FAQ Friendkeez
What sets Friendkeez apart from other rental platforms?
Friendkeez offers a special way to effortlessly rent out your secondary home to your trusted friends and relatives. You have full control over who is granted visibility of your property. Plus, recognizing you hold a closer bond with certain friends than others, you can tailor your rates across three distinct circles of connections (Family, Friends and Friends of Friends).
How does Friendkeez work?
Owners share their properties with selected individuals. Once a property is published on the platform, it appears in the My Keez tab for selected friends and relatives. You can choose your contacts directly from the Friends tab by inviting people from your phone's contact list to be either family or friend. Depending on the circle of friendship chosen, your different set rates will apply. Once published, selected friends and relatives have access to all property details and can make booking requests according to availability. Owners then receive a booking request for confirmation, and upon confirmation, an in-App chat is turned on for further communication. For owners: ensure all necessary property information is provided for your guests in your property description. And for guests: it's essential to read the house rules and amenities before your trip for better preparation and to ensure you respect the owner ‘wishes..
Then, just sit back, relax, and enjoy your trip!
Why aren't any properties appearing on the platform?
When you first sign up on the platform, it's possible that you won't immediately see any properties. Don't worry, this is normal! The key to gaining access is to expand your network of friends on Friendkeez. You can achieve this by either sharing your own property and inviting others or, if you don't have a property to share, simply by inviting friends to connect with you on Friendkeez. By connecting and sharing, you'll gain access to their properties. Additionally, through the Friends of Friends circle, you can even access properties by connecting with friends who don't share any properties themselves.
How can I add my property to Friendkeez?
To add a property on the Friendkeez platform, navigate to the My Places tab and click on the Become a Host button. Next, you'll be prompted to fill in some information to create an account with our partner, Stripe, for managing your revenues and payments. Once your account is set up, click on Add new Property and follow the steps to input information and upload pictures of your property, ensuring that your guests have a clear understanding of what you're offering.
How much does it cost to rent or share my property on Friendkeez?
Similar to some of our competitors, we apply a commission fee on bookings to support the platform's operations and services. It's an 11% commission for the owner and 11% mark-up for guests, everyone is charged the same amount. We do not apply any commission on cleaning fees set up by owners; but we must add a 5% mark-up to cover our transaction costs. Rest assured, there are no hidden fees involved - everything is clear and transparent.
Rules for Very Low Nightly Rates
For rates below 10 CHF/EUR, Friendkeez has implemented special pricing. To ensure the owner's revenue is not impacted as a thank you for offering such friendly rates, there will be no fees for the owner. Instead, the guest will cover a fixed markup of 2 CHF/EUR on the low rates displayed by the owner to cover our platform costs.
What are the friendship circle levels and how do I set them up?
When sharing your property, you can control who accesses it by inviting contacts as either Family or Friends. Family represents your primary circle, while Friends belong to your secondary circle. There's also a third circle called FoF (Friends of Friends). You can choose up to which level you open each property (logically, FoF are automatically designated as such when that's the case).
What happens if I need to cancel a booking?
If you cancel a booking before it's confirmed, you'll receive a full refund with no fees applied. However, once the booking is confirmed, cancellation fees will occur to cover our transaction costs. The cancellation fees are only applied to the person who cancels the confirmed booking: it's 11% for guests if they cancel and 7% for owners if they cancel (we must charge these only to cover Friendkeez's transaction costs).
Are there any rental regulations or taxes I need to be aware of?
The answer to this question is highly individual and influenced by numerous factors. There may be local regulations and taxes to consider when renting your property. It's essential to research and understand any legal requirements and consult with local authorities or a tax professional to ensure tax compliance.
How can I communicate with the property owner?
After a booking is confirmed by the owner, an In-App chat is activated between the Guest and the Owner to facilitate communication. This feature can be helpful for exchanging keys or sharing trip-related information.
How do I check in to the property on the day of arrival?
Since many of our owners do not operate on public platforms, they may not have a key safe or electronic door lock installed yet. We recommend finding the most suitable solution through our In-App Chat feature. Given that friends and relatives often reside nearby, exchanging keys before the trip shouldn't pose a problem. Additionally, some owners may opt to leave keys with a trusted neighbour who lives close to the booked property.
If you're interested in installing an electronic door lock or key safe, feel free to reach out to us for advice at [email protected].
Are utilities included in the rental price?
You can utilize all common utilities unless stated otherwise in the House Rules. Remember, you're staying at a friend's place at a friendly rate, so treat it as you would your own. If you have any questions about what's available or how to use something, just give the owner a quick call or ask in the In-App Chat.
What should I do if I encounter any issues during my stay?
If you encounter any issues during your stay, the quickest solution may be to contact the owner directly through the In-App chat or by phone for urgent matters. They'll be eager to assist you promptly. While we hope this situation doesn't arise, if your issue involves another tenant or you need to discuss it with us, please email us at [email protected] with a clear explanation of the problem.
Is there insurance coverage in case of incidents?
Typically, anyone renting or owning a property should have personal liability insurance, which may already cover most of you. Friendkeez doesn't provide insurance yet but we are working on providing additional insurance options, understanding that some of our users may find this reassuring.
Who is responsible for managing cleaning services?
The responsibility for managing cleaning services lies with the property owner, as many already have systems in place. Here are two options for managing cleaning:
- Include a Cleaning Fee: Owners can include a cleaning fee in the rental rate to cover expenses. Our platform provides a specific area where owners can set a flat rate to cover cleaning costs. Rates can also be adapted according to your three circles of connections.
- Guest Responsibility: Alternatively, owners can specify in the House Rules that guests are responsible for leaving the property clean upon departure. Clear expectations and guidance on cleaning tools should be provided. With considerate guests, self-cleaning can be effective.
It's advisable to provide at least one extra set of bed sheets per bed for quick changeovers if needed. Owners may also suggest that guests bring their own sheets, which can be specified in the amenities section of the property details.
Why is it important to keep my agenda up to date? (For Owners)
Those with whom you share your properties will view availability through the agenda you maintain. Confirmed bookings appear automatically, but your personal trips won't be displayed unless you update the agenda accordingly. If you forget to update it and receive a booking request for a period you've planned to occupy, you can still decline the request. Keeping your agenda up to date is recommended to avoid disappointing your friends.
When can I expect to receive my rental revenue?
Your rental revenue will be accumulated in a private account created for you in collaboration with our financial partner Stripe. You can monitor the status of your revenue in the settings menu. Withdrawals are easily initiated by selecting Pay Out. You need to have a minimum of 10 CHF (10 EUR) to initiate a transfer to your personal account. Please note that a small fixed fee is associated with transferring your earnings from the platform account to your bank account. We recommend initiating withdrawals only when necessary, for example, when a substantial amount has accumulated.
What payment methods are accepted?
Currently, we accept commonly used credit cards (Mastercard, Visa) and PayPal. Over time, we may introduce additional payment methods.
How do I contact customer support for assistance?
Just send us an email at [email protected], and we'll respond within 24 hours. For urgent matters, please include urgent in the subject line, and we'll prioritize your request for a quicker response.