Coast & Country Cottages Holiday Letting Secrets 2025
Back by popular demand! Join us for an informative evening discussing the holiday letting industry in South Devon. When...
Holidaymakers expect your holiday let to be a home away from home that’s well-equipped and resourced. Having a holiday home inventory list ensures your accommodation is equipped to provide all the essential amenities guests need, and allows you to keep track of household items over time.
The amenities you offer can make all the difference to a guest’s experience. That’s why we’ve put together an inventory checklist of all the necessary items you’ll need to make your holiday let feel like a true home away from home.
Read on for a comprehensive list of everything you should include in your holiday let. For more useful information about running a holiday let, request a FREE Owner’s Guide.
Use the quick links below to learn about a particular topic, or continue reading for our full holiday home inventory list.
Having an inventory checklist is highly beneficial. Here are our top three reasons why:
Having a list of all items in your holiday home helps you identify any items that might be missing, broken, or need repairs. This is crucial for guest satisfaction and the smooth operation of your holiday let.
Keeping an updated inventory checklist can be crucial for insurance claims should the worst happen (natural disaster, fire, theft, etc). It will also help you when budgeting for replacements and upgrades as items wear over time.
Your holiday home inventory list can help you provide the best possible experience for your guests. It ensures that you have everything in order and don’t forget those little extras and thoughtful additions that go a long way in making guests feel welcome. It is omissions in inventory and failure of equipment that often leave guests frustrated and unsatisfied with a property.
The kitchen is often known as the heart of the home. It’s often the busiest room in a holiday property, so furnishings and equipment must be well thought out and functional. Most guests like to divide their time between eating out and staying in, so it’s important to fill a kitchen with everything they may need to whip up a culinary storm.
Every kitchen in a self-catering property needs the essentials – cooker, hob, fridge and freezer. But having additional items can make life that much easier. Providing appliances like a dishwasher, washing machine, and tumble dryer will always be well received.
To ensure your guests are safe during their stay, it’s important to make sure all electrical appliances are PAT tested, and that all your gas appliances are regularly serviced. For more information on this and other safety regulations, read our guide on holiday let rules and regulations. This covers everything from fire safety assessments to health and safety requirements for holiday lets.
Like large appliances, most of these are essential and can make your guests’ stay a bit more luxurious. Must-haves include a toaster, a kettle, and a microwave. Providing extras like a coffee machine, weighing scales, milk frother, juicer, blender, and even a smart speaker go a long way in making a positive impression.
The amount you require will depend on how many guests your holiday home can accommodate. As a general rule of thumb, it’s best not to provide expensive crockery or glassware. Something practical, easily replaceable and with plenty of spares is generally the best policy. At Coast & Country Cottages, we recommend plain white crockery because it looks good and is easy to replace.
Having good quality pots and pans with fitted lids is always recommended. Durable, thick-bottomed steel cookware is easy to clean and cannot be faulted. Frying pans should be non-stick and will need to be replaced more regularly than other pans since they’re more frequently used. Don’t forget to include non-stick utensils to use with the frying pan.
Useful items such as salt, pepper, tea bags, coffee, sugar, a pint of milk, dishwasher tabs, washing powder, washing up liquid, bin bags and spare light bulbs are standard provisions and should be in your property for the start of each let. Other non-food cooking items such as silver foil and cling film are helpful, but not essential.
When stocking the bathroom, try to think of the things you would use. Make sure there’s enough of each item for each guest that will be staying in your property. You should at least provide the basics such as hand soap and toilet rolls.
Other added extras you could provide include hand towels, bath towels, bath mats, and hand cloths. If providing bath mats, make sure they are non-slip to avoid any accidents. If providing towels, each guest will need their own bath and hand towels that are easy to launder and bleach if necessary.
Just like the kitchen, the living area is often the most used room in your property. It’s a place for guests to relax and socialise, so you’ll want to make sure there’s enough space for everyone, be it with dining chairs or a sofa.
Ensure that the entertainment centre is functional and that your living area is stocked with a few rainy-day activities. Remember to include a TV, with streaming services if possible, or a DVD player and a selection of family friendly movies. Some other items to include are board games, cards, some books to read, and comfy sofas. You might also consider coasters to protect tables and furniture.
You should definitely consider having WiFi – 27% of guests consider good Wi-Fi or technology when booking a property. Having Wi-Fi can also earn owners 26% more per year, according to our 2024 Market Insights Report.
You want the bedrooms of your holiday property to be cosy, inviting, and relaxing. After all, it’s the place your guests will rest their heads after a busy day exploring. We recommend investing in light-coloured bedding that’s easy to clean, bleach, and swap out if necessary.
Other items to consider are black-out curtains or blinds, a mirror, lamps, coat hangers, drawers, and other smaller items like a hair dryer. Providing clean, crisp and high-quality linen is important but purchasing your own can be costly.
That’s why renting linen may prove to be an appealing option. At Coast & Country Cottages, we have an in-house laundry service. Travel Lite allows you peace of mind in knowing that all laundry is cleaned to a professional standard, and available to you without having to outlay the cost for the linen.
For more advice on how to prepare your property for guests, read our blog on holiday home cleaning, housekeeping and laundry.
Try and make cleaning as easy as possible for guests. This doesn’t just include being able to clean the floors and work surfaces.
Some basic cleaning supplies you could include on your holiday let inventory list are:
Families make up a large proportion of the holiday let market, so it’s worth catering specifically for this niche. Adapting your holiday home to be more child-friendly could significantly increase your property’s booking potential.
By making your goal to create a child-friendly space, you’ll naturally appeal to this significant section of the holiday market. Simple ways to adapt your holiday home could include providing a travel cot, high chair, stairgate, safety latches on cupboards, and a changing mat.
Need a little extra help in creating a child-friendly holiday home to attract family bookings? Read our blog on creating a child friendly holiday home.
We’ve seen a 60% increase in searches for pet-friendly holidays since 2019. According to our 2024 market insights report, properties accepting pets can earn an average of 3 more bookings and 17% more revenue a year than those that don’t accept pets. So, going pet-friendly is well worth considering when renting out your holiday cottage.
Dog-friendly holiday cottages that include just a few thoughtful touches for pets will make a huge difference and keep your guests’ pooch ‘paw-fectly’ happy. Here are a few things to include in your property if you accept pets:
Still not sure about allowing dogs at your holiday let? Read our blog on should I make my holiday home dog-friendly to help you decide.
Guests love added extras like hot tubs, wood fires and other luxury additions when they are on holiday.
According to our research, bookings for properties with hot tubs in 2023 were up 104% compared to 2022 and 167% compared to 2019. This means having a hot tub or other luxury amenities can earn an average of 37% more per year, making it well worth considering.
If you’re providing anything extra, it’s important you include these items in your holiday home’s inventory checklist. We’ve created a few guides on what you need to know when including these additions.
If you own a holiday home and you’re thinking of letting it out, visit our property owners blog for a whole host of advice for homeowners. With over 20 years of experience and a portfolio of over 500 holiday cottages in south Devon, Coast & Country Cottages are here to help!
Get in touch with our team for your FREE Owners Guide, plus a copy of our guide to setting up a successful holiday let, including a full inventory checklist.
As a holiday letting owner you are responsible for compliance with health & safety laws, regulations and guidance, and for having suitable insurances in place (not Sykes Holiday Cottages or its brands (Sykes)). From time to time, Sykes shares information with you on the topic of health and safety and insurance. When it does so, it is not providing you with advice (legal, financial, tax or otherwise); please seek your own as you see fit. In addition, it is not making any representations or warranties about the information being complete or free from errors or inaccuracies. Sykes shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising under or in connection with your reliance on it.
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