Caravan Owners Advice for Letting Out Your Caravan Below is some useful information for renting out your caravan whether your letting for the first time, or have experience in letting your caravan, this information should be useful for you. The information is based on many years of experience in working within the caravan industry. If you have any useful hints and tips that you wish to share please let me know and i will add them to this information.
What should I provide in the caravan?It is advised that you provide basic items such as a TV, most caravan owners provide freeview, DVD player and CD / Radio player. It is advised you provide all pots pans, microwave, kettle, toaster ect. Some caravan owners also provide the likes of sandwich maker, steamers, slow cooker. It is also a personal choice whether you provide an iron & board and a hair dryer, If your electric is included in your ground rent then it is advised you provide electric heaters this saves on your gas, some. It is advised that you provide electric heaters for the bedrooms, no heating could put holiday makers off booking. When providing heaters it is advised that you get low wattage to ensure the electricity supply does not overload and trip out the electric. For those rainy day some caravan owners provide a selection of DVD’s, books, board games, playing cards and games consoles. It is not advised to provide any felt tip pens or crayons.
Should I provide bedding?We advise you to provide all quilts, pillows and blankets It is a personal choice whether you provide bedding, many caravan owners choose to provide just quilt covers, pillow cases and ask the holiday maker to provide their own bed sheets. Some owners provide all bedding. If you choose to provide quilt covers and pillow cases some owners offer bed sheets at an extra charge of around £10. We do advise you to provide waterproof mattress protectors for all beds, you do get the odd child wetting the bed, and it is also more hygienic.
What prices should I charge?This is a tricky one if your new to letting out your caravan, our advice would be to have a look at what others caravan owners in the area are charging, this will give you a rough idea what to charge for your own caravan.. Due to increasing ground rents and other bills associated with being a caravan owner you need to make as much income as possible from your caravan, but please be careful not to over charge. Holiday makers only have a limited amount of money to spend on their holiday due to the recession and many are looking for the best caravan at budget prices. Don’t forget there are many caravan owners letting out their caravan so we advice you to keep your prices competitive.
Booking DepositWhen taking bookings it is advised that you take a deposit to secure the booking, some caravan owners make this a non refundable deposit should they cancel. The deposit is usually £50 per week. Some caravan owners ask for the balance to be paid either 3 / 4 weeks before the start of their holiday.
Refundable DepositWhen letting out your caravan it is advisable to charge a refundable deposit to cover any breakages, damage or cleaning bills. Holiday makers seem to look after the caravan better if a refundable deposit has been charged, this has been proven over many years of being a caravan owner. Providing the caravan has been left clean and tidy with no breakages then the deposit is returned after their holiday.
Who should I let to?It is advised that you should let your caravan to just families and mature couples. While you will find many youngsters and teenagers requiring caravans this is not advised, we have all been teenagers and know exactly what we were like at their age!! Some sites also state in their terms and conditions that you cannot let you group of young people or same sexed groups. So please check with your site
PaperworkIt is advised that once you receive the deposit a confirmation letter should be sent to the holiday maker with details of your terms and conditions, and when the balance is due. It is also advised that once the balance is paid information should be sent informing them of the collection of keys, also if possible a map of the caravan site with directions to your caravan. Please also state on your paperwork the arrival and departure times, these are usually around 10.30am for departure and 2.30pm for arrival but this is a personal choice.
Terms and ConditionsWhen advertising your caravan to let please ensure you state any terms and conditions of booking, this way the holiday makers are aware of any rules. It is also advised to inform your guests of any rules they have to adhere to while on site. |
