The first impression always counts when people are searching for holiday rentals online, and this means pictures. The photos you take of your property must show it in the best possible light (both literally and figuratively) but, at the same time, it is important that they are not misleading. If your guests feel mislead, then they are more likely to be disappointed and this can lead to any number of problems down the line. Don’t (for instance) take a photo that shows a neighbour’s swimming pool and try to pass it off as your own, because this is essentially fraud and will result in bad things happening.
Take as much time as you can over the description you give of the property and its location in relation to local attractions or facilities. Don’t lie or exaggerate about things like this, as saying you are “in walking distance from the beach”, when the walk is 20 miles long and over rough terrain, will only lead to dissatisfied customers. Once you have convinced people to book your property, the customer care package should just be beginning and you will still have a few things you might want to do. Sending out a greeting/thank you email or letter can help to open up lines of communication and this is essential for securing return custom.
It might be useful to send out things like directions to your guests; using local landmarks or information that only you know which is unlikely to appear on a sat-nav or map (this is especially important if your second home is particularly hard to find). Give your guests a contact number for you or for a local representative so that they can make direct enquiries before or during their stay. Once you have made contact and secured any deposit that may be required, you need to think about the welcome your guests will receive.
Cleanliness is king when it comes to rental accommodation, so if you can't do the cleaning between stays yourself, you might want to hire a professional service. If you use a property management service, this is usually the type of thing they will take care of, but (if not) you might find it useful to ask other people with second homes in the area to source the details of a reliable cleaning/laundry provider. You may also consider offering a 'meet-and-greet' service, where guests are given a personal welcome into the home by you or your representative. Include a welcome package with some essentials (items like toilet paper and cleaning stuffs) and perhaps a basket of luxury items (such as tea/coffee, toiletries or possibly some local produce).
Making sure that there is plenty of information about local attractions handy is another good move, and you should always leave your guests with an opportunity to give you feedback. Not only will feed-back help you to improve services, but it could be a good way to maintain communication and keep customers coming back. Remember that you will need second property insurance when you have a second home, especially if you are opening it to guests. Though it might be hard to secure second home insurance with a standard insurer, it can be obtained through a specialist provider like homeprotect with ease. With homeprotect you can get a competitive online quote for second home insurance, as well as second home contents insurance, regardless of your circumstances. If your second home is on fixed foundations and located within the UK, homeprotect can help.