Short-term rental management services

We currently operate in Portsmouth and nearby surrounding areas but may look to expand in future.

There are so many positives to short term letting!

1. You will earn a higher revenue via short term letting when compared to standard rental properties. Pricing is usually set on a per night basis and also based on demand. You can really make the most of peak seasons and events in your area. In seasons that are quieter for leisure guests we can focus on medium lets such as corporate clients working away or those between house moves. There is plenty of demand for both short and medium stays throughout the year.
2. A huge benefit is the fact your property will be looked after. Unlike tenanted properties where you will often not find out the condition of the property until after your tenant has moved out, your property will be inspected, cleaned and maintained on a regular basis. Any issues will be instantly reported, so no unreported leaks or issues that can cause further damage to your property and extra expense to you.
3. Short term letting provides flexibility. If you, your family or friends would like to stay in the property when you or they are in town, it’s there for you to use. Just let us know in advance so we can make a note and block the calendar for those days.
4. Legislation for landlords with Assured Short-hold Tenancies has changed a lot over the years and has become a bit of a mine field. Whilst we believe that regulation will change in the future with regards to short stay letting, you definitely have more control and flexibility with short term lets than Assured short-hold tenancies.
5. If you are selling your property short stay letting is a really good option for the interim until it is sold. The property will be kept in great condition and you won’t have to wait for tenants to move out before completing the sale. You can arrange viewings in-between stays and block out days as you need. This will help you make a quicker sale, while still earning an income.

It’s important that clutter is removed but at the same time your property retains some personality. Remove personal items such as family photos and anything you would be upset about if it were to get damaged. If this is an investment property ensure it does not feel empty. People choose serviced accommodation over hotels for the extra amenities on offer and to feel more ‘at home’, so finishing touches are important.

Make sure there are plenty of kitchen items and utensils. Get good quality bedding and provide entertainment such as smart TV’s (where guests can sign into their own streaming accounts), books and games. We recommend making your place cozy and homely with throws, cushions and intimate lighting.

If you need help with the design, decorating or sourcing furniture we can help with that. We will also ensure the property is deep cleaned before your first guests arrive.

We charge a one-off fee of £250 (plus VAT) to set up your property.

We carry out at least a couple visits to the property to get to know it and any nuances and also to meet with you and discuss your requirements and house rules etc. Professional photography and set up of a lockbox for access is included. We will write the property and area description to list across several booking platforms and our own website. We research and set up pricing in our dynamic pricing software and also connect the listings with our cleaner and maintenance software. We write up and provide a hard copy of house rules for the property, put together a digital guidebook for guests and set up electronic parking permits if required. We then bring our customer service team up-to-speed and provide them with detailed information and videos of the property. 

It’s a lot of work upfront but it’s also the most important and key to ensure everything is right to get off to a flying start.

This will depend on a couple of different factors. The first is the condition and readiness of your property and the second will depend on our own availability and timelines of other listings we may be on-boarding. As we are a small business we generally only on-board one listing at a time, as we like to be thorough and take the time to get to you know your needs and your property with all its quirks!

If your property is good to go and we don’t have other properties to on-board at that time, you can expect to be up and running within 2 weeks. This allows us to complete all the activity listed under ‘is there a set up fee?’ above.

We highly recommend installing a smart lock at the property and are happy to arrange that on your behalf. A smart lock will ensure ease of access for guests, but most importantly, will ensure your home is kept secure as the access code is changed automatically every time a guest checks out of your property.

If a smart lock is not possible, we install a lockbox at your property as part of the set up cost. Guests are sent the access information along with directions and access instructions on the day of check in.  

However, if there is a need to meet the guest and assist them with check in, we are happy to offer this.

We have a team of professional cleaners and usually assign one or two cleaners to your property so you have someone that is familiar with the listing to do the turnovers. The cleaner has been trained to inspect the property after check out for any guest or maintenance issues and will report these back as needed. They will then carry out a thorough clean and reset the listing using a photo check list which has been set up for your specific property. 

In addition we regularly carry out ad-hoc inspections of the property following turnovers to ensure the they have been carried out to a high standard.

Linen and towels are hired on your behalf and managed on your behalf, utilising our own storage facility.

The costs for cleaning and linen and restocking of consumables are charged as a cleaning fee directly to the guest when they make the booking and retained by Places To Be Ltd. These fees will be detailed on your monthly statement to ensure transparency. 

We have a maintenance team that can handle small to medium maintenance jobs such as gardening, decorating and general handyman work. If a professional is required such as an electrician or gas safety engineer, we sub contractors we can instruct on your behalf. If however, you prefer to handle maintenance yourself, we can just notify you of any issues.

We will give you access to your booking calendar via a link so you will be able to see at any time when your property is free or occupied and who is staying there.

During a national lockdown we cannot accept leisure bookings for reservations, but we can take future bookings. People always need something to look forward to! We have been proud to support front line workers and first responders with accommodation for those that are either working away or need to isolate from their families to protect them. We have also provided accommodation to those that are away on business/work related trips, for people looking to be closer to vulnerable family members, those in-between house moves and some other exceptional circumstances.

Whilst still hosting shorter stays, we flexed to start marketing a number of our listings as medium-term stays of 1-3 months via sites such as Right Move and Zoopla to ensure properties were still generating a return and not left empty for long periods.