Coffee, tea, sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar ????

[LeanneA]

Nearly ready to start letting, agent contract signed, photos being done on Tuesday, sorting insurance, Business rates etc this week - excited but scarey too!!

Anyway, I am just reviewing the last minute things I need to provide and wondered what you do please.

I have storage jars for tea, coffee and sugar, so planning to supply some, but do you just give enough for a few days, or the whole week? Also, are the little catering "sugar" bags acceptable (thinking of waste with used spoons dipping in) or are they a little naff?

I will supply salt, pepper and vinegar - what about ketchup etc?

Also, in bathroom, so you supply soap - full size or guest? What about a dispenser bottle for liquid hand soap - is that considered more hygienic and user friendly?

My agent guidance doesn't specifically mention any of the above, other than providing a pint of milk and a tea tray for guest's arrival.

Toilet rolls are suggested I supply 1 for the start of the week - am I being too generous giving them more than that?

Sorry if thick questions, but so keen to do the "right thing" but without going overboard on things I don't need to spend money on.

Thanks

[marsh frog]

We buy the individual size coffee,tea sugar [from wholesalers or Out of Eden] and provide an initial supply.

What you leave is up to you but milk is always a good and welcome provision, but leave what you feel comfortable with.Wine goes down well too and makes the guests feel in the 'holiday mood' and relaxed frame of mind when they arrive. Always appreciated by our guests anyway!!

Toilet roll - we have 2 toilets so leave a minimum of 1 per toilet.

We leave soap dispensers in the kitchen,toilet, bathroom for hand washing.

We leave some salt pepper,herbs and olive oil too

[onestep]

We leave coffee (instant), tea bags, milk, olive oil, sunflower oil, dishwasher tabs, laundry liquid, washing up liquid (we have a septic tank so want them to use specific things), hot choc, & 2 loo rolls.. And sometimes a few eggs, depending on how the hens have been laying!

[tavi]

We only accommodate two people so I'm not spending very much and it seems to be appreciated: we leave:

shower gel, shampoo and conditioner - large pump bottles
liquid handwash - ditto
loo rolls - 1 for every two days of their stay
small bottle of liquid hand laundry detergent

olive oil, vinegar, - normal size bottle
herbs, salt, pepper, sugar (sachets),
one kitchen roll
washup liquid, sponge
bin bags - roughly 1 for each day of stay

also tea lights, insect repellant & UK/european adaptor

things don't seem to get finished very quickly so it's not too difficult to manage.

Don't leave any milk, tea or coffee as I find people's tastes vary so much.

Oh and I also leave a bottle of local wine. Very occasionally it's still there when they've left in which case we drink it at home!

[LeanneA]

Thanks for replies. Always good to get other perspectives on these things and make sure I am going in the right direction!

I have just received my Bookers card, so going there for supplies.

I am also planning to do a "cream tea" for the guest's arrival - there is a bakery/deli right next door to my property and going in this week to ask if they can provide scones, jam and local cream when I need them, so save me doing it.

[onestep]

Things aren't always cheaper in Booker so do make a comparison with your local supermarket

[newtimber]

We're more generous than most on the toilet rolls and provide enough for people's stay. And if any appliance needs refilling/maintaining with anything, provide it otherwise something else will get used instead. Tin foil protects the baking tins. If you want the property left clean, provide everything that's needed. And lastly provide a pen for the visitors book so everyone can write how they've enjoyed their stay. Have fun!

[kg1]

We provide -

unlimited loo rolls, kitchen rolls, dishwasher tabs, washing powder, fabric conditioner

medium kitchen containers of tea bags, coffee & sugar - plenty to last 2 weeks.
large kitchen container of chocolate biscuits
milk - green top
bottle white wine

cling film
foil
binliners
hand soap dispensers by both basins & in kitchen
washing up liquid
New J cloth & washing up sponge

(no wonder we're not making enough profit!)

[Beachcondo]

We don't have wine in our welcome basket.
Last year, almost all the tenants to our Swedish cottage gave US a bottle or two of wine!
Nice benefit that we hadn't expected.

[PW in Polemi]

For our self-catering cottage, we supply:

Dishcloth and scourer
Washing up liquid - not always a full bottle, but never nearly empty.
Dishwasher powder - plenty for several uses of machine.
Salt tablets for d/w - although I refill the dispenser before each set of guests.
Rinse aid for d/w - ditto
Soap powder/liquid - enough for several washes.
General purpose/floor wash - just in case they drop anything on the tiled floor and need to wash it off
Bin liners for kitchen and both toilet bins.
Kitchen roll
Tea, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper, herbs, litre of semi skimmed milk, litre of orange juice, butter, bread, selection of preserves, individual packets of cereal, plus usually some seasonal fruit and whatever previous guests have left (cooking oil, olive oil, tinned tomatoes, baked beans, but not opened jars/bottles)
Foil, cling film
Matches
BBQ charcoal & firelighters
Liquid soap dispensers in each bathroom.
Loo rolls - 1 on and at least 1 spare per bathroom.

I don't want my guests, hopefully fully relaxed into holiday mode, to feel obliged to clean thoroughly, and indeed as we have a septic tank, I am nervous about them using too much cleaner and killing off my "good" bacteria, so I don't leave loo cleaner/disinfectant or any strong chemicals apart from the small (so far, thankfully unused) bottle of Dettol with the first aid kit.

I also leave enough extra bed linen and towels so that the guests don't have to wash mid-holiday - but some of them have washed, dried and put back on the bed, so the clean spares were left as I had left them, in the wardrobe

[kevsboredagain]

Whatever goodies you leave will normally be appreciated. If you're on site then this can be organized on every change over. If your off site, it's not so easy as your cleaners will be handling multiple properties, many of which provide nothing whatsoever.

What you will find though, is that some people will use up completely anything they get for free!

[LeanneA]

Thanks for further replies.

I am not "on site" but will be doing my own changeovers.

Thanks for the heads-up on Bookers - I have browsed online and worked out the things its worth buying there, and those I will be getting from the supermarket.

Toilet rolls are the best saving so far!!!!