Consulting

Short-Term Rentals 101

Since becoming involved with holiday rentals we’ve worked with hundreds of homeowners, not just within the Lake District but in many other popular destinations throughout Italy, and beyond, consulting them on all the various aspects of the business and helping them to regularly get the absolute most out of their properties.  Over those 15 years or so we’ve learned what it takes to run a successful vacation rental business and used that knowledge to write a detailed guide, titled “Short-Term Rentals 101”, which we recently published.  This 28-page ebook (PDF) is available free of charge to anyone interested in starting their own holiday rental business or learning how to get more from a property they are already renting out.  The following are some of the many important topics discussed within it:

  • Best types of properties and locations to invest in
  • How to set up a property for holiday rentals (all the essentials)
  • Marketing (conventional and unconventional methods for generating bookings)
  • Creating a perfect online listing
  • Organizing and managing the day-to-day operations of a holiday rental business
  • Smart and creative ways for maximizing rental income
  • Pros and cons of working with property management companies
  • Mistakes to avoid when starting and operating the business
  • And much, much more

The book, again, is absolutely free and we will be happy to send you a copy upon request.  Please simply contact us and provide us with your email address and we will get it out to you as soon as we possibly can.

Listing Analysis

When it comes to holiday rentals, good marketing is essential to one’s long term success.  And if we are talking about marketing, one cannot overstate the importance of an attractive and enticing online listing.  Appearing on many popular websites, such as Airbnb, Booking and VRBO, your listing will be the primary generator of interest for your property from travelers and holidaymakers from all over the world.  It’s absolutely crucial, therefore, to get it right.  We’ve created and analyzed thousands of listings over the years, both within Italy and abroad, and we would be more than happy to take a look at yours.  We’ll give you our honest opinion on how your listing can be improved, hopefully resulting in more bookings and higher earnings throughout the year.  Our analysis will focus on the following areas:

  • Description of the property and its location (including the listing’s title)
  • Photos (quality, quantity and relevance)
  • Furnishings, amenities and equipment provided
  • Rental rates and other charges (cleaning, etc.)
  • Rental policies (cancellations, minimum stay, etc.) and House Rules
  • Check-in and check-out times and procedure

Upon completion of our analysis we will provide you with specific recommendations for making your property more attractive to your potential guests which you’ll be able to easily implement should you decide to do so.   

Cost:   € 75  (all taxes included)

Typical turnaround time:  48 hours

New Listing Creation

If you are just getting into holiday rentals and you haven’t yet listed your property online, we can help.  Having created hundreds of listings for clients all over the world, we’ve learned a thing or two about what makes one stand out from the crowd, resulting in more views, more interest and, ultimately, many more bookings.  With this service we will provide you with all that you’ll need to quickly list your property on any of the popular international websites (Airbnb, VRBO, Booking, etc.), giving it the much needed exposure throughout the world.  This includes:

  • an attention-grabbing title and sub-title
  • detailed description of the property
  • detailed description of the property’s location
  • selection and professional editing of up to 50 photos
  • suggested nightly rates to be charged throughout the year (along with any additional fees), based on detailed market analysis
  • suggestions (if any) for making the property more attractive and desirable (amenities, equipment, furnishings, decor, etc.)

In order to appeal to the widest possible international audience this service is provided in English, although translation into Italian is also available. Upon ordering this service you will receive a “Property Questionnaire” which will ask for some specific information about your property and its location which we will need to perform our task.  The questionnaire will also provide you with tips and suggestions for taking high quality eye-catching photos of your property and its surroundings which you will be able to use in your listings.  (Please note that we are able to provide full photography services to property owners located within the Lake District… please contact us for more details.)

Cost:   € 165  (all taxes included)

Typical turnaround time:  48 – 72 hours from the receipt of the completed Property Questionnaire

If you are interested in either of the above services or you require some additional information, please contact us and simply let us know.  We will follow up with more details and happily answer any questions you may have.