What's New in Vacation Rental Tracker Plus

Version 1.4.4.3 has the following changes:

* In Reservation Tracker you can now post a Refund to the Payments field.

* When adding Payments or Deposits to Reservation Tracker, an Other Income Tracker record can be automatically created. Other Income Tracker's Auto Import no longer creates duplicate records for these payments.

* Status indicators are now color coded in Availability Checker when not in Condensed mode.

* When you click the Unit Chooser button in Reservation Tracker, the program checks to see if there is already a unit in the Charges field. If there is, then the Change button at the top of the window is selected, If you want to Add a new unit instead, you need to click the Add button before selecting another unit. You can add up to three units per reservation. All units must be for the same rental period. A minor problem with the Change option on the Unit Chooser screen is fixed.

* Several other minor modifications and improvements.

This update is recommended for all users.

Version 1.4.4.2 had the following changes:

* Negative numbers, such as Security Deposits Returned are now posted correctly to both the Charges and Payments fields.

* Return Address feature in Envelope section of Form Letter window fixed.

* When an Agent's Commission is added to Expense Tracker, a default Account can now be established.

A new preference has been added to the Formats section of Prefs that allows you to choose to Add leading zeros to numbers in reports and invoices. This lines up the decimals in the numbers for easier reading.

* Several other minor modifications and improvements.

This update is recommended for all users.

Version 1.4.4.1 had the following changes:

* In Reservation Tracker, when you change the Status for a guest (or click Add to Contact Tracker) that does not already have a Contact Tracker record, a confusing dialog has been eliminated and a new record is automatically created.

* A Credit Charge now correctly appears as a negative number and gets subtracted from the Total Charges.

* You can now reset the Account that Reservation Payments are posted to in Other Income Tracker by clicking the label above the Payments field.

Depositsection, a bug was fixed when adding a deposit,

* Problem with check number getting added to Other Income Tracker for Reservation payments fixed.

Invoicewindow in Invoice tracker and A&E Tracker.

* Problem with Monthly Calendar not updating properly fixed.

This update is recommended for all users.

Version 1.4.4 had the following changes:

* Fixed a problem with List charge for each night separately feature in Reservation Tracker's Rates window.

* In the Owner Details there is now a Management Fee field where you can store a particular manager's fee or commission. This number will then get automatically transferred to the Property Management Invoice screen when you select that owner.

* In Agent Details you can now assign one or more units to an Agent. When you pick one of their units, the Agent is automatically added to the reservation record.

* Reservation Tracker now remembers both the Payments account and the Deposits account when adding records to Other Income Tracker.

* New Unit Info Form.pdf and Housekeeper Info Form.pdf can be printed and handed out to new Owners and Housekeepers.

* If you have the International Version option enabled in the Prefs window, a new Tax Report appears in the PM Invoice window of Expense Reports. The user can enter a GST or VAT Rate and generate a Report on tax due in Europe, New Zealand or Australia. This feature was implemented several years ago and the forms my now be out of date. Email us if you have any comments about this "new" feature.

* In Reservation Tracker if there is a unit already assigned, the Change button is selected when Unit Chooser opens, otherwise Add is selected.

* Improvements in most reports, especially the Tax Form Report.

* Numbers in most reports are now aligned for easier reading

* In Schedule Tracker when you select a repeating option you are now prompted for an End Repeat date instead of a random date being chosen.

* Improvements with the Color Preferences and updating of the colors in windows of each component.

* Default Colors are back to Light Blue buttons. Of course they can be changed to the default button style for your operating system by deselecting Button Colors in the Colors section of the Prefs screen, or changed to any other color. Macintosh users may like the not rounded no color look which produces a silver rectangular buttton.

* Printing routines have been updated almost everywhere.

* Attempted to fix hiding windows problems.

* Improved program stability by not allowing blank or incomplete records to exist in most components.

* Improved Help in most components.

* When re-launching program only main component windows are now re-opened (unless New Windows are not enabled in Prefs, then none are reopened).

* Improved Sample Data importing, especially for non-US currency or time formats.

* File write error when quitting fixed.

* Keyboard Shortcuts improved in all components.

* Many minor modifications and improvements.

This update is recommended for all users.

Registered users who have not upgraded their registration numbers to v1.4.x need to click here to pay the upgrade fee

Version 1.4.3 has the following changes:

* Problems in Reservation Tracker report fixed.

* Problem with Repeating dates in Schedule Tracker fixed.

* New feature in Monthly Calendar allows you to select a starting week.

* New clear rectangular buttons (only in Mac OSX) look pretty cool.

* Several other minor improvements.

Anyone who upgraded to v1.4.x should upgrade to this new version.

Registered users who have not already upgraded their registration numbers need to click here to pay the upgrade fee

Version 1.4.2 had the following changes:

* All pages of the Schedule Checker can now be printed at once.

* Printing Schedule Checker pages has grid lines again.

* Fixed a couple of bugs in Availability Checker.

* Arrival and Departure times have been added to the Confirmations.

* A new windows installer is now used, rather than the zip file installation used by the previous version.

Anyone who upgraded to v1.4.1 can probably skip this version.
Anyone using Mac OS10.4 should upgrade to this new version.
Anyone using Vista should upgrade to this new version.
Windows XP users who want the improved reports, etc. will probably want to upgrade to the new version.

Version 1.4.1 had the following changes:

* More stable application.

* Rounded buttons is now the default.

* Deposit Report in Reservation Tracker's Other Reports section, displays all outstanding Security Deposits.

* Quick Quote feature in Reservation Tracker allows you to create a temporary reservation with no Guest Name. Just fill in the Arrival and Departure dates and then click Unit Chooser. After selecting an available Unit and a rental Rate, an accurate quote will be presented in the Charges field.

* A Sort by Stock # in Inventory Tracker bug is fixed. This only effected Stock Numbers that contains letters rather than only numbers.

* Double-clicking an event in the Monthly calendar with the Ctrl or Apple key held down opens the Schedule Tracker record.

* Now the Rental Income Tracker records can be sorted by Batch #.

* A new Vacation Rental Form.pdf file can be printed and used when you are away from your computer to capture reservation information.

* Several other minor improvements.

Anyone who upgraded to v1.4.0 should upgrade to this new version.
Anyone using Mac OS10.4 should upgrade to this new version.
Anyone using Vista should upgrade to this new version.
Windows XP users who want the improved reports, etc. will probably want to upgrade to the new version.

Version 1.4.0 had the following changes:

* The Property Management Invoice now has header like other invoices.

* Contact Tracker records are now automatically created for each new guest, so sending promotional materials to past guests is even easier.

* Default colors are now subdued in all components. Full color control is still available in the Preferences window.

* Windows now open in a new window by default

* All Reports are now presented as tables.

* All reports have date range selectors

* Improved report and invoice printing

* Backups are now automatic by default and do not copy over older bak files.

* Better compatibility with both Windows Vista and Mac OS 10.4.x

* Many other minor improvements.

Anyone using Mac OS10.4 should upgrade to this new version.
Most people using Vista should upgrade to this new version.
Windows XP users who want the improved reports, etc. will probably want to upgrade to the new version.

If you are happy with the version you have, and do not feel inclined to upgrade at this time, you should wait, at least until the next version, to upgrade.

Registered users need to click here to pay the upgrade fee

Version 1.3.4.2 had the following changes:

* A minor bug was fixed in Expense Tracker's Property Management Invoice report.

Version 1.3.4.1 had the following changes:

* You can now choose which of the four Options (there are three Policies and a Footer) to add to a Confirmation (as opposed to a Statement or a Receipt) in Reservation Tracker.

* Fixed minor problem in the Property Management Invoice report.

* Fixed minor problem in Reservation Tracker's Tax Report.

* Fixed problem changing dates in Reservation Tracker.

* Fixed problem with changing unit names in Vacation Unit Tracker.

* Fixed problem with unavailable dates (repairs, etc) not showing up on the Availability table.

* Fixed a few minor problems with new Status menu features in Reservation Tracker.

* Translate button now appears in Reservation Confirmation window.

* A few other minor improvements.

Version 1.3.4 had the following changes:

* The new reservation status of Waiting will automatically be assigned to new reservations that conflict with a Tentative or Reserved reservation. The status of Waiting or Tentative should be applied to any reservation you do not have a deposit for.Ê

* If a reservation with the status of Tentative is changed to Canceled, you will be presented with a list of any Waiting reservations that conflict with that reservation. You can then promote one of these to the status of Tentative.

* If a reservation with the status of Tentative is changed to Reserved then you will be presented with a list of any Waiting reservations that conflict with that reservation. You can then contact these guests and make other arrangements.

* Waiting reservations will appear on the Availability screen except in Condense mode. You can manage these conflicting reservations as availability changes.

* Whenever you post a Payment to Reservation Tracker, you will be asked if you want to add a record to Other Income Tracker.

* Whenever you return a Security Deposit in Reservation Tracker, you will be asked if you want to add a record to Expense Tracker.

* There are now Add to PM Invoice buttons in both Rental Expense Tracker and Other Income Tracker. These will be used to separate income and expenses that you want on the Property Management Invoice.

* Changing unit names in Unit Tracker now checks for multiple units in reservations.

* Units are now sorted Alphabetically in the Availability checker.

* A new button has been added to Contact Tracker's Prepare Envelope window for converting the name and address to label format.

* Many other minor improvements.

Version 1.3.3.3 had the following changes:

* New Multiple Rates feature allows you to specify different rates for different dates.

* The Availability chart can now be saved in a new html format with 12 monthly calendars. You must first select a single unit and then click the Save button.

* In the Housekeeping window, you can now remove a housekeeping event you added (by using the Add Date to Schedule button), by clicking the line and then clicking Remove Date from Schedule.

* Unit field added to Reservation Tracker's Export file

* Update button in Reservation Tracker now updates reservations with a Status of Reserved or Owner Occup to Checked Out.

* The weekly starting dates in the Availability chart can now be easily changed to Fri, Sat, Sun or Mon.

* Last slider in Reservation report now shows when Agents option is selected.

* In Reservation Tracker's Tax Report you now have the option to choose either the Arrival or Departure dates for tax reporting.

* Bug fixed in Unit Chooser when Other Amenities is not selected.

* Property Management Fees, Service Fees, Agency Fees and Credit Card Fees may now include a fraction of a percent (ie 2.5% = .025) in Expense Tracker's Property Management Invoice report.

* Property Management Fees may be charged for All Charges (except deposits) or Only Rent.

*There is now a Allow Duplicate Check #s option in Expense Tracker's Accounts dialog.

* A few other very minor changes especially for Mac OS 10 users.

Version 1.3.3.2 had the following changes:

* The 1st Due Date feature in Reservation Tracker is now independent of the Security Deposit feature. Set any amount for this first payment. The Deposit Due date can be before or after this date. The Prepay Charges option will set the due date for all Charges to the Security Deposit Date Due. This amount can easily be edited in the Confirmation window.

* When adding a Management Fee to the Property Management Invoice the Total Due is now correct.

* The preference for Use these colors in all windows now works correctly.

* A few other very minor changes

Version 1.3.3.1 has the following changes:

When adding Other Charges with a set amount to a reservation, you are now asked how many to add, eliminating the need for a calculator.

Mac users can now import Vcards from their Address Book into Contact Tracker.

A few problems have been fixed in the Property Management Invoice and the Tax Form Report in Expense Tracker.

Auto Import now adds all reservation taxes paid to the Tax Collected field in Other Income Tracker.

The Area Code list has been updated in Contact Tracker.

Many other minor improvements

Version 1.3.3 had the following changes:

Additional tax fields in the Tax Rates window and in the Tax Info section of the Vacation Unit Tracker records.

When changing a Unit's name in Vacation Unit Tracker, the reservation records are now updated with the new name.

When changing a Reservation #, the History field on the Vacation Unit Tracker record is now updated with the new number.

Contacts can now be exported through Contact Chooser (Mailing List feature) in a more label friendly format.

Now the Income Report (in Reservation Tracker's Other Report group) works for either Charges or Payments. Charges can be sorted by Charge type and Payments can be sorted by Payment type, so you can get a total of all checks or credit card payments for any period of time.

Added an option to remove Tentative Reservations in a Reservation Report (click Sort Options to reveal it).

Dates are now correct when exporting data from the Schedule table.

Amounts Due are no longer reported in the Property Management Invoice when the Do Not Report Payments option is selected.

In Windows when leaving an incomplete registration tracker record the choice Fix Later has been removed.

Many other minor improvements

(All registered users should update to this new version. However, if you are perfectly happy with the version you have, and do not particularly care about the new improvements, then please do not update. There is no charge for this update for registered users.)

Back to Vacation Rental Tracker main page.

Version 1.3.1 had the following changes:

Added an Update button in Reservation Tracker to check for records whose status needs to be changed to Checked In or Checked Out.

New Owner Occup. Status in Reservation Tracker keeps these reservations from increasing occupancy rates.

New Property Management Invoice options include:

• Statement vs Invoice
• Include Guest names
• Exclude Security Deposits
• Exclude Taxes and Other Charges
• Exclude Expenses
• Include Rent based on Arrival Dates, Departure Dates or only for Specified Period
• Include Payments based on Payment Dates or Arrivals or Do not report payments

Improvements to other Expense Reports.

Remove Page # option in Statement printing window.

Availability table now sorts units properly.

Housekeeping table now sorts units properly.

Tax Collected fields added to Other Income Tracker.

Many other minor improvements

Version 1.3.1 had the following changes:

Various improvements to the Housekeeping table including the addition of Arrival Time and Depart Time options to the Add or Remove Columns section.

Fixed problem creating an html version of the Availability table.

Improved exporting of confirmations and receipts to email format.

Fixed Other Charges problem that created a new Unit Tracker record.

The amount of Security Deposits returned are now added to Charges field, so that the balance due is zero.

Many other minor improvements

Version 1.3.0 had the following changes:

A new Prepay Charges button, in the Deposit section of Reservation Tracker, allows you to specify that all charges are due on the Deposit Due date.

Also in the Deposit section of Reservation Tracker, there is a new 1st Due Date field, which can be used to split deposits into two payments.

When the current date is after the Arrival or Departure date, you are now prompted to change the Status for the Reservation record to Checked In or Checked Out.

A new departure Time field has been added to Reservation Tracker and some fields have been moved to new positions.

When a reservation is being created and you need to leave the record for some reason (ie, to check availability) a small window will open to help you easily return to the Reservation record that is In Progress.

The Guest's phone number(s) are now added to Confirmations, Statements and Receipts.

The Payment Due Report (in Reservation Tracker's Other Reports section) can now be sorted by Amount Due, Departure Date or Arrival Date.

There is now a Tax Report in Reservation Tracker's Other Reports section that totals rental income and taxes for each unit.

You can now specify which days (Thurs, Fri, Sat or Sun) are Weekend days, for rates of type WD/WE, in the Rental Rates window in Vacation Unit Tracker.

Also in Vacation Unit Tracker, you can now use the new Export History button to save the History field as a text file, in order to send it to an owner.

The Reservation Status has been added to the Housekeeping table and Schedule Checker.

Also in the Schedule Checker, you can now choose between showing the Arrival or Departure Time or the Balance Due.

Housekeeping dates can now be added to the schedule for units with no reservations.

If the Prepay Charges option in the Deposit section of Reservation Tracker is checked, then the third option for Schedule Checker will be All Balances Due instead of Security Deposits. When All Balances Due is selected the From date is ignored and all reservations with a balance due are reported.

The Checkbook Register has been changed to an Account Register. The Add Deposit section of the Checkbook Register has been removed and is replaced by Other Income Tracker. Now Other Income Tracker's main purpose is to keep track of deposits and payments to all Accounts. All Other Income Records are added to the Account Register as Deposits.

Rental Expense Tracker now has a Cleared button (marked Cl) next to the Check # field in order to facilitate checkbook reconciliation.

When there are multiple units on a reservation, payments can now be applied to a particular unit.

In the Property Management Invoice if the guest uses a credit card or travel agent the owner can now be charged a fee.

Minor problems with Expense Tracker's Reports (including the Property Management Invoice) have been fixed.

Many other minor improvements

Version 1.2.8 had the following changes including:

In the Housekeeping module you can now show arrivals or departures or in room or any combination.

Both the Availability Checker and the Schedule Checker can now be limited to a particular Unit.

A new button in the Owners database adds the owner to Contact Tracker.

In Unit Tracker you can change the labels for the four main amenities that also appear in the Unit Chooser.

Unit Reports can be limited to a particular owner.

Other Income Tracker now has an Auto Import Income button which adds a record for each reservation.

Credits can now be added to the Payment field in Reservation Tracker.

Minor problem with Expense Tracker's Tax Form report fixed.

A few other minor improvements

Version 1.2.7 had a few changes including:

The Add to Contact Tracker button in Reservation Tracker now adds the Credit Card number to the Contact record. Similarly the Choose contact button, above the Last Name field, retrieves the credit card number along with the other Contact information.

The History field in Unit Tracker now records the total Payments along with the total Charges.

If the number of days in a reservation is decreased, a dialog now asks if you want to also decrease the rental amount or not.

A few minor improvements

Version 1.2.6 had a few significant changes including:

Unit Tracker has two new fields and a slightly improved interface. The History field has been made bigger and now has its own tab. The Amenities field is also larger and has its own tab. The Notes tab now also includes a "First possible occupancy date" field which you can use to get more accurate occupancy Rates. There is also a "Note to add to Confirmations" field which you can use to add directions to the unit or other unit specific information to your confirmations.

In Contact Tracker you can now Export a Contact Mailing List to other programs like Excel so you can create form letters or mailing labels in Word.

Better support for large databases. Progress indicators let you know about how long it will take to import or export a large database.

Many minor improvements

Version 1.2.5.1 had a few minor changes including:

Reservations with no charges (complimentary or owner occupied) are now imported properly.

An additional safeguard against losing reservation information has been added.

Version 1.2.5 had many major changes including:

Version 1.2.4.1 and 1.2.4.2 only have a few minor changes including:

Reservations are now Tentative by default.

Making inadvertent changes to reservation dates is much less likely.

A few minor bugs fixed.

Version 1.2.4 had a few new features including:

Add up to three different tax types and rates to either Unit rentals or Other Charges.

Add any number of charge types to Reservation Tracker. They can have fixed amounts or not, and can have any tax added automatically.

Improved Reservation Reports, Expense Reports and Property Management Invoices.

Automatically import reservation payments into Other Income Tracker.

Add any date and time to the Housekeeping schedule.

Many minor improvements.

Version 1.2.3 had a few new features including:

The split invoices or receipts into separate bills feature now lets you split individual line items.

You can now email Confirmations, Statements or Receipts from Reservation Tracker.

The Property Management Invoice no longer reports taxes as income.

Expense Tracker records can now contain only Travel Deduction information.

Province and Country fields have been added to Contact Tracker.

Create form letters and send them to any or all Contacts with the new Mailing List feature.

Subdued color option for people who don't like the bright colors of the different components.

International date format (dd/mm/yy) problems have been fixed.

The International version is now a preference, rather than a separate version of the software.

Unit photos are no longer limited to a specific size. They now get resized by Unit Tracker.

Now, the Availability Checker and Schedule Checker can both be printed.

New Time Chooser interface.

A few other minor improvements

Version 1.2.2 had a few new features including:

Receipts, Statements, Confirmations, Invoices and Reports can be translated into any language.

A few minor improvements.

Version 1.2.1 had a few new features including:

Add Policies and other information to Confirmations, Statements and Receipts

Security Deposits are now added to the Charges field and reported on Confirmations, Statements and Receipts

A few minor improvements.

Version 1.2 had a few new features including:

Export Reservation Availability to a web page.

Import Reservation information from an email sent from a web page's form.

Automatic backup of all your records when you quit the program.

Many minor improvements.