Over the last twenty years or so, the number of people that own second homes has extremely increased. Usually all these people have second homes outside their country of normal residence. Few years ago only privilege class had benefit to buy second home outside their country, but now anyone can do this.
Though the recent economic situation holiday homes have been significantly affected, so if you have a second home for your own, personal use now is certainly the time to offer it for the holiday rental market.
Previously the cost of leaving a second home empty was reasonably small, but the situation has changed now. Insurance and general taxes have increased significantly in almost every country in the world. Maintenance of the apartment is also a big issue. Obviously if you let your home the chance of breakages and general wear and tear will be higher. On the other hand, properties that are not used often make problems. Leaving an apartment unattended can lead to disaster. A water leak or something similar can cause countless damage if it isn't seen early enough.
Of course, nobody likes the idea to let strangers to live in their apartment, but do problems unavoidably follow or it does not seem to be the case? People who offer their apartments for rental generally realize that their property is looked after very well by guests.
Some of them who let their properties are residents there for part of the year, but come back to northern Europe for the hotter months. Naturally, this is an ideal holiday rental situation, as the highest demand for property is usually during the summer periods. For those who have properties only for long-term investment, and occasional use, are in an even better situation, as every single resident is providing previously untapped financial support.
The practice of renting first of all is the matter of marketing. Many people do this themselves, by adding adverts in the classified sections of national newspapers and local papers. Though, response to this kind of advertising is significantly lower than it used to be and it can be expensive. There are a fast growing number of companies proposing internet-based promotion for overseas property rental. Generally this tactic is better, though it requires some homework before parting with any money. You may begin by doing a search for the sort of property you have. Does the company you have found appear in the first few results? Though there are other possibilities you can try. There is also a possibility to offer the property through travel agents and tour operators, but they take a fairly substantial commission on every booking, while internet companies mostly work on a 'fixed fee' basis. You can also offer your property in the area of its location. This will initially result in people that are looking for long-term rentals, which is an alternative market.
Though, people on holiday may see the adverts and look at the idea of future booking.
Once you have taken a look into marketing, the next step is to deal with local matters and day-to-day management. Basically, it is a good idea to have an agent on the spot who can manage any problems. Whether you are renting an apartment in Cyprus knowing that someone visits it frequently guarantees all bills are paid and sort out any problems relieves you of a great deal of work.
Overall, there are not so many problems to renting out your holiday home, and certainly help to compensate the costs. Naturally there will be bills to be paid and you will not get rich from doing it. In reality, you will not earn enough for it to be considered any kind of profit. Though, you will end up with effectively free holidays for yourself and you will certainly compensate all the costs of maintaining an empty home.