Our Guide to Holiday Let Cleaning, Maintenance & Compliance
Friday 29th November, 2024 by Host & Stay
Running a successful holiday let can be a rewarding venture, but it does come with its challenges. Ensuring your property is clean and well-maintained for every check-in (plus compliant to UK law) can be a huge undertaking. To help, we’ve put together our guide to holiday let management which includes holiday let cleaning and maintenance, as well as the latest regulations for holiday lets, to make sure your property is always guest ready.
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Why is holiday let cleaning and maintenance so important?
What does holiday let cleaning involve?
How long will it take to clean a holiday let?
How much will it cost to clean my holiday let?
How much linen will my holiday let need?
Eco-friendly holiday let cleaning and maintenance
What are the most common holiday let maintenance issues?
What are the legal regulations for holiday lets?
Do I need holiday let insurance?
What are the benefits of using managed services for holiday let cleaning, maintenance and compliance?
Why is holiday let cleaning and maintenance so important?
When it comes to holiday let management, holiday let cleaning and maintenance are integral. One of the main things a guest will look for when they arrive is how your property is presented. They know what to expect in terms of amenities and location from the information provided on your holiday let listing, so it really does come down to how the property looks on the day.
Your guests’ first impressions count so it’s important their stay begins on the right foot. Anything from dusty surfaces to dirty carpets can play a huge role in determining the outlook of their stay which is important for several reasons. A negative first impression means you’re fighting fires from the start. It often takes up your time resolving initial issues, such as handling guest calls and organising follow up visits, plus there is the financial aspect should you need to offer a goodwill gesture.
A bad first impression can also lead to a negative review. In a competitive industry, reviews are one of the deciding factors when a guest makes a booking so seeing negative feedback about your property could deter potential guests from making a reservation impacting the overall profitability of your holiday let.
What does holiday let cleaning involve?
Holiday let cleaning is often more thorough than expected. There is a long list to work through to ensure your holiday let is ready for new guests and often a tight timescale if you have a same day check in. There are the obvious tasks such as cleaning the kitchen and making the beds, but holiday let cleaning doesn’t end there.
From cleaning out the fridge to emptying the bins, washing the cutlery to laundering the linens, every aspect of your holiday let needs to be covered. Based on our years of experience, there are several top tips we can recommend:
Don’t neglect the glass in your property
From windows to doors, balustrades to balconies, it’s worth cleaning the glass over – especially if it’s a focal point in your property.
Check for issues
It’s always worth checking that there are no issues in the property such as a leak, a faulty boiler or broken WiFi at the start of the changeover. We’d recommend doing this at the start so you have time to get this resolved or to notify the next guests should it impact their stay.
Check outside spaces
Outside space has just as much impact as inside so ensure any patios, terraces, gardens and balconies are tidy and well-maintained.
Turn on the dishwasher
If your property has a dishwasher, turn it on at the start of the changeover so the crockery and cutlery are sparkling clean and can be put away in time.
Replenish your stock
Whether it’s dishwasher tablets or hand soap, always keep your holiday let well stocked.
At Host & Stay, we understand the importance of holiday let cleaning and laundry, so we have our own team of in-house housekeepers. With comprehensive checklists per property and photos submitted upon completion, every care is taken to ensure your holiday let is guest ready.
Many of our owners opt for one of our full holiday let management services. Whether they live away from their holiday let or they simply don’t have the time, we take care of everything so they don’t need to worry. If you’d like more information about our fully managed services, enquire today and a member of our friendly team will be in touch.
How long will it take to clean a holiday let?
The time is takes for holiday let cleaning depends on the size of the property. A small one-bedroom apartment could take 1.5 hours compared to a three-bedroom house which could take 3 hours. It’s always worth giving yourself more time than you expect as it’s better to get it just right than to feel rushed.
It’s also worth remembering the time scale you have between check out and check in. The standard window is usually 5-6 hours so you want to make sure you can complete the changeover in this time.
Guests will often ask for early check ins and late check outs, and naturally we all want to be as accommodating as possible but it’s also imperative that we’re realistic. It’s better to have a beautiful, clean property when they arrive compared to a disappointing one because you’ve ran out of time.
How much will it cost to clean my holiday let?
Like the time it takes for holiday let cleaning, the price is also dependent on the size of your property. If you plan to clean the property yourself, you will need to consider laundry costs. For example, the cost of laundering a studio apartment will be considerably less than a six-bedroom townhouse. It’s also worth factoring in that you may have multiple bookings in the same week so you will need to complete more than one turnover of linens and towels.
If you’d prefer for an agency to complete changeovers for you, the same principle applies in that the changeover cost will be dependent on the size of your holiday let. At Host & Stay, we can manage holiday let cleaning and laundry for you. If you’d like to know our costs for holiday let cleaning and laundry for your property in particular, please don’t hesitate to get in touch for more information.
How much linen will my holiday let need?
When starting your holiday let journey, one thing to consider is linen and towels. We recommend that holiday lets have white bed linens to create a clean and sleek look. All the holiday lets in our collection also provide bath and hand towels as standard.
If you plan on completing the laundry yourself, the general rule of thumb is to have three sets of linen per bed – one in use, one for laundry and one spare.
If you’d prefer for us to manage your holiday let cleaning and laundry, we will provide freshly laundered bed linens and towels for every changeover.
Eco-friendly holiday let cleaning and maintenance
At Host & Stay, we’re passionate about incorporating sustainability within our holiday let management. We’re making a conscious effort to implement eco-friendly ways of operating and a key part of this is within our holiday let cleaning and maintenance. We have identified and incorporated several changes to be more environmentally friendly.
When it comes to holiday let cleaning and maintenance, there are a few easy changes you can make to become more eco-friendly:
Use eco friendly and recyclable toiletries
We supply ethically sourced and vegan friendly toiletries which are paraben, BHT and formaldehyde free.
Swap to LED bulbs
LED bulbs use between 25%-80% less energy than traditional bulbs and can last up to 25 times longer!
We’ve also partnered with a number of eco-friendly businesses to help make our holiday let cleaning and maintenance more sustainable. Our partnership with Who Gives a Crap means we provide recycled toilet paper – plus Who Gives a Crap also donates 50% of their profits to help build toilets and improve access to clean water in countries with poor sanitation infrastructure. We have also partnered with Wonky Coffee who supply recycled unwanted coffee pods which would otherwise go to landfill.
What are the most common holiday let maintenance issues?
When it comes to holiday let maintenance, a number of issues can arise. If your holiday let has been open for a few months, you may start to see signs of general wear and tear. We tend to find that the most wear and tear comes after a busy summer or festive season.
General wear and tear includes chipped paint, small cracks in the plaster, scuffs on the walls or floor, and worn carpets. It’s always best to stay on top of this type of maintenance issue to prevent bigger issues down the line which could result in negative reviews. There are often odd jobs which are needed around your property too such as changing light bulbs and replacing batteries. These tasks may seem simple, but they have a big impact on guest stays if they’re not working.
Maintenance issues can also include emergencies such as leaks and blocked pipes. Nobody knows when an emergency callout is going to be required but during a guests stay if an emergency does arise, it’s imperative that it is dealt with quickly.
At Host & Stay, we offer 24/7 maintenance call outs so our owners can have peace of mind that their property is in safe hands. If you’d like to know more about our full holiday let management services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
What are the legal regulations for holiday lets?
From fire risk assessments to the installation of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, CP12 certificates to commercial fire safety standards, regulations for holiday lets in the UK have changed over recent months. They can sometimes seem like a minefield but it’s important you know and understand the legal requirements. These regulations are in place to protect your guests, you as an owner, and your property.
If you’d like to know more, visit our regulations for holiday lets page for more information.
At Host & Stay, we have introduced compliance service plans to help owners feel safe in the knowledge that their holiday let is compliant to UK law. Our plans are tailored to your specific property and are competitively priced to ensure you have a good deal. Our compliance service plans include annual fire risk assessments, active smoke alarms and CO2 alarms, fire blankets, gas certificates or oil certificates, EICRs, PAT testing, legionella risk assessments, and EPC to current letting rating standards.
Do I need holiday let insurance?
All holiday lets in the UK require holiday let insurance. This includes:
Public liability insurance
Public liability cover is essential for your holiday let. We recommend cover for a minimum of £2 million for properties with up to four bedrooms and £5 million for properties with five bedrooms or more. This insurance helps safeguard you from legal issues and compensation claims if someone has an accident in your holiday let.
Holiday let building and contents cover
It’s important you have holiday let building and contents cover in place to cover against damage, loss of earnings and accidents.
Employers’ liability insurance
It is a legal requirement to have employers’ liability insurance for a minimum of £5 million if you employ an individual at your holiday let. This covers you if an employee claims for injuries following an accident in the property.
We have a preferred partner for holiday let insurance who we can introduce you to should you need assistance with getting cover for your property. Find out more about our holiday let insurance partner here.
What are the benefits of using managed services for holiday let cleaning, maintenance and compliance?
Holiday let management can be a huge undertaking and not a decision to be taken lightly. If you find you need support or would just prefer to enjoy a completely hands-off approach, there can be lots of benefits to using a holiday let management company. These include:
Experts in the holiday let industry
When it comes to holiday let cleaning, maintenance and compliance, we have years of experience managing hundreds of holiday lets so you can expect a professional service. We have in-house housekeeping, maintenance and compliance teams who are trained and experienced within this industry.
Your property is in good hands
Using a holiday let management company like Host & Stay means you’re safe in the knowledge that your holiday let is in good hands. You don’t need to worry about finding time to complete a changeover or to organise a maintenance job between reservations as we can handle these tasks for you.
Freedom to manage your holiday let how you’d like to
Using managed services for your holiday let management gives you freedom. If you need support completing compliance to ensure your property is up to date with UK regulations for holiday lets but you still want to clean it yourself, this is possible as we offer flexible plans catered to your property’s needs.