Holiday let management service options
Finding a trusty holiday letting solution is just one side of the coin when it comes to marketing your holiday home. The other side is holiday let management. How are you going to make sure your property is looked after, your guests have what they need and that any emergencies, from lost keys to leaking pipes, are handled quickly?
Things to consider when choosing a holiday let management service:
- How far away do you live?
- Can you access the property quickly in case of emergency?
- How will you handle changeover services like laundry and cleaning?
- Can you make sure your property is secure when it’s empty?
- Does anything in your property need explaining - like how to use specific technologies?
- Professional property management services
- Owner managed holiday home management
- Professional hosting
Below, we'll explore each of these three services in more detail:
Professional property management services
A professional property management service might be a large or a small company, but ideally it should be a local company that knows the area, has a regional team who is invested in the properties they look after, and who knows their reputation in the local community hinges on doing a good job. Here are some of the benefits of choosing a good professional property management service.
24-hour support
Professional property management services can provide real peace of mind just in case of an emergency. They can act as the emergency contact for you and your guests, in and out of working hours. That means everything from turning up with a spare key if guests get locked out or acting fast in case of a maintenance issue like a leak.
Dependable service
A professional property management service can help make sure all the things that need doing to let your property safely get done. That might mean supporting admin tasks like scheduling annual fire risk assessments and gas safety checks. Or it might be being at the end of the phone when you need something - like placing a luxury hamper in the property for guests who are celebrating a special occasion.
Winter security checks
It’s particularly important to have someone nearby to keep an eye on houses when they are empty, especially if it’s for a long period of time - like in the low season and winter months. Good professional services will offer regular security checks, which provide everything from picking up the post so it doesn’t collect on the doorstep and ‘advertise’ that the house is empty, to making sure windows haven’t been left open, taps aren’t on, and there are no leaks or storm damage.
Cleaning and laundry services
A good professional property management service will provide professional laundry and cleaning services to coordinate changeovers. Making sure cleaning is done to the right standard is more important than ever post-Covid, and often these processes need to be done quickly (within a number of hours), which can be a challenge with multiple sets of linen.
Changeover services
Professional property managers won’t just do the cleaning, they will run an inspection before guests arrive as well. This allows them to check the quality of the clean and make sure it’s up to the right standard between the time that one set of guests leaves and another arrives. They can also provide other changeover services, such as handing over keys or providing meet and greet services to show incoming guests how to use the house, such as gadgets, WiFi passwords and explaining where everything is.
Professional distance
Some people feel that being involved in the management of letting their holiday home is too close for comfort. They prefer to have distance from the process so that when they arrive at their property it’s as though no one else has ever been there. Working with a property management agency provides that distance and when you arrive, you experience what it’s like to arrive as a guest too.
Owner managed holiday home management
Some people prefer to manage their own holiday let. There are benefits to that, but on the other hand it can be a lot of work. It’s also only a realistic option if you live close by. For lots of people, holiday homes are several hours away from where they normally live. If a guest gets locked out or there’s a serious maintenance issue, that’s too far away to get there in time.
Direct control over standards
If you’re something of a perfectionist, it’s reasonable that you might prefer to take the lead with the cleaning and management of your own property so that you feel more in control. You might want to do the cleaning yourself, or oversee it, and do the property checks to repair scuff marks and any damage between guests because you know your property better than anyone. Do keep in mind however, that in peak season the time between one guest leaving and another arriving might only be a few hours.
Limiting management costs
Not incurring the cost of a professional management service might allow you to take a greater share of the letting profits or give you more leeway to be competitive on the pricing of your holiday let. However, it’s crucial for the success of your holiday let that maintenance and housekeeping are done to professional standards, so you do need to be able to commit to that, even in peak season when it can get very busy. Otherwise the cost saving can quickly turn into a false economy if guests ask for refunds or leave bad reviews.
Be prepared for all eventualities
As an owner managed holiday let, you are responsible for everything, from fire risk assessments and PAT testing (Portable appliance testing) through to responding to guest questions, managing problems occurring at the property, and handling service providers and emergency call-outs. A property management company can handle those key elements for you.
Professional hosting
The third option when it comes to property management is to work with a professional host who can be your eyes and ears on the ground, be close by to help you find solutions when there’s a problem at the property and to oversee standards. Their support can be further enhanced by a professional hosting service, or they can help make it easier for you to manage your property yourself.
HolidayHost is a local company with team members living and working within easy reach of all our properties. We also work alongside companies like Pebbles, who also operate locally, and provide the level of support that we want for our holiday homeowners. Sound good? Get in touch to see how we can work together.
Contact us today to enquire about our professional hosting service.
