Having a second home can be pricy. In order to take some of the burden off of you financially, you can rent out the second home to help take care of the second set of bills that come with it. Here is a list on what you will need to do in order to make this happen.
Book the time you want with the home first.
There are times that you want to use your second home. Different seasons or dates in which you want to use your second home are called black out dates. This means that no one can rent the property during these times so that it is free for you to occupy.
Create a personal connection.
Creating a personal connection with the neighbors is important when renting out the home. This will make sure that the renters and the neighborhood remains friendly. They will need to know that the property is a vacation rental.
Your neighbors will also ultimately be a built in security system when it comes to your property too. They will keep an eye on the renters and the property while you are away.
Create the contract.
It is important that you create a basic contract to protect you from bad happenings that can come with renting out your property. It will need to include dates, pricing, and the expectations for the condition of your home upon the renters leaving the property.
Hire a local house cleaner.
Although you can state in the contract that the property will need to be clean before the renters leave, there are other deeper cleaning issues that will need to be carried out once they leave.
Cleaning drains, toilets, and other deep cleaning will need to be done once they are through with the home. Hiring a local house cleaning company will be a smart move. You will provide them with a key and they will deep clean the home so that it is fresh and clean for the next occupants or for you.
Develop an activity guide.
If the renters are vacationing in the area and are not familiar with all the activities that are available, then having a guide will help them and help you with a wonderful reputation of hospitality.
You can provide a list of attractions, things to do in the area, and even how to operate the electronic devices that are in the home for entertainment.
Protect your valuables from the occupants.
Face it, there are just some things that you will worry about breaking or suffering damage. For example, maybe you have a painting that is worth thousands, you do not want this up in the home when you are not present.
Install a lock on one closet or even the basement to store these items away while you are not in the home.
Each property is unique. You can alter this list or add to it, but either way you have a guideline to help bring in income from this property you do not occupy on a regular basis.