1st, 2010

If you haven’t done so already, read Moving Tips Part #1. By now your truck should be rented, boxes assembled, and you have purged everything that requires purging.

Packing Books

  • Smaller boxes are better. Books are heavy, so if you fill a big box it will weigh a tonne and you risk hurting yourself or the box breaking open. Look for boxes that have a strong bottom (wine boxes are great for this activity). Tape up the bottom just to be sure!
  • Place larger, heavier books on the bottom of each box.  Finish out the top of the box with paperbacks.
  • If storing the boxes for a while, make sure to not store them on the ground.  Moisture and critters will get into your precious books.

Packing Computers/Electronics

  • Don’t you wish you had kept the original box with all that custom-fit styrofoam?  If you didn’t, pack electronics in a large box.  Wrap each piece with old towels or sheets to protect them.
  • Keep the cords in order.  Roll them up and put them in a cardboard tube (toilet paper and paper towels rolls work great).  Write on the tube which cable is inside, and which component it belongs to.  No paper rolls?  Use plastic wrap for the cords — much better than the sticky residue that tape leaves behind.

Packing Dishes

  • Use all of your kitchen linens (dish towels, etc) to lay between each plate as you stack them.  The nice thing about using kitchen linens is that when you unpack you won’t have to clean up loads of packing trash.  In lieu of kitchen linens, paper towel, cardboard, and bubble wrap works nicely.
  • If you can find some milk crates, they are the best thing to pack dishes in.  No fear of the bottom breaking out!
  • Fill up the spaces surrounding the dishes with cooking utensils and such.  You don’t want the box to be too heavy.
  • Fill up the extra spaces with rolled up newspaper or bubble wrap.  If items can shuffle around, that is how they get broken.

Packing Clothes

  • Leave everything in the dresser drawers.  Move the dresser with everything intact.
  • For hanging clothes, gather about 20 hangers.  Tie a piece of string around the top.  Pull a large garbage bag over the clothes from the bottom up and tie again at the top.  This means you can reuse the garbage bag once you unpack.
  • Use every piece of luggage you have.  Borrow luggage if you have to.  Pack out of season clothes first.  Pack luggage with clothes for your last week.  That way, everything else can be packed ahead of time.
  • Shoes are no fun to pack.  Put socks/belts inside the shoes so they will keep their shape.  Pack shoes in a big piece of luggage or duffle bag.  Lay out one row of shoes, place a towel over top, and layer over another set of shoes.  Continue until the bag is full.

Do you have more tips to add to the list?

Let us know! We’d love to hear from you!


Getting Hooked Up: Electricity

April 1st, 2010

Since we assume that you would like to live in the modern world and not write letters by candlelight, you will probably need some electricity, no? The purveyor of electricity in the Bow Valley is Epcor.

Managing Your Account (New accounts, moving, cancelling service)
It is in your best interest to contact Epcor with at least 3 days notice prior to your move-in date.  If you elect to wait until the last minute, you’ll be charged $10 for your poor planning.  Epcor representatives indicated that 1 week prior is a good time to arrange the new service (or changes to existing service).  Accounts can be opened online or via telephone (310-4300 in Alberta, 800-667-2345 in North America, 780-412-4000 Outside North America).  You will require two pieces of identification.  Driver’s License and Birth Certificate are preferred.  If you don’t have those items, Epcor can use other document to get you hooked up.  A $200 Deposit is required for new customers, which will be added to your first bill.  If you’re not keen on having Epcor hold onto your moolah, you can opt for a credit check -  if you pass, no deposit is required.

If you already have electricity service and are moving to a new pad, you can transfer your service online or via telephone (see phone numbers above).

Monthly Charges
There are a number of factors that affect how much your monthly bill will be, the least of which is the actual cost of the electricity itself which hovers between $.09-$.12/kWh (Kilowatt hour).  How energy efficient are your appliances and what type of appliances are you using?  How many people live with you, and do they operate on a similar schedule? Do you plug in your car, or multiple cars, in the winter? Do you have electric or gas heat? Do you make energy-efficient choices (turning lights off, choosing low watt bulbs, etc)? As there are too many variable at play, Epcor is reluctant to indicate what an average bill is worth.  We polled a few of our users to see how much they were paying so that you could have a general idea:

$65/Month in 2008 <Condo 1000 square feet; 2 Bedroom, 1 bathroom; some energy efficient appliances/bulbs; gas heat; 2-3 occupants on fairly similar schedule>
$76/Month in 2008 <House 1700 square feet; 3 Bedroom, 2 bathroom; some energy efficient appliances/bulbs; gas heat; 2-3 occupants on fairly similar schedule>
$65/Month in 2008 <Condo 1000 square feet; 2 Bedroom, 1 bathroom; some energy efficient appliances/bulbs; gas heat; 2-3 occupants on fairly similar schedule>

Does your rent include utilities?
Having your utilities included with your monthly rent can be a great way to manage your living expenses. However, remember that landlords are business people and are generally not in the business of losing money.  When utilities are included, the rent is usually a little higher to accommodate for any high bills that you may incur.  If you do choose a rental property with utilities included, don’t delude yourself into thinking “I don’t pay, so it doesn’t matter if I leave the lights on all day, or run the dryer just to warm up my bath towel”. It matters.  If you consistently use more power than your landlord has budgeted for, your rent will likely increase.  So turn off those lights, and only run the washer/dryer/dishwasher with full loads or be prepared to pay the price later down the line.  Plus, you live in the Bow Valley now so it’s time to start putting the environment first!

Move First, Apply Later

March 3rd, 2010

It is the age-old question: What came first?  The chicken or the egg? You can’t move to the Bow Valley without a job offer, but no one will offer you a job until you live in the Bow Valley.  Some employers won’t even call an applicant with an out-of-town address or phone number.  Ever wonder why?

Employers understand that you dream of moving to the mountains.  We all moved here with the same dream.  There are very few people that are actually born and raised in this area.  Here are a few of the reasons it is unlikely to get a job offer prior to moving to the Bow Valley:

  1. There are already people living here who need jobs.  They know what it takes to live here, have a place to live, and have local references.
  2. If you manage to get hired, the employer then has to wait until you get your life packed up and moved here.
  3. There is an affordable housing shortage here.  Even if you manage to get packed up in a prompt and timely manner, you will very well arrive and not have anywhere to live.  Which leads to another interesting question: Can you afford to live here?
  4. People dream about living here, and then get cold feet once they are hired.  This leaves the employer having wasted a great deal of time and effort interviewing, only to have the applicant not show up.  The icing on the cake is that people rarely take responsibility for this decision, so the employer doesn’t find out until you don’t show up on your 1st day of work.  They spend time worrying that something terrible has happened, then realize they have been duped and have to start the interview process all over again.

For these reasons, there are very few reputable employers that will hire an employee based solely on a telephone interview.  If you are applying for an upper level or specialized position, an employer may begin with a telephone interview and then pay your travel expenses to come for the in-person interview.  If you are applying for an entry-level position, you will have to pay your own travel costs.  The better jobs in town are usually not advertised on the national Job Board (www.jobbank.gc.ca).

If you are serious about making the Bow Valley your new home, you should consider moving first and applying later.  Or at the very least, using a local address on your application.  Remember to budget for at least 1 month of expenses.  Even if you find a job on the day you arrive, most employers will have a 2-4 week delay before you receive your first check.  If you are lucky enough to have found available housing quickly, you will need to pay the Damage Deposit and 1st month of rent.  All of these expenses will add up very quickly.

If you are committed to living in the Bow Valley, we would love to have you!  It truly is as beautiful here as you see in the pictures.

Moving Tips: Part #1

March 1st, 2010

So, you’ve decided to move!  Before you even start looking for your new place, here are some thoughts to get you on your way!

  • Purge. There is no time like the present to get rid of unused items.  The more clutter you can reduce, the less you need to move.  Plain and simple.  If you come across items that you haven’t touched since your last move, those definitely need to find a new home.  Weed out your clothing collection. Shred old documents that you no longer require.  If you are disposing of anything that is still useful (just not to you), consider posting it on FreeCycle.org, or donate it to the Victory Thrift Store (3 Industrial Place, Canmore).
  • Get Stocked Up. It’s amazing how many boxes it actually takes to move!  It’s good to get a selection of different sizes.  Small boxes should be used to pack heavy items (books, dishes), while larger boxes can be used to pack light, bulky items (clothes, shoes, linens).  Visit the liquor store to get wine boxes.  They have strong bases so you don’t have to worry about the bottom breaking open when packing heavy and precious items. Also get some good packing tape and a few markers for labelling boxes.  Ask local retailers if they have extra bubble wrap from incoming shipments. They’ll be happy if you will take it away.
  • Get Organized. On the outside of each box, write a number and the name of the room it will go in your new place (ie bathroom, guest bedroom, shed).  Get a spiral-bound notebook and make it your moving bible.  In your new notebook, write down the box number and the contents. This means you can start packing early, and if you need to find something either before or after you move you will know exactly in which box to look.
  • Start Packing. Seasonal and seldom used items should be the first to be packed.  Knick knacks should be next. Leave out a few books and movies for your last few weeks, but pack the rest up. Make yourself a travel toiletry to cover you for the last remaining days, and pack up al the other bathroom stuff.  By the last week before your big move, only the items that you need for exactly one week of living should be left to pack. If you packed one box each day in the month prior to your move, you can concentrate on moving (and not packing) in the last few days.
  • Use Your Luggage. Pull out every duffle bag and piece of luggage you own.  They are great for packing clothes — go figure!  You might even want to borrow some luggage, particularly if it comes on wheels.
  • Reserve a Rental Truck. As soon as you know the date of your move, reserve the truck.  Think about how many people need to move out on the last day of the month!  There certainly aren’t enough trucks to go around, and you don’t want to be the one left on the street corner next to your pile of well packed boxes.
Well that should be enought o get you started.  Stay tuned for Moving Tips Part #2.

Can you afford to live in the Bow Valley?

February 13th, 2010

If you are thinking about moving to the Bow Valley, it’s a fair question for us to ask.  Can you afford to live here, or are you going to move here and leave in the next few months when you realize that you can’t make ends meet?

Personally, we think living here offers great value.  Sure, housing costs more than you would expect, but you probably don’t need a car because you can walk everywhere, and most of our entertainment is provided for free (think hiking, climbing, and otherwise enjoying the mountain landscape) or at a very low cost (special thanks to all of the arts festivals). We also don’t pay PST in Alberta, and we have a lower tax rate than the rest of the country.  High cost of living?  It’s all in how you look at it.

But realistically, can you afford to live here? The published average rent rates in January 2010 were as follows:

Roommate/Shared Living Banff $594 Canmore $554

Studio/Bachelor Banff $918 Canmore $733

1 bedroom Banff $966 Canmore $958

2 bedroom Banff $1582 Canmore $1208

3 bedroom Banff $2065 Canmore $1540

These prices are all for unfurnished units, and utilities (gas, electricity, water) are usually added on top of this figure.  These prices are lower than they were one year ago (Banff-2%; Canmore -14%).

Budget gurus will tell you that housing costs (rent + utilities) should only make up 30% of your gross income.  So, renting 1 bedroom apartment in Canmore ($958+100 utilities) would require a job paying $3526/month. Assuming you work 40 hours per week, that job must pay $20/hour to reach this goal.  Have you seen any $20/hour jobs advertised here recently?  They are rare but do exist, and they usually aren’t advertised. If you aren’t living with a significant other or working for an employer that has private subsidized staff accommodation, chances are you will be living with a roommate.

The nature of our business means that we receive housing requests from people unfamiliar with the area.  The vast majority are “I’m looking for a 2 bedroom apartment.  Our budget is $800/month including utilities”. And our personal favourite: The same request as above, with the addition of “We need it to be fully furnished and/or allow pets and/or be located in downtown and/or 3 month lease only.” These types of requests offer great free entertainment for our staff, so keep them coming — we like to have a good laugh during our workday :)

Confirmed Reservation with Booking Deposit

February 11th, 2010

We knew this day would come, we just wish that it had come a little later. Rockies Rentals will no longer hold dates without a Booking Deposit. Just like airlines, hotels, and retail stores, we can no longer rely on ‘the word’ of a guest that the they “are definitely coming”.  After years of operation, we know that this really means “I’m just delaying while I wait for a better offer”. To be honest, we wouldn’t even mind if a guest told us they found a more suitable property.  We WANT guests to stay in an accommodation unit that meets all their needs.  Sometimes that’s one of our properties … sometimes that is someone else’s property.  We even go so far as referring guests to our competitors if we feel there is a more suitable property operated by someone else.  The problem is this:

Guest A requests to book a property.  We send a Booking Agreement to Guest A.  A few days goes by and we don’t hear from Guest A.  In the meantime, Guest B (and possible C, D, and E) all wish to book overlapping dates but we tell them we can’t accept their booking because Guest A asked first.  Guest A continues to insist that they still want the property, but “they are busy” and they’ll  ”do it first thing tomorrow morning”.  We believe Guest A, so we schedule the housekeeping staff.  At some point, we realize that Guest A is just playing with us.  We contact Guest B through E to let them know the dates are now available.  Not surprisingly, Guest B through E have now confirmed other accommodation.  We are now left with a Last Minute vacancy which is impossible to fill.  On top of that, we have to pay the Cleaning Service Cancellation Fee.

Last November, we had a guest hold one of our units for a 28-day stay.  A month later, we found out that it was another property owner in town who has an unlicensed unit.  You see, when all the licensed units are blocked, visitors feel they have no choice but to book an unlicensed unit and take their chances.  On February 15, we are supposed to have a guest check in for a $2100 reservation.  Up until 2 weeks ago, we had numerous emails confirming that they had physically mailed the check.  Today, they tell us they decided to go to BC instead and forgot to tell us.  Oops.

We tried to hold out as long as possible, but the lost revenue (which we track) just hit over $30,000.  We’re a small company, so this is a big deal.  We truly wish that people cared about their word, but it is impossible to tell which guests are sincere and which requests are coming from other owners.

We know that this policy will end up punishing the last remaining few visitors whose word is as good as a bond, and we are sorry. We sincerely wish we lived in a society where people put more value on integrity.