Owners Handbook
Getting your home rental ready for 2024.
Everything homeowners need to know and more...
Welcome
We are so glad to have you as part of our family and hope all the below information will assist to get your home and calendar ready for guests.
Here is what we need from you:
(NEW) Important Notice
As part of our ongoing efforts to streamline communication and ensure everyone stays informed, we wanted to let you know that all net updates and important notices will now be available for your perusal here.
TO BE COMPLETED ANNUALLY
Updated 2024 Owners Mandate contract outlining changes and all terms of the rental agreement and requirements. If you have not yet, please read and complete our digital 2024 Owners Mandate contract to proceed with bookings for 2024. This centralised approach allows the team to access and review the info conveniently in one place.
ONLY APPLICABLE TO SEASONAL HOMES
The availability given by you will be added to our Holiday Rental Collection. Please select and tick one or more boxes with selected dates, alternatively please specify the dates your home will be available for holiday rental in 2024. We will use the dates from the below form to market your home when available
> NEW Seasonal Availability for for 2024 (not to be completed if your home is available throughout the year)
Home Info Pack & Welcome Guide
We will prepare a digital home guide which is bespoke to your home, from the info you have provided on this form. This is a platform for us to leave the information on the house to ensure the Guests look after your home and treat it as if it were their own. The guide has necessary guidelines and instructions on the electronics of your home, remote buttons, alarm instructions, WIFI passwords, Estate Rules and Regulations and facilities on offer to guests during their stay, Information on giving access to friends/family visiting them during their stay and useful contact & emergency numbers. To do this we require a lot of information from you so we can compile the guide and allow us to manage the house whilst you are away. if you have not yet, please keep us updated with any changes in your home.
> Click here to complete the Home Info Pack form
> Click here to complete the Apartments Info Pack form
Book a Linen and Towel Assessment
It is essential that you assess your linen, bedding and towels every year to ensure that you have everything ready for your Guest's arrival. We want our Guests to experience a hotel-grade quality experience. Please remember that it is not just your linen quality but your mattress comfort, duvet & pillow inners and mattress protectors that all need to be considered. Invest in good quality down duvets and pillows and high thread count linen – the higher the thread count the longer they will last so it’s a worthwhile investment – this will soon pay for itself.
For more info on our Requirements - please scroll down to our Our Requirements section below.
> Click here for a NORTH Order Form
> Book a linen and towel assessment
> View our NORTH Coastal Collection page
Getting Rental Ready Checklist
We've put together a digital checklist form for guidance to help you and your housekeeping team get your home ready for new guests' arrival.
> Click here to complete the Getting Rental Ready Checklist form
(NEW) Claim Guide
As a homeowner who rents out property for holidays, encountering damages caused by guests is an unfortunate but possible scenario. While it can be stressful, having a clear process in place for claiming damages can help ease the situation. By reserving claims against the breakage deposit for easy-to-replace items and minor damages, homeowners can ensure that the deposit remains sufficient for reasonable small claims.
(NEW) Back-up Power upgrades
In the event of loadshedding and power failure, we will need guests to have some kind of backup system to power the house for a few hours. Please keep us updated with the below form, and let us know what is available during power outages.
>Click here to complete the Back-Up Power form
(NEW) Staff Uniform Order
It is essential that your staff are neatly dressed with clean uniform everyday. We have a verity of different colour golf shirts and aprons to choose from. we recommend each staff member has 3 sets available during each guest booking.
> Click here to order Staff Uniform
Our Service
Description of your rental home and property to be listed on our website and advertised on other marketing platforms deemed necessary. Luxury Coastal Escapes will actively market your property and these costs will be borne by LCE.
>Click here to view our full Holiday Home Collection
Photoshoot
This will be done by our photographer Chris Allan. The photos are the most important part of your listing as they will help us market your home to potential guests. We have some spectacular homes in our collection and your photographs are key in competing with the other homes on offer. The more you can do to stage your house for the shoot, the better.
Photos taken by LCE are our property and they can not be used or bought from us or Chris for any reason that might be operating in competition with LCE for either sales or rentals. We also dont do re-shoots of the house every year. If owners are making substantial changes to the house over a period of time, then we shoot once it is all complete.
>Click here to view our Photoshoot Guide
We will review your rental rate each year around September/October, with an estimated 10% increase with your approval.
Our yearly rates will run from the 1st of March until the following year's end of February. Any rate adjustments will only be considered after a one-year period of being part of our collection. This allows us to assess the performance and market positioning of your property accurately. We take into account various factors, including demand, seasonal trends, and comparable properties in your category. It's important to note that any rate adjustments will be made with the intention of maintaining competitive pricing while ensuring fair returns for our homeowners.
For all marketing, photoshoots, website listings and rate queries, please contact us at stephanie@luxurycoastalescapes.com
>Follow us on Social Media: Instagram & Facebook
Housekeepers Workshop
LCE will offer a free annual workshop once a year for all new staff members. All housekeeping staff are required to attend this workshop once a year as we are constantly updating our cleaning procedures and we will also be doing a training on hygiene and cleaning protocol. Your house staff will need to be trained at our Housekeepers Workshop and the Beds will be made to a hotel standard.
>Click here to view our Housekeeping page
Booking Enquiries
LCE Bookings Team will manage all the booking enquiries. We will be in touch preferably on WhatsApp with a Booking Request form, where the Homeowner will need to approve or decline a booking rental request for your home.
Booking Management
As soon as a booking has been approved by the homeowner, our bookings team will manage all the deposits, payments, and forms and liaise with guests. Ensuring guest sign necessary paperwork including LCE T&Cs, Indemnity and Estate Security Forms.
We will send a booking confirmation email to your guest prior to arrival to arrange a time for a meet & greet along with directions and contact info and a home guide.
Owners will be responsible to finish all maintenance, faults or malfunctions in the house or on the property prior to guest arrival.
>For all booking queries please contact our Bookings Team at bookings@luxurycoastalescapes.com
> Madeleine +277728985304 or Tash +27794361304
Estate Homes
We will do all the estate admin. Our team assist with getting the ID copies, and security forms for registering the biometrics, fingerprint access, orientation, estate inductions, rules, regulations and a list of estate facilities that will be given to guests.
Guest Welcome & Arrival
Owners or private bookings need to vacate the properties 24 hours prior to the Our guest's arrival date.
Along with your house staff, we will ensure that the house is ready for guests' arrival. This will include a full house check inspection prior to arrival. Our team will prepare a Welcome Gift Bag for the guests to find on arrival.
We will provide each home with a welcome bag filled with sweet and salt treats, each bathroom with our branded eco-friendly bathroom amenities and will be charged to the owner. This product is a top-up system, so the initial outlay is more and each booking thereafter is just for product top-up. Our products are locally made by SOIL.
Main Point of Contact
LCE will be the guest's main point of contact during the booking process and their stays. During Peak Season we will have a maintenance team available for emergency maintenance issues, and owners will be invoiced accordantly.
Guest Check-out & Departure
We will do a full house check within 2 days of a guest's departure. During this time, we will wait for the housekeeping staff to report any stained or damaged linen, towels or furniture. This does not include 'smalls' (wine glasses, coffee mugs etc.) Any other breakages, damages or missing items need to be reported within 24 hours of guests' departure.
Claims
The breakage deposit of one night's rental will be refunded to guests within 7-10 working days of departure, and if a claim arises from their stay then we will endeavour to have it resolved as soon as possible. The Guest will be liable for all costs associated with reinstating the home to its original condition and any costs associated with the recovery of such additional monies. Our team will be in touch with the homeowner with a replacement quote and the guests will be charged for the replacement. If anything is broken, this should be replaced ‘like for like’ to ensure a full refund of the breakage deposit.
The remaining deposit is to be refunded within 14 working days. Please see Owners Claim Guide for procedures.
Guest Feedback
Getting things right is an important part of what we do- and we really like to hear feedback about guests staying with us. Any feedback they can provide us with, be it good or bad is essential. It is important that we are aware of any problems or changes that might be required to ensure our next Guest's stay is a great experience. If we could have done anything differently with our services throughout their stay we ask them also to let us know, we want to ensure that all Guests are satisfied on all levels.
>Click here to view our Guest Feedback
Our Requirements
We want our Guests to experience hotel-grade quality and to ensure this we insist on following our Owners & their homes. A large proportion of our guests book more than once with us and some use us for every beach holiday on the KZN Dolphin Coast.
Using NORTH Coastal Collections to furnish your holiday home or apartment means your home will always be restocked with the same items. Guests break wine glasses and damage linen and towels, NORTH will ensure that all items are replaced 'like for like' and that there is always enough stock in the house/apartment for your guests.
>Click here for a North Order Form
>Book a linen and towel assessment
Below is just a brief list of required amenities:
Insurance Cover
The Owner shall at all times maintain appropriate insurance cover (that must be adequate for the Property, the structure and contents) for the duration of any holiday rental with a reputable insurer.
We would like to emphasise the importance of having specified insurance coverage for items within your property, particularly if the value of certain items exceeds the breakage deposit we hold. In instances where the value of an item surpasses the coverage provided by the breakage deposit, it is imperative that homeowners have adequate insurance coverage to protect against potential losses.
It's crucial to ensure that homeowners are aware of the appropriate avenues for claiming damages, especially when it comes to larger or more expensive items. For items of significant value, such as large appliances, electronics, or furnishings, homeowners should rely on their insurance coverage to handle claims. Insurance policies tailored to rental properties typically offer comprehensive coverage for a wide range of scenarios, including damages caused by guests.
We strongly encourage all homeowners to review their insurance policies to verify coverage limits and ensure adequate protection for their rental properties.
Key Lock-Box
We strongly suggest having a lockbox installed somewhere discrete so that departing guests can safely deposit the keys on departure if your housekeeper/caretaker is not available. For remote properties or after hours, where no one is available to do a ‘meet and greet’, a lockbox can also be used to give guests access on arrival.
Bedrooms
Invest in good quality down duvets and pillows and high thread count linen – the higher the thread count the longer they will last so it’s a worthwhile investment. Use mattress and pillow protectors on all beds. Ensure you have two complete sets of linens (and towels) – this will soon pay for itself.
We require two standard pillows per single & three-quarter bed, and four standard pillows per double bed. The queen & king beds will require four king-size pillows.
>Click here to read more about linen sizes suggestions
Bedroom Essentials and Requirements:
Two sets of hotel-grade white linen for Guests only (linen change once a week)
Comfortable mattresses, Full-length mirror, hairdryer and bins essential, Headboards for each bed, bedside tables, bedside lamps, good quality duvet and pillow inners (nothing lumpy), scatter cushions and throw/blanket, large carpet or bedside rugs, empty & clean cupboard space, air-conditioning in bedrooms, ceiling fans in bedrooms
>Click here for a full list of our Bedroom Requirements
Selecting Practical Linens and Towels
When it comes to supplying linens and towels for your holiday home, we advise opting for materials and colours that are easy to maintain and conceal stains. Consider choosing hand towels in dark colours or patterns that are less likely to show signs of wear and tear and make-up stains.
Additionally, select fabrics that are resistant to stains and can withstand frequent washing, ensuring that they remain in good condition throughout numerous guest stays.
Bathrooms
Supply a good stock of thick, snag-free cotton towels. We suggest a minimum of two bath and two hand towels per guest. If your house has a pool or is close to water please also supply one swimming towel per guest.
Essentials and Requirements:
Two sets of hotel-grade towels for Guests only (changed every 3-4 days)
Bathrooms need a mirror, bin, loo brush and bathroom hardware such as a double towel rail, hooks for towels and robes, toilet roll holder, spare toilet roll holder, and hand towel rail.
Kitchen
Consider which equipment you would require for an elaborate 3-meal day and ensure the house has everything. Please supply a full set of braai tools and check the state of braai grids frequently. Supply cleaning products, black bags, and a new scouring sponge for each new guest.
Essentials and Requirements:
Matching cutlery, crockery sets - chip-free, Decent pots & pans & sharp knives, Matching glassware (wine, champagne, juice, water, whiskey, beer etc), Plastic glasses and plates for kids or use around the pool.
Unnecessary bits and bobs stored away out of sight
Fully equipped kitchen with microwave, toaster, kettle, oven, hob, fridge/freezer, coffee machine, dishwasher, washing machine and tumble drier.
All necessary utensils such as can opener, bottle opener, wooden spoons, spatulas, masher, serving spoons, salad bowls, Ice buckets, salad bowls, cheese board, serving platters etc.
Owners Personal Belongings
ALL personal belongings MUST be packed away please, with any valuable items either off the premises or locked away. There must be ample space remaining for guests to store their clothes. Please ensure bathroom and kitchen cupboards are completely empty, except for complimentary toiletries in bathrooms and the usual essentials in kitchens. The fridge must also be empty, no shelf with half-empty condiment jars, please!
Protecting Valuable Items
We strongly recommend removing any sentimental, antique, or irreplaceable items from your holiday home. While these items may hold significant personal value, they can also be susceptible to damage or loss during guest stays. By safely storing these items away from the rental property, you can mitigate the risk of accidental damage and preserve their integrity for years to come.
Pets
If you regularly have pets in your home but it is not ‘pet-friendly’ for guests please make us aware. Some people are highly allergic and need to know upfront that this home will not be suitable for them.
Providing Table Covers and Coasters
To further protect furniture from liquid stains, we recommend providing table covers or coasters in areas prone to spills, such as bedside tables and coffee tables. These simple additions can help prevent unsightly liquid ring stains on table and furniture tops, enhancing the overall appearance and longevity of your furnishings.
By implementing these recommendations, you can help safeguard your valuable possessions and minimise the impact of guest usage on your holiday home.
Age Friendly
LCE specialises in family holidays, so ensuring that your property is suitable for toddlers and grandparents is very important. This way you will appeal to a larger group of guests each time. Stairs should have stair gates (these need to be bespoke and made to match your railings), a Travel cot, a Compact high chair available. Please have a games cupboard for guests to use on a rainy day. Board games, cards etc.
Security | Freestanding Homes
All freestanding homes need a very high security to ensure our guest's safety. We also require that the homeowners service their alarm system, including all internal and external beams and electric fence every 6 months or within a month of the guest's stay. Secure garage parking needs to be available for up to 2 cars, All driveway gates need an anti-lift bar
All doors and windows need to be in good working order and easily lockable.
Entertainment Room | TV | Living Room & Pool
Fast WiFi for Guests to use, uncapped. Most of our guests will work remotely and require a high-speed line
Smart TV Applications available: DSTV, Apple TV, ShowMax, Netflix
Pool with net and sun loungers with umbrella
Gas/ charcoal braai
Comfortable outside seating and dining area. If not shaded an umbrella is needed.
House Staff
Staff are required to speak good English. Housekeepers are required to have high cleaning standards. Doing the bare minimum is not acceptable. Staff will be responsible to do deep cleaning prior to each new booking, inside and outside including the braai every time after a use.
Housekeepers are to wear smart uniforms and an LCE embroidered apron.
Housekeepers are available 5 days a week from 8 am to 2 pm (included in the nightly rate).
Frequent Garden & Pool services.
Back-up Power
In the event of loadshedding and power failure, we will need guests to have some kind of backup system to power the house for a few hours.
LED lantern lights in each bedroom and also a gas stove of braai for cooking.
Rental Availability
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, we need the property to be available for a minimum of three weeks per year during peak season and school holidays.
>Click here to view our Seasonal Calendar
