Short Term let cottage

arctictree

Hi All,

We are about to let out our cottage for short term holiday lets (Wicklow).

Can anyone here recommend the most popular sites? I thinking of booking.com and Airbnb - can anyone recommend any others? Any to avoid?!

Thanks in advance

Dav010

I can only tell you about my own experience, Airbnb is a fantastic site. Don’t forget to take out holiday let insurance, there are a couple of private companies now providing this.

Oat23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118913910#Comment_118913910

Out of interest, would you be making more on these short term let sites than you would with a regular, long-term rental if the property was in a touristy area? There's a load of Airbnbs popping up where I am.

I can't work out if they they put in the effort it requires because they like having more control over the property or because it's making them a lot more money. Maybe it's both.

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118914182#Comment_118914182

Considerably more money, and of course the Host has more control. In relation to effort, apart from cleaning there isn’t much, Hosts can charge an additional cleaning fee on Airbnb per booking. I find guests rarely cook, so cleaning/changing linen/towels can usually be done in a couple of hours, Hosts can block off days between bookings to allow time for cleaning. I give guests a PDF with instructions on using heating/Sky/appliances so rarely get calls from guests during stays, when I do, I politely tell them that the info is on the PDF.

MakersMark

Is this your primary residence?

Is the property in a Rent Pressure Zone?

arctictree

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118914182#Comment_118914182

Hi - This is our first time trying it so I dont know if we'll make any money. We'll see how we get on.

arctictree

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118914311#Comment_118914311

Hi, no, its not our primary residence.

And, I looked up the RPZ and yes, it is in a rent pressure zone.

Why the questions?

Caranica

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118915680#Comment_118915680

There are rules about short term lets in RPZs. You will most likely need planning permission as it's not your PPR and it's pretty unlikely to be granted. Only way to get around it is to let for 15+ days at a time.

arctictree

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118915720#Comment_118915720

Hi - thanks for the response. We actually do have planning permission for short term let. Maximum duration of 4 weeks.

HazeDoll

I can totally see why people prefer the short-term let route. You might have the odd difficult guest but their stay is limited and you never have to see them again. You can set the terms (bring your own towels, for example) and if people don't like it they can book another place.

I have talked to people who say that landlords who choose Air BnB over renting to a long-term tenant are effectively causing the housing crisis. I've stayed in a lot of Air BnBs and whenever I get chatting to the owner I ask them about their choice. It's always the same. "Nope, I'd leave it empty rather than have to deal with tenants again."

The only people who have real reason to kick up a fuss about the likes of Air BnB are the hotels who have overcharged tourists for so long.