From The Hill and The Village magazines - August 2004
property news
Vacation
Rentals
Your property could be
earning for you while you're away . . .
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“A |
brilliant idea!” was
the first reaction of Charlotte Schofield when she found out that the large
house in Holland Park on which she had lavished so much time, care and
attention could start paying her back when the family was away for their annual
8 weeks in France.
“I heard of Coach House London Rentals from a friend who had
used them and was very impressed with their service,” said Charlotte. “They find accommodation for well-healed
Americans visiting London for anything from five days to 6 weeks, putting them
in the flats and houses of residents
who are temporarily away. We’re away quite a bit and rather than let the house
remain empty it is nice that it’s earning us money at the same time!”
Coach House London
Rentals is the brainchild of Meena & Harley Nott, who run their
offices from their large home in SW London. “Like many businesses, it started
by accident,” said Harley. “Four years ago we bought this large house and the
only way we could make it work was if the separate coach house could earn its
keep. We converted it into comfortable accommodation and started offering high
quality bed and breakfast to the North American market. Demand exceeded supply and we quickly found
ourselves turning people away. We then started putting them into the houses and
flats of our friends while they were away, and the under-used pied-à-terres of our country friends. Now we
have over 60 properties on our books and looking for more.”
“Our guests are overwhelmingly professional North Americans.
They’re mainly in London on holiday and really want to use the accommodation to
sleep - not live - in, so wear and tear is minimal,” explained Meena. “We need
properties in Central London owned by people who are regularly away for periods
of 3 weeks or more. They must be in good condition, clean and well furnished,
with the emphasis on functionality rather than luxury, and no more than 10
minutes walk the tube. We look for good two and three bedroom properties but
there’s also strong demand for larger houses.”
More details at their web site: www.extraincome.chslondon.com
or call them on 020 8772 1939 and ask for Hillary.