Can I rent my house out in Cornwall when I go away for 8-10 weeks?? Half term to New Year?

[babyabroad]

Hello

With a new baby due in April I'm thinking of ways to bring in a little extra cash.. through our home.

We frequently go away for many weeks at a time. Infact it's fair to say we are only in Cornwall for term time only....at the most.

Our next trip will be from the start of the October half term until early January. Our home is a newly renovated two bedroom stone cottage (sleeps 5) with a gorgeous garden in a Central Cornish location with great transport links. We are very near to several beaches. It's not in a sought after holiday location but it is in Cornwall none the less...

Does anybody have any experience of letting their home out when they're not in it?

I really look forward to hearing your experiences. Many thanks

For a residential let it wd have to be available for at least 6 months. You could buy a page on a holiday let site but you might not get many bookings outside the school holidays. You would also need someone to handle the changeovers and you'd have to remove all your personal stuff.

Speak to a local holiday letting a agent, I'm sure they would tell you what you need to do, how much changeovers and commission would cost (17% agent fee is typical, plus changeover/cleaning). If you already have someone who could do the changeovers/cleaning then look at owners direct or airbnb which will cost less in commission.

i once had a short term let for 10 weeks between longer term rentals. there can be a call for them but privately

I have a friend who lets her cottage through Owners Direct every Summer. She camps locally as they need the money I guess. You need to pack stuff away into the loft/shed (and padlock the loft hatch?) to se personalise the house and provide storage space, Write a home manual, Inform home insurers and have someone to clean on changeover day. Also someone to be on hand for maintenance emergencies.