Getting a Cornish holiday let ready for winter

Updated 23 September 2026

The season ends, the last guests go, and the temptation is to lock the door until Easter. Owners who do that spend March fixing things that October would have prevented. Here is the outside list, in the order that matters, for a let anywhere from Bude to St Ives.

Fences, gates and boundaries

Walk the boundary and push every post. Fix or replace anything loose now; a fence that goes in a February gale can take a neighbour's car with it, and you will not be there to see it. Check gate latches and hinges, because guests treat gates roughly and a gate that will not shut is the first thing the next lot notice.

Decking, patios and steps

Clean the deck and treat it while there is still a dry spell to be had. Clear moss from patio joints and steps: green stone in a wet winter is the most common way a guest ends up on the floor. Check handrails on any steps or raised deck, and tighten or replace fixings.

Gutters, paintwork and the garden

Clear the gutters once the leaves are down, not before. Touch up exterior paint on doors and window frames facing the sea, where a season of salt has taken the surface off. Cut hedges back hard, clear beds and take the waste away, so the garden looks kept when the first spring guests arrive rather than like something that has been shut for five months.

Inside, quickly

The list of small things guests have reported all summer: a sticking door, a loose handle, a shelf, silicone round the bath, a blind that has come off its bracket. One visit clears the lot and the property starts the year with no reviews mentioning them.

What Benno can do

The whole list in one or two visits: fencing, decking, patios, gutters, exterior painting, garden clearance and the indoor repairs, with photos sent when it is done so an owner who is not in Cornwall can see it. Emergency call-outs 24/7 through the winter for anything the weather does in between.

Want it done rather than read about?

Call 07902 993 559