Sunday Express Property - Let the good times roll

Laura Henderson examines the benefits of using the internet to rent out your holiday home

The recession may be stifling residential buying and selling rates but in holiday lets, business has never looked better.

Holiday lettings special Owner Direct is one of several online agents experiencing a spike in enquires this summer as people try to cut their spending by hunting for holiday bargains.

“With the pound worth less in your pocket, people are looking for ways to save money on their annual getaways,” says Owners Direct marketing manager, Angela Southall, “and it’s the internet they are using to track down the best rental deals.”

Homeowners haven’t been slow in tapping this web-savvy client pool either, with a flurry of new rental listings hitting such top-ranking sites as holidaylettings.co.uk and holiday-rentals.co.uk.

“Many clients have brought their homes as investments during the property boom years,” says HomeAway.co.uk marketing manager Sarah Chambers, “and are waiting until the market revives before they sell. Covering their interim costs through rentals is ideal but it means targeting marketing efforts in the right area’’.

So what web-based opportunities are available and how can homeowners turn them to their advantage? We explore three options.

-----------

THE ONLINE AGENT
Pure France (purefrance.com) is the only French-licensed, British-run business in the French rental market. The company was established in 2002 and has more than 400 quality properties, with offices near Carcassonne.

THE OFFER

A tailored advertising marketing and booking service.

EXPOSURE

Its Google rankings are one of the highest of any French property agent on the internet, with advertising in national press across the UK and France.

COSTS
Flat commission of 11.96 per cent.

BENEFITS

Comprehensive administration service that absorbs all transaction charges.

DOWNSIDES
The homeowners are not involved in the initial client ‘vetting’ process, which requires a certain amount of trust.

BOTTOM LINE

Bespoke online service with the benefit of ‘on-the-ground’ support.

TOP TIPS
Check your agent is financially bonded and can provide a financial guarantee.

Compare commission rates between agencies. Some add commission to your net rates, which can create an unrealistic tariff.

THE OWNERS

Marketing manager Anna Broughton and husband Richard rent our their four-bedroom longere (long house) near Noyant in the Loire Valley through Pure France for an average of 15 weeks a year charging 895 to 1,695 per week.
“Any profits we make goes back into the property,” says Anne. ‘An online agent works for us because we don’t want the headache of handling bookings but we also need a ‘shop window’ on the internet.

“A good agent will filter out genuine ‘rentees’ over speculative ones but it must have a decent ranking on Google to achieve sufficient quality volume enquires.”

Related links :

• http://www.purefrance.com/49003/rental-property.php