Be Wary of Renting a Cheap Villa in Jamaica

1. Some of the cheap villas in Jamaica are likely older homes with small room sizes and lower overall square footage. They also are less likely to have many amenities beyond a pool. Typically, they have not been upgraded in a while so you are likely dealing with older kitchens and bathrooms.
2. Renting the villa might be more of a hobby as opposed to a business. The property is likely available for rent when it is not being used by the owner’s family. With the introduction of Airbnb, this is a great way for many people to try to make some money from the tourism industry. These properties are almost always flying under the radar of government agencies.
3.  The level of support that is available to you will most likely be limited.

Typically, cheap villas in Jamaica have fewer staff, usually a cook/housekeeper and a groundsman, at most. That may be fine for a 2 bedroom property but woefully inadequate for larger ones.

4.  Cheap villas in Jamaica are less likely to be properly licensed and certified by the Jamaica Tourist Board.

There are a host of certifications that are required to have a licensed villa for rent in Jamaica. These certifications cost a lot of time, money, and effort both to obtain and maintain.

All staff who handle food should have valid food handler’s permits.  Does the property have the required health certificate? What about the pool, fire, and safety certificates? Are these certificates up to date? What about public liability insurance? Is the property licensed by the Jamaica Tourist Board? Is that licensure actively maintained?

If even some of the high-end, high occupancy, and high priced villas are operating under the radar, what do you think will be the case among the cheap villas in Jamaica?

5. Consider the likelihood that owners of cheap villas in Jamaica will have adequate funds for reinvestment in the property.

Luxury comes at a cost, a very high one since most items have to be imported onto the island. Don’t expect these properties to have hotel grade mattresses, high-quality bed linens, and towels.

Will they have adequate dinnerware or are they using the same ones from when the villa opened 10 years ago? Will they provide beach towels or will you have to lug your own taking up valuable luggage space?

Do they spend the money to be constantly fighting the almost impossible task of fixing and repainting rust that develops simply from being near the sea or will you be looking at signs of disrepair at every turn? Maintenance costs on homes anywhere near the sea are like the “800lb gorilla in the room” no one talks about.

6. What do these cheap villas do to keep costs low?

Do they run the pool filter for less than the recommended amount of time? Do they add the right amount of chemicals to keep the pool clean, germ-free, and clear? 

Do they have air-conditioning? Is the hot water heater only on at certain hours of the day while you are there? Do they have a backup power generator?

7. What steps have they taken to ensure your safety?

Do they have a COVID-19 plan in place with adequately trained staff?

Does the pool have an entry or exit rail as required by code? Is the property safe for children? Do they have electronic gates to secure the property? Do they have an adequate number of properly serviced fire extinguishers? Are the fire extinguishers the appropriate type for the setting?

Is it that Jamaica is so dangerous that you have to have security? No, but there is tremendous value in peace of mind, especially since Jamaica still struggles with the perception of not being safe.

8. What level of service will you be receiving?

Will you have staff only from 9am to 5pm or will you have more expanded hours? Or, does someone simply meet you at the door and hand you a set of keys? Will you be able to have your meal times whenever you want? Will the staff have a clue of how to help you book an attraction or will they just hand you a phone book?

How much work do you want to do on your vacation? Having staff support is key to a relaxing Jamaica villa vacation. You only have to have the villa experience once to know that.

9. What are you getting with the villa rental?

Have the rates been stripped down to bare bones only to have add-ons for things you didn’t expect? How much extra will your airport transfers be? Will they do your laundry or is that at an additional cost? Will they change your linens at all during your stay?

10. How do they support their staff?

How can they pay their staff or keep their staff if they do not take in enough rental income to support the business? This might not be your problem but think about how this cycle of cheap villas contributes to the cycle of poverty in Jamaica. Paying fair prices for your villa rental makes it more likely that the villa staff will be able to keep their jobs when there are no guests in house.