Renting for Profit – a Great Resource for Vacation Home Owners

With Christmas fast approaching, here’s a blatant plug for my book Renting your Recreational Property for Profit. I wrote this a few years ago after over 20 years of renting out property in the UK, and buying and renting six cottages in Ontario. I figured this gave me some experience in how to manage cottage rentals to give a good return on the investment. It was self published in 2003, and then radically rewritten before being taken up by Self Counsel Press in BC for launch this year. It’s now available at Amazon (click on the link on the right of this page), in Chapters in Canada and Barnes and Noble in the US.

The book covers every aspect of setting up, managing and maintaining a rental property and includes chapters on marketing, preparing the property for rental, handling enquiries and bookings, and managing the logistics of the business. The accompanying CD has all the documents you would need to begin renting out including a rental agreement, terms and conditions of rental, changeover checklists, and a useful rental calculator.

In writing the book, I spoke with many owners and renters to find out about their experiences both positive and negative. This gave a great insight into the changing nature of renter expectations, and how owners really have to go ‘the extra mile’ to maintain a competitive edge in the current market.

I’m biased of course, but think it is a great resource for any owner considering renting out for the first time, or looking for ways to add value to a current rental!