This covers the paperwork and organisation of bookings, dispatch of booking confirmation letters or e-mails, complaints, payment and the upkeep of an availability system. If using a holiday letting agent, this whole area will be handled by them, with the occasional owner liaison over matters such as owner stays, special offers and maintenance issues.

If considering letting your property and taking bookings direct, this section looks at the areas to be addressed. Good organisational skills are an essential requirement to run a holiday let and ensure that guests can enquire about and book a holiday. Answering enquiries and booking communications in a timely and professional manner will have a positive impact on bookings, creating a good relationship with your customers.

A number of documents need to be created at the outset. A booking form with terms and conditions should be completed by the guest, listing the party members with their contact details and signed by the party member. Agreeing to the terms and conditions is important as it outlines the terms of use of the property by the guests including areas such as liabilities, payment and cancellation and damage to the property.

Having a reliable and accessible system for viewing property availability will ensure that enquiries can be quickly and there is no risk of double booking available weeks. There are many solutions for this including computer software to enable you to manage availability and other aspects of the holiday let such as online availability and sending out email or postal booking confirmations.

Handling late payments, complaints and damage by guests can be one of the more stressful parts of running the lettings yourself. Payments typically take the form of a deposit; anywhere between 10% and 50% of the total cost of the stay; then the balance a few weeks before arrival. Complaints can occur during the stay and are not always within your control, such as noisy neighbours or building work, so it is best practice to have a clear complaints procedure in the terms and conditions for a guest to follow. Damages and the recovery of repair costs can be a drawn out process. Where damages are accidental and small, for example a broken coffee mug may not be worth pursuing with a guest, where as more serious damage may involve a long and drawn out process of recovering monies.