Attaining Maximum Rental Income

Based on our experience, this guide will help you to attain the maximum rental income from your holiday home with the minimum of problems. There are some fundamental questions you need to ask yourself before you go ahead with letting your home:

What to Consider:

• Do you want to maximise the income or just cover costs?
• How often do you want to be there yourself?
• Do you want to be there on certain dates or can you be flexible and go on weeks when there are no bookings?
• What type of people do you want to stay in your home?
• Are you happy to have children, or a group of golfers to stay?
• Have you an idea of expected rental fees?

Furnishing and equipping your home

Always keep in mind you are furnishing your home to be rented out. Install good quality, robust furniture with washable covers and equipment that can be easily cleaned. The standard of the fixtures and fittings will influence your rental rates.

Kitchens should be fully equipped with:

• Cutlery including kitchen knives
• Drinking glasses (beer, wine and water)
• Crockery sets including dinner plates, side plates, bowls, tea and coffee cups and a tea pot.
• Egg cups
• Kitchen utensils including vegetable peeler, can and bottle opener and cork screw
• Chopping board
• 3 saucepans and 2 frying pans
• Kettle / Coffee machine / Toaster
• Microwave
• Iron and ironing board
• Dustpan, brush, mop and bucket
• Washing machine and dishwasher
• Waste bin

Bedrooms should be equipped with:

• Quality and comfortable bed frames and mattresses.
• Mattress protectors
• Duvets, blankets and pillows
• Hanging and storage space made available. And don’t forget some coat hangers!
• A chest of drawers or bedside cabinets

Bed linen, towels:

• To avoid laundering costs and wear and tear, your own linen should be stored away in a locked cupboard or removed from the property. We will supply all bed linen and towels as needed.

Furniture and flooring

• This should be hard wearing, low maintenance, not easily damaged and easy to clean. Washable throws are a good idea for soft furnishing.

Other equipment highly recommended:

• A TV with international or multi-language channels
• A music system or CD player
• We highly recommend installing free WiFi, as most holidaymakers bring their tablets and phones with them. A rental property with WiFi will be chosen over one that doesn’t offer it.
• The rental law states that safety equipment including smoke detectors, fire blanket and fire extinguishers are essential.
• A first aid kit is also essential

Living areas should be equipped with:

• Less is more in rental properties when it comes to ornaments.Decorate the accommodation with books, vases, bowls and pictures to make it attractive and homely, but anything of sentimental or monetary value should be removed from the property or locked away.
• Sofas with cushions and a throw
• Dining table and chairs
• Coffee table
• Shelving
• Lamps
• Table mats and coasters

Bathrooms should be equipped with:

• Waste bins
• Toilet brush
• Shower curtain or screen
• Toothbrush holder

Garden and terrace areas should be equipped with:

• Table and chairs for outside dining
• Sun beds and mattresses (where possible)
• Awnings or parasols for open terraces
• In the case of private pools, you will require safety signage including the depth of the pool

Guest manual and house rules

It is now law that a Guest Manual is placed in your property. It should contain relevant information on the property and include places of interest, restaurant and local contact numbers as well as emergency numbers. There will also be a sheet of house rules that will be left in a prominent spot with important instructions like where to dispose of the rubbish, noise rules etc.

Insurance

Make sure your property is fully insured and inform your insurance company that you will be renting out. If you do not have an insurance company, we can recommend a company for you.