Remotely Managing your Holiday Let

Many questions have been floating around over the past year about ‘how to remotely manage your holiday let’ when it is almost impossible for you to manage hands on.

Want to know how you can manage your property remotely? Check out these 6 top tips for letting your property remotely, making your life as a property owner easier.

1. Checking in

Remote letting makes it difficult to greet your guests face-to-face.

Upon booking a stay at your property, ensure that email confirmation and access details of their stay is sent to your guest from yourself or your chosen agency. On top of this, another easy and effective way to greet your guests remotely is to send them a welcome email with useful directions to your property.

This will help put your guests at ease and welcome them into your home and area.

Installing a key safe means guests have the flexibility to arrive at a time that suits them, and you won’t have to stress about organizing a key handover.

Pro-tip: Just to be sure, consider adding a second safe at your property. This can be placed in a hidden location and only revealed to guests in emergency situations.

2. Welcome folders

Providing an up-to-date and detailed welcome folder will help your guests ease into your property and get the best out of their experience in your area. This will also cover any questions that your guests may have. We suggest including:

• A welcome letter to give your guests a warm hello and shout about your wonderful property

• Recommendations for local restaurants, walks, beaches and attractions

• House guidelines, for any friendly property requests you might have

• Instructions for appliances and remote controls. A top tip is to take pictures of these and print out a ‘how to guide’

• Details of where the guests can find the electric switchboard and water valves

• Adding important contact numbers is key

For more information on welcome folders, check out our blog post on 10 Essentials to Include in a Guest Information Pack.

3. Welcome packs

First impressions matter, that’s why it is always recommended to leave your guests a welcome pack at your property. But being a remote owner makes this a challenge to do in person.

A way of getting around this would be to prepare your welcome packs in advance and storing them in a locked cupboard, ready for your changeover supplier to change for you. If you feel comfortable, you could consider asking your supplier to prepare these packs for you.

It’s a challenge to include basics like fresh bread and milk in your packs, when you’re based far afield, but local biscuits or chocolates and UHT milk are useful alternatives that’ll last far longer!

Think of these small gestures when you're managing your costs of a running a holiday let.

4. Maintaining changeovers

In the same way that providing a welcome pack can be challenging, taking care of any changeovers can be difficult when you’re managing your holiday let remotely.

Many long-distance property owners prefer to use a cleaning agency to help with things like changing beds, refreshing towels, cleaning the bathroom, or restocking guest welcome packs.

5. First impressions

As already pointed out, first impressions matter. So, if your garden is looking shabby, uncut and overgrown, it could have a negative impact on your guests.

When managing your property remotely, hiring a gardener to regularly keep your garden in check will ensure that it remains inviting for guests. This also applies to your windows.

As a guest, nothing is worse than arriving to bin waste that hasn’t been disposed of as this could bring bad odor and even unwanted pests.

Ask your chosen supplier if they provide a waste disposal service or ask your local council about commercial waste services.

6. Maintenance

A team that you can rely on for maintenance is an important lifeline if you cannot make it to your property that often.

Ask your changeover supplier if they offer full management options which means they can deal with issues directly.

It is also a good idea to agree a maintenance budget to ensure that not all projects require a sign off and avoids any task getting stuck in limbo. Just make sure that you ask for details of every job and any photo evidence.

Property maintenance can’t go understated. A well maintained property will ensure that your guests have the best experience possible in your home, which in turn helps to generate valuable, positive reviews. You can find out more on this on our guide to how to plan a holiday let business model.

You may wish to take out a 'break down' style of cover with your utility supplier. This will help solve any issues with boilers, generators and many other things. Contact your utility suppliers to discuss any potential insurance policies.

7. Security Advice

It can be quite daunting to run a holiday home remotely as security issues can be of big concern for property owners. But there are a few things you can do to ease your anxieties of home security.

Cameras

Using cameras on the exterior of your property can help deter any unwanted guests whilst the property is unoccupied.

Be mindful that you will need to inform your guests of these cameras, both on your online listing as well as clear signage at your property stating that security cameras are in use.

Some people choose to operate with fake cameras to simply act as a visual deterrent.

Alarms

Having alarms fitted in various areas of the property will help deter any thieves or trespassers on your property.

Be sure to inform your guests about these alarms too as they may themselves set the alarm off.

Insurance

If any of your security efforts are compromised, give yourself a safety net by having good quality insurance to back you up.

Looking for a fully or part managed service?

At Sykes Cottages, we provided a range of services or to help manage your property in a variety of different ways.

If you’re looking to enquire about our services, or you’re just looking for some local advice, get in touch with our managed services team on 01244 617724. We are available between the hours of 9am to 5:30 pm, Monday to Friday.