Preparing Your Cottage For The Rental Season
Things to remember before renting out your cottage this summer
Renting out your cottage can be a great way to let someone else enjoy your home away from home as much as you do and make a little extra money while you’re at it. But before you put your cottage on the rental market, you’ll need to do some planning. Here are some tips to remember…
Make sure the cottage is in tiptop shape:
We expect renters to leave your cottage clean, take their remaining food with them and dispose of all of their garbage, make sure that is how they find it when they arrive. Test smoke detectors, make sure all windows, doors and screens are in good shape, all of the appliances are in good working order and leave some good cleaning supplies.
Leave a set of the Cottage Instructions:
While we provide a full set of Cottage Instructions to each renter, it is a good idea to leave a copy at the cottage in case they do not bring their Travel Package with them. This is detailed information regarding your cottage that renters may not be familiar with like how to safely operate appliances, notes on septic system, power outage, landfill location and hours, lake and marina information, nearest community among other things
Safety:
There should be a fire extinguisher both in the kitchen and by the BBQ. All cottage need to have functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in Ontario by law. All watercraft must have safety equipment. You can purchase a safety bucket with all required items at most hardware and boating supply stores. If you are providing life jackets only provide adults jackets as parents should bring their own properly fitted lifejackets for their children.
Expect a little wear and tear:
Even if your renters do their best to respect the cottage as if it was their own, it is reasonable to expect some wear and tear when renting out your property. Over time with the number of renters yourself, and friends and family going through the cottage things will wear out. Leave enough time between rentals to check the cottage and do any necessary repairs. Even something as simple as checking for burnt out lightbulbs is important.
Valuables:
To avoid having valuable items broken or lost, it is better to be safe than sorry. When renting out your cottage, keep these items in a safe place or put them in a storage area which can be locked. The cottage still needs to be inviting and comfortable for your renters so be sure to provide the basic supplies.
Seasonal property insurance:
Sometimes accidents do happen even with all of the efforts to prevent them. Make sure you have read over your insurance policy carefully to make sure you have the coverage you need to rent out your property and make sure that you and your renters are covered for any issues.