Your Property Management Company (MC) will usually be another source of bookings, although not all management companies offer to provide rental bookings. Most do, because this is a lucrative source of profit to them. Some MCs do this on a small scale, while others, such as Villa Direct, Magical Memories, operate on a much larger scale, with a high profile on the internet and with tour operator contracts.

Most of what your management company charges you to look after your home is passed on in payments to the cleaners, the pool man, the lawn guy, and the pest control company. They end up with just a modest balance for a significant amount of work. But what if they put a two-week rental booking into your home in the summer? They take, say, $2000 for the booking, and pass $1400 of this on to you. Most of the $600 that remains in their pocket is pure profit.

You should never lose sight of the fact that this $600 'profit' the management company has made could have been yours if you had taken the booking yourself. Every booking that you take through a management company rather than by working directly with potential renters is going to cost you. Whether the difference is a just $50 or $300 a week, it is still a loss to you.

Even if you don't have the time or expertise to seriously hunt for rental bookings yourself, you should always be on the lookout for the occasional opportunity. By all means accept bookings from your management company for weeks that you have been unable to fill or don't expect to fill, but beat them to the gun whenever you can with direct bookings. That way you are covered by both options.

There are a few management companies that operate on a very restrictive basis. They effectively take over your home for their own bookings, and will not allow you to put in any bookings. Others will charge you an 'administrative fee' if you put a booking into the schedule yourself. There are even some that charge YOU for the privilege of spending your vacation in your own home. These options may work for you, but make sure at least that you are aware of them before you sign up.