Housekeeping and House Standards

For many potential owners the thought of investing large sums of money in a property to be used by a succession of tenants, perhaps not seeing it themselves for long periods, can be very daunting.

Take heart! Firstly, all properties that are very high standard are treated extremely well. Secondly, the housekeeper contacts the tenants upon arrival so any problems can be addressed then. Thirdly, a Holiday Satisfaction Questionnaire is sent to clients a week after departure; any criticisms or reports of non-functioning items are reacted to immediately; praise is also passed on!

Housekeepers
In all cases, the housekeeper is employed by the owner but you have three options: a) appoint your own housekeeper; b) allow us to appoint one, for which a finding fee is charged; c) pay a monthly flat fee which covers appointing/supervising/ motivating the housekeeper, providing cover for sickness/holidays, dealing with breakdown/repair, paying all housekeeping/repair bills etc. on your behalf. All instructions for the housekeeper are usually done from here with standards confirmed by Annual Inspections, Holiday Satisfaction Questionnaires and interim inspections according to need. An information sheet on housekeeping and laundry costs is available.

Repairs
You can list your approved plumber, electrician, boiler maintenance etc. on the Agency Agreement. In the event of a problem, the tenant contacts the housekeeper. If the item is critical and minor (less than £60) she usually proceeds without authority. If it is more serious and you have chosen option ‘c’ and are paying a monthly flat fee, the housekeeper contacts the office; otherwise she contacts you. Remember, the county is small and, if the issue is serious, we can be at any house on the books in less than 45 minutes.

Annual Inspections
A check list is issued in October for the housekeeper to complete. This is verified by an on-site inspection by one of our staff who issues a written report to the owner detailing any action required.