A warm welcome

• Meet and greet. Many guests appreciate having someone meeting them in person upon their arrival to show them the ropes of the property and give them the keys. If you don't live nearby then ask a trustworthy, local contact, or many property management companies offer this service. But don't linger too long - guests may be tired after a long journey, or just be eager to explore the property on their own.

If you don't opt for a meet and greet service, make sure you have a fool-proof way of getting keys to your guests and leave a guide to the property on site.

• Pack the basics. Leave a welcome basket with basic items to get your guests started. Tea bags, coffee, sugar, some biscuits and milk will all be appreciated. Little extras such as some flowers, a bottle of local wine or some chocolates are also a nice touch.

Think about tailoring the contents of a welcome basket - are there any local specialties such as cheese, wine or cakes? Are your guests travelling with children? Small party style goody bags could go down a storm. If you have a log fire or wood burning stove, leave a supply of logs to get things started and, if necessary, tell guests where they can get more.

• Bare essentials. Your guests won't want to interrupt their holiday to buy basic goods such as toilet roll, soap and washing up liquid. Make sure you supply these and the other items on our essential equipment checklist.

• Fill the cupboards. Save your guests a trip to the supermarket and offer to stock up for the week at an additional charge. In an age of online shopping, you won't have to carry lots of heavy bags.

Make sure any additional charges are clearly detailed in your advert and booking contract.

• Sleep easy. Be sure to provide bedlinen and enough hand and bath towels. It's OK to ask guests to bring their own beach towels.

• Local knowledge. Leave plenty of information on things to do in the local area - don't forget some indoor activities for rainy days. Visit your local tourist information centre and collect plenty of leaflets and leave them in a basket in the living room, or use our template for a local attractions form.

Encourage guests to add to the collection of leaflets and comment on things they enjoyed in your guestbook. This will be useful for future holidaymakers.

• Do your filing. As well as details of local attractions, leave a ring binder full of important information about the property, house rules and a list of useful amenities and emergency contacts. Check out all our welcome pack templates.

• No kidding. If your guests are travelling with children, lighten their load and offer to hire pushchairs, highchairs, etc. for them. Detail any additional costs in your booking contract. Have a look at more tips on turning your property into a child-friendly holiday home.