Running a holiday let can be extremely profitable and successful, provided that you have the systems and staffing in place. There are certain things that you need to consider if you would like to set one up including health and safety and local council guidelines.
Getting a good cleaner
Although it is an additional cost, having a cleaner is very worth it. A good cleaner/caretaker will greatly lessen your workload, especially if you take many breaks in a short period of time. After all, they’re specialists at what they do, and they’ll make sure your property is ready for every guest.
Health and safety
In short-term rentals, health and safety are still key considerations. Here are a few of the health and safety considerations you should make:
- Conduct a fire risk assessment and address any issues that arise.
- You must guarantee that appliances are properly maintained and serviced on an annual basis.
- Smoke alarms must be installed throughout the property, and if you have any solid-fuel appliances, a CO detector should be installed as well.
- In the kitchen, place a fire blanket.
- Once a year, chimneys should be swept (if applicable).
- Swimming pools and hot tubs must be cleaned and maintained. If the home contains a swimming pool (unlikely if it’s in the UK!), be cautious about small children’s safety. To avoid terrible incidents, put a fence around the pool if possible.
- If guests are at risk of tripping oversteps or other barriers at night, provide lamps.
Photography
You’ll need good photographs no matter where you decide to market your home. You can obviously do it yourself but be aware that residences with low photo quality will not perform as well as those that have been professionally taken. You could employ a property photographer, but it will add to the expense. Make sure the place is ready for a photographer when they arrive.
- Ensure that all the beds are made up and tidy.
- As you would for breakfast or dinner, set the kitchen table.
- Flowers, food, wine, and other accessories can be used to bring your property to life.
- Ensure that the garden is well-kept, weeded, and mowed.
Platforms
There is a plethora of platforms to choose from. The larger sites, like as Airbnb and booking.com, will likely dominate the listings, but smaller, specialist sites are worth checking out as well.
Always read the terms and conditions before committing to a listing on any site. Find out how much the site costs, what services they provide, and how much work they do for the money. Smaller sites typically require an annual subscription fee, but larger sites are free to list on; they generate money by charging a 3-15 percent commission on each booking booked through the site.
Customer Service
Holiday letting is a customer-driven industry. Reviews and feedback can have a big impact on your business. Customers who are treated poorly are more likely to submit a negative review, which will discourage future guests from visiting your resort.
Make excellent customer service a top focus. Inquiries about bookings should be responded to as soon as possible. Respond to questions and difficulties in a courteous and professional manner. Make sure the information on the property listing corresponds to what guests will receive when they arrive. People will be naturally irritated if you claim the beach is a five-minute walk away but fail to explain that the property and the beach are separated by a busy dual highway with no crossing points.
Keep in mind that if your customer ratings are low or if you frequently annoy your guests, you may be blacklisted from property listing services like Airbnb. When reviews are left, make sure to respond. Respond with respect if you receive a negative review. How you handle negative feedback may encourage people to stick with you. Thanking favourable reviews demonstrates that you are a responsive holiday rental owner.
Maintaining accounts
To ensure that no mistakes occur and your holiday letting business runs smoothly, it’s important to make sure you are always on tops of your accounts, whether this be keeping everything up to date, being organised or sorting spreadsheets/data.
A successful holiday let
The most successful holiday house owners are always improving their properties by reinvesting a portion of their revenues back into their holiday business, whether it’s by adding popular amenities, replacing furniture, or diversifying their portfolios to include numerous houses. You may not want to consider owning numerous holiday homes, but you should invest money in maintaining your current house to a high standard, since you’ll want to ensure that your property has a steady stream of bookings and obtains the highest possible booking value.
If you enjoyed this article on running a holiday let you might also like to read about Cost of running a holiday let and Tips for buy to let in Liverpool
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