Available Rooms

Before deciding how many people you are intending to market your property for, it is worth looking seriously at the rooms and amount of space you have available. Do not automatically assume that you will generate more income simply by marketing your property to cater for more people. There is no point in putting your property up for letting stating that it sleeps eight people if this means cramming extra beds into three standard-sized bedrooms. Although bunk beds enable you to accommodate more people in limited space, you will be marketed suitably towards children, and you are then effectively limiting your occupancy to school holidays.

When deciding on the number of people you intend to accommodate, in addition to the number of bedrooms you have on offer, look at the size of your living accommodation. You will need to have an armchair or comfortable sofa seating for every guest you aim to accommodate, and your lounge must therefore have adequate space. Your kitchen and dining area must also be looked at carefully. Is your kitchen really large enough to cater for ten adults or would you be better aiming for eight or even six? There should be adequate seating in your dining area to enable every guest to sit comfortably at the same time.

Another point worth considering is the number of bathrooms your property has to offer. If you market your holiday let through an agent, they may well insist on a certain number of bathrooms if you are intending to let your property to a large number of guests. It is far from ideal to market a property for ten guests if they all have to queue for one bathroom. It is usually expected that a property large enough to accommodate six people or more should have a second toilet and hand basin.

Finally, take into account your outdoor area. If you have a garden or patio suitable for entertaining, think about providing a barbecue for your guests to use. If you do decide to make the most of your outdoor area, make sure you have sufficient garden furniture to accommodate all of your guests together.

What To Provide In Each Room

Before deciding what to provide in each room of your property, it is a good idea to sit down and work out how much money you can reasonably afford to spend. It is probably true to say that your initial outlay will be rather high, as you will have the whole house to furnish. Look at the amount of rent you are intending to charge and work out how many weeks’s rental you will need to receive to recoup the money spent on furnishing the property. Depending on the area and type of property you have, you may only be able to let your holiday home during the summer season, say for 12-16 weeks per year, and in this case it will obviously take you much longer to recoup your costs than if you have the potential to let your property for 30 or more weeks per year. Like any new business venture, you will need to invest money from the start in order to set up your business and before you can begin to reap the profits. There are three options you can choose from when deciding how much to spend on furnishing your property.

You will be unable to get away from the expense of the large items needed to furnish your property and you may be restricted in how much money you can save. Beds, lounge suites, tables and chairs, flooring, etc. will all need to be budgeted for. The next part of this chapter will look at each of the rooms separately and examine the essentials that it will be necessary for you to provide.