How not to miss out on holiday rentals for the New Year

The Moscow region is our new Europe, joke Muscovites planning a holiday during the New Year holidays within the Moscow region. Needless to say, the capital region is rich in various attractions, and the tourism industry has made a significant leap forward in recent years. Comfortable hotels and holiday homes have appeared to suit every taste and budget. The only problem is that there aren’t enough of them for everyone who wants them. Most of them were fully booked in the fall. So for those who are late, there is only one option left – to rent a dacha in the Moscow region for all the New Year holidays. True, here, too, there are “pitfalls” that knowledgeable people warn about.

Unfortunately, good budget options for summer cottage rentals have also been occupied for a long time, so what remains vacant are either very expensive mansions that a large group of friends can afford, or completely illiquid options. Therefore, if you suddenly come across an option where they offer completely normal, comfortable relaxation conditions for an adequate price, it means that the owners are deliberately suppressing negative information about their dacha. Either the lights are turned off there all the time, or there is a problem with the heating, or crazy neighbors argue about any reason, experts say, you need to be very careful when concluding an agreement, otherwise you will lose money and spoil your holiday.

“Every year we rent a winter dacha in the Moscow region for New Year,” says Nikolai Petrovich, a resident of the capital, “renting at this time was not cheap before, but this year the price tag has simply skyrocketed. But we have nowhere to go: two dogs, two cats – they won’t be allowed into any rest home with them. We decided to rent a dacha further away from Moscow, in the hope that it would be cheaper there. Only we didn’t take into account that for this money the living conditions there would be Spartan. You read an advertisement where it is written in black and white: a cottage for rent with all amenities, and when you arrive at the place, there is a hut on chicken legs with amenities in the yard. You ask the owner why you are misleading, because it takes 3 hours to get to you from Moscow, but he sincerely does not understand why you are not happy. There is a toilet in the yard, and there is also a shower in the bathhouse. And the fact that you have to run across the entire area to get to them is, by their village standards, normal. Therefore, my advice to tenants is that before you set off on a journey far away, ask them to send you detailed photographs of the dacha you are going to rent on your phone, so that you can see that the house has a toilet, a bathroom, a gas stove, a heating boiler and all other infrastructure “

Independent realtor Maxim Ozerov agrees that there are no good options for dacha rentals in the near Moscow region, so he also advises paying attention to the regions bordering the Moscow region, where the price tag for dacha rentals during the New Year holidays is an order of magnitude lower than near the capital. In addition, in his opinion, in the Kaluga, Tver and Vladimir regions there are quite a lot of comfortable cottage villages, where living conditions are no worse than those near Moscow. But it is, of course, necessary to exercise reasonable caution and curiosity when talking with the landlord.

“If you are going to rent a dacha yourself, without the participation of a realtor, then first of all check the title documents for the house and land. According to the new rules that came into force this year, now unauthorized persons cannot obtain an extract for a property in the Unified State Register of Real Estate, so the tenant will have to be extra vigilant in order not to become a victim of scammers. Pay attention to the date of issue of the documents; if they were issued more than six months ago, then during this time the owner could have changed; it is also important how many owners are indicated there. Otherwise, a situation may arise that you enter into an agreement with one of them, and then the second one will come and throw you out the door. I would also advise you to find out from the owner of the dacha whether it is easy to access in winter, is the road cleaned, how far is the public transport stop, what attractions and shops are located nearby?” the expert advises.

What else should you pay attention to when concluding a rental agreement for a summer house? First of all, on the clause on fines for the improper appearance of the property, which you will return to the owner or agent after the holidays. Some owners try to make the amount of the penalty higher than the amount of the rental itself – this is unacceptable. Firstly, the words “improper appearance” can mean anything – from a broken TV to dirty dishes in the kitchen. Secondly, there have been cases when owners took a deposit in case of property damage, and then, under various pretexts, refused to return it. It is better to discuss all these sensitive issues in advance, before the contract is signed and the money is paid.

By the way, dacha owners should also be careful when concluding a lease agreement, otherwise, by the time it ends, not only the tenants, but also the entire furnishings of the house may not be found. According to the expert, there were cases when gullible owners allowed professional thieves into their hacienda, and they took everything out of there during the holidays, even a broom and dustpan.

“The deposit that is usually taken from tenants can only cover partial damage, for example, if they accidentally damage household appliances or furniture through negligence. But if there is a fire at the dacha, and this, unfortunately, often happens when a large company of, to put it mildly, drunk people gathers, then only insurance can compensate for the damage. So my main advice to property owners: it is better not to rent it out to anyone without insurance. Well, before you give the keys to your house to strangers, at least make sure that their documents are authentic.”