This page, clockwise from top left: You’ll need someone to keep even a small front garden green and tidy
Just one of the communal pools
Houseproud Rowena is determined that guests will love her home as much as she does!
from Jo’s Diner, a popular restaurant that serves fresh food at affordable prices. There is a local supermarket in the village but we also have details of nearby hypermarkets – these kind of tips all help our guests to get the best out of their holiday. We include advice on keeping our
holiday home as environmentally friendly as possible. We have solar water heating and double glazing in the property, plus we keep reusable bags under the kitchen sink for guests to use for their food shopping. We also request that the air conditioning is kept to a minimum and only used when necessary.
Our booking contract is clear and concise and includes our booking terms, deposit amount, payment terms, cancellation policy, arrival and departure times and guest obligations. When putting together a booking contract for your property it is recommended to get a solicitor to check the document.
Other considerations When renting your holiday home it is important to check that you are paying the correct taxes and are aware of any particular laws and regulations in the country of your holiday home, and the country that you are resident in. If you are uncertain of any aspects it is always best to seek professional advice. It is also important to make sure your property is fully insured. We have our building insurance through our bank, and contents and public liability insurance through Intasure (
www.intasure.com), which tailors
policies for holiday lettings. It is vital for holiday homeowners to have public liability insurance, as it will cover you against claims that guests might make against you if they injure themselves whilst staying in your property. Other aspects that you may like
to consider are security (for example, we have installed deadlocks on our windows) and foreign exchange specialists for transferring pounds to euros or vice versa – potentially saving you a lot of money. Of course there are many other considerations to keep in mind when preparing your property for holiday rentals and this is by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully it is a good starting point for you if you are looking to rent out your property for holiday lettings. Always check the rules, laws and regulations in the country of your property thoroughly and do your research carefully. Seek independent and legal advice where necessary.
Marketing your Property We are delighted with the website we created via www.holidaysitebuilder. com. They are not only user friendly but are also very reasonably priced considering what is included in the package. We went for the domain name
www.cyprusholidaylet.com and the package includes a choice of template designs, up to 200 photos, advanced calendar, email address, search engine optimisation, website statistics and the option to add a 360-degree panorama and a video tour of your property. Our website looks
professional and is a great marketing tool for us.
Where to advertise? Many holiday homeowners rely on bookings from family, friends and referrals. To get the highest occupation rates you should also advertise your property to the general public both in the UK and abroad. We have a premium advert with www.
holidaylettings.co.uk, and by selecting a premium advert we also get our property showcased on TripAdvisor, thus maximising exposure. There are many other places to consider advertising your property, including HomeAway Holiday-Rentals (
www.holiday-rentals.co.uk), which offers a 12-month subscription package and includes an owner resources section offering holiday homeowners help and advice. There are normally a number of rental agencies available in popular holiday destinations who will usually take commission from each booking achieved. It is best to research the agencies and contact them to see what requirements they need to market your property. Also consider that ever-growing phenomenon “social media”. We have set up a Facebook page, Cyprus- Holiday-Let, and a Twitter account
twitter.com/HolidayLet for our property. At the very least it reinforces your previous marketing messages and lets past guests, friends and family know what dates are available and of any special promotions that you are running.
JUNE 2011 A PLACE IN THE SUN 65
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