A holiday rental is judged in photographs and reviews, and both are unforgiving about the small things — mouldy silicone, a cracked tile, a bathroom that was modern fifteen years ago. The quiet months from February to April are when the work gets done, between the winter lull and the first summer bookings. Here is the pre-season list we run for owners across the Axarquia, roughly in the order guests notice it.
Silicone, grout and sealant
Nothing says "tired" faster than black silicone around a bath or discoloured grout on a shower wall, and nothing is cheaper to put right. Raking out and renewing the silicone and regrouting the wet areas is a small job that transforms how clean a bathroom photographs and feels. It also stops water tracking behind the tiles, which is how a cosmetic problem becomes a structural one.
The bathroom guests photograph
If the bathroom is beyond a refresh, the season is the reason to replace it — it is the room that appears in every listing and the one guests complain about first. A robust mid-range refit aimed at rental use is money back in bookings and reviews. We set out what that costs in our guide to bathroom renovation prices, so you can budget before you commit. A bath-to-walk-in-shower swap is a smaller, popular option where space is tight.
Terrace tiles and lippage
The terrace is where guests spend the evening, and it is also a trip hazard if tiles have lifted or a proud edge has appeared — "lippage", in the trade. Reseat loose tiles, fix any lifting edge and check the waterproofing while you are at it, because a terrace that leaks into the flat below during a busy August is the worst possible time to find out.
AC and extractors
Air conditioning is the first thing a summer guest tests and the fastest way to a bad review if it wheezes or smells. Have the units serviced and the filters cleaned before the season, and check the bathroom and kitchen extractors actually pull — a mould-free, fresh-smelling flat starts with airflow. We do not sell air-conditioning servicing, but we will tell you what needs it while we are on site.
A paint refresh
Scuffs, mystery marks and a tide of little repairs accumulate over a season of guests. A fresh coat on the walls, or at least the high-traffic rooms, resets the whole property for a day's labour and a few litres of paint. Neutral, hard-wearing and easy to touch up beats fashionable every time in a rental.
The safety items
Guests of every age use a rental, so the boring safety details matter: a grab rail by a step-in shower, secure handrails on terraces and stairs, level access where you can manage it, working smoke detection and no trailing edges to trip on. They rarely appear in reviews when they are right, and always when they are wrong.
Planning it between bookings
The trick with a working rental is fitting the work into the gaps. Tell us your calendar — a two-week window in March, or the run before your first June booking — and we quote with a firm start and finish so you can keep the diary open around it. If you are abroad, we collect keys from your agent, send photo updates as we go and leave the place guest-ready and clean, the same way we work for owners in Nerja and Torre del Mar, the two busiest rental markets we serve. Get the big jobs done now and the winter close-up becomes a formality.
Want your rental refreshed before the season? See our bathroom renovations or send us your calendar and a few photos for a free written quote.
