Make your holiday work for you

Elders Port Macquarie holiday department manager Matt Day, said there were several things investors should consider when it came to leasing out a holiday home.

"Location is probably one of the biggest things for people who want to rent a holiday home," he said.

Mr Day said potential clients looking to rent out a holiday home often had a "checklist" of requirements, and walking distance to beaches, walking distance to shops and cafes, or a view, were high on that list.

"When considering going down the path of investing in a holiday home, the main thing is to place yourself in the clients' shoes - move from the owner mindset into the holiday mindset," he said.

"Appearance and presentation is critical."

Mr Day manages about 72 properties, which are used for holiday accommodation, and they range from three- to four-bedroom houses down to one-bedroom units."

Among the owners of holiday homes on his books, Mr Day said they were mostly from places like Newcastle and Sydney, but there were some from the bush including Merriwa, Narrabri and Tamworth.

"We have a booking program where the owner has full access to make their own booking," he said.

"The main difference between holiday letting and normal letting is the ability to use the property yourself."

Accommodated principal Marie Menere, who manages holiday lets in both the Blue Mountains and Central Coast, believes holiday makers appreciate the "home away from home" feel a holiday let can offer.

As such, she said it was important for owners to create a sense of ambience, and homely feel in holiday properties.

Ms Menere is based in the Blue Mountains but has more recently expanded to manage holiday homes on the Central Coast.

"At the moment we are just developing the Central Coast; it is very complementary as a lot of people come to the Central Coast who would then like to come to the Blue Mountains."

Renting out a home in a holiday area had plenty of benefits, she said.

"Obviously the reason why an owner would look into setting up a holiday let is they are looking at some returns," she said.

"Depending on the property, usually if it is a well-managed property, the returns on investment should be higher than having a permanent tenant and the owner has the benefit of using it themselves."

Ms Menere, who has been managing holiday lets for the past eight years, had originally leased out her own house as a holiday let.

"I used to really love the fact that people enjoyed staying at my home, I was able to provide a special experience for them. The owners get the satisfaction of providing a lovely experience for a guest," she said.

Accommodated assists owners in setting up an investment property as a holiday let, providing ideas about what works well - including furniture - as well as safety considerations and what potential guests were expected.

"We consider where it is located, and aspects like noise pollution," she said.

"If the property is in a suburban street when you have got neighbours on either side, with a holiday let it is very important the neighbours are informed it is a holiday let, and that the manager can be contacted.

Holiday-let management also had benefits in the sense that maintenance can be organised.

"Some owners do their own cleaning, or we have a database of cleaners; we can also organise gardeners, so the property is always looking good."