Listing a Cottage as a Vacation Rental? Take These Steps to Deal with Pests
If you own a cottage that you don't use all the time, you might be interested in earning some revenue through it by listing it as a vacation rental. Doing so can be a significant source of money for you, especially if your cottage is located in an area that people use for vacationing.
While there are likely several things that you'll want to do in advance of listing the cottage on a vacation rental website, one thing to focus on is dealing with any pests. You don't want the online reviews to indicate that the cottage is fine, but that the presence of pests makes for a miserable stay. Here are some steps that you can take.
Trim Back the Bush
It's common for cottages to be surrounded by vegetation, but this can also mean that mosquitoes will thrive in this environment. If you have a deck or a patio and there are trees and shrubs just a few yards away, those sitting in either of these locations may be inundated with flying pests, which could ruin their stay in your cottage to some degree. Cutting back the brush so that it's farther away from your cottage can go a long way toward reducing this risk.
Remove the Woodpile
Squirrels, ants, spiders, and a long list of other pests are commonly attracted to your woodpile, which means that if you have a wood-burning fireplace at your cottage and a woodpile against the dwelling, these pests might be present. You don't want the children of your guests to be playing around this area and get bitten by ants or spiders, nor do you want squirrels to be so close that they could slip into the cottage through an ajar door and cause havoc. Deal with the woodpile by taking it down and setting up again farther away from the cottage.
Secure the Garbage Cans
If you have your cottage's garbage cans sitting outside, you're bound to have trouble from raccoons. No guest wants to clean up trash strewn around the yard in the morning, nor do you want a situation in which your vacation rental guest ignores the issue and leaves you to deal with it. It's worthwhile to build some manner of a small structure to house the garbage cans. A cube made of wood or chain-link fencing with a sturdy latch can go a long way toward keeping this sort of pest away.
To learn more about vacation rentals, contact services such as Access Winter Park Lodging.