What is involved in managing a Holiday Let?

What is involved in managing a holiday let?

Here are just some of the key responsibilities:

  • Maintaining the property, furnishing, cleaning, changing bed sheets, towels and replacing amenities after each guest.
  • Admin tasks such as managing bookings, enquiries, guest queries, pricing and payments.
  • Managing check-in, check-out and welcome packs.
  • Marketing your property on listing sites and social media.
  • Responding to the guest’s needs before, during and after their stay.
  • Calculating taxes, sending invoices and complying with regulations and legal issues.
  • Cleaning for every changeover
  • Everyday repairs and maintenance if required 
  • Specialist cleaning, like windows and hot tubs
  • Caretaker notifications
  • Laundry
  • Inventory checks
  • Seasonal and deep cleans
  • Housekeeper visits  
  • Health & Safety checks
  • Gas checks (if needed)
  • Chimney sweeps (if needed)
  • Gardening
  • Parking Area
  • Waste disposal

These are just a few of the jobs that need to be undertaken (not all weekly or at every changeover)

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Why are people choosing Cornwall Owners for their Holiday Lets?

Why Cornwall Owners?

You have the potential to earn more , if you’re not paying any agency fees or commission, you get to keep 100% of the rental income you make (after deducting tax and expenses). This can significantly boost your bottom line if you manage to secure a good number of bookings by yourself.

Cornwall is one of the top five earning regions. With holiday let owners earning an average income of £22,000 per year. (Statistics from Sykes Cottages Owner research 2022 and Staycation Index 2021).

Using this data as an example:

£22,000 pa = agency fees anywhere between £2,200 – £4,000 pa

Cornwall Owners advertising fee is from just £50.00 pa with no other agency fees or commission (less than £1 per week)

With time, your profit per booking will likely increase even more due to repeat bookings and recommendations which will now have a significantly lower cost per acquisition.

Owner – 18th January 2023

“Over the past couple of years commission rates charged by agencies have gone down somewhat and can be negotiated closer to the 12-15% rather than 20-25% as it used to be (depending on the property) but the lack of flexibility can be a real issue, and also the so-called expertise in pricing is not always there.  After meeting with three holiday let agencies we decided to manage our property alone using Cornwall Owners as a platform. We based our prices on current market conditions rather than what the agencies were recommending which was for the most part significantly lower. The income we generated was 25% higher than we predicted and this doesn’t even take into account the agency fees, total for us was a 40% upside by advertising ourselves using Cornwall Owners.

This year is challenging, bookings are slower and more last minute but when comparing with the major holiday websites we find so far that our occupancy level is about the same or higher than what it seems to be on these other  websites so for now we will carry on with managing our property with Cornwall Owners.

Quick entry to market
Holiday rental portals such as Cornwall Owners have empowered holiday let owners to easily create an advertisement and handle bookings by themselves. In a matter of days, you could be receiving enquiries.

Guest screening
You can personally screen potential guests and have the final say in who stays in your holiday home.

You are in control
You decide when you or your friends and family can stay in your holiday home – with no agency restrictions. You’ll also be able to visit the property to check on maintenance and any problems whenever it’s convenient for you.

Manage guest satisfaction
If you’re good with people and like the idea of a hands-on approach to holiday letting (for example, greeting guests in person when they arrive), managing the property yourself will give you lots of opportunities to ensure great guest satisfaction. You’re your very own quality control department.

Flexibility in setting rental rates
You are directly in charge, you can quickly adapt to the market and offer guests special deals, discounts or increase prices easily and quickly if you choose. This may allow you to secure extra last-minute bookings more quickly and efficiently compared to, perhaps, needing to go through an agent who would first need to check discounts with you and might need some extra lead time to roll new rates out.

Regular inspections
If you’re living close by to your holiday rental, handling the management allows you to keep a close eye on your holiday let. You’ll be more likely to see if items need replacing or fixing and have a much better idea of the state of your property.

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