Things to consider before renting out your Ontario cottages and lodges next time

Posted by Key on April 20th, 2019

Renting out your Georgian Bay Cottages or lodges can be a great way to let someone else enjoys your home away from home as much as you do and grab some extra cash while you’re at it. But before you put your Georgian Bay Cottages and lodges on the rental market, you’ll need to do some planning.

From finalizing who you would invite to setting some ground rules and making sure your seasonal property insurance policy will keep you covered in an emergency, check these cottage rental tips from your list before you roll out the welcome mat.

Before you hand over the keys…

Rule out some renters. Few strangers may take perfect care of your pristine property, but others won’t be so careful. One’s most reliable guests will likely be relatives, friends, friends of friends, colleagues, or other renters who have been recommended by someone one knows.

Before your renters arrive, have them sign an agreement outlining any concerns or rules you may have for Georgian Bay Cottage Rentals that you are offering (In case you do not want the renters calling in guests to camp out on your property, or if your lake has rules about boats, noise, or campfires, make sure you say so in the rental agreement).

Keep it in tiptop shape. In case you want your renters to leave your cottage tidy and secure at the end of the weekend, make sure that’s how they find it when they arrive — if it’s a mess when they get there, it’ll be a mess when they go home. Prior to leaving your cottage with renters, tidy up, test your smoke detectors, and make sure all windows, doors, and screens are in good shape.

In case you want your renters to leave the cottage exactly as they found it, leave them with proper cleaning supplies and outline your expectations in the welcome book for all the Georgian Bay Cottage Rentals services.

Expect a little wear-and-tear. Even if your renters do their best to treat your Northern Ontario Fishing Lodges like it’s their own, it’s reasonable to expect some wear-and-tear when renting out your property, so leave sometime between renters to clean things up and do any necessary repairs.

Don’t forget about seasonal property insurance

Before you rent out your lodge, reach out to your licensed insurance broker to make sure you’ll be covered by your seasonal property insurance policy while your lodge is rented. Given below are a few things to consider when you’re thinking about renting out your seasonal property:
 
Know the rules. While some policies won’t allow you to rent out your Northern Ontario Fishing Lodges at all, many do allow for rentals — but there’s usually a limit on the number of days or weeks you’re allowed to rent out your lodge for each year. Other policies may have rules about how you rent out your lodge, and they can prohibit the use of certain types of rental services.

Figure out how your coverage may change once you start renting. Some insurance companies will only offer limited coverage if you’re renting out your Northern Ontario Fishing Lodges. One might have the ability to keep coverage for certain risks (like fire, lightning, and explosion, for example), but others might be excluded (like vandalism or sewer backup).

You can check the best deals on cottages and fishing lodges in Ontario at http://keyharbourlodge.com.