Why bother with routine maintenance?
Your investment property is likely to be one of the biggest purchases you will make. Protecting your investment will mean spending time and money on your property to ensure it is in good condition and can actually provide you a return.
Property owners tend to fall into two different categories, type A, who fix everything and replace items frequently just for aesthetics and keeping up with the times. Or type B, who wait for things to break or have issues, leave the problem until it gets worse. When a guest/tenant complains or threatens to leave and demands refunds the owner will rectify the problem for the cheapest possible cost, only under duress.
I can guarantee you type A getter a better return on their investment, through repeat bookings, word of mouth and outstanding reviews on the booking sites. You will spend less on advertising as your guests will do the hard work for you. In today’s world where we buy products and services on line from strangers we want to believe what we are being told is the truth. It’s all about trust. A glowing review will generate more bookings.
There are many things within your control that you can fix very easily and usually very cheaply,
“The villa was great, shame about the pull cord broken on the blinds, the sun woke us up at 6.30 am daily”
“The dishwasher was out of order”
“There was a problem with the drains and we had sewerage coming up the plug hole in the shower, I couldn’t get a reply from the emergency number”
These can be fixed easily by having your property manager check and fix the problems on your behalf, your review will then read like this:-
“There was a problem with the drains and we had sewerage coming up the plug hole in the shower, I called the emergency number and they arrived within 15 minutes with tools, mask and gloves. They did all they could to sort it and called the local authorities to report the issue. We were unable to use the downstairs shower for 5 days but they made us an enclosure for the outside one. Nothing was too much trouble for these guys, highly recommend them”
If you only pay someone to clean your property and meet your guests, then this is exactly what you are going to get. If you are expecting someone to check all your appliances, check the bulbs and cupboards are stocked with crockery and be a 24 hour emergency contact then you will need to appoint a property manager.
Cleanliness is of upmost important in a holiday rental as it is in a hotel. Have you ever been in a hotel room that has a dirty bathroom and marks on the windows? Your property needs to be in line with the standards of a resort or hotel accommodation, these are your competitors.
Establishing a regular maintenance programme will enhance your home’s value, safety, and appearance, thus improving occupancy levels. The choice is yours… spend a little to maintain your home annually, or spend a lot more on costly repairs that could have been avoided.
A coat of paint on both on the interior and exterior of your home is one of the easiest way to give your home a fresh, well-maintained appearance for very little investment. Making sure your property is in perfect shape will definitely increase occupancy levels as well as property value.
Don’t fall into the trap of buying a property and then sit back and watch as the rental value and the property value fall due to neglect. A well maintained property will always command the highest rental prices re-cooping any money spent on maintenance many times over.
If we can help you with any maintenance issues please feel free to call, and one of our team will be happy to assist you.
Thanks
Kirsty
