Change over costs

[harcourtv57]

Hi All

We do our own changeovers but are going to be abroad for three months from April and so need to find someone to do this whilst we are away.

We have previously had difficulties when we have tried this before with people either being unreliable or not doing it to the standard required for holiday lets. So this time we have contacted a local cleaning company on the basis that if we are abroad we wont be able to step in if anything goes wrong like we have had to before. However, I think the quote we have been given (for two bedroom, two bathroom apartment) is rather high, so just wondered if anyone else who has a company/individual to do it is willing to say what it cost them?

Thanks

[charles cawley]

One of the useful tips to find people is to try to contact someone with children at the local school.

Changeover work fits, ideally, into a school day.

It is worth paying a little over the odds by paying the going rate with extra every, say, four changeovers on reliability. We provide bookings for owners who live in Japan, London and other places and this formula works well.

However larger agencies may not have the local roots necessary to make this so easy. If you do not have time to bed in a new changeover person... you may be obliged to pay a company.

Getting an individual to do spot work of this nature for a short time and be reliable is a very long shot. The going rate per hour around here is about £10.00 (Herefordshire, S Shropshire and bordering counties).

[harcourtv57]

Thanks to all who have replied and those that have pm ed me.

I thought exactly that Charles that it would be ideal for mum with kids at school, particularly since we have flexible changeover days. However, we have been down this route before with little success. It looks as if we will have to go with a company, as they will then have backup staff if things go wrong, like sickness. But they want £15 ph plus extra for compiling welcome pack, taking out any rubbish, providing photos of any damage extra cleaning etc. This will mean that we won't be able to offer short breaks as they simply won't be viable and thats a large part of our market, as we are in a city (Portsmouth).

But at least we will be able to go away knowing that the changeovers will be covered and have to rethink it when we get back . . . .

[charles cawley]

We find short breaks, potentially, the most profitable.

In our area, the market can stand short breaks at 80% of the weekly rate. If you back to back, in one week, the total revenue coming in comes to 1.6 times the income for one seven day booking.

I would imagine in a City the weekend rate could not stand 80% but the mid week break might be more robust... so I can see the problem you may face.

In certain situations any income could more than cover any additonal changeover costs.

[goosie]

is it worth thinking of a two stage process - so paying the cleaning company to clean (and take photos of damage if so required), but having a local person to `manage` the checking, welcome packs, changing light bulbs, sorting heating etc. That way you have independent verification of the quality of cleaning as well as leaving the cleaning company to do what they should be good at - cleaning but not expecting them to go that extra mile because in my experience, they won't.

[Jenny C]

We have a cleaner to clean our 1 bedroom holiday cottage - I pay her £8 per hour and the work takes 2 hours. We are rarely away for changeovers but if we are, I ask a trusted local friend to act as "manager" for the time we are away. She will prepare the welcome tray, wash and iron the linen between changeovers ready for the cleaner, check all is fine in the cottage before guests arrive, and act as keyholder while they are there in case they have any problems. I pay her about £30 per booking - seems high but I set that rate as she is my friend and I don't want to be seen to be taking advantage, I want the security of knowing someone is on hand should they be needed, and I know she will do a good job. And the alternative would be zero income from not letting the cottage at all, which makes it worthwhile! I would not rely on the cleaner to do the "management" side of things as it would be unusual to find someone who was happy to do all of these things as well as clean.

[harcourtv57]

Thats exactly what we have done before when we have been on holiday - we always try and arrange our holidays around changeovers but on the odd occasion have asked family to do it and paid them.

But we didn't want to have to ask family to cover for such a long period and tbh would like to find someone who can do it anyway as we both work full time as well. But we will be asking OH's brother to step in if there are any probs like minor maintenance issues etc.

It seems that LMHs that have properties abroad have a better chance of finding someone reliable as there is a market for managing holiday homes there, but not so much in the UK

[Nemo]

I have to say, if it's possible, it sounds like a great compromise.

If you can get a cleaner on an hourly rate then you only need a manager/housekeeper. Surely there must be people, esp mums, out there that would happily take some part time work, not including cleaning, that is likely to fall within school hours (if you did Mon or Fri changeovers for example)?

You may need to train them in exactly what's required, but I think I'd be happy to do that job! That would enable you to continue short breaks as well as I'm sure that would come in at a reasonably competitive price.

[harcourtv57]

Well we decided to take on the company to do our changeovers for all the reasons already given. They came round to assess, OH talked them through what needed doing and they took notes. Yesterday they did their first changeover and OH went round afterwards just to check - well words fail me.

Fridge not cleaned and more than that OH put an empty coke bottle in there just as a test and it was still there
Microwave dirty
Bins in bathroom and kitchen not emptied
Toilet with toilet roll down there and not flushed
Floor in bedroom not swept
Cups that had been washed up and left on draining board by guests still in situ
beds not made up and big black footprint on bed ????

Kitchen sink itself spotless and living room polished to within an inch of its life, shower screen spotless, all smelled nice in there

BUT

we have had guests that have left it in a far better state than this and we didn't have to pay £15 ph for it . . . . . I despair

[kendalcottages]

Oh dear, harcourt... what did they do?

[harcourtv57]

Cleaned the kitchen sink, TV and shower screen by the looks of it, and and dusted the picture frames in the hall!!! - apparently when they were doing their tour with OH they commented on it. Well if I was a guest I could live quite happily with a bit of dust on top of a picture frame but not dirty kitchen and unflushed loo!

OH is taking the owner of the company round today to show her the result and she has promised to rectify it - luckily our guests don't arrive until the weekend! BUt the whole point of taking on a company was for peace of mind while we are away and surely the idea of the trial changeover is to impress a potential new customer??! Which needless to say we weren't.

[kendalcottages]

Yes, it's hard to imagine that if they can't impress on their 'first go', that they'll manage to turn things around. Hopefully the owner can sort it all out for you.

[Nemo]

You may have to try another company? If they can't get it right this time, then I doubt they can be trusted. I appreciate it's really hard for you though.

I know Annew had more than one company try out when her housekeeper retired before she found and was happy with her current ones.

[Jenny C]

That sounds dreadful. I would definitely try to find an alternative - you need someone you can trust to do it properly without it needing to be checked afterwards! Especially if they were trying to impress on their first go...

[DaveN]

Being off-site, we leave a check-list for our cleaner, and add to it whenever we find something amiss, but they are usually the little things like soap bottles not filled right up.
But it sounds as though your issues are a lot more fundamental than that.

I don't think I'd give them another chance if you have an alternative. It sounds as though they are more used to domestic cleaning the holiday lets.

And as you said, if this is how they perform for a trial, how will they do when nobody is watching over them?

Although we use a company, we still have the same cleaner each week (holidays and illness excepted), and I'm sure that helps in building a knowledge of, and a pride in the house.