Hello Just doing a bit of research. We have just bought a villa and we will be renting it out. I want to appeal to families with young children (as we have 2 of our own). What I want to know is, what things would you love to see in a villa to make the holiday slightly more relaxing!!! Many thanks Michelle

Hi Michelle For families in self catering accommodation we advise them to ask the following questions:- How many bedrooms? How far from local shops and restaurants? Or the beach or other attractions? Are there baby sitting services or any other form of childcare or activities for children locally? What kinds of facilities are available for children? How often will the accommodation be cleaned?. In your case, it would also be useful for parents with young children to know, if the villa has/needs stair gates, is there a garden? Is the garden enclosed? Is there a pool with the villa/locally? Is the pool enclosed? Is there a DVD player, and is it multiregion as well or other media equipment? Local services will also be useful, such as doctors or the nearest hospital. It is also well worth informing your visitors of car hire operator before they travel, for example, Expedia car hire, or other operators in your area. We hope this helps, and wish you lots of luck with your venture- Take the Family Team

Hi Michelle It would be worth providing high chairs and travels cots for families with very young children. I have seen this offered in some apartments that I have looked at renting.

Plastic bowls, plates, baby cups and cutlery Blender/food mixer Microwave Baby bath Hope this helps

I'd say things like a good toy chest would be good - OK, so no one is going to put their 'best stuff' in for visitors, and yes, stuff will get broken or lost, but children do like other people's toys as a break from their own. There is just so much available now very cheaply from charity shops that I can't believe it would cost too much to have a good selection. Children's books are always a good idea. Board games are useful, and cards. When mine was younger a train track and garage were real attractions. I agree about the games console and whether it will play British games and DVDs etc. A selection of English-language DVDs would be good (again, you can buy them pretty cheaply from charity shops). Rooms that are perhaps 'themed' for children would be an attracton - say a 'Harry Potter room' etc. A pink one for girls... Play stuff in the garden would be good, but they will of course need to be of a high safety standard (you'll DEFINITELY need to have insurance against your customers injuring themselves). If you have a pool, pool toys would be good - balls and floats etc. Although I doubt visitors would expect totally pristine stuff, they won't want toys and kids stuff that looks too tatty, and I expect you just have to accept breakages as part of your costs. Good luck with it all! Jane If you are letting through an agency, which might be a good idea to begin with, simply because they will do the legwork, and get the visitors in, they should give you all the advice and health and safety information you need.

I'm doing a translation from Spanish and could really use help with the kind of language used. I'm working with the particular conditions, special conditions and special clauses. It doesn't have to be a completed contract with a client's personal information on it. I just need like a blank one to see how make sure I'm getting the terms right. Also, I live outside of the US right now, so there are no local agents who have contracts in English. Would you like to comment on it?

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