CYPRUS
Letting your property
“As holiday homeowners we want our guests to enjoy our property to the maximum and feel for a week or two that it’s their personal getaway in the sun”
there was just a single switch to turn it off and on. Our property has solar panels to heat the water in the summer months, but in winter the water heater may be needed; the timer prevents any unnecessary water heating. CP Home Services also fi tted a fi re safety package (which included fi re extinguisher, fi re blanket and smoke alarm) and stickers on the patio doors; there is so much to consider! When we arrived at our property we
unpacked the duvet, pillowcases and bed linen from our suitcase. Apart from the furniture and what we had brought with us, the property was unequipped and our mission for the next week was to make sure it had all the necessities for holidaymakers. So, day two of our trip meant driving to Nicosia to visit Ikea! Ikea in Cyprus is very similar to the Ikeas in the UK and fortunately we were able to purchase many of the items here for our property inventory. A word of warning though; individually everything is very reasonably priced, but collectively it soon adds up. We fi lled two trolleys to the brim and if we hadn’t been calculating as we went along we would have been in for a nasty shock at the check-out when our bill came to around €500 (£442). The list seemed endless and included curtains, curtain rails, blinds, towels, shower rail and curtains, soap dishes, bed linen, cushions, single duvets, glasses, plates, saucepans, cutlery and other kitchen essentials. We spent the rest of the week
completing the equipping of the property. Fortunately my parents were
64 A PLACE IN THE SUN JUNE 2011
Above, clockwise from top left: Easy-to-clean and maintain kitchen
The rear terrace and fi rst-fl oor balcony of Rowena’s townhouse at Anarita Chorio
Keeping decor fresh and simple makes changeovers easy
on hand. As holiday homeowners in Cyprus themselves they were able to advise us of the best places to go and whilst my mum was busy turning up our curtains, my dad was driving us to all the best shops in town. During our week we were so pleased
to get everything done. We now have a TV set up with DVD and PlayStation, outdoor table and chairs for the terrace area, bistro table and chairs for the balcony, an iron and ironing board, toaster and kettle. The kitchen equipment was provided
by Pafi lia Property Developers and includes an oven with hob, a washing machine and a fridge/freezer. We also paid extra for our property to have shaving points in the bathrooms and to have locks installed on the top cupboards of the wardrobes. We are now able to lock away any personal belongings in these cupboards for our own personal use if required.
Property management Property management is one of the most important factors for any holiday homeowner. After all, you want to know that your property is being cared for when you are thousands of miles away, and also that your changeovers are being properly managed. Within any popular tourist destination there will be many companies offering their services and it is important to do your research carefully. On the Anarita Chorio development where our property is, we are fortunate to have on-site property management via Stewart and Ann Johnson who run Second Key Property Services. They
are competitively priced and as they are living on the development it gives us peace of mind that our property will be well looked after. As part of the key-holding service they check our property weekly, including fl ushing the toilets, window venting and a general inspection. They will also be able to provide the cleaning and laundry services after guests have stayed. Pafi lia Services maintains the
development’s communal areas to a high standard, with the swimming pools frequently cleaned and the plants kept healthy and attractive.
Booking contract and information pack Although the booking contract is vital, as holiday homeowners we feel that getting the information pack right is just as important: we want our guests to enjoy our property to the maximum and feel for the week or two that they’re here that it is their own, personal getaway in the sun. It all helps to increase repeat custom too, and that’s really key to successful holiday lettings The pack is full of information
that will make our guests’ holiday as relaxing and stress-free as possible. It contains clear and concise directions to and from the airport, a map to the local area and the development, and information on the property. We also give advice on local facilities, amenities and attractions, just as if we were there to entertain the guests ourself. For example, our property is just a fi ve-minute walk
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