By Sheila Glover, The Holiday Home Inspector.

1. Good instructions for finding your holiday property.

While many holiday homes are easy to find, there are plenty in places where a satnav just doesn’t cut it. Frustratingly it is the last mile or so that can really cause the problems and if your visitors have had a long trip or won’t get there until late at night you don’t want them arriving in a bad mood. Clear instructions are always appreciated – the sort that can be followed even in the dark. If you are using local landmarks as indicators do review them regularly to make sure they still make sense. That white painted gate you mentioned last year may have changed to green by next season!

2. An Outside Light.

Especially if your property is deep in the country – an outside light is invaluable when it comes to safety and convenience.

3. Finding somewhere to leave their coats, wellies etc..

Many visitors will bring wellies, wax jackets, perhaps fishing gear depending on the location so plenty of coat pegs, an uncarpeted lobby or porch is a great asset to them – and helps to keep your property clean.

4. Enough comfortable seating, beds and equipment.

There should be enough comfortable seating for every person that the house accommodates. If there isn’t enough room in the sitting room you should think about reducing the number of beds available. Investing in good quality beds also pays dividends in the long term and saves complaints. Spare put-you-up beds are always regarded as the ‘short straw’ especially by adults.

Don’t forget the dining table – can it seat the maximum number of visitors allowed?

It’s always a good idea to leave spare china, cutlery and glassware in case of breakages, if the visitors want to invite some guests or they just don’t fancy washing up between courses.

5. Good lighting for reading.

For many visitors, the opportunity to spend the evenings reading a good book is one of the pleasures of a self catering holiday. Dim lighting is frustrating and uncomfortable. Overhead lighting is harsh and lacking in atmosphere so do make sure there are plenty of table lamps with as bright a bulb as they will take.

6. Fuel on their Arrival.

If you’ve travelled a long way to your holiday cottage, the last thing you want to do is to arrive on a cold, wintry night to find there is no fuel for the stove or open fire. A bag of logs or coal is always welcome, especially if they’ve forgotten to get some from the garage on the way and even better if the fire is made up and ready to go.

7. No ‘Do Not/Do’ Notices.

Lots of little notices reminding visitors of dos and don’ts, are ugly and can sound bossy, instantly giving the property the feel of a low budget B & B. Put instructions and requests neatly in an information book that visitors can read through when they arrive.

8. Plenty of Hot Water.

A house full of visitors needs a good supply of hot water, especially if they spend a lot of time out and about doing activities. You will save water if they can have a shower but if necessary and if your hot water system is appropriate, do provide a boost switch so it can heat up quickly again.

9. Hanging Space.

Hanging space can be at a premium in some holiday homes. If there’s no room for a wardrobe, a few coat pegs on a back board are very useful. Provide wooden rather than wire or plastic coat hangers. The latter tend to breed so do be ruthless in throwing them out.

10. Enough Spare Keys.

Chances are your visitors won’t want to go everywhere together so do make sure they have enough sets of keys. Two are generally enough unless the property takes a large party of visitors. Don’t put the name or address of the property on the tags though in case they get lost.

Refinements like these are not immediately obvious to a visitor but the lack of them will be. With a little thought your property will stand out from those that have been less imaginatively set out and it is always an excellent idea to road-test yours or to ask some trusted friends to stay a day or so and listen to their feedback.

By taking care of the devil in the detail your visitors will be happy and your life as a holiday property owner will be much, much easier.

Sheila Glover has 14 years experience in self-catering with The Landmark Trust and now runs the Holiday Home Inspector, a consultancy service for holiday home owners and those considering a holiday let purchase. Visit The Holiday Home Inspector for more.