Holiday Homes

The dos and don’ts of last-minute holiday renting

January 5, 2017 in Holiday Homes

At this time of year a surprising number of people who had been planning to stay home for the festive season will suddenly decide to go away, and frantically start scouring online and classified advertisements for last-minute holiday rental deals.

Unless you want to risk extreme disappointment, you really do need to slow down, avoid being pressured into a decision and be very careful who you do business with and what you sign up for.

Crooks and con-artists thrive on desperation and hasty decisions and they use all sorts of bait to tempt you into parting with your money and getting nothing in return,.

Some insight into what to consider before making the final decision:

1. It is better to deal with an established and reputable company that manages a large portfolio of short-term rental properties and will usually have several options to offer you.

2. You really need to get into the specifics. For example, if you want to rent a waterfront property, you must ask the landlord or agent to be specific about the distance to the beach or riverbank.

Similarly, if an advertisement says ‘close to shops’, ask exactly how far that is, or you may actually face quite a long hike every time you need a litre of milk.

3. Beware of ‘hidden’ costs, such as fees for additional guests, pets, cleaning and even TV-hire or internet access. To prevent nasty surprises, check, double-check and get all the details plus your move-in and move-out dates, payment schedule and landlord or agent contacts details, all in writing, even if it’s only on email. The rule here is no written contract, absolutely no deal.

4. It is important to be aware that you may not get a refund of any deposits or other payments made upfront if your plans change, especially if your booking falls into high season. If the landlord has reserved the property for you and you suddenly decide not to take it, it is after all unfair to expect them to lose out on the income they would have made, especially if you don’t give them enough time to let it to someone else. And unfortunately this applies even if your reason for cancellation is a family emergency and even if the landlord or agent is sympathetic and does try to find another tenant at short notice.

5. Also, beware of ‘housemates from hell’. It may sound like fun or a budget plus to share the costs of holiday accommodation with a group of friends or another family, but there’s nothing to test a friendship like a rainy day at the coast with everyone indoors and getting on each other’s nerves. It is usually better for friends or relatives to rent separate units and meet up on the beach or just ‘visit’ one another for a few hours at a time.

Source: https://www.property24.com/

Is your holiday house properly insured?

January 5, 2017 in Holiday Homes

You may think if you’ll be staying in your holiday home – why worry about insurance? If you’re going to be around, it should be perfectly safe. Unfortunately, this time of year can mean criminals are taking bigger risks hoping for bigger rewards, so it is better to be safe than sorry.

He says it is essential to have contents cover that truly covers the full value of the goods you own and have in your holiday home. If you are under-insured, you may well end up remembering this as the worst holiday because you had to replace so many items yourself.

“Many of us end up taking our bicycles or sporting equipment with us on holiday, not to mention our favorite clothing, accessories and any presents that come along. These are all costly to replace,” says Bertus Visser, Chief Executive of Distribution at PSG Insure. “Imagine if you go out for dinner with your family one evening and come home to find your holiday house has been broken into and goods stolen, or if an accident should happen and the entire house is flooded, with lots of damages. Without sufficient insurance, it will really be a situation like the Grinch stealing Christmas.”

He says it is essential to have contents cover that truly covers the full value of the goods you own and have in your holiday home. If you are underinsured, you may well end up remembering this as the worst holiday because you had to replace so many items yourself.

“If, for example, you insure your contents for R100 000 and the value is really closer to R500 000, it could mean that only a fifth of your claim will be paid out. Your insurance pay-out will be in line with the percentage you are underinsured by,” says Visser.

It is also important to adhere to the terms and conditions of your policy, he says. “What this means is that if your policy states that you have a locked security gate on the front door, it needs to be in place and locked at the time of the break in to avoid the claim being repudiated.”

It is also important to adhere to the terms and conditions of your policy, he says. “What this means is that if your policy states that you have a locked security gate on the front door, it needs to be in place and locked at the time of the break in to avoid the claim being repudiated.”

Of course we must always do our best to ensure our personal safety, Visser says, so do take precautions whether you are at the house or not. Keep unattended entrance points locked, especially if you are playing loud music and spending time out in the back garden.

Visser says if you leave your front door open, you will likely come up against some issues if you need to claim. Close your curtains at night whether you are home or not, make sure you close the windows too, even if you just want to pop out to the shop. Always keep your car locked and don’t advertise that you have new expensive goods.

“Don’t throw out a big, new TV box for all to see or any packaging from new items that could be a temptation to thieves. Criminals keep an eye on wheelie bins, so be sensible in how you dispose of packaging you no longer need,” says Visser.

“Have a safe holiday by behaving safely. Don’t start the New Year as a victim of crime simply because you have not been vigilant, and remember that holiday home insurance should be in place all year round.”

Source: https://www.property24.com/articles

Prep your home for the holidays

November 21, 2015 in Holiday Homes

December is just around the corner which typically means festive treats, down time with the family and for many, holidays away from home. Before you take your well-earned break, spare some thought for your home and make sure that everything is in order so that you don’t return to a nasty surprise.

Make plans for your garden

Depending on how long you will be away and whether or not you attend to your garden yourself or have a gardener who has access to your garden, you should do what you can to make sure your garden will survive your absence.

What’s more is that you don’t want your garden to give away the fact that you are not home. An unkempt, dead lawn and overgrown beds will alert opportunistic criminals to the fact that you aren’t home.

If you are going to be away for some time and don’t have a garden service, now’s the time to consider installing a basic sprinkler system and ask a friend or a family member to cut the lawn. Don’t forget to thank the person or people who looked after your garden on your return.

Clear and uncluttered

Before you go away, ensure that your roof, gutters, downpipes and drainage pipes aren’t blocked with any debris. The last thing you want while sitting on a beach is to receive a call informing you of the fact that your roof has just collapsed or your house has flooded because of a blocked pipe.

In a similar vein, make sure that your bin is completely empty and that there is no trash or boxes lying around. Piled up refuse could be viewed as a sign that nobody is home. Rubbish that is left for too long will also attract vermin and pests.

Make arrangements for your pets

Every time a holiday rolls round, horror stories of abandoned and starved pets do the rounds. Treating animals in this fashion is cruel and completely unacceptable. If you have pets at home, it is your duty to ensure that they are cared for and cannot escape and get lost while you are away having a good time.

This does not mean you can leave your animals a bag of food and a few bowls of water and hope for the best. Neither does it mean that you have to spend loads of money checking your pets into a fancy pet ‘motel’ or kennels.

Simply ask a neighbour, a friend or a family member to pop round each day to feed and water your animals and make sure they are OK. Going this route is actually ideal as it means your animals don’t have to go through the stress of staying in foreign kennels. Again, as is the case with your garden, be considerate thank whoever helped you on your return.

Safe as houses

Of course no pre-holiday, home preparation plan would be complete without attending to the security issues. In line with this, clear vegetation away from any electric fences you may have, make sure all of your physical barriers such as gates, security doors and window bars are working and are in good condition and make sure your alarm is working properly.

If you don’t have day-night switches, now would be a good time to consider investing in them. Not only do lights which are left permanently on waste energy and cost money but they are a dead giveaway that nobody is home.

Lastly, although you might want to announce to the world via social platforms that you are going away to some exotic destination, resist the urge. You may think that events in your life can only be viewed by friends and family and that your security protocols are up to date but you don’t know for sure who is watching. If you wouldn’t announce to a crowd that your home will be left unattended for a few weeks, you shouldn’t do so on Facebook or Twitter either.

The niggly things

There are a few other things you may want to attend to before going on holiday. For instance, you may want to buy extra prepaid electricity (if applicable) so that you don’t come home to a dark house and a defrosted fridge. You should also consider unplugging all appliances and turning off your geyser. Doing so will save energy and money and offset the chance of damage caused by power surges.

Source: www.privateproperty.co.za