Can you catch me out?

Baking trays (for heating stuff up, not going all domestic goddess and baking) and ice cube trays are the two things regularly missing in rentals.

A full length mirror. So many places we have stayed in only have small mirrors and ladies like to check themselves before they go out.

Lewie - I was staying in Lincolnshire last week and the owners left a homemade drizzle cake.

Esspee seems to have it covered.!!
I want to know where she is?
Seriously though. I love it when a homemade food gift is left. A cake,scones,biscuits or sweets or even a bit of fruit as it makes me feel a bit spoilt. My expectation when booking self catering is to provide and cook my own food and have everything else provided i.e. cleaning materials linen,towels etc. Have info about how things work in the property, where to leave bagged rubbish, local shops, walks, cafes, pubs, local areas of interest and emergency contact numbers. All in a folder.
Good luck x

Septimia due to covid regulations, holiday home letters cannot provide games, books, dvds etc

Galaxy I had to smile when I read your post. We leave a Lincolnshire Plum loaf in the welcome pack for our Lincolnshire holiday let.

hazel93 Unfortunately, with Covid regulations communal condiments are a no-no.

NotAGran55 I hope your hosts have a liquor license - it is illegal to leave alcohol for guests without one

Missfoodlove Have you got a copy of The Pink Book? Just a thought.

I'm happy enough to get left milk and maybe a loaf lol. The one I always go to has toiletries in the bathrooms, although I take my own, plus little brochures, maps and takeaway menus in the area. I put the wheelie bin out for her while I'm there and strip the beds before I leave, she really appreciates it.

We stay in Airbnbs quite a lot and the things we miss when we’re away are: a welcome pack so you can have a cuppa straight away, waste bins in all the rooms especially bathroom, bedside tables to put a book or cup of tea on, hooks on the back of doors for hanging clothes/nightclothes etc, extra towel rails in the bathroom so everyone can dry their towel, plenty of coat hangers, drawer space in the bedrooms, something in the shower to place things so you don’t have to put shampoo/soap on the floor (I can’t bend down) coffee tables in the lounge. It may seem picky but it makes all the difference! Oh and a full length mirror!!!

Cooking oil, Salt and pepper, paper towels, sugar, hair dryer, a vanity with a mirror decent light and a socket within hair dryer reach. Oh lots of loo roll, the last place I stayed at had half a roll and that was it!!

Reading lamps on both sides of a double bed are vital for our happiness on holiday! Also, big pans for home cooked pasta, so many have useless small ones, plus a colander for straining and cheese grater. It's good to have a book of reviews left by previous visitors with their recommendations for local restaurants and activities. Always find it annoying if just one bin liner is left, plus kitchen foil, kitchen towels etc, anything that seems mean is disappointing. If you have a garden, a BBQ plus chairs and table are nice. Emergency numbers for GPs and dentist... (Anyone remember them? I guess they might come back one day.) Spare light bulbs, scissors, tape etc are always useful on occasion.

I always appreciate a couple of shopping bags, for supermarket shopping, and maybe an umbrella by the front door. Also, if you have any wildlife or views worth seeing, a pair of binoculars is nice to use. And always give people more than one tea-towel, nothing worse than making one last all week, imo anyway!!

I agree withjenniewren coat hooks, in the bathroomvas well to hang up wet towels?
also a small chair to sit on in the bathroom?

OP, I note that you are planning to use an rental agency. When we had our apartment in Spain, on changeover day, or at the end of a long rental, the cleaner would remove all food from fridge etc, and washing up liquid, shampoos etc etc. We had a large lockable walk-in cupboard where we would store all our stuff for when we used it for holidays. Are you planning to do the changeover clean and laundry etc yourselves?

I'm not sure I saw iron and ironing board on any of the lists.

Please make sure that all bed linen and other fabrics are washed in unperfumed washing powder and that fabric softener is either never used or is likewise unperfumed.

Cleaning agents should be unperfumed as well.

These are all just as efficient as the perfumed varieties, but for anyone who is allergic to perfumes or suffers from hay fever or the like, using unperfumed cleaning agents makes all the difference between a wonderful holiday and a horrible experience.

How about a folder with relevant info. Emergency numbers, Places to eat, map of the area etc. Also useful is a form to complete if there is any maintenance issues. i.e lightbulbs not working (small things but important).

Corkscrew, probably goes with saying! Tin opener and if possible a steamer that sits on top of a saucepan. Not everyone eats out.
Please test the shower yourself. The last place we stayed at 5 weeks ago had a super shower cubicle with a very poor shower head. Enough said.

Reading all these wonderful ideas makes me wonder if people stayed in very expensive to rent properties or if the owner just made very little profit as some suggested items would be expensive.
Also worth considering is that sometimes a guest will take away “ souvenirs “ of their holiday from the property, towels ornaments anything really. Not a nice thought but unfortunately a reality.

We’ve stayed in lots of self-catering places over the years and what many seem to lack is coat hooks! Somewhere to hang your coats up, especially in wet weather, is so useful, rather than having to put them over chair backs or leave them in a soggy heap! Also hooks on bedroom and bathroom doors for dressing gowns is a good idea.

You appear to have caught yourself out.

#DualIdentity

We stayed in a mid century style B&B room once and they’d left a bowl of Blackjacks and Fruit Salad sweets; both DH and I were hugely excited by this .

Please consider an extension lead, which will reach the bed from a plug socket in the room. Not all rooms have a socket nearby.

I have sleep apnoea, and usually take an extension lead with me - just in case there isn’t a plug socket near enough to plug in my cpap machine.

It’s potentially saved my life many a time. If I forget to pick up the extension lead I could be in real trouble.

Also, maybe a slimline or desk fan for those hotter days - or for ladies going through the menopause!

Spare batteries for the TV remote.

The cottage we went to recently had a comments book where people left their reviews. It was lovely reading back through it, and seeing what others had said over the last few years. Pictures drawn from children who had stayed were lovely to look at too. You could feel their excitement of seeing the animals (goats, sheep, cows in nearby fields)

They also had a photo album showing how the property had been transformed from a barn to a cottage which was great to see.

An instructions notebook. Telling you where things are… eg: electricity box if the lights go out, water heater/immersion, and a list of emergency numbers - hospital, doctors/walk in clinic, chemist, dentist, vet.

Good luck in your venture ?

Lucca

Books, games, first aid kit?

Pretty sure a first aid kit is a legal essential if you're renting. I used to rent out a flat and we had to have one.

Books, games etc - my daughter-in-law rents a house in Cornwall and she said the Covid rules meant you had to take all those things out but as we're having so-called 'freedom' from Monday, then it's great to have them in again.

Wow Notagran where did you stay?! Sounds fantastic! And so trustworthy in this day & age?

We once stayed somewhere where there was salt in the sugar bowl.. probably a joke by the previous holidaymaker. There were a lot flies in the area and fly spray had been left. My children had brought their pet stick insects with them and I didn’t think!! ??

We always leave a loaf of bread, eggs, bacon butter tea and milk and a small jar of coffee. Where is your apartment by the way? might be interested some day.