What is the proper way to thank a friend for use of vacation home?

Don’t break anything. Leave everything cleaner than when you found it. Don’t dig through their stuff needlessly. Leave the sheets clean. Leave the floors, and the bathrooms immaculate. Leave the windows clean. Don’t leave anything unlocked. Be a better shepherd with theirs then you ever would with yours.

If there was a restaurant in the area near the condo that I knew they like to dine; I’d get a gift certificate attached to a nice bottle of wine and give them. (That sentence is horrible. I hope you understand what I was trying to say.)

Already did all that Ltryptophan suggested, but now we are home and I feel like I need do something when we give her the keys back. @bkcunningham, there were multiple gift certificates laying around the condo, they are wealthy and don’t seem to use the gift certificates that were previously given. We insisted on paying her cleaning lady (120.00) to clean the place after we left but all that was needed was a run of the sweeper, we really left it that clean. Now what? Thank you so much for your responses!

Gift certificates are nice, so are flowers.

If I’m house-sitting and the owners are due to come home when I leave, I usually bake something for them. Sounds like the condo might be empty when you go, though.

@dappled_leaves, yes the condo will not be inhabited again until December.

Don’t make too big a deal about it. That’s what I would do. Just thank them sincerely when you see them, and make sure to host them in whatever fashion you can.

Lend them your yacht? Lol.

Just send them a nice and warmly written thank you card.

Just send a very nice card thanking them. Maybe a few photos tucked inside the card of the vacation.

A thank you note. Perhaps also a nice bottle of wine or a gift basket of food, depending on your budget and how well you can write a thank you note.

I would say that of all the ‘thank you’ gifts my family ever received for use of our properties the very best was – a hand written thank you with a pic of them enjoying themselves at the place. It sounds corny but knowing that somebody put the place to good use and enjoyed themselves was great.

Give her a sincere “thank you”. Sometimes, words are enough.

A gift certificate is a nice thing to give.

Another vote for a thank-you note. If there are children that went along that can write, get them in on it as well. We did this the first year we rented a new beach house, despite not knowing the owners. They were so touched, they wrote back.