Nice house in Kent, but new to this

[SH]

Hello,

I have, as stated above, a nice house in Kent which I think could be very good for holiday lettings - cathedral views, 90' garden, parking for two, newly refurbed, the only trouble is, I won't be living anywhere near it.

I would register with an agency to market it and would have to find a couple or similar to manage it in my absence, but looking at the rental returns and the amount of effort involved in all this I am almost tempted to just rent it out to professionals!

Does anybody have any suggestions as to what I could do?

Thank you.

[Itsonlyme]

I would definitely rent it out rather than holiday lets. You should get a good return as it has the best of both worlds: countryside, but close enough to London to commute, there are good schools for families, and there are a lot of people on secondment in Kent looking for such properties.

[paolo]

Does anybody have any suggestions as to what I could do?

I would do the maths. Ask letting agents what you would get for it for long-term rental, and work out what you might make from holiday rentals.

I would look at similar properties in your area on the listing sites, to see what they are charging. You could get an idea of how many bookings they get by looking at their availability calendar, but only an idea, as you don't know which are paying guests. I would also contact some owners nearby and ask what sort of booking season you could expect. Not everyone will welcome the competition but I'm sure some will help you out.

[Clexane]

It also depends very much on whether or not you want to use the house. The good thing about holiday lets is that you get the house for yourself at times for vacations. When you rent it out it is just an investment and you get no access.

It would help to decide if its a pure investment or a holiday house that you want to enjoy plus bring in some extra cash when you don't want to be there.