Southern Highlands Blog

If you're lucky enought to have a stake in a family-owned holiday home, it is important to establish the rules of engagement from the beginning, in order to keep the peace and ensure your family holiday is the best it can be. 

With a little bit of planning and compromise, the following tips can make owning a holiday home a joyful experience, rather than a source of disagreement.

1. Agree to an accommodation schedule for the holiday home which diarises when the property is occupied and by whom. Recognise that some weeks are more valuable than others, such as Christmas and Easter, and develop a schedule which is suitable to all parties. It might be that those family members without children or those with pre-school children agree to stay at the property in non-peak times. Once an agreement is reached, these dates should be included in the schedule, which is shared with all family members.
2. Cleaning is another issue that can cause disputes, so all parties should agree about how the property should be left after a vacation stint. One way is for all parties could agree to pay for a professional cleaner every time they exit the property. Dirty linen is also a common bugbear of shared accommodation, so to manage this issue, holiday home occupants can take their own linen and remove it with them when they leave.
3. Decide on how repairs and maintenance are funded – one method is to contribute to a sinking fund not unlike those used in strata arrangements, where all owners contribute an amount, which is calculated on how often they use the property. Alternatively, maintenance and repairs can be paid as required, or for the handy types, family members can fix leaking taps, slap on some paint and maintain the gardens themselves.
4. Be honest regarding breakages – if you, your partner or the kids crack a glass or lose some cutlery, just fess up and replace it. There’s nothing more annoying for the next family member than to arrive at the shared holiday home and discover the kitchen is short on basics such as plates, cups and glasses.
5. And finally, don’t forget to leave behind a full gas bottle for the barbecue!