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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an ad on jmlvillas.com - CLICK
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