To help you focus on what to aim for, think top end hotel suite. Everything looks clean, presented beautifully, depersonalised, and suitable for anyone to enjoy a few weeks in.
You need to convey that the property is sorted, ready to move in, and with no issues.
Pre-shoot checklist
General tips
- We don’t need a house full of people and pets on shoot day
- Tidy up
- Have the windows, shower glasswork and mirrors cleaned
- De-personalise – remove pictures, photographs and anything personal
- De-clutter. Less is best!
- Make sure all the lightbulbs work
- Deal with the kerb appeal – trim hedges, sweep up, look on the street outside too
- If it needs decorating, decorate it
- Ensure all bulbs in a room or area are the same colour temperature
- Turn OFF your ceiling fans at least an hour before we arrive
- If you are mopping floors, do this the day before
- If the property is empty, you could hire or move in some furniture
Outdoors
- Outdoor furniture needs to be clean, in good order and arranged in the right places, neatly
- Get your pool cleaned
- Remove any junk from underneath BBQ’s etc.
- Have the gardeners tidy everything up
- Remove pool toys, pool cleaning gear and hoses
- Remove all cars, park them at least a few houses away
- If you are hosing down or jet washing, finish this a few days earlier, to avoid drying marks and puddles
- Move wheelie bins out of sight
- Remove or plant up empty pots and planters
- Pots and planters need to have healthy looking plants and flowers in them
Kitchen
- Remove fridge magnets, and clutter in the kitchen, like food, jars and cleaning products
- Use a single centre piece per table, such as a fruit bowl or flower vase
- Clean ovens and appliances and make sure the bulbs work
Living areas
- Tidy up (or ideally remove) cables on show, for example those used for TV and DVD players, internet boxes, kitchen appliances, lamps and fans
- If sofas have pet hairs on them, use a lint roller to remove them, or have them professionally cleaned
- Hide away pedal bins and wastepaper baskets in cupboards
- Curtains and blinds need to be clean and tied back and dressed properly
- Blinds need to be clean and work, we will set them all the same height, so double check they all look great, just opened a little
- The leading edge of ceiling fans collect a lot of dust, clean them off
Bedrooms
- Make beds with fresh pressed linen and remove anything from underneath. Get your iron out!
- Remove all personal items from dressers and side tables
Bathrooms
- Replace all toilet rolls with fresh fresh ones, and hide any spares in cupboards
- Remove floor mats and toilet brushes from bathrooms
- Remove all personal toiletries and medicines from bathrooms and showers
- Towels should match or coordinate, be clean and folded
- Shower screens, shower hoses and shower heads need to be clean, or new
Furnishings and fabrics
- Towels and throws need to look spot on and match or coordinate with each other
- Outside fabrics, such as sun loungers, seat pads, umbrellas, should be un-stained, fresh and not faded
Kids and pets
- Remove children’s toys
- Remove pet toys, bowls, and beds
Night time shoots
- Check that all outside lighting works properly
- Check pool lighting works properly
- Set lighting timers to ensure lighting comes on at an agreed time, or make sure we know where the timers and switches are, and are accessible to us too
Ariel shoots
- Make sure the tops of carports and roofs are clean and free of debris
- Have a look out from all of your upstairs windows at the outside. Everything needs to look tidy and clean from that viewpoint
Additional areas of extra attention for holiday rentals
- Remove all notices, signs, notes and instructions
- Ensure you have enough crockery, place mats, mugs, glass wear and cutlery to lay all tables inside and out at the same time
- Make sure you have enough towels to dress the beds, sunbeds, and all the bathrooms at the same time
- Pay a lot of attention to your sunbeds, umbrellas and pool area
- Neatly lay out your sunbeds, umbrellas and drinks tables in advance