A holiday rental checklist is a list of items you need to check before your holiday. It can help you get organised and ensure that everything runs smoothly when renting a holiday home. If something goes wrong, such as losing the key or damaging furniture, it's easier to know what needs to be done if there is a record of previous problems. A holiday rental checklist can be used for self-catering holiday homes or holiday cottages, holiday flats and other types of holiday accommodation.

If you're considering buying a holiday home, it might be helpful to create your own holiday rental checklist because the holiday property may require maintenance over time.

A holiday rental checklist is also an inventory list for holiday homes. It's very easy to forget what holiday home appliances are provided when you're holiday-ready, but it's important that holidaymakers know what is provided in their holiday homes or holiday villas before they arrive. A holiday rental checklist helps ensure holiday makers have a smooth holiday rental experience. When your holiday accommodation is ready for guests, check things like pool equipment and lighting around the holiday home exterior so you can turn off any garden lighting before guests arrive.

The following sections give an overview of items to include on your own holiday rental checklist:

• Living area and exterior
• Kitchen equipment (Adequate number of utensils such as cutlery, plates, pots and pans so you don't have to purchase items when you arrive)
• Landline telephone
• Internet access and television services
• Bedrooms and bathrooms
• Other areas living spaces or outdoor spaces
• Exterior,  pool, lights etc.
• BBQ
• Check outside garden furniture

It's easy to get holiday rental essentials mixed up or forget something vital when you arrive at a holiday home. Some holidaymakers have been caught out because they didn't realise the holiday property did not include towels and bed linen, for example. If you make a holiday rental checklist before your holiday, you will know exactly what's required and won't be left with periods of high anxiety wondering if everything has been done. You can also refer back to the holiday rental checklist once you return home so that any problems are dealt with quickly.

A holiday rental checklist allows guests to ensure that nothing is forgotten before arriving at their holiday destination, especially where there are added extras such as housekeeping or towels included in the price. When holidaymakers make their holiday rental checklist, it helps holiday companies to improve the standard of their holiday homes.

Before organising a holiday rental, you need to have your house in good condition and holiday-ready.

• Ensure any holiday rentals rooms are clean and tidy so they look inviting
• Clean the holiday homes exterior
• Clean the pool area and surrounding area - light candles or decorative lanterns etc. to make it look homely
• Make sure all linen, towels and bedding are provided - check inventory list
• Check holiday homes appliances - everything must be in working order - change batteries on smoke alarms if required before guests arrive. If there's an air conditioning system, switch this on three days before guests arrive to allow it time to cool down (Some holidaymakers like their holiday rental bedroom to be cool when they arrive). Other appliances should be checked as well, to ensure holidaymakers have a smooth holiday rental experience.
• Check holiday accommodations' pool equipment - does the holiday home come with an outdoor table tennis table? If so, you'll need to make sure paddles and balls are available
• Check lighting around holiday homes exterior - do the lights stay on or do they switch off automatically after dark? It's best to turn off any holiday rentals garden lighting before guests arrive

The above list provides just some of the things that need to be considered when your holiday accommodation is ready for guests.

If holidaymakers fail to use holiday rental checklists, they risk holiday nightmares such as arriving at the holiday home and realising that there are no towels or bed linen or that the oven is broken. There have been holidaymakers who have rented holiday homes that have been trashed by previous guests - holidaymakers can avoid this kind of holiday experience by creating a holiday rental checklist and sticking to it. For holiday home owners who don't live nearby, it's important to have holiday home management companies who can arrange for holiday rental checklists to be completed before guests arrive.

It's holidaymakers, holiday home owners and holiday home management companies that benefit from holiday rental checklists.

The holiday rental checklist is not a legal document, but holiday rental checklists are useful for holiday home owners and their holiday home management companies to make sure that holiday homes are ready for guests. If holidaymakers want to make a holiday rental checklist, they should refer to the holiday home inventory list, which will show holidaymakers exactly what is provided in their holiday accommodation. Holidaymakers can then organise for extras such as towels and bed linen to be provided if required, but it's important that holiday rentals actually confirm this with the holiday company before ordering them.

Where holidaymakers get holiday rental checklists:

• holiday rentals holiday homes (make sure they're fully checked and clean before you arrive)
• holiday home management companies (they should provide holidaymakers with holiday rental checklists for their holiday homes or holiday villas, complete with pool cleaning lists etc.

• friends and family (whoever has rented the holiday home in the past will know what is provided, therefore it's useful to ask them to share this information with you)
• holiday home  online forum (some people might consider holiday rental checklists to be a bit of 'nonsense', but others are quick to share holiday home preparation advice with other holidaymakers)
• holiday rental holiday home management companies (these should provide holidaymakers with holiday rental checklists for their holiday homes or holiday villas, complete with pool cleaning lists etc.)