What else do we need for renting?

We are wanting to rent our property for a few weeks a year, but want to be safety conscious. We don't need a carbon monoxide detector as there is no gas, but will be taking a smoke detector with us to fit. In the UK, businesses (we will not be a business, but obviously will hopefully be taking people's money) need to have their electrical items PAT tested once a year to ensure they are safe. Is there something similar we can do in Spain and is it expensive?

We are the "penthouse" apartment (top floor basically, bad news if you have had one vino tinto too many ). The terrace area is open and we were thinking about putting some sort of a gate at the entrance to prevent anyone with young children falling down the stairs. Does anyone have any experience of this at all? 

What else is there we need to take into consideration? We all know how us Brits are following the Americans into the suing culture and we obviously want to protect ourselves as much as possible.

Thanks for your input.

Mark

Do you have home insurance? Check.

 I would encourage you to submitt the contract to arbitration.

Thanks Maria. How would I go about that please?

Mark

In addition to what you have already done, we put a fire extinguisher in the kitchen (cost approx 30 euros), have a box with spare bulbs and candles, displayed the community rules on the wall, a folder with useful information including emergency telephone numbers and where the nearest pharmacy and doctor are, strictly no smoking (and that is in our rental contract), two smoke detectors - one on each floor as we have a duplex.

Hi

We have just returned from a holiday in a rented property in Tenerife.  There were candles, torches and light bulbs in a cupboard, but we didn't discover them until after the powercuts!  So, it would be helpful to guests to have a note in any information folder where to find such things in an emergency.  The information folder also needs to be left out in an obvious place for guests' arrival - the one in our rental was well hidden, like the candles etc!

We also found it useful to have the instruction booklets available for the washing machine, dishwasher, oven, hob, microwave etc especially if the symbols/letters on the appliances are not obvious, as ours weren't. 

It would also be useful to know which days people will be calling, eg linen change, pool maintenance, gardener.

Diane

Hi Mark,

it is most important if you are renting out the property that your policy covers  third party liability and that your clients take out insurance to cover themselves. In a normal policy, If the clients steal from you it would not be covered as theft is only covered when it is a forced entry into the property. If you rent out the property on a long term basis it is then up to the tenant to insure their own personal effects etc. and I would insist on this.  

I would strongly recommend that you draw up an itemised list of everything in the property, down to the last teaspoon! It is also very important that any long term rental contract does not exceed 11 months and is headed 'por temporada' (short term).

Regards

Sharon

sharon@tmasspain.com

Hi Mark

What a great thread. 

I read with great interest what members have commented & it's sound advice. I'd also ensure there's a variety of melamine type crockery & good quality plastic glasses as there's bound to be breakages & also community pool rules generally say no glassware around the pool & families do want to take coolbags to the pool & beach.

I'd give a spare key to someone & leave details of where to go should they manage to lock themselves out. Trouble is how many bother to read anything once they arrive, they just get on with their holiday. 

Thanks for all the little bits of info, there are a couple I hadn't even thought of . Not so sure about candles though, too much of a potential fire risk, maybe some sort of emergency lighting instead.

Mark

Mark:

Maybe a little bit late, I started to answer your question a couple of days ago... and then.. Jacobo started crying... he is just one month´s old now!

Ok, in order to subject your contract to arbitration rather than judicial interpretation you just need to insert a clause by which you agree on that and choose an arbitrator. The procedure is faster and cheaper and  the decission is executable before the Courts.

Thank you very much Maria.

Mark

Mark - I used to have a rental business - just sold it after all the headaches!

However, in my rental contracts (short term!) I requested a breakage deposit (usually by credit card but not drawing on it just like the car hire companies do but this gives you the ability to take up to the stated limit - I had 250 euros- in case of the breakages) and stipulated that this would be held for a period of 7 days after the rental. Then the property could be checked and breakages taken for if necessary.

BUT the contract also stated that the incoming tenant was liable to check the apartment and inventory and report any damages or missing items. If they didnt, then THEY would be liable for the item.

I never had a problem in 7 years of rentals with breakages or missing items suddenly happening and tenants were very quick to point something out if there was!

Prevention is better than cure!