Whether you rent out your holiday home through an agency, to friends of friends or to the same family every summer, the same questions come up. Where is the key? How does the heating work? Which bin is for what? Answer them once, in writing, and both you and your guests will have an easier time.
What guests need to know
Guests arrive tired, often in the dark, sometimes with children asleep in the back seat. Put the essentials first and keep it short.
Arrival
- The address, and how to find the house if the sat-nav gets it wrong. A photo of the entrance helps.
- Where to park.
- Check-in and check-out times.
- Where the key is: a key box and its code, a neighbour, or a code lock on the door.
- Who to call if they cannot get in.
In the house
- How the heating works, and what temperature to leave it at. Heat pumps and wood stoves often need a short explanation.
- The hot water: how long it takes to heat, and whether there is a switch.
- Where the stop valve and the fuse box are. See where to turn off the water.
- The Wi-Fi name and password.
- The TV, the dishwasher, the washing machine, the sauna or hot tub, if there is one.
- Rubbish and recycling: which bin is for what, and when it is collected.
House rules
- Pets, smoking, the number of guests, quiet hours.
- Bed linen and towels: bring your own or provided.
- What to do before leaving: cleaning, dishwasher, beds, windows, heating, the key back in the box.
Safety and help
- Your local emergency number, and the address written clearly so they can give it over the phone.
- The nearest doctor, out-of-hours service and pharmacy.
- Your phone number, and someone local who can help if you cannot.
- Where the fire extinguisher, fire blanket and first-aid kit are.
Giving guests the information
A folder on the kitchen table is good, but guests need the arrival details before they reach the table. Send the arrival details in advance, and keep codes out of anything that might be left lying around or forwarded to others.
In Handover: a guest page gives your guest what they need as a link or a printed sheet. They need no app and no account. You tick what goes on it, the page closes by itself after the last day, and the Wi-Fi and key-box codes are protected by an extra code that you send separately.
After guests have left, consider changing the key-box code, especially if they had it for a long stay.
What the owner should write down
The guests need a page. The house needs a handbook. Much of what keeps a holiday home in good shape lives in one owner's head, and when that person is ill, abroad or no longer able, the others have to guess.
Between guests
- Who cleans, who changes the linen, and how they get in.
- Who checks for damage and restocks the basics.
- The agency's contact details, if you use one, and what they handle.
Closing for the winter
Frost damage is one of the most common and most expensive problems in a holiday home. Write the steps down in order, so anyone can follow them.
- Whether the house is kept warm over winter or drained, and at what temperature.
- How to drain the water: which valves, in what order, and where the drain points are.
- Outdoor taps, the garden hose, the outdoor shower.
- The toilet and traps: water left in them can freeze; ask a plumber what suits your house.
- The fridge and freezer: empty, cleaned, door left open.
- Garden furniture in, gutters cleared, shutters closed.
Who checks on the house
- A neighbour or caretaker who looks in after storms, frost and heavy rain.
- How often they come, and what they look at.
- Whether your insurer asks for regular checks while the house stands empty. Some do.
Money and the rules
Rental income may be taxable. Check your tax authority. Local rules on short-term rentals, registration, safety and insurance also vary a great deal; ask your local authority and tell your insurer that you rent the house out.
In Handover: a holiday home is its own household with topics such as The season (Opening the house, Closing for the winter, Looking in) and Renting it out (Agency or yourselves, Between guests, The rental income).
If you share the house with siblings or other owners, read more on our holiday homes page.