Buy Property

> Country > Resort > Bedrooms > Bathrooms > Garden > Parking > Driving or walking distance to the ski lifts

•	Register with a number of Estate Agents / Immobiliers who specialise in property in that area. There are a number of excellent agents based in the UK who offer overseas properties to British clientele
•	Speak to a mortgage company to help with your budget
•	Buy the property

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Prepare Property for Rental

Remember your Guests could be arriving in the middle of the night after a long day of travelling. The likelihood is that they will be tired, so any welcoming information or gift will be greatly appreciated.

•	Always ensure the property is immaculate and welcoming
•	Decorate the property in a neutral but warm way
•	Consider wow factors that could give your property the edge
•	Check your heating/ air conditioning every year to make sure it is fully functional and safe
•	Ensure your property meets health and safety requirements
•	Provide a 24 hour hotline if there are any property emergencies
•	If you have a phone in your property, call your Guests to make sure everything is going well
•	Do not put double beds in the property. Use twin beds that can be joined together. It is not unusual to have a group of people staying who do not know each other
•	Use fitted sheets
•	Provide a First Aid Kit
•	Take an inventory of the contents of the property
•	Keep some basic supplies in the cupboard i.e. light bulbs, plungers, mops, dustpan and brush etc
•	Give the property a lick of paint and some maintenance at least once a year
•	Produce a welcome pack to help the Guests find their way in the resort Things to include in the welcome pack:

> Emergency telephone numbers > Restaurants > Bars/Clubs > Map of resort including the location of the property, the beach, supermarket, bus stop > If your property is located in a ski resort, also include: Piste maps, location of the ski lifts, lift pass office, ski shop and ski bus stops > Taxi numbers > Train timetable and costs > Your contact details > Discount vouchers/tokens

The welcome pack could be a folder kept in the property, or something which you send / hand over to the Guests together with the keys.

Adding something extra to the welcome pack or at the property may help with repeat bookings, referrals and excellent feedback, e.g.

> Bottle of wine (ideally local wine) > Flowers > Chocolates > Tea / coffee > Bowl of fruit

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Marketing/Prices

•	Point out the best features of the property (usually the ones that appealed to you when you purchased the property)
•	When taking photographs, use the weather to your advantage, (blue sky, fresh snow, etc)
•	Always provide a photo of the front of the property
•	Supply as many photo’s as you can. Pictures of the pool or view often entice Guests
•	Do not price yourself out of the market. Be realistic on your pricing. Compare your property with other properties of the same size, location age, etc
•	List the local amenities, (shops, bars, restaurants, transport, etc)
•	If your property is located in a ski resort, emphasise non-skiing activities. Remember, not everybody loves skiing!
•	Point out activities for children, (nursery, crèche, ski school, baby sitting, etc) and if it is family friendly
•	Accessibility – routes from the UK, from the airport or via other forms of public transport. It is also worth adding timescales and rough prices if you can
•	Summer activities
•	Winter activities
•	Location of the nearest golf course, lake, beach etc
•	Discount for longer bookings

•	Ask for feedback – have a guest book for Guests to fill out when they leave
•	Always consider your property from the point of view of your customer
•	Save email addresses of previous Guests so that you can contact them if you have special offers, discounts, new properties or even Christmas cards. This way your property will always be in their memory. Don’t overdo it though!
•	Spread the word about your property:

> Friends and family > Business/ Contact cards > Use your property ID or unique web address as a signature at the bottom of your emails

Once you have paid your annual fee to International Holiday Lettings Ltd there are no extra costs, so make the most of your unique web address and promote it to everybody you know.

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Handling Enquiries

•	Offer Guests a number of ways to contact you
•	Be polite
•	Check your emails on a regular basis
•	Always be quick to respond to an enquiry
•	If you send an email always follow up on the phone
•	Be enthusiastic about your property
•	Try to be as flexible as you can. Changing the arrival dates/times or offering another week at the same price can make the difference
•	You are entitled to ask questions about who will be renting the property and what their ages are
•	Always have your property diary with you, you do not want to miss out on any bookings
•	Save all enquiries, as you may be able to offer special offers or discounts in the future
•	You do not need to write a fresh email to every enquiry. Set up a couple of template emails that you can tweak to suit your enquiry

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Taking Payment

This is the exciting part for you, but it is also the area of the transaction about which your Clients are the most apprehensive, so you must make this process effective and efficient.

1.	Cheque – this is the easiest, but the slowest method of payment. Confirm the money has cleared in your account before you send a receipt or the keys for your property
2.	Bank Transfer – quick and easy. Most people can do this online. You will need to send your Name, Account Number, Sort Code and Bank Address. If your Guest is from abroad they will also need your IBAN and your SWIFTBIC numbers. Include in your terms that any bank charges need to be paid by the Guest, not you the Advertiser
3.	PayPal – you can set up a PayPal account and Guests can pay the money into it. This can be completed online or over the phone. There is usually a charge for this service

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Cancellations

If the Guest has to cancel their booking you could agree to return some of their payment.

International Holiday Lettings and Ski Property Rental would recommend that you insert notice of any cancellation charges into your rental contract.

Example:

•	Ask your Guest why they have to cancel; it is usually for a good reason
•	Try to re-book the Client for another week
•	When refunding the money to a Client try to make the payment as soon as you can
•	Always check that the money has cleared in your account before you consider a refund

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Handing Over the Keys

•	Always have a spare set that never leave you
•	Have several sets - one set may not be back by the time you need to send out the other set

You have 4 options for handing over your keys:

1.	Post them out using some form of priority/secure mail service. In this scenario it would still be worth having a contact close to the property with a spare set of keys, just in case the keys that you send by mail do not arrive with the Guests in time.
2.	Have a contact in the area (usually the Cleaner or a neighbour) who can meet your Guests, show them the property and hand over the keys
3.	Meet your Guests face to face
4.	Keep the keys at the property in a locked unit (normally attached to the property) which requires a combination. You can then send the combination out to your Guests once you have received full payment

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Clean the Property/Changeover day

It is always advisable to have a contact close to the property who can hand out the keys, deal with any emergencies (water leak, etc), check over the property at the end of each week and report back to you. Very often this person is the Cleaner. Provide this person with contact details of local plumbers, electricians and handymen (just in case) and check that they are happy for your Guests to contact them in the event of your property requiring any urgent repairs. Perhaps their name and number could feature in your welcome pack as an emergency point of contact.

CLEANLINESS IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR
TO A POTENTIAL TENANT

•	Find an exceptional Cleaner! Referrals from neighbours or friends in the resort are often the best
•	Make sure you meet the Cleaner face to face before entering into a contract with them
•	Build a relationship with your Cleaner
•	Reward the Cleaner after a long season (flowers, a bottle of wine or maybe even a pay rise)

•	Explain how you would like the property to be cleaned, how often and to what level. It is often worth cleaning the property yourself to your standard and then showing the Cleaner what you expect
•	Set a changeover day that suits you and your Cleaner. Saturdays or Sundays are the most common transfer days. Offering a midweek change is helpful, but you do not want to miss out on a full week of rent

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Repeat Bookings

•	Keep contact details of all Guests. Stay in touch, offer late deals / discounts and try to entice them back
•	Offer a discount for repeat bookings
•	Speak to Guests soon after they return home as people often want to book up for the following year soon after they have returned
•	Reward the Cleaner after a long season (flowers, a bottle of wine or maybe even a pay rise)

•	Explain how you would like the property to be cleaned, how often and to what level. It is often worth cleaning the property yourself to your standard and then showing the Cleaner what you expect
•	Set a changeover day that suits you and your Cleaner. Saturdays or Sundays are the most common transfer days. Offering a midweek change is helpful, but you do not want to miss out on a full week of rent

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Holiday Home Insurance

www.assetsure.com
www.intasure.com

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Top Holiday Letting Tips

1.	Ensure the property is clean, tidy and appealing
2.	Take photographs of the property, utilising the weather to your best advantage
3.	Be honest with your advertising and realistic with the price
4.	Have a contact close to your property who can oversee the property, inventory and the handover of keys
5.	Take out Holiday Home Insurance
6.	Look at your home from the point of view of your Guests

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