realistic opinion on work load?

[ClareW]

This is my first post here, and I have found Lay My Hat full of useful info as someone just about to start out. We are hoping to complete on a purchase of a 2 bed cottage in the Malvern Hills pretty near our home at the end of the month. I am aware that as soon as we complete there will be TONS to do- doing work on the property, decoration, furnishing, marketing, website etc etc as quickly as possible to get it ready for letting. I have no previous experience so am reading up as much as poss beforehand. I am hoping to run it totally myself (with help from my husband but will mainly be me once its up and running.) I will do change overs , cleaning, marketing, admin etc. Realistically, once up and running, how much of a 'full' or 'part' time job do you think it will be? I am prepared for hard work!

[Ben McNevis]

Welcome to the forum, Clare!

My answers could be way out but with luck, you'll get a consensus on here. And, you'll spend longer in the early days tweaking your marketing and fussing about the wording of your emails.

I would say about:

2 hours per week for admin stuff: keeping prices and calendars updated on various listing sites, answering enquiries, paying bills, communicating with guests

3 hours per week or booking for the cleaning plus 1 hour for laundry. If you hired a cleaner, they would whizz through it in 2 hours max, but you'll do a more thorough job.

An unlimited amount of time gardening.

about 5 days per year spring-cleaning, gutter cleaning, exterior cleaning and redecorating

And the rest of your waking hours will be on LMH.

[tavi]

hi Claire, I do all the marketing/booking/cleaning etc for my two tiny sleep-two apartments - one booked all year round. Difficult to say , but your property sounds easily manageable. I probably spend the equivalent of a couple of days a week on average - year round. I usually clean them myself with a helper in the high season.

I allocate 3 hours for changeover cleaning per property (not including laundry) I can easily spend longer if I've time as that's when do stuff like wash the filters of the cooker extractor, vacuum the rails of the sliding doors, degrease the bottom seam of the stainless steel electric kettle, dust the lightbulbs (seriously).



Good luck with the cottage.

[Bunny]

Hi ClareW. That's exactly my set up. I do literally everything with husband just doing the maintenance jobs that I cannot do (and that's not much) and he helps me make the beds if he is around on changeover day.

I spend at least an hour first thing every morning checking emails, websites, answering queries etc. I will then stop whatever I'm doing again if an enquiry comes in during the day. I then do the same each evening. Changeover days are full on with cleaning, and then I spend other days of the week washing and ironing the bedding which is quite time consuming. In summer I spend a lot of time gardening which is just as important as maintaining the inside. Beyond that time is my own. It is hard work, but I get a lot of free time in between to do what I like, when I like, so the benefits by far outway the negatives.

[ClareW]

Thank you all very much for your replies! It would seem very manageable then. I am already self employed but very flexible and part time hours so this should hopefully work well alongside it. The hard work will be once our sale has completed getting it all ready and up and running- I am sure that LYH will be invaluable!

[kevsboredagain]

Definitely manageable part time, although I've found that a week/year just isn't enough for maintenance if you are off site. I need to spend about 2 weeks of my own holiday time keeping up on maintenance and after a few years, this really becomes a chore.

[Orsonthecat]

Welcome to LMH!
Just to add a couple of things to the good advice already given above. Thinking about the last 7 days and what I have been doing to loo after our 2 bed cottage:
* 2 changeovers (4 hours each time)
* Shopping for fresh flowers, milk etc to go in the cottage for next guests
* managing enquiries, sending out paypal invoices, blocking off various calendars, writing a couple of FB posts.
* tomorrow I have a half day booked in with my webmaster colleague to update the site (I've made a list of things which have come up over the last few months. This is usually an annual meet up tho, no more)
* mowed the lawn and weeded the beds to show off the new bulbs - I love spring!

Good luck and enjoy 😃

[zebedee]

Also remember to set aside regular time for your book keeping/ tax records. If it is the first time you will be submitting a self assessment then there may be information to gather for your personal records throughout the year eg any subscriptions and interest payments.
I find our cottage gathers an extraordinary amount of small receipts for ongoing purchases which need to be itemised. Whether or not you use an accountant, you can easily organise, document and summarise your outgoings and in comings to either save costs with your accountant or submit your assessment yourself.

[costa-brava]

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/VacationR ... ntals.html

Best to check out the opposition.

[greenbarn]

I will then stop whatever I'm doing again if an enquiry comes in during the day.

That is a key point.
If you add up the number of hours you think you might spend actively working, then double that to give a more realistic result, that total isn't evenly spread. Even if it "only" adds up to the equivalent of say two full days a week, you're effectively on call seven days a week 12 hours a day. To be in this business is to recognise that your life belongs to your guests, not to you. It's then a case of how you manage and prioritise your time - which gets a lot easier once you know you're giving your guests what they want and they're happy (and that gives you a real buzz!)

[ClareW]

Thank you for your responses- I guess its also important to have at least one other person primed up to pay to do change overs when I am away/ unavailable. Am thinking Friday changovers.. As far as tax/ keeping records go, I already keep my own books for my other small business and file a tax return form so am hoping to be able to do this myself also. Will be looking at other areas on the Forum about this, but for now will just keep a record of all outgoings and incomings (eventually!) and keep receipts. Thanks again.
(Not sure how you do the thing where you include a bit of a previous comment in your reply that you are particularly responding to- is it just a matter of copying and pasting??)

[Marks]

(Not sure how you do the thing where you include a bit of a previous comment in your reply that you are particularly responding to- is it just a matter of copying and pasting??)

Just click Quote in the top right corner of the post you wish to quote

[rosebud]

Maintenance has been a big issue for me this year - after nearly 5 years of letting. All time consuming.

Early this year I had to have the bathroom refitted after major damp issues. I had to find builders, choose fittings etc. I have also had to replace some furniture and carpets.

2 months later some work still needs completing. Next week builders are coming back to redo some of their bad work, a decorator is coming in, a gas safety check taking place and an electrician replacing my consumer unit!

I never really considered the need for maintenance and repairs when I started .. More work is needed later in the year on the roof soffits!

[Jemima Copping]

Both my husband and I spend about 3 hours cleaning on changeover day. First thing in the morning I bake scones for the next guests, then when the cottage is vacated I first pop the laundry in the washing machine using the short cycle and dry as well, towels first and then bedding, then we make the bed, then I deep clean the bathroom not forgetting the drain in the shower ( worst job!), meanwhile he cleans the kitchen and washes windows if necessary. Then dusting, hoovering which he does while I arrange flowers, put tea in the caddy, lay out the scones etc Finally wash the floor. Sometimes I give the furniture a polish. Ironing is done by me on another day, 2 hours.
Gardening doesn't take long as I have mainly flowers in tubs, watering is not usually necessary here on Isle of Skye, and strimming 5 minutes every 2 weeks from May onwards.
Every Monday I write up the accounts, and keep a manual diary of bookings, when to take payment of balance due, reminder to send email with instructions on how to get here. Other admin work is done on a daily basis as needed. Probably about 2-3 hours a week during the season. If you factor in that we charge between £300-£500 a week, it is a pretty good rate of pay!