People who own holiday cottages to rent out - what do you put on your booking forms?

[wilbur]

We have recently bought a holiday cottage for investment and have started to receive bookings (hooray!). I need to make up a booking form to send to people when I receive their deposit to confirm the booking. Does anyone have any tips about what to include? I have Term and Conditions of booking already, to attach to the form, but was wondering what I have to spell out on the form itself, beyond cost and the date that balance of payment should be received.

Another tips about handling 3rd party bookings, how you organise money etc, gratefully received.

bumping for lunchtime crew

how to get the keys. local info. property specific info.

is that the sort of thing?

If you emailme I wil send you what I send.

Beetroot beetroot @hotmail dot co dot uk

Yes, that's the kind of thing, bossykate. I am putting together a folder of local info and property info to have at the house, but yes, key info should go on the form. Am thinking of getting some kind of little key safe to save keys being posted etc.

Beetroot, that would be great - will email you now.

arrival and departure times?

I rent out ours through an agency so don't get to see the booking forms they send out to my guests.

I would suggest asking for a bond, I ask for £100 on top of every booking, purely because it focuses guests into looking after the place if they think you will keep back their money. This season I've been lucky and had really lovely people staying but last season had to keep two lots of bonds.

Make the maximum number of people very clear as well as any policies on pets, smoking, children, etc. My mum rents her house out and has had double the number of people turn up.

Location map, checking out time, any arrangements re cleaning, how you expect the cottage to be left - beds stripped or anything like that. Cancellation policy - presumably that is part of the t&cs.

where is it? I'm looking for something for october!!

Got that. What do you think about putting bank transfer details on it? Ie, details of the account where they can pay me? It would make life easier, but perhaps it would be dangerous and I should just give them out if people ask for them. It wouldn't be our main account though, so maybe it's ok.

Very clear earliest and latest key pick-up times...or people will be ariving late and wanting to collect keys at 1am etc.

And withold deposit for breaking any 'no pets' or other clauses. My Mum's neighbour had to refund a two-week high season booking because occupants brought a dog which caused terrible allergies to following family who had specified a 'no pets' property!

cottages4you don't issue directions, key location etc until after balance payment - their confirmation just gives party details, important inf about the property (eg no smoking, towels/bed linen provided or not), amount paid & due, & that kind of thing.

I've got one somewhere, I'll dig it out in a sec.

I've been v excited about your hol cottage, Wilbur, since you posted when you were mulling on where to buy...

Ah, latest key pick up - that's a good point blu, esp if I use a local person and not a key safe - although a keysafe looking like a better idea all the time. And thanks for the vicarious excitement, we are v v overexcited about it (long-held dream come true, really), but must keep feet on the ground and make sure all rental stuff is kosher and running smoothly.

WW - that would be great for that info. Yes, should put that linens included as I know they often are not.

Optrex, it's in the Cotswold Water Park (just south of where the Cotswolds start properly) in a place called Lower Mill Estate. If you google it, it will come up. We have a website, but tbh the pics are from previous owners and don't really do it justice. The lovely Futurity on mn is going to do me a redesign as she is a web designer in rl.

onceinalifetime - do you think people are okay with being told how to leave things? I don't want to make people feel unwelcome - it is their holiday after all. Then again, you could be right, we stayed at a place once, and as we were hoovering around to tidy up at the end, we saw into the next cottage along and the people had just walked out, leaving it .

My agency tells guests "for insurances purposes, keys not given out until after 3pm" only had one family turning up at the cottage at 1pm when I'm in the middle of chageover so that seems to work.

Also put an inventory list in your welcome folder so they know that you definately know what is at the property. Sadly, some do steal.

jellyshoes - yes, am going to ask for £120 security deposit. Have been advised that breakages up to £20 should be taken as part and parcel of having a rental business, but anything more than that can be paid for out of deposit.

I had people who smoked , DH phoned them and asked them, they denied but he told them over the phone that they had lost their bond b/c we would have to deep clean.

I don't mean to be negative, most of my guests have been brilliant, but our cottage is going to be our retirement place, and I love it (silly I know, but I do). Only renting it out for the shortterm, its such a luxury it has to contribute towards its upkeep.

I'm excited for you. Its hard work, especially if you are doing to the changeover day yourself, but lovely meeting the guests as they leave and they tell you how much they've enjoyed their holiday, my last guests wrote in my comment book that my cottage was "a hidden gem".

wilbur, I'm not sure I would personally leave instructions but if I rent anywhere I do leave things very tidy anyway. However, I've stayed at lots of places where they do ask for bin to be emptied, beds stripped, etc so it depends on how you feel, your cleaning arrangements, etc. This is something that could be left in the folder in the property rather than on the booking form.

We stayed at a fantastic place through Cottages4you (dreadful name but some great places on there) and the owner had a guest book (full of glowing and well deserved comments) and had put a bottle of wine in the fridge, fresh flowers, home made flapjacks and tea, coffee and milk. It really made us feel welcome.

Its not unreasonable to ask guests to put the bins out on their due collection day (holiday homes in Florida do it, so why not)

Our collection day is the day before my changeover day. It easier for me (time wise, I can't always get to the tip to do dispose of the bin). Our cottage is by the sea so the gulls will get at the rubbish if its left laying around in bags. I have a notice up by the back door saying that if a significant amount of rubbish is left then I will make a charge.

jellyshoes - that's lovely about the "hidden gem". Where is it?

onceinalifetime - yes, we are going to arrange some kind of welcome pack, but need to work out how to do it as we will have changeovers done by a local housekeeper. Hooray - another excuse to do a booze cruise to France - I HAVE to go for wine for my lovely guests.

Oh yes, gulls are a nightmare, I know that from regular trips to the Welsh coast. Right, that's a good idea about the bins - fine to leave some rubbish but bags full will incur a charge. The estate has big wheelies and recycling bins v close by, so it's not a big deal for people to do. Think I will put that in the folder for the house though.

wilbur - it's in Pembrokeshire. My season has finished now, last lot left on Friday .... bliss.

Good idea on the booze cruise - essential in my view!

My mum leaves a food pack in her villa when she rents it out. If she's not there to do it herself she allocates a certain amount of money and a list of items for whoever's doing the cleaning/handover to get. She's also worked out the best items to buy - for example, mini pots of Bonne Maman jam and so on. Tea, coffee and sugar in containers so they can just be topped up. You could stipulate exactly what's to be left in there and of course get the housekeeper to clear out what's been left - that's one of her perks!