Preparing your property
You are now the proud owner of a holiday home. It is yours to enjoy, and a little way down the line hopefully there will be paying guests enjoying it too. Once the euphoria of ownership has subsided a little, you’ll need to think about the way forward if you are planning to make a bit of money from your new purchase. Read on for advice on initial steps for home owners getting ready to rent out.
We would recommend that you spend at least two weeks at your new pad as soon as you can. This will help you appreciate your new holiday home, find out some more about the property and the location, and sensibly assess how quickly you will be ready for lettings. Check through every room thoroughly as well as the garden, balconies and outbuildings. Look for any problem areas that can be fixed now to avoid more work later on. For example a small leak in the roof is easily fixed on a warm sunny day before the weather changes and there is potential for real damage.
Meet your neighbours sooner rather than later. They will probably turn out to be an invaluable source of local information, reliable tips on where to eat and might be able to help with key holding and watching your property while you’re not on site. They may also be able to introduce you to a local handyman or recommend a cleaning company based nearby. Take the initiative and introduce yourself, this is far better than having to meet for the first time once your teenage son has kicked a ball through one of their windows.
Visit the local town hall or information office, and the nearest tourist office. These are good places for finding out when your rubbish is collected, where your nearest recycling centre is and the dates of national holidays when all the local shops will be shut or the town centre closed for parades for three days! They will also be able to provide information on local services, utilities and emergency numbers.
Make a plan. Review your new place critically from a holidaymaker’s perspective. What essentials are lacking, which features need just a little bit of attention to make them stand out and what needs to be done in the longer term? Think about a plan for any improvements needed over a reasonable period of time. E.g. If your Andalusian village house has space for a pool, but you don’t have the finances this year, you could plan to have one installed early spring 2008. In the meantime spend a bit more on the new bath and choose one that has a whirlpool or Jacuzzi setting, and concentrate on making the interior of the property and terrace welcoming and delightful.
Join at least one online owner forum. These are discussion websites for homeowners like you. Forum sites like www.laymyhat.com are a brilliant place to ask questions, ask for advice on holiday home issues and get in touch with others who may already own a place near to you. These sites are friendly while retaining some anonymity and are simple enough to be used by those who are new to the Internet.
Finally, and most importantly, take a proper holiday in your own home! This sounds obvious, but if you are busy thinking about getting ready to rent it’s easy to forget to enjoy the place yourself. However, even when you’re making the most of the property, use the time as research for future holiday home rentals. Take family or friends and try to learn as much about the local area as possible during your stay. Keep a list of good restaurants and great places to visit and do hang on to any information leaflets or attraction guides – they will all come in handy later on. Try to think objectively about your second home from the perspective of a holidaymaker – it will help you set up a good holiday letting in the long run and be useful when you begin to handle bookings.
At Holiday Lettings we understand that there can be a lot to think about when you take on a holiday home whether abroad or in the UK. The other articles in this section give advice on some of the details related to getting a property ready to rent so read for information on decorating, furnishing, security, maintenance and more!
