ARTICLES

Renting your second home is a great way to generate extra income. We look at how to attract business to your property abroad.

By Liz Rowlinson

Rentals are more of a priority than ever now,’ says Jonathan Gray of Beauchamp Estates on the Côte d’Azur. ‘Standards have been upped, and the properties that rent best will be those that are almost more comfortable than a five-star hotel, and come with the “whole package”.’ This means providing internet access, satellite TV, airconditioning and a heated pool, but also can encompass concierge services such as an in-house chef, babysitting, restaurant and car-rental booking.

But how can you ensure you stand head and shoulders above the competition? First, to bring your home to as many people’s attention as possible, you need to market it through the best holiday-homes websites. These are cheaper than using a lettings agency—although you may wish to do that as well—and for £200 a year, they’ll supply the tools for you to self-manage rentals (online availability calendar, booking contract templates, and so on) plus space to advertise your property.

For example, www.holiday-rentals.co.uk, one of the UK’s most successful sites, lists 22,000 properties, but because it shares content with US, German and French sister sites, a total of 130,000 properties can be searched by a truly international audience.