A year as an apartment owner in Batumi: what to do month by month
A seaside apartment lives by the seasons: guests without a break in summer, rain in autumn, damp and empty floors in winter, and preparation for the new season in spring. We have set out month by month when to renovate, when to clean the air conditioners, when to switch to a winter let and what to check in an empty apartment so that it stands idle less and breaks down less often.
An apartment in Batumi lives by the seasons more than an apartment in a big city. In summer it has guests almost without a break, in autumn it rains, in winter there are few people and a lot of damp, and in spring everything is prepared for the new season. If you do what is needed on time, the apartment stands empty less and breaks down less often. Below is the calendar by which we run owners' apartments.
January–March: the apartment in the quiet season
This is the best time for renovation. There are few guests, resort complexes do not restrict noisy work the way they do in summer, crews have more time, and materials can be ordered calmly in advance. Anything that requires closing the apartment for a month, from a new floor covering to a new shower, we plan for these months. Winter is also convenient for small jobs there is no time for in summer: replacing taps and traps, regrouting the shower, repairing furniture. Tradespeople are freer and come the same day.
The second winter concern is humidity. The air in Batumi is rarely drier than 70 %, and in a closed, unheated apartment stains quickly appear behind wardrobes on outside walls. A dehumidifier or an air conditioner in dry mode, wardrobes left ajar and regular airing solve most of the problem. How to choose equipment for a specific apartment is described on the page about dehumidification.
April–May: getting the apartment ready for the season
In spring we check everything that will run non-stop in summer. We clean the air conditioners and check their drainage so that in July they do not drip on the neighbours. We replace what wore out last season: pillows, towels, pans, bulbs. We look at the listing photos, and if the apartment has changed, we reshoot. We update summer prices while the dates are still free. The full list of pre-season work is on the page about preparing an apartment for letting.
If the apartment was let long term over the winter, we end the tenancy in May or June as agreed and leave a week for cleaning and small repairs between occupants.
In May we also check shared things: whether the pool and parking work, whether the building rules on guests and registration have changed. Management companies sometimes change them before the season, and it is better to learn about it before a guest does.
June–September: high season
From July to September seaside apartments are booked almost without breaks. The main thing in these months is guest turnover: cleaning, linen, checking the apartment, check-in on time. Hours decide here, not days, and one late cleaner spoils a review. How cleaning between guests is organised is described on the page about cleaning between stays.
Summer is also when most things break: air conditioners run around the clock, washing machines run every day, plumbing gets many times its usual load. A small stock of spare parts and a tradesperson who comes the same day save money and reviews. In season it also matters to answer reviews and deal with complaints quickly: one bad rating in July costs more than calling out a tradesperson at the weekend.
October–November: rains and the switch to winter
In autumn and early winter, rain in Batumi comes in spells of several days. Before them we check windows, sills, the joints at balcony doors and balcony drains: a drain blocked with leaves turns the balcony into a pool, and the water finds its way into the apartment and to the neighbours below.
There are fewer daily guests, and many owners switch to a winter let, from October or November to May. This keeps the apartment from standing empty and damp. If the apartment stays on daily letting, we lower prices and open long bookings at a discount: in winter guests come for a week or more, not for the weekend. How to let an apartment for the winter and what to check is described on the page about winter rentals.
December: the year's results
At the end of the year we bring the figures together: how many nights the apartment was booked, how much it earned, how much went on cleaning, repairs, building charges and platform commissions. These figures are needed both for the tax return and for deciding how to let next year. In December we also decide what to replace for the new season: appliances that broke often, stained furniture, photos that no longer look like the apartment. We send owners monthly reports and an annual summary in December; more on the page about owner reporting.
If the apartment stands empty
Not everyone lets their apartment. But an empty apartment by the sea needs attention too: every week or two someone should open it, check the ceiling under the neighbours, run water into the traps, look at the corners by the windows and switch on the dehumidifier. Without this, within a couple of months come the smell, mould and a repair bill. Before a long absence the apartment is also prepared: the water is shut off, unnecessary circuits are switched off at the board, food is cleared from the fridge and the dehumidifier is left on a timer. We run such visits under an apartment supervision agreement.
If the apartment has just been bought and you have not yet decided what to do with it, start with our article on the first three months after buying.