Posted by admin on August 20, 2010 under Holiday Home General Items | 
After the relaxation and unwinding during a week or two in Cornwall, the dreaded time comes when everything has got to be packed up, ready to make the long journey back home. In the rush to pack everything up and the stress of contemplating that everything might not now fit back in the car, items inevitably get left behind!
We look after over 100 luxury self catering properties in Cornwall, so we get many items brought back to our offices everyday that people leave behind. These items get logged and then put in our lost property racking (boxes cannot cope with the quantity) ready for them to be reclaimed.
To help provide some sort of guide as to what the main items are that get left behind, we have compiled a ‘top five things left behind on a self catering holiday.’
Top 5 Things Left Behind after a Self Catering Holiday
- Items of clothing – Mainly children’s.
- Charging Leads – iPHONE’s, iPODS, mobile phones, camcorders
- Children’s toys – Cuddly toys, bricks, action figures
- Electrical Appliances – Hairdryers, tongs, cameras
- Books
There has been a few strange things left behind that has raised the odd eyebrow but its all in a day of a Holiday Home Services Specialist company.
Tags: 2010 holiday lettings, Cornwall holiday homes, holiday home management, holiday home services cornwall, holiday lifestyle services, lost property in cornwall, luxury self catering cornwall, property management, property management in Cornwall, Self catering in Cornwall, things people leave behind self catering holidays
Posted by admin on August 17, 2010 under Holiday Home Owners |
According to a report out today from Knight Frank, the number of second homes in Britain increased by 2.6%, to reach record levels of 245,384. Knight Frank also expect the second home ownership to increase again by 2% in 2010.
In the coming years, it is predicted that there will be an increase of overseas visitors to Britain and with Staycations and short breaks on the increase, getting good yields on renting these properties is more achievable and much better than short term lets.
If you consider purchasing a holiday home or second home in Cornwall, to rent it out, or just keep it for family use, then we can help every step of the way. We can advise and help with:
> Which areas of Cornwall work really well.
> Introduce you to either the properties that we know are for sale or to property finders or well placed estate agents.
> Advice on furnishings and property improvements which we can do for smaller projects or we can put you in contact with reputable builders.
> Help you with your legal compliance
> Help put you in touch with either letting agents that we know will get you good quality bookings or help you to device your own website, booking systems etc.
> Moving forward, we can clean your property using our well trained housekeepers, deal with the linen and laundry, property management, property maintenance, ongoing legal compliance, 24 hour guest helpline, liase with your booking agent and provide holiday lifestyle service to your guests.
As a very unique, holiday home services specialist in Cornwall, we can help you with every aspect of purchasing and then running a holiday/ second home, no matter where you live.
Posted by admin on August 6, 2010 under Holiday Home General Items, Holiday Home Owners |
Over the last few days, there has been much speculation in the local media that self catering bookings in Cornwall are down by as much as 20%. There has also been quite a bit made that visitors are staying at camp sites, rather than self catering properties.
As ever, you can only judge things as you see them and our statistics tell a different story!
We are a holiday home services specialist that provide housekeeping, property management and holiday concierge services to over 100 luxury self catering properties in West Cornwall, North Cornwall and Mid Cornwall. The luxury properties that we look after, rent out in the peak weeks from £ 1200 to nearly £ 6000 a week. Throughout July, August and September of this year, we are virtually at 100% occupancy for the three months and the bookings for October are looking like they will be ahead of 2009.
What perhaps can be deduced from our current market overview, and some current research with paying guests is the following:
> Bookings at the luxury end of the self catering industry is buoyant and increasing year on year.
> Quite a number of guests staying in these luxury properties are holidaying at home in the UK for first time or, the first time in a long time.
> The demands of what a potential customer is looking for in a self catering property has changed significantly over the last five years. They are looking for, as standard; Exceptionally clean and well presented properties, very good quality furnishings, Wi-Fi, well equipped kitchens, quality audio visual equipment, iPOD docking stations linked to music systems or standalone systems, use of house telephone (particularly where mobile signal is weak), inclusion of high quality bedding and cotton rich towels, very high standard of property maintenance, 24 hour helpline if they get a problem, amongst other things.
> Our Holiday Concierge business and the lifestyle services that we supply to guests is also on the increase and they can also influence bookings, where the guests can see that these services are available. These services include grocery shopping, housekeeper services and flexible chef services.
> If the property has additional features such as swimming pools, hot tubs, tennis courts or other such items, then these properties normally book better throughout the traditionally quieter periods of the year.
> The properties that we look after obtain their bookings through either letting agents, holiday listing websites or indeed via their own websites.
Bookings and expectations in the luxury end of the self catering market increases every year so it would be worth owners of properties that may need upgrading to consider this in the coming years. We can provide help and guidance to existing holiday home owners on what may be required and also to owners of good quality second home owners that perhaps have never rented before. We also provide all the necessary housekeeping, laundry, property management, property maintenance and guest services that are tried and tested services, to fully look after the property, property owners and the paying guests.
Posted by admin on May 10, 2010 under Holiday Property Management & Maintenance |
Managing Holiday Homes in Cornwall can be a real juggling act, whether you have a letting agent or not, particularly if you don’t live in the local area.
To help give holiday home owners peace of mind and provide a one stop shop for all the services that are required to look after a holiday home, as well as the paying guests, we offer all services, except for the lettings. Even then, we can help owners choose the right letting agent, that can deliver the level of bookings required, based on our experience of their performance, in most areas across Cornwall.
Our Holiday Home Property Management Services includes the following core services which are:
- Empty Property Checking
- Key holder Services
- 24/7 Guest Helpline
- Access Management
- Legal Compliance
In addition to this, we can also provide everything else thats required to manage and maintain your holiday home or second home, including:
- Property Maintenance
- Window Cleaning & Gardening Services
- Electrical, Plumbing & Heating Services
- Fire Risk Assessments & Fire Fighting Equipment
- Pest Control
- Wireless Broadband Support
- Manage Small Projects
- Furnishing
- This list is not exhaustive
Our other specialist holiday home services in Cornwall include; Housekeeping, cleaning, linen & laundry services, linen hire, key management, welcome gifts and meet and greet services if required, to name but a few.
For more information on our holiday home and second home services, please visit our website on www.perfectexample.co.uk
Tags: -, 2010 holiday lettings, Cornwall holiday homes, holiday home management, Holiday Home Services, holiday home services cornwall, holiday lifestyle services, luxury self catering, perfect example, property management, property management in Cornwall
Posted by admin on February 22, 2010 under Holiday Home General Items, Holiday Home Owners |
A very common question we get asked regularly, as we look after 100 luxury self catering properties in Cornwall, with a lettings perspective across a number of letting agents and customer own websites is, ‘how are bookings doing this year?’
As of todays date, we have seen another significant increase in forward booked holidays for luxury self catering properties in Cornwall, compared to this time last year. It is generally known that getting bookings for peak letting periods is quite easy but the skill for any letting agent in Cornwall is generating bookings for low and mid peak times of the year. With this in mind, the summer months is nearly fully booked already and March is already a record month, and we still have bookings flowing in. April and May are looking very healthy and again they are up year on year which is a very encouraging sign.
Whilst we are not letting agents, we do help our customers select the best agent for them as we can draw on the factual results that we see and we have an up to date view on their performance, by town.
Part of the reason for the success of getting good bookings on the luxury properties that we provide our holiday home services to in Cornwall is the guest services that we supply to help enhance the guest stay. These services include Online grocery shopping, so that they arrive with it already packed away, flexible Housekeeper services to keep the property tidy and help the guests really relax and our holiday concierge services which enables us to provide whatever the guests require.
We do ensure the very highest of standards of housekeeping, property services and guest lifestyle services and with so many guests returning to properties that we look after, it is obvious that this has a major effect.
2010 looks like being another record breaking in the luxury self catering market.
Posted by admin on December 21, 2009 under Holiday Home General Items |
As we get ever closer to 2010, I start to review 2009 before we say goodbye to it.
2009 was another exceptional year for Perfect Example. We exceeded most of our self imposed targets, grew the business, employed more staff and generally had a very good time. 2009 will be remembered as, even though the UK was in recession, as an exceptional year for luxury self catering holidays, more visitors to Cornwall and more people enjoying staycations and realising that they don’t have to go abroad to have a great holiday.
We look forward to 2010 and increasing the luxury properties that we look after, welcoming more people to Cornwall and working at mach 10 everyday!!!
Have a merry Christmas and happy new year.
Posted by admin on September 5, 2009 under Holiday Home General Items |
Well August has come and gone ever so quickly and the weather was varied to say the least!! August was a record month with 100% occupancy all month (as you would expect) and even though the weather wasn’t as good as it should have been, guests were generally very upbeat and enjoying themselves in Cornwall. It is really important to equip rental properties with things to do if it rains so that when they are staying in, the whole family can be occupied and enjoying their holiday together.
I have been looking at our arrivals and departures for September across all the holiday properties that we manage and the bookings are also massively up again. This goes to show that effective letting agents or great marketing strategies will always pay dividends. We help most of our customers with their letting agent selection or if they want to do it all themselves, then we can provide the website, the booking systems and of course help with setting effective marketing campaigns.
From the second week in September we normally get great weather so let’s wait and see!
Posted by admin on July 6, 2009 under Second Home Owners |
There is concern in some quarters that second homes have a negative impact on the economy of rural communities. In some parts of the UK, local strength of feeling about this has occasionally erupted into arson, for example, with a number of second homes being burned down in Wales.
The main issues that create controversy are twofold. Firstly, there is the argument that second home owners drive up prices in rural areas, pushing them out of the reach of local people and exacerbating the problem that there is not enough affordable housing for low income local families. This is clearly an area that needs a balanced approach and well thought out strategy to help solve this very real issue.
The second common concern is that second houses are unoccupied for a large part of the year and this deprives local businesses of potential custom, sometimes badly affecting their viability. Another aspect of this is that local schools can become short of children, sometimes forcing local schools to close. Indeed, on some areas very popular with second home owners, the area can feel like a ghost town out of season, without the community vitality and vibrant local economy that characterises some other rural areas.
The problems seem to be focused on highly localised rural and coastal areas, the kind of attractive areas that are popular for second homes. For example, in North Cornwall, one in three properties is thought to be a second home or holiday home,
In general, the more remote rural areas have the greatest concentrations of second homes as a proportion of all the housing stock, intensifying the problem of creating a sustainable and robust local community with a thriving local economy..
Although second and holiday homes contribute to an uplift in property prices in rural areas, it is important not to view their economic impact in isolation from other factors contributing to changes within rural communities and especially pressures on local housing markets from other groups such as commuters, retirees, or people wanting a lifestyle change.
One way that second home owners can help avoid any negative economic impacts on the local community is to maximise the extent to which the second home does not stand empty.
By renting a second home out as a holiday home for part of the year, when it is not in use by the owner’s family, it ensures that money is brought into the local economy as the family renting the holiday home will inevitably spend money in the local shops, restaurants and at local attractions. This is clearly a positive impact on the local economy and far better for the local community than having a second home stand empty.
Yet many owners of second homes resist renting out their home to holidaymakers.
There are a wide variety of reasons for this. It is often not as simple as whether or not the owner of a second home would like to make a profitable return on their property.
Some second home owners simply do not want strangers in their home and this is a strongly felt emotion they are not likely to overcome.
Others do not want to get involved in what they see as complex property management issues, involving a lot of work and practical difficulty. For these owners, the answer is often to hire a holiday homes services specialist that can take away the hassle and arrange everything on their behalf, making the whole process of renting out a holiday home very straightforward.
If a holiday homes services specialist is engaged, they can arrange all aspects of property management, cleaning services and key holder services as well as sometimes a holiday concierge service. This means that the second home owner can benefit from a stream of income from the property, all the gain without the pain.
In addition, the impact on the local economy is positive as the holiday home rentals bring money into the local shops, restaurants and attractions as well as necessitating the employment of local trades people, such as plumbers, electricians, painters and carpenters.
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The impacts, both positive and negative, of second homes and holiday homes touch on a diverse range of factors that affect the sustainability of rural communities.
One thing is clear – renting out a second home as a holiday home has a more positive impact on the local economy than leaving it standing empty for long periods.
Posted by admin on under Holiday Home Owners |
Effective marketing is a key element of profitable holiday home property management. Unless the holiday home is achieving good levels of occupancy, the returns on the holiday home will not be maximised.
If you use a letting agent, the agent will handle all marketing and PR on your behalf and you do not need to worry about it. The better holiday home services companies will also sometimes be able to help you with your website and online marketing.
However, many holiday home owners do not use agency services and prefer to manage their own properties. Marketing is a specialist area and therefore owners are often not as skilled at marketing as they are at other aspects of property management.
So if you are an owner who markets your own holiday homes, here are six marketing tips to help you win customers and achieve the highest possible yield from your property investment.
TIP 1
Firstly, work out who your target audience is for the holiday home. Taking into account the price band, location, style and layout of the property, what kind of people are most likely to want to stay there?
For example, some holiday homes are ideal for families with young children, some are ideal for older people who want to be close to nature, some are perfect for young people who want to be close to nightlife and attractions. Clear definition of your target audience is a vital first step to effective marketing. Once you have defined your target audience, add any accessories and extras to the holiday home that are the kind of thing your target audience will appreciate. For example, a holiday home aimed at young families will be made more attractive by a selection of age-appropriate DVDs , a selection of toys and the provision of items such as cots or buggies that your customer would prefer not to bring with them.
TIP 2
Once you have decided on the target audience for your holiday home, think through all the ways you can attract this particular target audience. Which are the magazines and newspapers your target audience read? If you are not sure, ask the advertising departments at various publications to send you information on their readership. This will help you work out where you should be advertising or trying to get some free coverage through PR
TIP 3
Make the most of the internet. The worldwide web is used by the majority of prospective customers as their first port of call for research when they are planning a holiday. So it is essential that your holiday property is presented as well as it can be on the internet. Whether you have your own website or you advertise on a website belonging to someone else, do not be tempted to cut corners on photography for the website. It is worth using a professional photographer to make sure your holiday home looks its very best.
Always use online booking if possible, so that it is as easy as possible for a customer to go ahead and book as soon as he or she has been interested by your holiday home.
TIP 4
Don’t miss out on the huge potential profitability of attracting repeat customers.
Many people like to return to the same holiday home for many years, if they have a good experience first time round. So make it easy for potential repeat customers to decide to come back.
Set up an email newsletter so that you can keep in touch with them and tempt them with a stream of special offers as well as news about the local area and perhaps even a webcam.
You may also like to consider offering a reduced rate if customers book to return next year, whilst they are still on their first stay. People are often sad to leave so it is a good time to tempt customers with the prospect of a return visit.
Many accommodation providers in the tourism industry see up to 70% or 80% of customers returning. Making the most of the potential for winning repeat business is an essential tool for effective marketing.
TIP 5
Try to increase your bookings by thinking laterally about how customers could enjoy the holiday home out of the peak season. Most holiday home property management companies say that although the peak season achieves full occupancy without too much difficulty, the biggest marketing challenge is achieving high occupancy early and late in the season. This is where effective marketing can really come into its own. One tried and tested tip is to create a theme for a break. For example, maybe your holiday home is close to gardens that look great in the early Spring. If so, this can be made into an effective marketing proposition, pointing out how close your holiday home is to leading gardens and maybe even creating a partnership with local gardens, so you offer entry tickets as part of the rental price for the week. If you start thinking laterally about what is going on in the vicinity of the holiday home at different times of the year, you will find it easy to come up with effective marketing strategies for achieving more sales out of the peak season.
Posted by admin on under Holiday Home Owners, Holiday Property Management & Maintenance |
A vital element of holiday home property management is effective property maintenance, to make sure you avoid unnecessary costs and maximise return on your investment.
If you run a holiday home letting business, you face a number of property maintenance challenges, some of which are quite different from those you face regarding maintenance of your own home.
Something as simple as a displaced roof tile can lead to water damage and a huge bill as well as possibly lost revenue if you need to carry out remedial work during the holiday letting season. So it is important to follow strategies for effective property maintenance of a holiday home or second home.
The biggest challenge you will face is keeping on top of property maintenance if you live a long way from the property, as many holiday home owners do. It is vital to appoint someone you trust to keep a regular eye on the house, from the point of view of property maintenance. You cannot expect the same people who are delivering cleaning services or key holder services to check for property maintenance issues, unless this has been specifically agreed, and you cannot expect a neighbour, however helpful, to alert you to everything that may need to be done either.
So an essential strategy is to appoint someone that is an expert in property maintenance to keep an eye on the property for you. This could be a specialist holiday home property management company or it could be a trusted individual with the right skills. Either way, make sure they know exactly what is expected of them and agree a mutually acceptable fee for the caretaking service. Some owners of second homes and holiday homes resist paying a caretaking fee, preferring a more informal arrangement with a friend or neighbour but this is not a wise move. It is only if the arrangement is on a formal business footing that you can reasonably expect the job to be done well.
Once you have appointed someone to be in charge of property maintenance, draw up a list of all the items that need to be checked and agree how often and when. This should include checking the roof tiles, the guttering, any signs of damp or water ingress, damage to the paintwork, functioning of locks and so on.
It may help to walk round the house as you draw up the list to remind you of all the areas that need to be checked. By spotting any problems as they arise, you can avoid problems getting worse or causing secondary damage. You can also carry out remedial work early and keep costs to a minimum.
Don’t forget to include a check of all outside areas and fencing as well.
As well as checking for any property maintenance problems as they arise, there will be a number of regular maintenance jobs to be carried out on a weekly, monthly or annual basis. This could include decorating, exterior painting, septic tank drainage and servicing of electrical equipment.
By planning these regular property maintenance jobs well in advance, you will be able to select times that avoid periods of peak customer demand, so you never have to turn down a holiday booking due to a property maintenance emergency.
You will also be able to secure tradesmen well in advance, avoiding having to waste time phoning around trying to find a decorator or a plumber at short notice.
If you decide to contract a holiday home services specialist, you will benefit from their broad experience in holiday home property management and you can relax, knowing that your property is being well maintained.
However, if you decide to make your own arrangements, you should adopt the same disciplined strategies that a holiday home services specialist would to make sure that your property maintenance runs smoothly and that your holiday home rentals business delivers maximum yield.
