Short-term rental management services

For investors with property in
Portsmouth and the surrounding area

Dan Places To Be

About us

Interested in the short term rental market but don't want to handle the hosting? Leave it us .

 I’m a Southsea local with intimate knowledge of the area, a passion for travel and a strong background in curating personal experiences. After hosting guests in my own home for several years, I started Places To Be in 2018 to find investors with unique and exciting properties that would appeal to guests visiting Portsmouth. I wanted to apply my knowledge and expertise to help investors make the most of their properties and provide a 5 star experience to guests visiting the area.

We only take on properties if they meet our Places To Be standards and all our properties are looked after and maintained as if they were are own. With a focus on direct bookings to cut out booking channel commission, the use of our dynamic pricing tools, and a hybrid approach of short and medium lets throughout the year, we look to generate the best possible revenue for our investors and ensure all our guests receive the same high standards.

We are passionate about our local community and seek to support local independent businesses by introducing guests to the hidden gems our vibrant city has to offer.

Daniel Ruttle

Our services

Getting your property ready

 

We make multiple visits to truly get to know your property and what you need. From guidance on interior design and amenities to decorating, deep cleaning or sourcing services

Marketing

We write an optimised listing description and market your property across multiple booking platforms plus our own direct website and promotional offers. More direct bookings means less commission to booking platforms!

Housekeeping

Guests are looking for peace-of-mind when booking accommodation. We  use a tailored photo checklist to inspect, clean and reset your listing before thoroughly disinfecting. We handle restocking of guest and cleaning supplies too.

Guest experience

A super clean property and great communication are key but it’s also the little things. From welcome gifts, to making arrangements for parking permits we cover it all, ensuring guests leave happy and come back for more!

Maintenance

Ad-hoc issues can be dealt with quickly by our maintenance team. We can also schedule a number of maintenance services from gardening and waste management, to boiler servicing and electrical certificates.

Peace of mind

Our vetting process helps to identify high risk guests and a security deposit is taken on every booking. We inspect after every check out and any issues immediately. We carry out additional inspections throughout the year to ensure all amenities offered are in top condition.

Pricing and occupancy

 

We use dynamic pricing tools to constantly review demand and make regular adjustments. We can flex between offering short or medium-term stays based on season (or external events such as COVID) to maximise your revenue.

Client visibility

Clients will have sight of the booking calendar and who is staying at all times and receive a monthly statement detailing occupancy, income and expenditure.

Continuous improvement

 

We strive for 5 star and constantly monitor guest reviews. Not only to ensure we respond quickly, but to pick up on areas for improvement. We provide recommendations based on feedback and help you implement them.

Getting your property ready

We make multiple visits to truly get to know your property and what you need. From guidance on interior design and amenities to decorating, deep cleaning or sourcing services

Marketing

We write an optimised listing description and market your property across multiple booking platforms plus our own direct website and promotional offers. More direct bookings means less commission to booking platforms!

Housekeeping

Guests are looking for peace-of-mind when booking accommodation. We  use a tailored photo checklist to inspect, clean and reset your listing before thoroughly disinfecting. We handle restocking of guest and cleaning supplies too.

Guest experience

A super clean property and great communication are key but it’s also that little things. From welcome gifts, to making arrangements for parking permits we cover it all, ensuring our guests leave happy and come back for more!

Maintenance

Ad-hoc issues can be dealt with quickly by our maintenance team. We can also schedule a number of maintenance services from gardening and waste management, to boiler servicing and electrical certificates.

Peace of mind

Our vetting process helps to identify high risk guests and a security deposit is taken on every booking. We inspect after every check out and any issues immediately. We carry out additional inspections throughout the year to ensure all amenities offered are in top condition.

Pricing and occupancy

We use dynamic pricing tools to constantly review demand and make regular adjustments. We can flex between offering short or medium-term stays based on season (or external events such as COVID) to maximise your revenue.

Client visibility

Clients will have sight of the booking calendar and who is staying at all times and receive a monthly statement detailing occupancy, income and expenditure.

Continuous improvement

We strive for 5 star and constantly monitor guest reviews. Not only to ensure we respond quickly, but to pick up on areas for improvement. We provide recommendations based on feedback and help you implement them.

Our Mission and Values

"Our mission is to make hosting and travel effortless while supporting our local community.
We encourage individuals to explore off the beaten track and discover the authentic local experiences we love so much!"

Freedom

We create freedom for our investors by taking ownership and making hosting effortless. From the guest experience to property maintenance, we can handle it all.

Authenticity

Acting with integrity and building trust is important to us. We take the time to get to know you and your property before advertising and provide open, honest feedback.

Attention to detail

Our service goes beyond standard management. Whether it’s finishing touches or personalised recommendations, we know it’s the little things that matter most.

Community

Supporting our local community and working with independent local businesses is close to our heart. We aim to inspire connections and offer our guests unique local experiences.

Client Testimonials

Pricing

20% commission*

Short stay management includes;

  • All marketing & digital listing
  • Dynamic pricing & revenue management
  • All guest check in’s & communications
  • Managing of turnovers including cleaning, linen hire & restocking of guest supplies
  • Co-ordination of minor maintenance

 

*Plus VAT

Get in touch

 

For more information or to find out if your investment property qualifies as one of our Places To Be,             send us an email by clicking the button below and we will be in touch. 

 

 

What Our Guests Are Saying

Check out what our most recent guests think.

Our Hosting Blog

We cover everything you need to know about renting your property as a short term rental in our management blog.

Frequently Asked Questions

We’ve covered the most commonly asked questions below and on our FAQ page, but if your question hasn’t been answered here, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

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 £199 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 install a lockbox at your property as part of the set up cost and we send them the check in details ahead of their check in time. This allows guests to self check which is usually  preferable for them, rather than having to collect keys or meet at the property at a specific time. When meeting guests for their arrival in the past, they were often either a lot later or earlier than the time they had advised and had not thought to update us which can mean a lot of wasted time. Guests are used to hotel type arrivals where they can pretty much arrive when they are ready (after the check in time).

However, there are times we may go and meet guests to check them in personally. Usually larger groups or longer stays where we can show them around and go through house rules etc.

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 remove linens and towels which are usually taken off site to launder and complete a professional and thorough clean and reset the listing using a photo check list which has been set up for your specific property. The cleaner will then disinfect all high touch surfaces and items such as light switches, remotes, handles etc so that it is COVID safe.

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.

The costs for cleaning and laundry are charged as a cleaning fee directly to the guest when they make the booking and these fees will be detailed on your monthly statement to ensure transparency. We also restock standard cleaning and guest supplies from the cleaning fee, so this is not an additional expense.

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.

Can't find the answer to your question?

You can find the rest of our FAQs below.

Contact Us

Want to know more about hosting your property with us? 
No problem, you can contact us by phone or email with any queries and we’ll get back to you within 24hrs
Get in touch

Phone: 0239216 0629
Email: hello@placestobe.co.uk