5 top tips to rent your ski property

Some of the most common questions we are asked during property viewings surround the question of how much rental income a buyer can expect to receive from their ski property.

Obviously this all depends on the size and location of your apartment or chalet but other factors also come into play, such as how many weeks a year you want to use the property for yourself and whether you decide to do your own marketing or use a local estate agency or rental agency to help you. I've tried to tackle them one by one, below but if there are any points that you would like to have clarified please don't hesitate to get in touch:

1. Seasons

The official ski season starts mid-December and runs until the middle/end of April (sometimes slightly longer in high-altitude resorts like Argentiere) but in general you won't find people coming out for their holidays until the weekend before Christmas. So your average winter season for rentals is 16 weeks.

The summer season is shorter and the French Alps are busiest in July and August, giving you 8 weeks of rentals. Other weeks during the year, such as October half-term or the Bank Holiday weekends, may generate rental income (particularly the smaller apartments which are suited to couples and younger families) but they are less reliable.

Beware resorts in high-altitude locations if you want to rent your property in the summer. Purpose-built ski stations of this nature are usually ghost towns outside of the winter season and you won't find tenants for the summer easily.

2. Location

Not only the location of the property within resort but the resort itself can impact on how much rent you can charge. As a general rule of thumb, the ideal location to maximise revenue is within walking distance of both a ski lift and the resort centre, so visitors don't need a car to get about. However, a central location can also be noisy in the evenings, so you need to pick carefully. It goes without saying that anywhere central and within walking distance of the ski lifts and ski pistes is also the most expensive to buy, so often this is not a realistic option for buyers. The majority of holiday makers are happy to jump on a ski bus to get to the lifts and if you want to appeal to family groups, a quieter position set back from the resort centre is often preferred, so don't let a property in the outer lying areas of a village put you off.

3. Costs and marketing your property

Estate agencies in the region will charge you anything from 25-35% to market your ski property for rent. At the lower end this will cover the marketing but you may need to pay for extras such as cleaning. At the higher end it will cover pretty much the whole service. French agencies tend not to provide bed linens and welcome packs for guests, so if you want to provide this service you may consider contacting one of the British-managed agencies in the area, for examples of a selection in Saint Gervais, Samoens, Morzine and Chamonix:

Saint Gervais: http://www.holidayinalps.com/
Samoens: http://www.alpsaccommodation.com/
Morzine: http://www.morzinelets.com/
Chamonix: http://www.demipiste.com/

You could also choose to rent out your property yourself and employ someone local to manage changeover days for you. If you decide to do it this way you have a few options:

a. Build your own website and promote it yourself
b. Add your property to one of many websites already out there that specialise in holiday rentals, for example http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/ or http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/.

Typically you can budget 200GBP per annum per website, plus the costs of your local contact to handle the guests.

Finally for larger properties you could contact a tour operator to take the property off your hands for the entire season. If you go down this route then you won't get any personal use from the property but the rental income is guaranteed by the tour operator regardless of whether they fill the property or not.

Other running costs to consider include; annual service charges, local taxes, insurance, utilities (some of which may be included in your annual service charges).

4. Rental returns

As mentioned above, prices can vary massively according to the size, location within resort and the resort that the property is located in. A 5-bed chalet or apartment in Morzine centre could make as much as 35,000 to 40,000 euros gross in the winter season, whereas a studio apartment in a comparable location could make roughly 7,000 to 8,000 euros gross in the same period.

As a general rule of thumb you can work to a 5% annual return from your property, although in the case of smaller apartments the yield can be a lot higher.

Occupancy rates can also vary due to a number of factors, such as how and where you are marketing the property, whether you get lots of repeat custom and even the weather but to make a rough calculation you could expect to let out your property for a minimum of 85% of the full season.

5. What makes a successful rental property?

Well we're not a rental agency but I do know which properties I struggle to get into to view because they are always let out! The best properties are:

a. Spacious (whether it's a studio or a chalet, the room proportions are important)
b. Multiple bathrooms / WCs and in the case of chalets ensuite facilities are a major plus
c. On a ski bus route / walking distance to the lifts
d. Easy access to amenities (bakery, restaurants etc)
e. Contemporary / modernised interior or renovated old alpine charm
f. Additional touches, such as washing machine, dishwasher, DVD player, satellite TV, games consoles, welcome packs, facilities for babies and young children
g. Private parking

To get your project off the ground and buy a ski property in the Alps, visit our Buy Property page.