Are there bad holiday guests?

You may be concerned that opening up your home as a holiday let is a risk, one that may cost you in damages. There are stories floating around about people who have wild parties and spill drinks over the soft furnishings and carpets, break items and make a lot of noise for the neighbours. Guests who have smashed through locked doors to steal whatever they find behind them. Others of damage caused by cigarettes even though in the house rules, smoking is not allowed. People who turn up with many more people than have been booked for. You have probably heard of much worse things happening too I am sure.

Yes, these things may well be happening but any risk will be largely removed if you are vigilant. Take care during the booking process, try to find out as much as you can about the guest that is making the booking. This can be relatively easy online, through searches on Facebook and other social media sites. If they are not booking direct but using Airbnb, or Home Away for example then there may also be reviews left by other holiday owners about them. You can also have a look at the reviews that the guests have left about other properties, this will give you an idea of what they expect from a stay. What age are the guests? Are they a family or a group of friends? Use your judgement wisely to determine the risks, and don't be too paranoid about it. At the end of the day if you are not sure then do not accept the booking. In general though, one has to put an amount of trust and faith in the people who stay in your holiday home.

Since we have been enforcing a damage deposit policy, up front with each booking, we have seen a reduction in the amount of damage and extra cleaning required after guest departures. Usually by having a damage deposit most guests try harder to make sure all is cleaner and tidier than they normally would. Many of our guests inform us when they break something, rather than letting us find out. Some even go out and buy a replacement, which is very kind but not really necessary or expected.

We consider breakages of glasses or chipped plates a part of accidental wear and tear. We merely replace these and do not charge for them.

We have never experienced anything like the issues mentioned in the opening paragraph but we have taken precautions. Have a definitive house rules policy and legal contract which, by the act of booking, the guest agrees to adhere to.

I would say on average we have had one major issue per year, damage or extra services required following the departure of guests. These are by far caused by guests who booked via an agency that does not take a damage deposit for the booking. I'll share the most recent example later in this post.

Having insurance is also a must. Your may already have buildings and contents insurance but you should check with the broker that both you and your guest is covered under that policy. Usually you will need to take out insurance specifically for holiday home rentals. Shop around to find something that covers all the eventualities you wish to be able to claim for.



Most recently we had an Airbnb guest that booked the Christmas week to visit her daughter. We provided a Christmas tree and decorations and a complimentary welcome pack of goodies.

On Christmas Eve I received a message from her via Airbnb that she had not had hot water or heating for two nights running. I was shocked that this was happening to a guest, especially as it was a Sunday and little I could do for her being at a significant distance from the cottage at the time. Luckily we have a good wood burning stove so she could at least provide some heat for the home. As it turned out the issue was only that the water pressure on the boiler required adjusting a little. There are instructions in the house manual on how to do that but she was unable to. I called out an emergency plumber, who did this for her within a few hours of getting her message.

Her daughter was convalescing and actually stayed with her in the cottage. She was in bed the whole week and also had a virulent tummy bug which could well have lingered and infected the next guests. She notified me of this and offered to pay extra for a deep clean following her departure, this was kind of her to think of the next guests, and we took her advice and paid for the extra service. However she refused to pay for this later. In one week she created 4 large dustbin sacks of rubbish, quite possibly the most that any previous guest has done. She managed to pull the handle off a bedroom door, burnt a saucepan and smashed a lid, used the wrong logs in the wood burning stove (after her pre-ordered logs had ran out) which tarred up the window and flue.

She later refused to pay any contribution for these things or even for the logs she pre-ordered which should have been paid for in advance. She expected compensation for the first two nights without heating and hot water and complained that she had a huge bill for taxis to go shopping.

We were out of pocket of close to £150. We did not ask her to pay for the damaged door. Airbnb arbitration sided with the guest and asked us to pay her 50% of the two nights she was without heating.

Holiday home statistics

It's not only important to keep a record of all your guest details but also of all your overheads, net and gross income. Using this information will help you improve your holiday home business for the following year.

Compiling records 

I even calculate costs of water, gas and electricity per booking by taking meter readings on each changeover. Do families with infants create more costs or less? What percentage of guests come from outside of the UK and do they provide a higher or lower percentage of income per head? What about the difference in costs per booking from clients from the various booking sources? Which of those booking sources takes the highest fees from your advertised rates? How many last minute bookings do you get? How many queries have you had for short breaks and were they profitable enough or did they make a loss?

Maintenance costs will vary from year to year 

Perhaps it is wise to make notes of which bookings created damage above and beyond normal wear and tear. Consider how to make changes to avoid the cost happening again.

Annual costs

The overall general costs of utilities, mortgages, services, insurances, fire and safety reports, taxes etc., can be divided by 52 weeks per year, by the amount of weekly booking, or perhaps more accurately per booked night. Doing this I worked out the average number of weeks required to break even and to decide how many weeks we should aim for to make a profitable income. This gives savings to use for rainy days or perhaps to make a bigger dent in any outstanding mortgage.

These are all things that you can use to target your marketing for future seasons, decide on your minimum nights stay, the lowest rate you are able to accept after giving discounts, which type of guest group to avoid or deter.

Services and supplies 

Many service providers and suppliers will increase prices year on year. Using these records you should also be able to find areas where costs can be reduced such as finding cheaper deals on insurance, switching to new energy providers and telephone/ internet providers such as this: Online Exclusive - Plusnet Fixed Price Unlimited Broadband & line rental £19.99 for 12 months plus £50 Reward Card and £5 activation fee
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Getting the home ready

Holiday home furnishings need to be practical, comfortable and matching. Lounge suites for example should be covered with an easy-to-clean fabric or better still, real leather. Put yourself in your guest’s shoes: you are on holiday, you're going to want to relax in comfort and put your feet up on the coffee table so furnish the home with furniture that can take a bit of a wear and tear, but that won't break the bank if it needs to be replaced.

Buy the best beds you can afford. Everyone enjoys a good night sleep and this is particularly important when on holiday. Good linen is also a must, so consider buying something that boasts a higher-than-average thread count. Towels too should also provide that added luxurious touch.

Bathrooms especially need to be spotless and mould free and include complimentary soaps,  though not absolutely necessary shampoo will also impress your temporary guests.

The same goes for the kitchen. In addition to being immaculate, owners need to check that everything including the fridge and the stove are in good working order. All the crockery, cutlery as well as the pots and pans should be inspected before a tenant takes occupancy. If you have space for a dishwasher then this is also useful for your cleaner so that it can be running whilst the rest of the home gets attention.

Hang unique artwork, prints or photos on the walls around the property (except the bathroom) rather than picking up the usual prints from your local superstore or furnishing shop. Where possible display artworks created by local artists, this makes a great impression on your guests offering them a flavour of what's available in the area. You could also offer these for sale too.

Air conditioners, if you have them, should be serviced on a regular basis and must be in good working order. Batteries for all alarms, remotes and emergency torch should be checked and replaced where necessary.

Go and stay in the property at least once a year in order to check on the overall condition of the home, regardless of whether you use an agent to manage the property or not. Use this time to fix any snags and to replace broken appliances or fixtures as well as checking the overall condition of the property.

Display all your maintenance and safety certificates so that your guests may see that you are up-to-date and care about their comfort and safety.