We are constantly being asked about properties suitable for the rental market and have decided to place some of our most common answers here to help you.

• "What is the best property if I want to maximise my rental return"
  
  This is probably the area in which buyers make their biggest mistake and choose a property that suits their needs only. Now I can totally expect that if you are about to splash out something in the region of €200,000 on a apartment you are going to want to like it, and want it to be where you want it to be. Fine but take these considerations into account if, the main reason for your purchase is to make money and also benefit from a few free weeks holiday each year.
  
  What ever the property, have as many bathrooms as bedrooms and you cant go wrong, however it does seem that the biggest demand is on 2 bed 2 bath apartments.
  
  As above Villas with the same amount of bathrooms as bedrooms will rent better than those lacking these facilities. When renting a villa each guest likes to feel that they have there own private space and having to share a bathroom encroaches on this. Also if sharing the costs evenly all guests are going to expect to have the same facilities available to them.
  
  Properties on complexes always rent better than those on private condominiums. However there is still a large requirement for properties in small developments, but demand a lower rent as a complex with large facilities offer a wider range of entertainment and facilities for the clients. But smaller developments tend to have lower condominium fees per annum, which helps the overall years profits.
  
  If the property does not have its own or communal swimming pool it is less likely to attract clients.
  
  If the property is on or around a golf course you must be aware of the "Golfers Wife Syndrome" . The husband has taken the car to play golf leaving the wife and kids behind enjoying the pool and sun, the they run out of milk or need a nappy and then realise that the nearest shop is the other side of the course and they don't have the car. Being on a golf course can seem a lovely way to spend your holidaying time but be very aware that simple amenities like shops, bars and restaurants can be a long drive or even longer walk away.
   
• How much rental can I get for my property 
  This is a hard one to answer but on the whole the best way to determine this is to go to some of the main web portals easily found on major search engines and look for similar properties in your area and look to compare properties with your own or what you expect to be able to afford. You may be surprised at the huge range in prices from area to area and type of settings
   
• "Is it best to use a management company it seems the easiest solution"
  It basically boils down to how much involvement you want with the bookings over profit. Obviously if you can run it yourself there will be more profit to you as an owner at the end of the year but this will involve taking control of at least a few of the main tasks for example.
  Advertising. As an owner of a 2 bed apartment I can pull on my own experiences and advise that the best and easiest way to advertise is to use as many of the Web Portals that time allows to advertise your property. These run at a cost of about £120 per year and allows you to add a full description and available dates as well as 4 photos. It is all done via the website using a template which seems to be used by most of the different companies, so once you have done it once, its easy to place the same add on another site by using copy and past commands.
  Taking Bookings. On all of the web portals you can leave as much contact information that you choose. Most owners leave a mobile number and first name. There is also a "Contact owner" link on the page that allows clients to fill in a predetermined form that gets sent to the owner without any of your email details being divulged to the client. Once you have secured a booking the full details are then sent to your person who will deal with the booking locally. This person or company will then take over the booking and provide the services you requested (see below)
• Do you know of any cleaning services and or people that can manage the property when I am not there.
  There are many management companies that can provide these services but can also charge a high premium to do this. There are benefits to this, as they all have to be insured against damages, something an individual probably wont have. But on the whole if you can source a private person it will save you considerably, it is always best to go on good advice and word of mouth from neighbours or other people who have had success with these companies or people.
   
• Do we handle owners properties and advertise them to the rental market
  Algarve Team Properties do not have any involvement in the rental side.