Finding a good, local caretaker to look after a holiday home is fraught with problems.  Finding someone who is local to where the property is located, is reliable, flexible, conscientious and trustworthy, and charges reasonable rates is not always easy.  Then there is the added issue for properties in popular tourist areas or remote locations, where good caretakers are few and far between and in demand due to the disproportionate amount of holiday homes in the area.

So what is the process to find the perfect person?  And what are the considerations for employing someone in this capacity?

Defining the job role

It is important to give this some serious consideration before meeting potential caretakers.  Is the caretaker simply cleaning the property in-between guest stays, or holding a key and conducting infrequent checks on a less-used private second home?

What about responsibilities such as cleaning external areas, ensuring the rubbish is put out on the correct date and being on-call during a guests stay?

By defining the responsibilities initially, it is easier to recruit the right person and negotiate payments.

Where to advertise for a Caretaker

• Advertise in the window of local newsagent, post office, community notice board convenience store.
• Advertise in the local free paper or any circulars.
• Word of mouth; letting neighbours know you are looking for someone to look after the property.

Choosing a Caretaker

Hopefully a number of possible candidates can be identified.  Invite suitable candidates to meet at the property where you can show them the property and what you are looking for from a caretaker.  In particular, consider the following:

• How conscientious they are – would they tell you if there was damage to the property for example?
• How responsible they are, if they are holding a key to your property and have alarm codes etc.
• Reliability, especially over summer weekends when changeover cleans need to be carried out.
• Experience – have they looked after properties in the past? Previous experience of looking after guests would be a big help.
• And finally check references – a key factor in affirming a candidate’s credentials.

Employment and Ongoing

If you recruit a person to undertake work on your behalf, employment considerations must be made.  The level of information and legislation is too widespread to cover in this article, so for a comprehensive overview your responsibilities, visit the Direct Gov website.

Deciding the ongoing communicating tools will also help to ensure the relationship will work.  For example asking the caretaker to send a text after a changeover has been successfully completed will keep you up to date.  Similarly, this is an opportunity to for the caretaker to inform you about wear and tear and potential future expenses after guest usage.

Finally if you find a good caretaker, tell them! Rewarding them with gifts at the end of the season and Christmas will make them feel appreciated and motivated. And don’t forget their birthday!