Holiday Rental Essentials

Preparing your property

If you now own your own holiday home and maybe thinking or letting it out for extra income or to help pay the mortgage. You can enjoy the benefits of it and hopefully there will be paying guests enjoying it too. Once the excitement 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. The following contains advice on initial steps for home owners getting ready to rent out.

We would recommend that you spend a few 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 as soon as possible, 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 away. They may also be able to introduce you to a local handyman or recommend a cleaning company based nearby. 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. They will also be able to provide information on local services and emergency numbers.

Assess 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. In the meantime spend a bit more on the new bath or kitchen and concentrate on making the interior of the property and terrace welcoming.

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 handling bookings.

Making your holiday rental a home for your clients

It goes without saying that if you are renting out your holiday home there are certain essentials that should be in place in every property. Before looking at the details of each room, make sure you can answer ‘Yes’ to the following checklist to be certain you are on the right track.

1. Is your holiday home structurally safe and suitable for the various different groups of holidaymakers who might come to stay?
2. Do you have a basic First Aid kit at the property?
3. Are emergency numbers including the local police, fire and ambulance and medical services clearly displayed with your holiday rental?
4. Have you checked that all the water, gas and electricity utilities are working properly?
5. Have you provided a suitable number of beds?

It is worth taking time to think about the sorts of items and facilities that holidaymakers might expect you to provide, and the little touches which make your place a home from home. Remember that guests are choosing a holiday home over and above a hotel room often because of the home comforts that renting a villa or apartment offers. Consider the sorts of things that help make life easier for holidaymakers and provide your property accordingly:

Lounge
Provide coasters to stop your guests marking coffee tables and cover sofas with throws that can be washed regularly to keep the room looking clean and welcoming. Give your guests things to do for when the weather maybe a little grey, board games, DVDs and CDs and are all great extras. Make sure that you think about the type of guests you are hoping to attract and provide accordingly - books for adults and computer games for kids can make everyone’s holiday more enjoyable. You don’t have to buy new, this is one are where second hand item are acceptable.

Kitchen
The guests renting your home have chosen to go self-catering, so make sure they have everything they need to cook! Various sized pans, good quality utensils and double your maximum number of guests when you buy crockery, cutlery and glasses – it’ll save them washing up several times a day. Leave some non-perishable basics like oil, tea and coffee in the cupboard. People expect to find irons, kettles and toasters but bigger items like dishwashers, microwaves and washing machines all make life easier too. Provide back up supplies, if you have a coffee machine then provide spare filters. Leave plenty of cleaning supplies, washing up liquid, tea towels and cloths as this encourages visitors to keep the place clean.

Bedrooms
Large, good quality beds with comfortable mattresses. Having at least two sets of linen for each bed will allow you to offer same day changeovers and means you’re not left short if a sheet is ripped on one occasion. Hairdryers are always a good extra, make sure you provide at least one. Give your guests both hanging and drawer space wherever possible, have a good supply of coat hangers in wardrobes.

Bathrooms
It is not essential to provide all towels, but guests generally expect it. Buy in bulk and all in one neutral colour and leave plenty out to be used. Non-slip mats in baths and shower cubicles are a good idea. Bathmats in each washroom will also avoid guests feeling the need to use your towels on the floor. Lots of spare toilet rolls and soap in the bathroom, it’s a low-cost way to make your guests feel at home straightaway, and most guests will remember to replace these sorts of things.

Children Welcome
If you are aiming for the family market then it would be wise to buy or make sure you can easily rent items like a cot, high chair and even an old childres buggy. Also, providing child safety items like socket protectors and cupboard door safety catches is a good idea.

Outdoors
Thoughtful planning of outdoor spaces can give your property an extra room outside. If you have a terrace or balcony, decorate it with pot plants and provide sun loungers and outdoor dining furniture. If you have space, think about hammocks and a BBQ.

Providing that little bit extra
Make a guest manual. Put together instructions on how to work the air conditioning, what day the rubbish gets collected and any house rules you have. Think about your location, providing some bikes would let people explore the area, or if you are near the beach some buckets and spades would be ideal for families with small children. Tennis rackets and golf clubs is a good idea if you have these facilities near by.
Create your own guide to the area, including bars and restaurants recommended. Use a folder and spend a day collecting leaflets for local attractions and activities.

You may forget one or two little things and your guests are the best people to let you know. Make sure you keep a guest-book at the property for their comments and ask them for feedback when the holiday is over. Be positive when reading criticisms and remember that what guests say will let you know what you’re doing well and what you need to improve on, it will invariably help you to create a better holiday rental in the future.

Holiday home insurance

When it comes to organising insurance for your holiday home rental you must remember to ensure that the policy you take out includes liability as well as standard buildings and contents insurance.

1. Buildings and Contents Insurance
This is the same sort of cover you have back home, and it will protect your belongings and the building itself against any damage. Your building insurance should be for the cost of rebuilding your property, your contents cover for the cost of everything you would take with you if you moved house. A good policy will also cover accidental damage to contents caused by your guests.

2. Liability Insurance
This part of a policy will cover you against any claims Holidaymakers make against you if they injure themselves whilst staying in your property. These sorts of policies typically cover you for up to two million pounds (GBP) of claims. Many insurance companies will also be able to offer you insurance to cover loss of earnings in case of incidents such as fire, flood damage which mean you are unable to rent the property for a period of time. Do check the terms and conditions of all such policies as they typically cover you only on bookings already taken – prior to the incident.

Be sure to let holidaymakers know in correspondence and in your Booking Contract that they will need to buy their own travel insurance to cover any medical treatment while away, luggage lost in transit, theft and transport delays.

Décor and furnishings the dos and don’ts

If your holiday home is newly decorated and freshly furnished when you take over ownership then you’re in a great position to consider holiday home rentals. However, most properties will need at least a lick of paint and a dining table, bed or sofa to make the place ready for guests. The overall style should be one that will suit the widest range of holidaymakers, but avoid the cold faceless look of a hotel and try to keep the decor neutral to appeal to everyone. Consider the following do's and don'ts:

DO

1. Keep it neutral, choosing off-white and pastel colour schemes will give your property the widest appeal which is likely to invite more booking enquiries.
2. Add personal touches and style with small areas of colour, and add ornaments, throw rugs, pictures or paintings to give the feel of a home from home.
3. Go for quality, buy durable furniture and utensils, visitors tend to treat high quality items with more care and respect. They’ll stand more wear and tear and you won’t have to replace them so often.
4. Choose easy to clean features, go for practical fixtures which you can clean easily and will still look good at the end of a long rental season.
5. Have a lockable cupboard, a private storage space will save you bringing things back and forth when you visit. You can also protect anything you don’t want to get broken.

DON’T

1. Overspend on stylish features, unless you’re going for the top end of the market, go for quality rather than cutting edge designs.
2. Have lots of clutter lying around, people don’t want to feel like they’re intruding into your home, so keep your things stored away neatly.
3. Cut corners, choose fixtures which will last, they’ll save you replacing them all the time and create a better impression on your guests.
4. Settle for cast-offs, if you want to rent your place out to paying customers, filling it with your old furniture won’t work.
5. Make guests bring everything, make your property a home from home, your guests won’t book with you again if they have to provide everything themselves. Linen and towels are the obvious examples, but items like garden furniture and beach towels make a stay much more pleasant.

Our common sense reminders should help you make your property ready for the renting out to paying guests. Keeping the holidaymaker in mind at this point could save you both hassle and money in the future!

Property maintenance and cleaning

When it comes to regular maintenance and cleaning for your holiday property it is advisable to think about a clear plan of action from the start. Do not be tempted to cut corners in this area as it will almost certainly result in complaints about the cleanliness and quality of your property. Complaints are costly in terms of time and energy and you can be sure that disappointed guests will be in no hurry to recommend you or to return. The main areas you will need to cover are cleaning between bookings and regular property checks to ensure that minor maintenance is attended to promptly.

A simple solution is to take on the services of a local cleaner who may also serve as a key holder in case of emergencies. Neighbours or other property owners in the area are the best source of recommendations for this sort of service. In rural areas you could also ask in local shops or bars to see if anyone in the vicinity is taking on this sort of work.

Standards of cleaning and expectations will vary greatly, so the best thing to do is to prepare the property to the standard that you expect for your guests and then demonstrate to the cleaner or company that this is how you wish every visitor to find your home on arrival. Do specify the tasks that you expect to be covered, and how often you want them doing. The advice below is mostly common sense, but should help you to make sure that your property will be in good hands and well set-up for guests all year round.

Whenever your property is cleaned and the inventory taken, ask your cleaner to keep an eye open for dripping taps and any areas of damp or mould so these can be dealt with quickly. Regularly check your air-conditioning or heating is in good working order. Avoid drainage problems by removing hair from plugholes. Solve those little problems and you’ll prevent them becoming anything more serious.

1. Wash all linen like blankets regularly and schedule in a deep clean for all carpets and curtains once a year. Also make sure that your garden will be maintained on a regular basis.
2. Keep some maintenance supplies in the property for guests to use – items like plungers, brushes and mops are useful. Also supply them with spare batteries for remote controls and extra light bulbs. Leaving these items to hand means you won’t have to arrange for someone to go over just to change a light bulb.
3. Get warrantees on major items like washing machines, and make a note for yourself of all the serial numbers and models of your big appliances. This will be handy should you need to get repairs done.
4. There should to be a number for guests to call 24 hours a day in case something breaks. Whilst you might be happier to deal with this yourself, it’s also a good idea to have some in the area to help if needed.
5. Ask around amongst local owners and get the numbers for handymen, plumbers and electricians who they trust. Keep these numbers in your guest manual, and make sure you also have a list of these in case anything goes wrong during someone’s stay. Keep a local phonebook in the property as a back up for these services.

Security checklist

Your property will almost certainly stand empty for at least a few weeks of the year. Taking sensible security measures at the earliest opportunity will help to keep your holiday home and your goods safe, and prevent break ins. Here’s our security checklist:

1. Consider changing the locks when you move in, you never know who has copies of your keys. It’s also a good security measure to change the locks whenever you get a new housekeeper or management service. You do this quite easily yourself, or employ a handyman.
2. Check your insurance policy. Some policies require you to have certain types of locks or alarms and may state a maximum vacancy period (e.g. if your property stands empty for more than 30 days you are not covered for damage or break-ins in that period.) Check the small print and make sure you stick to what they ask to ensure that your cover is valid.
3. Secure ground floor windows. If your property is a ground floor apartment or has downstairs windows that burglars could easily reach, consider fitting window bars.
4. Get a safe in your property. These can be purchased from most DIY stores, and should be set in cement inside a fitted wardrobe to be extra secure. Most handymen can do this for you, and it will give your guests peace of mind to know that their valuables are safe during their stay.
5. Get someone to check in on your property. If it is going to be standing empty for a while, get a friend or cleaner to check in on it. They can make sure that there hasn’t been a break in and keep an eye out for internal problems like burst pipes.
6. Install security lights, outdoor lights which respond to movement are fairly cheap and a good deterrent.
7. Make friends with your neighbours, make sure that your neighbours have your number and vice versa. They are best placed to keep an eye on your property and just as keen to keep away thieves as you are.

Marketing Your Holiday Rental

Taking your bookings

You’ve put the finishing touches to your property, now how do you go about getting the customers through the door? You need to market your property. Marketing is all about helping the right people to find what you’re offering.

Putting yourself in the shoes of your potential guests gives you the best insight into what they’ll be looking for and where they might be looking. You will need to spend some money on marketing your property and it is advisable to budget as early as possible for an annual spend on advertising and set this relative to your expected returns. If you are looking to fill your property for 30+ weeks of the year then it is worth setting a marketing budget of between £300 and £500 for the first year. If you are not in need of quite so many bookings per year then a budget of up to £300 should be enough for some basic advertising to get you started.

Advertising is the backbone of successful marketing and in our current climate of buying and booking online; the Internet is the ideal place to advertise. With millions of Holidaymakers going online every day the Internet is a marketing tool that allows you to advertise to a worldwide audience from the comfort of your own home and at very affordable rates.

The best way to get your property seen on the web is to use a rental-listing site such as www.costa-holiday-rentals.com. Rental listing sites are great value for money because they do the work of bringing thousands of holidaymakers to see your property in volumes that you would struggle to achieve in printed adverts or world of mouth recommendations.

You may be thinking that you ideally need to have your own website in order to get the most from web surfing holidaymakers. The key to online advertising is to make sure that potential guests can find you through the main search engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo. Setting up your own website can be quite expensive and your new 6 page site will have to compete with thousands of others to attract visitors. It takes a lot of time and expertise to get your site noticed by the main search engines, the great thing about rental listing sites is that they do this work for you. Sites like www.costa-holiday-rentals.com effectively offer you your own property portfolio page within their website.

Advertising on one or more of the established rental listing sites is an easy way of getting a great number of people to your advert and you don’t need any knowledge of web design to get set up. Shop around for the best deal in terms of how many photos you can show, what extras they offer and what prices they charge.
When you are planning your advertising you need to think about realistic time scales.

Finally, remember that detail and first impressions matter. Potential guests who are looking for the ideal place to stay will be put off very quickly if you only give details of last years pricing, misspell the name of your local town or only show grainy photos taken on a rainy day. In order to get the most from your advertising you’ll need to have good clear information on the property and location, great photos and a sensible pricing structure.

Costa-holiday-rentals.com provides the best advertising package. Register now and start advertising your holiday home online to millions of potental customers today.

At Costa-holiday-rentals.com we offer:

• Your advert will have room for up to 12 photos of which 8 are free and are included in your account at no extra charge.
• Email enquiries direct to your email box helping you stay on top of enquiries and turn more into bookings!
• Advertiser easy to use control panel, to manage your advert.
• Searchable availability calendar.
• Rental rates facility.
• Location map.
• Special offer option.
• Great customer service, our friendly and experienced customer service team are ready to answer your questions – contact us now at customer@costa-holiday-rentals.com

Maximising Marketing Opportunities

When it comes to marketing your rental property you should try different advertising options and always ask enquirers how they heard about you to get the most feedback on which things are working well. If you can put yourself in the shoes of the holidaymakers you want to reach and think laterally about how to contact them, you can maximise your marketing opportunities without having to overspend on your budget. Here are some tried and trusted marketing ideas:

1. Word of mouth is a great way to drum up business. Make sure you let your friends, family and colleagues know that you’re renting out, it’s easy and it’s free! Starting with guests you know will also help you build up confidence.
2. Get the timing right. Start marketing your property sooner rather than later but not at the stage where the builder is still working on it. Always make it clear in your advert when the property is available to rent to avoid any confusion.
3. Advertise online. The Internet is the best place to advertise, with thousands of Holidaymakers using it every day to search for accommodation like www.costa-holiday-rentals.com.
4. Create a Photo Album, collect some wonderful photos of your property, whilst you’re visiting. Put them together in a photo album at home and you can show them off to friends, neighbours and family when they visit you.
5. Get some business cards printed. Having business cards to hand is great for casual meetings and conversations where someone seems to be interested in your holiday home. You can design and order business cards online very cheaply. Be sure to include the property’s location, mention its unique selling points and give your contact details.
6. Print some posters. Print out some posters to display in local newsagent windows and at work. Choose one or two really inviting photos, and write some simple text. Include a short description of the property, its unique selling points and a basic price. Give your contact details. Use no more than two font types and two font sizes. Avoid using clip art and keep everything very simple.
7. Make some Postcards, choose a high-resolution photo of a spectacular sunset or the property itself at its best on a bright sunny day. You can then design and order your postcards online. Leave a couple of postcards for your guests at the property, and get your place seen by their friends and family when they write home.
8. Advertise at work, get permission to put a small poster on notice boards where you work, see about getting into the office newsletter or in-house intranet.
9. Advertise locally, ask about putting posters up at local gyms, community centres and cafes or places that you visit often.
10. Newspapers and magazines, advertising in print can be expensive and often brings little return, however, local newspapers are always on the look out for little stories especially if they have some local interest.
11. Networking. You might be in competition, but working with other owners can benefit everyone. Make contact with other property owners and if you get a holidaymaker asking for a week you can’t fill, pass it on. Hopefully they’ll return the favour! Being in touch with other owners is great if a large group want to rent two properties and you can accommodate the booking between you.

Repeat bookings and returning guests

Happy guests are the best source of marketing you hope to get. They will take photos, send postcards, generally rave about their holiday and your home to family, friends and work colleagues, and may book for the following year. If you are prompt in responding to enquiries, helpful in handling any problems or queries, keep your property clean and thoughtfully maintained your visitors will feel that their booking matters and this is a good foundation to encourage repeat bookings. However, giving your guests that little bit extra may well seal the deal:

1. Provide a welcome pack. Giving your guests a welcome pack when they arrive is a simple and effective way to create a good impression. Providing a few thoughtful items and some basic supplies need not be costly, and will be appreciated by new arrivals. If you wish to include a few luxury items then do budget to include the price of these items in your overall costs. Some owners charge an additional fee for a welcome pack. If you do this be sure to specify what the pack includes to avoid disappointed visitors. A free welcome pack is a winning option as it is unexpected and makes for a great start to any holiday.
   Ideas of a few things you might consider including in a Welcome Pack
   • Bottle of good local red or white wine or a case of beer
   • Postcard of the area with a welcome note
   • Coffee and tea
   • Milk
   • Tin of biscuits or small box of chocolates
   • Fresh fruit if the welcome pack is left on the day of arrival
   • Lollipops or sweets (if the group includes children)
   • Low-cost town, area, or resort map
   
2. Be the perfect absent host. Leave plenty of useful advice on having a great holiday at your property, including a folder with plenty of ideas and information about the local area. If you have discount coupons for local attractions or special tips on the best restaurants make sure these are left where your visitors can find them.
3. Be in touch. If there is a phone at the property call at least once to check your guests have arrived safely and are enjoying their stay. Make sure they have contact details for you or your local representative in case of any problems. If someone get in touch to mention a problem at your property deal with it as promptly as possible and let them know what is happening.
4. Ask for feedback. Leave a guestbook in the property itself, and email your guests when they get back to ask them what they did and didn’t like about your property. Use these comments will help you to improve the service you offer and attract people back. If problems are mentioned after the holiday, then do deal with the issue and again let the guests know when you’ve done so. Letting them know you’ve taken their comments on board and have done something about them and this might lead to them booking with you again.
5. Keep in contact. Leaving business cards or postcards of your holiday home in the property will give people something to refer to when they search for accommodation for their next holiday. Store the email addresses of previous guests and consider sending out short emails to this mailing list a couple of times a year – but don’t bombard them with messages. Send them Christmas cards and offer a discount on booking with you in future. If you end up with a last minute vacancy, contact them first with a special offer.

Tips for great photos

A great photo really is worth a thousand words and good photos are invaluable when it comes to advertising your holiday home. Whether you are setting up your online advert, planning a poster to display at work or printing a leaflet about your property, photos are a must. It is best to have a wide selection of interior and exterior shots, as well as some that show off the local area. Digital photos generally give the best quality and the most flexibility as you can easily resize them and can also email them out to interested parties. Every time you visit the place take a few new photos as this will give you a range of shots in different seasons. Bad photos of a dingy bathroom will put people off and could lose you bookings, but bright sunny photos can have a winning impact and attract more bookings and more profit than anything else.
Here are our top 10 tips for taking photos that will show off your holiday home:

1. Sunny photos sell and sunny days offer the best light for indoor pictures too so wait for good weather. If you’re taking photos outside make sure it’s not too cloudy and you’ve got blue skies. Take photos of your pool, gardens and beach in the early morning or early evening when the light is most flattering. Between 4 and 6 pm is the photographer’s best time of day for good natural light.
2. Ideally use a good quality digital camera with a high pixel count. Digital cameras allow you to check what you’re doing as you go along and get a choice of shots. Your digital photos will also be easy to transfer onto the web.
3. Lighting is everything, take photos with natural light behind you to create a brighter shot. Use lamps or wall lights if you want to soften the lighting.
4. Get focussed, make sure your shots are clear as blurry shots make a bad impression. If you are using a digital camera, check them as you go along.
5. Clear away clutter, make sure your property is clean and tidy, keep clutter out of view of the camera. Present the property as people would want to find it when they arrive.
6. Get the right perspective, get as much of each room in the shot as you can. This is best done by standing right in the corner of the room or looking down from a chair or steps.
7. Stage your shots, dressing up each room up to look its best. Make the beds, add cushions or throws and a vase of flowers on the bedside table. Light the fire if you have one and lay the dining table. Put a bottle of wine and glasses on the outdoor dining table to make your photos more inviting. Always turn any TV’s off when you take photographs.
8. Play to your strengths, take photos of your unique selling points such as pools, sun-terraces, four-poster beds etc. Do include photos of the exterior of the property, master bedroom, lounge and kitchen.
9. Make sure you have photos of the local area, tourist attractions, scenic areas and activities nearby like golf courses are all worth photographing. Include any great views from your property, consider taking pictures at different times of year and varying them in your advertising.
10. Avoid people shots, generally having people in your photos doesn’t work well, and shooting just the room itself will helps potential guests to imagine themselves there.

Pricing advice

Having spent a lot of time and money on your buy to let property, it’s encouraging to think about making some money back! But where do you start when it comes to deciding on how much to charge for renting out your holiday home?

1. Do your research. The internet is your best resource – get online as if you were a holidaymaker and look for properties like yours. Browse www.costa-holiday-rentals.com for similar properties in your area or properties with similar facilities and capacity.
2. Once you’ve found some suitable properties make a note of what they’re charging, how their prices vary over the year and how many bookings they seem to have.
3. Be practical when considering your rental season. Weather, local activities and facilities can dramatically influence the booking peaks. If it looks like guests might be thin on the ground during winter, offering special deals and discounts can help. Take school holidays into account when you’re setting your prices.
4. Think long term. Starting with a high price may prevent you getting the volume of bookings you are hoping for. Offering a fairly low price for your first year rentals will entice Holidaymakers who may then return next year. You might consider raising prices later on once you have an established customer base.
5. Make your prices realistic. Don’t price anyone out but at the same time don’t charge a very low price, people may think that there is something wrong with your property and stay away.
6. Make your prices inclusive. Work out what you need to cover utilities and cleaning and include this in your price. Holidaymakers don’t like having to fork out for extra charges.
7. Give consistent prices, it’s easier for guests to understand pricing if it is consistent and simple. Stick to one way of pricing your property and then give further details for shorter stays etc on request.
8. Think about minimum stays, remember pricing needs to be higher per night for shorter stays if you still hope to get a good return. You’ll need to arrange cleaning and changeovers so bear these costs in mind too.
9. Think about risk to your property. For example if you choose to accept pets then there’s more risk of damage and your property might need a more extensive clean after they leave. Factor this in to your prices and consider charging a supplement for pets to stay.
10. Keep it simple, try to stick to a few different price bands. This will make prices easier to understand quickly for Holidaymakers browsing your advert.
11. Be flexible. It’s a good idea to work out the lowest price you could possibly charge to make a profit and have this to hand when handling booking enquires. Holidaymakers love to haggle and they love to get a discount!
12. Keep up to date, make sure you regularly check on what other owners in your area are charging to make sure that your prices stay competitive – markets do change from year to year.

Managing your bookings

How do I handle my enquiries?

Once you have set up your advertising, you need to think about how you will handle the enquiries you are going to receive in the coming weeks. You may get requests for long terms rentals, questions about bringing children or the dog, and almost certainly someone who wants to know if there is a shop nearby. Enquirers may email you about a booking and then call you 10 minutes later as they are so keen to confirm. Remember as many as possible of these enquiries need to become concrete bookings to bring in the hoped for revenue on your holiday home. Here are some ideas to help you convert more of your enquiries into bookings.

1. Make sure that you check your emails regularly and answer your phone. Have an answer-phone with a suitable message in place for when you can’t take a call. If you’re going away, have someone else in place to cover your enquiries and bookings for you. Also check the spam filter on your email account – you don’t want it to delete your enquiries because they’re from unknown email addresses.
2. Put yourself in the place of a Holidaymaker, you’ve spent a few hours looking for places to stay and you’ve sent off several emails. The owner who gets back to you soonest will probably be the one with whom you’ll take things further and end up booking with. Try to reply to all enquires as soon as possible and certainly within 24 hours. Think carefully before using your work email address or phone number, if a Holidaymaker leaves a message on Friday night you might not be able to reply until Monday.
3. Follow up on the phone. If you’re advertising online, you’ll get a lot of enquiries by email. If they give a number, call those Holidaymakers back on the phone. Speaking to them directly will help answer their questions quickly, it’ll make you stand out in their mind and it will also say to them that you’re efficient and keen to take their booking.
4. Always be polite and helpful even if you can’t fit someone in. They might change their dates or come back to you in future if you treat them well at this stage. Answer any questions which enquirers ask, and have plenty of information to hand for them.
5. Your attitude will have a great impact on whether enquiries convert into bookings. Always be enthusiastic about your property and area, address people’s questions and give them extra information. Be as helpful as you can – if a family need a cot during their stay, try to source one for them. If you reply to a Holidaymaker and then you don’t hear back from them, follow it up.
6. However up to date your advertising, you’re bound to get some enquiries about dates that have already gone. Explain the situation and offer enquirers alternative dates – perhaps give them a discount for choosing those dates instead.
7. Ask about your potential clients. There’s nothing wrong with asking people how old their kids are or how many people will be staying. There also might be some bookings which you don’t want to take, for example stag and hen parties. In this case you’re entirely within your rights to say politely say no.
8. Get their signatures. Once you’ve agreed dates and a price with someone, send them your booking contract straight away, you don’t have the booking until they’ve signed on the dotted line. You can send your contract by email or in the post – include a stamped, addressed envelope if you want a speedy return. Ask your guest to sign it and return it to you with their booking deposit.
9. If you’re dealing with a lot of enquiries, put together some standard email signatures to save time. These should contain all the information people will need and you can then personalise them. Keep a separate folder in your inbox for emails to do with your holiday home.

Managing Bookings

Don’t be daunted by keen holidaymakers who want to book next years summer break within your first month of advertising. Follow our step by step guide for handling bookings and you should be able to manage the whole process from deposit to departure in a professional and capable manner that will impress your guests and give you confidence for handling your holiday home rentals.

1. Send out your booking contract and ask for a booking deposit. When you get an enquiry, it’s polite to put aside those dates for that group for a short while. Let them know that they need to pay a booking deposit and return your booking contract within three to five days to secure the booking. If you’re holding a week for someone, and another Holidaymaker asks about the same week, then give your first group first refusal but if you can’t reach them or they’re not sure then go ahead with that second group – only a payment in cleared funds should reserve your property.
2. Send out your booking contract via email or in the post – include a stamped, addressed envelope if you want a speedy return. Ask your guest to sign it and return it to you with their booking deposit as soon as possible. Contact them if there is a delay in getting the contract back.
   A booking deposit is an initial percentage of the overall price for the holiday, and you can use this payment to confirm a reservation. Don’t set your deposit too high, as this might put people off - somewhere between 10% and 25% of the total cost is standard. Some owners make this amount entirely non-refundable even if the booking is cancelled. Make this clear if it is the case.
   When you receive the payment, send a receipt and then let your guests know when you need the balance of the cost and the security deposit by.
3. Ask for the balance of the payment and a security deposit. Set a certain point before people arrive by which they need to pay the rest of the cost of the holiday and the security deposit. Between 6 and 10 weeks before your guests arrive is normal. Make a diary note to remind people to pay up!
   Charging a refundable security deposit will cover you for any damage that your guests cause. Tell your renters that breakages, repairs and extra cleaning will be deducted from this deposit if necessary. How much you should charge depends on your property and what’s in it – make sure you’re covered for damages but you’re not putting people off by asking for a huge sum. Security deposits generally range between £100 and £500.
4. Send keys and directions out when you have received full cleared payment. Once someone’s full payment has cleared, you can arrange to send them the details of the property’s address and directions on how to get there. Make sure you give them any information about parking they may need, and if possible send them some more information about the property and the area. Let them know how key exchange will be arranged.
   Repeat information about check in and check out times and procedures – so if you need your guests to take the rubbish out or do the cleaning at the end of their stay, remind them here. If you have back-to-back bookings, you need to be strict about what time guests arrive and leave.
   Finally mark the booking onto your calendar to keep your advertising up to date.
5. Check the property and return the Security deposit. Once the group has left, get your property checked and its inventory done. You can then return the security deposit. Don’t use the security deposit as a way to make extra money from bookings, but as a fallback in case something valuable gets damaged. Make sure you refund a deposit by the deadline stated in your booking contract – this will show that you’re efficient and trustworthy and will encourage guests to book again.
6. Don’t deduct money for tiny breakages like glasses and plates – instead ask people to buy similar replacements. If you do have to replace larger items or make repairs, keep your receipts and ask your cleaner or management company to photograph any serious damages. If you do have to deduct money from a security deposit, make an itemised bill and send copies of those receipts to the Holidaymakers.

Get organised and keep a record of all your bookings, either on a spreadsheet or written down. Have a diary to remind you when you need to chase up payments, and to keep track of which weeks are booked and by whom. Photocopy cheques and file them with your copy of the signed rental agreement for that booking.

Cancellations

We hope that as your rent out your property you will have plenty of booked weeks and an easy turnover of guests coming to stay. However, it is inevitable that from time to time a holidaymaker may have to cancel for any number of reasons. If you decide on a plan of action in advance you will be in a much better position to tackle cancellations as and when they arise.

If someone is cancelling their booking, do ask them why. They will almost certainly have a good reason, and if it turns out to be a personal matter – such as an illness or a death in the family you will obviously wish to handle that with consideration and discretion. Once you have established the reason your guests are cancelling, you may wish to offer them a booking for another week where this is appropriate. For instance if parents discover that their child has an important event or exam on a date they had planned to be away they may be happy to change the booking to a different date. If this is not possible and the only option is to cancel the booking completely then do be as reasonable as you can without leaving yourself out of pocket.
It’s a good idea to have a time scale for refunds which you state in your contract. For example:

• A cancellation 29 – 56 days before arrival date – 50% of rental refunded
• 15 to 28 days before arrival date – 25%
• 0 to 14 days before arrival date – 10 %

Refer your guests to your booking contract, and refund what you can. Then try to re-book for that week. If you do get another booking, you could refund more of their payment as a gesture of goodwill but remember to cover the cost of your time in re-booking that week.

If you’re trying to fill a last minute vacancy, you might wish to highlight the available dates with a Late Deal advert or get touch with guests who’ve booked before to see if they would like to come again. Consider dropping the price in order to fill the cancelled dates. It is much better to have those dates filled even at a slightly reduced cost than to have a whole week or two weeks when the property stands empty.

Always double check that a payment has entirely cleared before you consider a refund. With some forms of payment such as foreign cheques, the money seems to clear a long time before it actually does. Check with your bank before you refund anything to your customers to avoid falling victim to a scam.

Keys and Change overs

Thinking of leaving a key under the mat for your visitors? Think again. Plan ahead for the best way to pass keys to your guests, and for a regular inventory check between bookings. If you live nearby you’ll be able to handle these practicalities yourself. If this is not an option then you may be able to get your cleaner or a friend who lives locally to be of service in exchange for a small fee. This means a little bit of work on your part to communicate and co-ordinate, but keeps you in control and in the know.

You have a few options for handing keys over to your guests. If you live in the area, you can arrange to meet guests and hand over the keys yourself. If this isn’t the case, consider the following:

1. Having a contact in the area, iIf you have someone in the local area that you can trust, then give them a couple of sets of keys. They can meet your guests at the property and welcome them in person. This is a nice way to start their holiday, but then you will be relying on your contact to be available.
2. Posting the keys, a lot of owners post keys to guests by recorded delivery. This option involves minimum fuss and it usually works very well, but sometimes things can get lost in the post or not arrive on time. It’s a good idea to leave a set of keys left with someone in the local area as a back up.
3. Keeping the keys at the property, a more high-tech solution is to leave the keys in a locked box secured to the wall of your property. You can buy these boxes with combination locks, and then just send your guests the code to open it. This is very convenient, but you would need to be happy that the keys were entirely safe and you probably won’t be able to change the code after guests leave. It’s a good idea to have a back up with this method too.
4. As you’ll be sending your keys out to a lot of people, some basic security measures are a sensible precaution. Never hand out your keys until you have full payment in cleared funds, don’t feel obliged to give your keys to anyone you don’t trust. Don’t write the address or unit number on the key ring and have extra locks like bolts and chain locks as well as your key lock on the door.

What if someone gets locked out?

Make sure you have a spare set of keys to hand in the area as a back up – your set won’t be much use if you’re a plane ride away. Have a phone number which guests can call 24 hours a day in case they do lock themselves out. Check with your property management service or contact in the area about this.

Booking contracts

Using a booking contract helps to manage the expectations of the holidaymaker and sets out clearly the booking process from confirmation right through to the return of keys. A good booking contract will let you and your guests know exactly where you stand and what to do in the case of changes to the booking or any unforeseen problems. We would strongly advise all owners to use a booking contract as this will give you a frame of reference and also reassures the holidaymaker that you are a conscientious owner.
If you wish to put together your own contract, we recommend you include the following:

1. Your name and contact details – including email address, phone number and postal address.
2. Name of the property and the length of the booking.
3. Name, address and contact number(s) for the lead guest.
4. Names and ages of all other guests.
5. Arrival and departure dates and times. Check in and check out times and procedures.
6. Amount required as booking deposit for the holiday (state that the booking is not confirmed until the deposit has been received and funds cleared). Some owners make this deposit non-refundable – make it clear if it is the case.
7. Total amount payable for the holiday and when the final balance is due. Detail any additional costs that are being included in the total price to make this clear for everyone.
8. State the procedure for handing over keys etc. If you are going to be sending out keys explain when this will happen e.g. on receipt of final balance and at least 2 weeks before guests are due to arrive at the property. If you have a local representative who will meet your guests to hand over keys do clarify this and confirm that contact details for this individual will be sent well before the arrival date in case of any emergencies or unexpected travel delays.
9. Give details of the security deposit and due date – generally this is payable with the balance, or on arrival at the property. Make it clear that any breakages or excessive cleaning costs will be taken out of this amount. Let them know how long it will take you to return this the property has been checked after they leave.
10. Remind guests that they will need to buy travel insurance to cover any medical treatment while away, luggage lost in transit, theft and transport delays.
11. State any important house rules – let people know exactly where you stand with smoking, pets and maximum occupancy.

Taking payments

When it comes to bookings the trickiest part is always money-related. Holidaymakers may be keen to stay but may also be cautious about parting with their hard-earned cash so it is good to be as clear and helpful as possible in terms of prices and payments. Always make it clear to guests how much they need to pay for the holiday and the due dates for payments. It’s a good idea to email people with a breakdown of payments and give them a list of the payment methods you accept along you’re your account details or the address to send cheques to. You will probably need to remind people when a payment is due, especially if they have booked far in advance. Tried and trusting methods of receiving payment are as follows:

1. Cheque. This is the easiest way of taking payment if you both live in the same country because there will not be any additional charges to either party. You’ll need to give your name and address and if you give any sort of booking reference ask the holidaymaker to write this on the back of the cheque. Always ensure that the cheque has cleared before you confirm a booking or hand over keys.
2. Bank Transfer. This is good way of taking payment both from abroad or at home. You need to give your name, account number, sort code and your bank’s address. If a transfer is being made from abroad they will also need your IBAN and SWIFTBIC numbers – ask your bank for these. Make sure your guests know that they have to cover any bank charges incurred for a foreign transfer.
3. PayPal is the popular online system that allows simple transfers between two online accounts. Even if your guest does not have a PayPal account they can still pay your by credit card online through the PayPal system. There is of course a charge to you for such transactions, but it is pretty competitive, and this method transfers money instantly, making it ideal for last minute bookings. Contact PayPal for more details.
4. Cashier’s Cheques. Although not often used, these sorts of cheques come guaranteed by the bank and work well for those who don’t have a chequebook or wish to confirm they are paying you from cleared funds.
5. When you receive cleared funds, send a receipt to the holidaymaker as quickly as possible. It’s a polite and thoughtful way to set their mind at ease, and a good time to communicate about any details to do with the booking.

Handling Complaints

This is the tough side of good customer care and hopefully one that you won’t have to face too often. The majority of complaints usually relate to the cleanliness of properties, unrealistic expectations usually a result of poor communication, or misleading details in advertising. These basic problems can all be kept to a minimum by ensuring you have a good system for getting your holiday home regularly cleaned and tidied to your expected standards. If you use a well laid out booking contract that includes your basic house rules this can help to manage expectations and avoid confusion later on. Always keep the details on your advert accurate and up to date. Good communication will often save you receiving complaints in the first place. Put a check-in procedure in place. If your guests aren’t happy anything when they arrive, ask them to let you know within 24 hours. You can then ask the cleaner to visit again or send someone over to check on the property. Also ask guests to contact you if they have problems during their stay or have a general complaint about the property. Our customer service experts have the following tips to help you handle complaints in order to bring about the best possible conclusions:

1. When you do receive a complaint it is good to let the holidaymaker get the problem off their chest. Put your own feelings to one side and try to put yourself in their shoes. This will help you to empathise with their situation and also to be fair and reasonable when handling the complaint.
2. If you receive several complaints about the same issue, you need to look at things more seriously. Be honest with yourself and make changes where necessary. This may mean a new cleaning company or more work on the property.
3. There may be some people who are impossible to please. Do all you can to deal with their complaints, but if out of fifty groups of guests one is unhappy with everything, there is a limit to what you can do. Be patient and helpful, and chalk it up to experience.