Sally started with the building's on-site management company, and six months in, the spreadsheet told a different story from the one she was being sold. The occupancy looked strong. The nightly rate didn't.

She faced:

• Discounts landing on peak nights. Discounted package rates were being sold on peak-season nights, the ones that should have paid for the year.
• Half her income going out. Fees, cleaning and management ran at about 50% of all income.
• No say over bookings. She couldn't choose which stays went into her apartment, and guests couldn't choose it either, so the $30,000 fit-out was sold at the same price as every other unit in the building.
• One-night stays. The changeover costs the same for one night as for seven, so short stays barely covered the cleaning.
• Nobody on the ground. A storm leaked water into the apartment. The building managers cleaned the unit next door without telling Sally hers had been hit, and sent owners a blanket email asking them not to ring because they were busy.

A friend recommended Daniel, who runs uHoliday on the Tweed Coast, and lives two doors down from Sally's building. With Daniel looking after the apartment, Sally got:

• Pricing built around the nightly rate: no discounting to chase occupancy, and no package deals eating peak season.
• Three-night minimum. Sally had been getting one-night bookings she couldn't refuse, with changeover costs on every one. That stopped.
• Someone on the ground: after the storm, Daniel checked every property he manages, including Sally’s, and told each owner what needed doing before they'd thought to ask.
• Issues handled for her. Daniel unpacked a hanging chair, found it damaged and sent photos to Sally the same day. He picked up a TV with lines through it after a guest mentioned it and got it sorted. She approves, and that's the end of it.