Thinking of Renting to Holidaymakers – Don’t Fall at the Last Hurdle

I’ve become heavily involved with many homeowners over the years who have bought a ramshackled cottage and spent months – even years – doing it up to rent out to holidaymakers.

As you would expect, by the time it comes to making the finishing touches, the homeowner is stressed and the budget has taken a battering. It’s at this point that the shopping needs to be done to get the property ready for its first guests. But I can guarantee that as the owner heads off, there will be a natural inclination to cut a few corners and try to re-coop some of the overspend on the renovations.

Although there are some areas where savings can be made without too much of a compromise, such as standard frying pans, a simple vacuum cleaner or pictures which could actually be some of your own scenic photographs blown up and put into frames, there are some things which you’ll wish you had spent a bit more money on.

Here is our top list of things to think about so you don’t fall at the last hurdle:

Broadband

This is one of the top 5 search criteria that our holidaymakers look for on the website. If you can get superfast then do so and it should definitely be unlimited as guests use it a lot!

Outside furniture

This is quite a difficult one as there seems to be very little choice of outside furniture in the “middling” price bracket. Try to avoid ones with metals fixings as these rust. If you can afford it, aim for teak or oak as they wear well for years. We’ve several properties that now have rattan outside furniture and these seems to be lasting well.

Televisions

Even in a small cottage you must have a full size television – 32’’ is my suggested minimum.  They are really not that expensive nowadays and a smart one will deliver even more value

Kitchen equipment

Knives

If you must compromise then just a breadknife and two really good sharp ones – one big and one small – are a must

Kettle & toaster

Because these feature so heavily in the photographs, a matching pair will go a long way in projecting an air of quality, as well as enhancing your guests’ experience.

Settees

There is nothing worse than sitting on a lumpy settee that has seen better days. There are several sofa companies that offer interest free credit, helping you to spread the cost.

As ever, we are always on hand to help our homeowners make their cottages a place that our guests want to return to year after year. Where possible we would always advocate using local companies. Being a local holiday cottage agent we understand the importance of local economy and a lot of companies and contractors will provide you with better value and services than a national company could.

This blog was provided by Cornish Horizons