The host toolkit: get your stay camera-ready

Two weeks out

• Replace any dead or mismatched light bulbs (warm 2700K throughout)
• Book a deep clean for the day before, not the morning of
• Repair the small things guests photograph: chipped paint, loose handles
• Decide the one image you want to lead the listing with

The day before

• Wash and iron all bed linen and towels — creases show more than dust
• Clear every surface, then add back only three objects per room
• Hide remotes, chargers, bins, toiletries, cleaning products, fire notices
• Clean the windows and mirrors, inside and out
• Buy fresh produce, lemons or flowers in the property's colour palette

Shoot morning

• Open every curtain and turn off overhead lights
• Vacuum last, working backwards out of each room
• Make the beds twice — the second time is the one that photographs
• Park cars away from the facade and hoses out of the garden