Letting Your Home

Choosing one’s holiday destination can be one of the most important decisions a family will take during a calendar year. For this reason, we make a number of strong recommendations to landlords before they let their home. Often a relatively small investment prior to the home being let, will ensure that a greater income is achieved and also a higher occupancy rate is attained.

It also leads to more repeat bookings, which are always welcome!

No one wants to turn up to a property which they have booked for a two week holiday to find that neither the heating or washing machine work. The décor and quality of fittings are very important. We can advise you on what to include or exclude in order to make sure that your property appeals to as many potential customers as possible, including style of décor and furniture.

Legal and Moral Obligations

Landlords have a legal and moral obligation to ensure that holiday makers and their visitors have a safe environment in which to stay. Safety regulations have been revised over the years and penalties for non-compliance can be very severe. It is important to acknowledge that legislation can change at any time, but at the time of going to press, we are able to outline some of the most important acts.

Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1988

It is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure that every twelve months a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer checks that all gas appliances, flues and pipe work are in safe working order. Pallant Holiday Lets will ensure that a certificate is always kept on file.

The Furniture and Furnishings Fire (Safety) Regulations 1998 (amended 1989 and 1993)

This law stipulates that all furniture and furnishings “supplied in the course of business”, which includes holiday lettings, must satisfy strict standards of fire resistance - they must pass the “match test”. Generally products purchased in the UK after 1989 will usually satisfy the standard, but in the absence of a label or manufacturer’s warranty, the possible non-compliant item must be removed prior to letting. The regulations do not cover furniture made before 1950, or carpets and curtains.

The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994

Landlords must ensure that all electrical wiring and appliances are in good, safe working order. We recommend that a qualified electrical engineer should check the appliances and any defects such as fraying wires, damaged plugs or sockets should be repaired immediately and any unsafe items removed.

Smoke Alarms

The building regulations of 1991 state that all properties built after June 1992 must be fitted with smoke detectors and alarms. For properties built before this date we recommend that independently powered units are installed on each floor.

General

Pallant Holiday Lets will only let properties which are clean and well presented. We can arrange for cleaning to be done in between tenancies and we have a team of contractors on standby to ensure that each new holiday maker arrives at a property in the condition they would expect.

Taxation

The rental income you receive is subject to UK tax and should be declared on your self-assessment return. Certain items can be off-set against the rental income, so it is important to retain copies of your statements and any invoices on expenditure related to the let.