Do you really want fluffy towels and new linens? What are your limits with country holiday lets?

[cottageinthecountry]

I'm about to renovate a cottage for letting out for holidays. It's in a very rural position and can withstand a lot of wear and tear regarding mud and wildlife. I'm letting it out on Airbnb which has been great but I'm quickly getting drawn into the competitive linen game.

It's a great place for children and pets to charge about in the mud and I'm almost certain this will be brought into the house on a regular basis - it's rural position is its charm. But how do I market something so that people don't expect it to be spotless as a spa resort and give me bad ratings and disgruntled reviews?

I would be grateful if you could tell me what you prefer - a bit of mud and insect life or a spotless haven? What are your boundaries?

[KristinaM]

LOL at x post with BIWI

[Graciescotland]

Do not have a dog sofa; it will smell and put people off. You need to have as much comfy seating as your maximum number of guests. Same for dining chairs and garden chairs if you're putting a table out on the patio.

I wouldn't do the bring your own linen thing but I'd be keen to see other peoples views on this.

I know some people have mentioned sky/ broadband. TBH a sky subsciption is quite a lot for something you'll rent out maybe less than six months of the year, freesat offers a decent amount of choice. A decent sized new tv, dvd/ bluray disc player. Wifi is a must though even if the broadband speed is slow. Prewarn your guests if they ask that it's fine for emails etc. but not for live streaming.

[cottageinthecountry]

Ponking thanks for your thoughts. In fact thanks to everyone, this is incredibly helpful.

Of course this will be a lot of work, the idea is that it provides us with at least half a wage and I'm prepared to put in the hours, but it's a 2 hour drive away. I guess if I do all the cleaning myself then the laundry can be done in that time but that's a 9 hour day for me. I'm sure I can do it though and hopefully eventually I will get someone else in to clean.

There is a downstairs toilet and a separate bathroom with power shower, bath and sink. It's going to be very complicated to put a toilet upstairs, it's a listed building and it will take a huge amount of effort and money to put one upstairs. I hope people will just understand that and work their way round it. perhaps I'll put a wipe-clean board with a timetable for bathroom use I'm going up this weekend, will have another look.

[Grennie]

There is nothing more off putting than looking at photos of a lovely cottage where the owners have skimped on the furniture by sticking in some cheap old rubbish. I suspect this is what you mean by eclectic. And it is this kind of thinking, that makes it really hard to find a nice cottage.

[cottageinthecountry]

This isn't mine, but I like it in terms of eclectic.

www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/754649?guests=10&s=_6MA

What do you think?

[ilovemountains]

So there is no toilet upstairs at all, where I'm assuming the bedrooms are? Does the downstairs toilet at least have a sink in it? Really doesn't sound ideal for a holiday let.

[mazylou]

I've rented holiday cottages lots of times. I would not consider a house of that size with one bathroom. I like big fluffy towels, properly comfortable beds, and absolutely NO to the dog sofa. This is the kind of thing that works - charm, character and well looked after.

www.theoldciderpress.co.uk/

[cottageinthecountry]

The cottage is extremely old and the two upstairs bedrooms have their own staircase which means that an extra bathroom would just be an ensuite. I thought I would market the upstairs bedrooms for children as they have room to spread out. It would be almost impossible to get permission to knock through upstairs.

[Capitola]

You see - I hate that linked to house.

Just too shabby for me and not nearly enough bathrooms - 1.5 for 5 bedrooms?!

We rented a 2 bed/2 bath Devon apartment for the same price for one week, and it was booked solid all summer.

People will pay a premium if it's nice enough - otherwise you'd have to make it mega cheap to rent. This is all my opinion - I see it has (3) nice reviews.

[mazylou]

Is it listed, cottage? I know what you mean if it is! Talk to the local planners, perhaps?

[Graciescotland]

Leather sofas aren't cold feeling, they were a bit expensive and aren't a shiny sort of leather but are tactile and lovely. Also I have underfloor heating which means everything is nice and cosy. It's lovely underfoot when you'd expect a stone floor to be chilling. Touches like this net you christmas/ new year bookings.

[cottageinthecountry]

You're joking mazylou - that's horrible - plain and bland, looks like any old apartment anywhere. It's also only for four people.

I must say I can't bear to stay anywhere with any kind of naff furniture. One piece can put me off. I stayed in a place in Cornwall once, it was brown floral all over. It was very hard to enjoy.

[ouryve]

i would expect it to be clean until I got there. No fan of brand new linens (rough) but wouldn't want holes or visible wear. A cheap set could last a year without pilling and wearing, at home, so there's no excuse for stuff that looks worn out and ragged.

[ouryve]

And I'd expect about 1 bathroom for 4 people, unless it's luxury in price and aimed at adult groups, rather than families, then it would be a bathroom per 2 people.

[mazylou]

Not to your taste perhaps. However, it's been running since 2003, so they must be doing something right.

[mazylou]

Aha - here's something comparable in terms of how many people you want to sleep.

www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/st-austell/621839

[Lottiedoubtie]

I don't like the link you've posted OP. gorgeous house, lovely kitchen but I wouldn't rent it because of the furniture, really off putting and doesn't look clean and fresh enough.

[cottageinthecountry]

Capitola I thought I liked the House I linked, but I can't stand those dining chairs and they would upset me having to sit on them every day.

You can't compare a small place by the sea because seaside locations have an obvious advantage.

Letting out cheap is probably what I had in mind but as time has gone on I realise it's just as much work so I might as well buy the fluffy towels, extra appliances and make it pay for itself.

I was away this year and there was a problem with a booking and we ended up in the landlord's sister's flat. I nearly died. It was absolutely horrible and I felt instantly depressed. It was in the basement of a block of flats in old Eastern Europe. There was broken glass on the floor outside and the glass wall was broken with huge shards hanging. There were alcoholics and stray dogs. I didn't review it but I honestly couldn't understand how his sister lived there (with her child). Talk about grim.

Things could be worse than having low gsi towels I guess.

[GretaWolfcastle]

WIFI. WIFI WIFI

confy sofas.

[TheDoctrineOfSnatch]

I would not consider taking my own linen - arrive and start making up 8 beds? No way.

Landmark Trust lets out rescued properties where listing restrictions mean limited bathrooms etc - but a feature is that you are saving valuable properties. Is there a specialist site for listed holiday lets?

[Lottiedoubtie]

Mazylou's link is much nicer, I'd stay there. Although it's location that really clinches it for that place.

[cottageinthecountry]

OMG mazylou £2,200 for a week in summer. Just wow.

But what a view though. Lovely house.

Mine has roughly the same facilities but everything's just cosier in terms of space. Shall I link to it? Would I be breaching a rule?

[Capitola]

Yes, sorry OP - location does count for a lot.

Mind you - we rented a last minute barn conversion in East Bumblefuck the middle of nowhere in July and it cost the same, iirc.

[TheDoctrineOfSnatch]

Feel free to link - you are clearly seeking advice not advertising!

[cottageinthecountry]

Yes Doctrine, I'm hoping that people will forgive me for not having multiple bathrooms because it's listed. I could put an extra one in downstairs but it won't be much use. I might reconsider upstairs and separate it from the bedroom. Just don't want pipes gurgling through the ceilings of the downstairs room either.