Renter agreements are very important to make sure both parties to a rental understand the terms involved. Even if it's a friend or repeat guest, we recommend having signed agreements on-file. OwnerRez makes it easy to get electronically signed documents with our built-in e-sign support, so there's no reason not to! It's like that old saying -- good fences make good neighbors.
Renter agreements are included in the checkout process when you send the guest a quote from OwnerRez or they use a book now widget to do the booking process. You can also send a signing link at any time that lets the guest sign any agreement. Very useful if the booking came from a listing site, was created manually by you, or the terms of the agreement changed. You can also send links if you want all members of the party to sign.
We include a default renter agreement in your account. To create or update your own agreements, go to Settings > Legal Agreements. You can create as many agreements as you like. You can either start from the default agreement and customize it, or paste in the text of your agreement, or upload your existing MS Word format agreement. If your existing agreement is heavily formatted, it may be easier to paste in the text only (using Ctrl+Shift+V) and add formatting in the OwnerRez editor. You can customize the default renter agreement using the Insert Field button in the editor to include things like guest name, arrival and departure dates, etc.
We also include a default Request Renter Agreement for Channel Bookings via Channel Message and trigger for all new Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo API connections. Learn more by reading the Ask Channel Booking Guest Without Contact Info, to Provide Contact Info and Sign Renter Agreement for Airbnb and Booking.com bookings, and the Ask Channel Guest With Contact Info to Sign Renter Agreement support article for Vrbo bookings.
You can create a header/footer for agreements including your logo, contact info, etc. in the Settings > Theming section.
- Single Agreement
- Multiple Agreements
- Guest Form Views
- Capture additional fields on booking and agreement signing
- Updated Agreement
- Legal Implications
- Major Listing Channels and Rental Agreements
Single Agreement
One agreement will be used automatically on quote checkout, matched based on the property, listing site criteria, and priority options you select and set on the legal agreement. For this example, we'll use Airbnb. To make an agreement used only with Airbnb bookings, select that as the specific listing site:
You can preview the process the guest will see, compose an email including the signing link, or copy the link for sending to the guest directly.
When the signature link is used, the guest will be asked to enter/verify their contact info. This step will also include any booking custom fields you've flagged as optional or required at checkout, so the guest can enter those values even if coming from a listing site booking.
You can automate the entire process of collecting the guest's email address and getting the renter agreement signed by using a trigger to send an email template that includes the signing link. So you don't have to do the manual step outlined above.
Note: Upon opening an OwnerRez account, an email template and associated trigger are automatically set up on your behalf to ask for the guest to sign the default renter agreement if a booking comes in from any of these 4 channels (Airbnb, Booking.com, HomeToGo, and Vrbo). This can be modified as necessary. Upon connecting the Airbnb API, an Airbnb message template and associated trigger are automatically set up to send the same message to the guest via Airbnb messaging.
Once the agreement is signed, whether from quote checkout or a signing link, you'll get an email notification, the guest will get an email notification, and the agreement will be kept on file inside OwnerRez for the life of your account. Each booking shows a list of all agreements signed on the Legal tab.
Multiple Agreements
It is possible to create multiple different legal agreements for different purposes. You can configure each different agreement as to when it will be used - only for specific properties, say, or for certain channels.
There are situations where you might want to have multiple different agreements used for the same booking - for instance, your normal rental agreement for a property, and also another agreement for the Jet Ski you are renting them as an Add-On option. You can also use Tags and Tag Automations, to help facilitate sending an additional agreement to your guests.
- Create the separate different agreements, and configure them for which properties they should be used for.
- Using the Priority field, set the main rental agreement (the one that should always be signed) to have a high number in it - say, 100. Make sure the other agreements have low Priority numbers, or none at all. This will make sure that the main rental agreement is the one that is presented to guests to sign in the regular Booking process.
- When a guest has made a booking and signed the regular agreement, you can manually go into their Booking > Legal tab > Request e-Signature > select the correct agreement from the list. The email sent to them will include a link to the additional agreement.
- All signed agreements will be visible under the Legal tab of the Booking.
Adding Agreements to Email Templates
OwnerRez supports the ability to send an email to a guest using a link the guest can click, which will present them with the default Agreement applicable to their Booking. Here's an example of how that works.
It is also possible to create an email template which asks a guest to sign an Agreement other than the default Agreement that would normally be used for their booking. For instance, you might have a default Agreement that every guest must sign, and then a special Pet Agreement that is sent only to guests with pets. See the Booking Fields section of the Tag Automations support article to learn how to automatically send your pet agreement to your guest.
You can also send your pet agreement manually by navigating into their Booking, Legal tab, and using the Request dropdown button. You could select the pet agreement from the list, and the email sent to them will include a link that will take them to the other one.
But, you might want a specific different email template that talks about pets, and also includes the link to the pet agreement. This is possible by manually editing the link code used for the URL in the email template.
To insert a link to any other custom legal Agreement created, simply click on the Insert/Edit Link in the email template.
Select {BULEASE} in the Type drop-down list and the specific custom legal agreement from the Agreement drop-down list, in this example the Pet Agreement. Click Update.
The linked Pet Agreement is now added to the email template. Don't forget to Save or Save and Close!
Users can add as many links to agreements as they like.
When users click on the Preview link at the top of the page, the template Preview pop-up modal will appear. Users can click on Close to exit the Preview.
Guest Form Views
Notifying your guests about your cancellation policy is crucial for managing expectations, ensuring transparency, helping guests make informed decisions, and reducing the risk of misunderstandings or disputes regarding refunds or cancellation fees.
By displaying your Full Legal Cancellation Policy on both the Guest Quote Acceptance and Booking Confirmation Pages, OwnerRez hopes to increase your guest awareness regarding your cancellation policy.
On the quote acceptance page, the guest will be able to see your full legal cancellation policy clearly displayed right above the "Looks Good! Finish Booking" button.
And your full legal cancellation policy is displayed again at the bottom of the Booking Confirmation page.
Notice also that there is a line right below the cancellation policy explaining that refund percentages are relative to the total booking charges, not the amount paid so far. We added this because it is very common for guests to assume that the refund is on the amount paid, not the total charges.
Capture additional fields on booking and agreement signing
Users can also capture the names of all guests and government IDs by following the instructions on the capture additional fields on booking and agreement signing support article.
Updated Agreement
Have a booking that has changed? OwnerRez recommends that users always send a link for an updated Renter Agreement signed by the guest using the {BULEASE} link.
Legal Implications
Note: we are not lawyers! Always consult an attorney who practices in your jurisdiction with any specific legal concerns.
Generally speaking, the OwnerRez rental agreements are accepted as real contracts, because they include specific information as to the individuals involved (the owner and the guest), a specific period of time (the booking dates), a specific location (the property), consideration made (the rent paid), and specific obligations on both parties.
Our e-signing system is compliant with the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Signatures Act (ESIGN), and should be generally compatible with other equivalent legislation on other jurisdictions.
Major Listing Channels and Rental Agreements
For guests that found you and made a booking via a major listing channel such as Airbnb or Vrbo, they already have an agreement with that channel. But that doesn't mean your Rental Agreements aren't just as important - the guest's agreement is with the channel, not with you.
Also, their agreement is generally an online "check-the-box" sort of agreement that is legally weak. In contrast, a properly configured and e-signed OwnerRez agreement is a valid legal contract enforceable in court, between you and the guest, without the channel being involved at all.
So it's very important to have your channel guests sign your agreement! Unfortunately, it isn't possible to force them to sign it as part of the channel booking process - but, if you clearly state in your channel House Rules that they are required to sign your agreement, then the channels will enforce this by allowing you to cancel their booking without penalty if they break your rule by not signing.
If you are using the Vrbo API, there's an additional protection: OwnerRez automatically sends a sample copy of your Agreement to Vrbo, which is displayed to the guest as they book:
Note that this isn't the actual agreement - it doesn't include any specific information like the guest's name or dates - but it does give them a general idea of your rules, and is one more piece of supporting evidence if you get in a dispute with the guest.
In order to have your channel guests sign the agreement, you need to set up an automatic email/message template and trigger to send them a signing link.