Tips to Prepare a Holiday Home
Something we occasionally encounter is a home owner that thinks their home is ready for renting, it does take some time to prepare a home to be able to accommodate other people safely and under the law, although what we do and recommend to a client is a bit more extent that this and of course there is a focus on their property, here are some useful tips for you own home.
1. Get the Paperwork in Order
As simple as that, to rent in Portugal you need to follow some specific rules and regulations for home renting, in regards to registration, safety and taxes, so its important to take care of these before anything else.
2. Clean the Property
By cleaning i mean a deep clean, not just cleaning the dust, but cleaning really well, taking out old furniture, replacing all linens, taking everything out that isn’t strictly necessary for a renting client, this not only gives the house a fresh look, but also it makes it easier to clean and to manage (less stuff to break or to get in the way), less is truly more, keep only the essentials.
3. Fix or Replace Utilities
Check all the basic necessities, like water, power, lighting, as well as basic amenities, like fridge, oven, water heater, these need to be always in good order for obvious reasons, but also because these tend to be the ones that can provoke fires or accidents if not properly maintained.
4. Small Repairs and Maintenance
Check the ceilings, floors, windows, doors, furniture and fix whatever needs to be fixed, things that look old, dirty, broken need to be painted over or get new ones, its a bit time consuming, so you can hire a fixer-upper or a company like us to do it for you.
5. Revamp or Big Repairs
Again almost the same as the above but only if necessary or if the property is in bad state, this includes interior/exterior designer, new furnishings, rework of bathrooms and such, something that normally requires a professional or a company like us to do it correctly, please remember you are not furnishing for yourself you are doing it for your clients and the market you want to serve.
6. Revamp the Exterior
Depending if you have a big exterior and or big amenities, it could be just a call to the gardener and some tweaking of the outside lights or it can be a big project but the exterior should never be ignored, since its the calling call for the property and if the surroundings aren’t pleasant it doesn’t matter if the interior is pristine.
That’s it, we hope this was helpful and like always any doubts or questions feel free to comment or send us a message.