English
Cottage Rental
A guide for holiday home owners from English Cottage Rental.com
to consider when letting out their rented accommodation
1)
PRICES: Make
sure that the price is competitive.
If the rental is too high it will not attract
visitors. Ensure that the prices are kept up to date
on your entry on jmlvillas.com (jmlvillas.com is
the website that advertises your English holiday vacation
rental property)
2) LOCAL AGENT: If you do not live near the holiday
property, you must employ a good local agent who can
check your visitors in and out, arrange cleaning, routine
repairs and replacements, arrange linen hire or a laundry
service and keep an eye on the property when it is not
occupied.
The agent should be able to provide a "Welcome
Pack" if you want to provide one - bottles of wine
for example or more if the visitors are arriving late.
You should provide your agent with the visitor's contact
details and vice versa so that they can contact the
agent if they are delayed or lost.
The agent
can of course be a friend or relative living locally,
but it should be a business relationship and the agent
should be paid.
3) RENTAL AGREEMENT:
If you are letting
a holiday property in France you must provide a written
agreement. In other countries, although it might not
be a legal requirement it is advisable so that your
terms of rental are clearly agreed.
The document need only be 2/3 pages in length and include
the names of the visitors, the dates of the rental.
The amount of damage deposit you are going to hold,
The rental price, cancellation of rental charges. Additional
costs e.g. electricity, linen hire etc.
A clause
stating that if a local agent has to meet the visitors
at an unsocial hour, then any additional costs paid
to the agent will be paid by the renter. If it is a
legal requirement in the country concerned that the
renter takes out insurance, then add it into the agreement.
4) INVENTORY: It is essential that you have an
inventory of the contents that can be checked in with
your guests.
Either the owner or local agent should politely point
out that if the visitors break equipment, if they are
glasses for example then they should replace, if it
is more serious - bed, window etc, then immediately
report it.
5) PROPERTY HANDBOOK: Provide a ring bound folder
with some notes about the property - how the hot water
system works, where the rubbish should be put, information
on local shops, restaurants and attractions etc.
6) INSURANCE: You must make sure that your property
is properly covered for holiday lettings. You should
advise the insurance company that it is being let for
this purpose. In some countries (France for example)
the people renting must also take out insurance by law,
but you must also be covered. If you are looking for
a policy visit our Insurance
section.
7) LOCAL
REGULATIONS:
You should ensure that your property complies with the
country regulations for safety issues.
In Britain for example a holiday home must have
furniture that complies with the fire & furnishing
safety regulations and displays the appropriate safety
label. There are also gas and safety regulations in
certain countries. If in doubt talk to the local
Tourist Office in the area your property is located
in.
In
France, rental properties with more than 5 bedrooms
are legally classified as a small hotel. Hotels are
classified as public buildings requiring specific fire
protection such as fire doors and officially approved
smoke alarms. These regulations are enforced by the
Mairie. Although there is no specific legislation for
fire safety in in private properties or rental properties
with less than five bedrooms in France, in any country
the owner must have a duty of care to his/her guests
and install basic fire protection such as smoke detectors,
fire blankets and fire extinguishers. It is suggested
that the emergency services numbers are included in
any Property Handbooks.
Looking
for Holiday homes insurance in the UK? Click on the
image below
.
8) TAX: It is advisable to consult an Accountant
regarding any tax liability from letting out your holiday
property. If the property is not the country you normally
are resident in then contact an accountant in that country
first. Many countries have Tax treaties with other ones,
but the issue is very complex and the Tax Authorities
do have ways of finding out about properties that are
being let out.
9) AVAILABILITY:
Ensure that the
Availability dates are kept up to date on your entry
on jmlvillas.com
10) PAYMENT
OF RENT: Do take
great care when accepting rental payments. Some people
are able to accept credit card bookings, but for the majority
they are dependent on payment by bank transfer or when
the guests arrive.
WARNING
- RENTAL SCAMS IN HOLIDAY LETS CLICK
HERE FOR DETAILS YOU COULD BE NEXT!
Take great
care — if someone is making a booking well into the
future, the ideal situation is to obtain a booking deposit
at the time of booking and the balance two months before
they are due to arrive. Stipulate those terms in your
rental agreement and also on any printed booking forms.
11)
PRE - LETTING CLEANING: -Make sure the property is
clean and tidy before the guests arrive. At jmlvillas.com
we have received complaints that the property was
dirty and even someone still in there when a guest arrived
in the early afternoon. Make arrangements to have the
property cleaned thoroughly in between lets and if it
stays vacant for a while between a let, have it cleaned
before the new guests move in.
12)
SWIMMING POOLS: Remember
that many countries nowq have specific rules for swimming
pools (alarms / fencing in France). Ensure you are properly
insured, arrange for a regular maintenance contractor
to check it and if it is a Communal pool remember to advise
your renter guests that it could be closed for a maintenance
project during their stay. There are occasions when they
have to be drained or r-tiled and will be out of use for
several days)
13)RECORD
KEEPING FOR PROPERTY OWNERS: As
a property owner ou are required to maintain complete
records of all expenses incurred and the income received
from your properties. This means that you must
hang onto every relevant receipt and keeping details of
any personal assets you used for the property business.
An example of this would be to note down the details of
all journeys you make concerning your property's business,
the portion of your home used to process related paperwork
and time spent on your computer carry out work for the
property.
You
should retain all bank statements and all records have
to be retained for five years after the tax return filing
date. Any receipts regarding property improvements should
be kept for six years after the end of the tax year in
which the property is sold. If you don't keep tax related
records you could face a UK fine of £3,000.
Good luck
with your holiday lettings and if you have any further
tips for property owners to be added here, please email
them to us.
Please note this guide has been compliled from experience
and jml Property Services takes no responsibility for
the accuracy of its content. jml
Property Services taks no responsibility for any bookings
or dealings between a renter and a property owner.
SEE
ALSO Invest in a Holiday home in Britain
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your English Holiday Home Property for FREE ON THIS
SITE When you take an ad on jmlvillas.com
- CLICK
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direct with owners. No commission. No booking fees
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