Cornwall Living

Tips and tricks to consider when renting out your Cornish home

1. Being flexible with bookings
The HomeAway online calendar will help you to manage bookings easily. When setting your minimum stay bear in mind the increase in the demand for short stays – it is important to be able to offer this to your prospective guests.

2. The small touches make that make a big difference
Small touches really do go a long way towards making your guests feel comfortable in your holiday home. Little things like decorating your home accordingly, (we recommend featuring photographs from the popular Waves Gallery on your walls) having the heating on for when they arrive, having some milk in the fridge, Cornish treats on the worktop, or bubbly chilling will really help your guests to settle in quickly.

3. Helping your guests out when they stay
Helping your guests out by considering the eventualities for them will be sure to make their lives easier. Things like, providing the Cornish tide times booklet to help them to decide which beaches to visit and when, having an outdoor shower to wash down your wetsuits, those sandy paws or providing body boards, buckets and spades can help your guests to get comfortable. It can also pay to think about where your guests can store large kayaks or surfboards, rather than keeping them on their car roof.

4. Sharing your expertise
You know your little corner of Cornwall and your guests will be keen to hear your recommendations on your favourite local pub, restaurant or place to visit. Providing a welcome pack with all this information, including menus, leaflets and taxi numbers can be really useful. Don’t forget to leave a copy of Cornwall Living on your coffee table for expert area advice each month.

5. Remember to populate your listing
Use the property description section to highlight what makes your home special. Having parking, WiFi and a short distance between your property and the beach are important factors that your guests will think about when choosing a place to stay. The HomeAway owners’ dashboard also allows you to add up to 24 photos to your listing make the most of this to illustrate the best things about your property.