What happens on an intro call with Oban Holiday Lets?
We know that handing your property over to a management company is a big decision. You’re trusting someone with something valuable, and you should know exactly what you’re getting into before you commit to anything.
That’s why every conversation we have with a new owner starts with a free intro call. But what happens on that call?
Here's a breakdown of our steps from the moment you get in touch to when you decide whether to go ahead, including who you’ll speak to, what we’ll cover, and what you’ll have in your hands afterwards.
Want the top-line intro call details?
Who you'll speak to: Chris Thomas, co-founder and director of Oban Holiday Lets
How long: 45 minutes, on a video call
Cost: free, with no obligation and nothing to sign
How to book: send us a message through our contact form. We'll reply by email within one working day and find a time that suits you
Who can join: you and your partner or co-owner if you'd like
Where we work: Oban and the surrounding villages
What you get afterwards: a revenue forecast for your property within two working days
What happens next: if you'd like to go further, a free visit to the property with your local property manager
Is an intro call right for me?
If you own a property in Oban or one of the surrounding villages, or you're thinking about buying one, the call is for you. Whether we can take on a property in a particular village depends on the specific location and property itself, so if you're not sure, just ask.
Most of the owners we speak to are in one of four situations:
You haven't bought yet. If you're weighing up a property and want to know how it might perform as a holiday let, we can review it with you. This is a sensible conversation to have before you commit, so you can be confident in your decision.
You're already with another management company. You might be happy enough but wondering whether you could be doing better, or you might be ready for a change. The call is a straightforward chance to compare, with no pressure either way.
You're managing the property yourself. Plenty of our owners started out doing it all themselves, from the guest messages to the changeovers. If you're already letting, we'll look at what's working, what's taking up your time, and where we know we could make the biggest difference.
You live a long way from Oban. Many of our owners live elsewhere in the UK or abroad. Because the call is on video, you don't need to travel, and once you're up and running, there's very little you need to be here for.
"OHL was recommended to me as I'd just bought the property, was new to anything Oban and living abroad was going to prove difficult in running it myself."
Elaine (read Elaine's story)
Which service will we talk about?
We offer two ways to work with us, and the call is where we work out together which one fits you.
Full-service management is what most of our owners choose. We handle everything: guests, pricing, housekeeping and laundry, maintenance, inspections and compliance oversight.
Online management suits owners who want to keep their own cleaning and on-the-ground arrangements but hand over the listings, pricing and guest communication.
With either service, you have a dedicated local property manager as your main point of contact.
How do I book an intro call?
Send us a message through the contact form on our website. A line or two about your property and your situation is plenty.
We'll reply within one working day. Our email will include a few questions that fit your situation, because someone still deciding on a purchase needs a different conversation from someone who's been letting for years. We'll also send you our service guide with more information on our fees and exactly what our service entails.
We agree a time that suits you. Once we have your answers, we'll ask when you're free and fit around you, including if you're in a different time zone.
We arrange everything by email so you have it in writing and we can prepare properly for your call.
"As an 'out of town' owner, OHL was mentioned in conversation and being curious, I contacted them for more information and to see if this could be an option."
Alison (read Alison's story)
What should I prepare before our call?
Nothing formal. You don't need to sign, pay or send anything in advance. A few things will help us make the 45 minutes as useful as possible:
your answers to the questions in our first email
a few photos of the property, if you have them
where you are with your short-term let licence, even if the answer is "not started"
some thought about what you want the property to do for you, whether that's maximising income, covering costs, or keeping it available for your own use
Who will I speak to?
You'll speak to Chris Thomas, co-founder and director of Oban Holiday Lets.
Chris is a Chartered Accountant (ACA) with a background in commercial leadership. Before Oban Holiday Lets, he was Commercial Director at AO.com and Head of Commercial at WeBuyAnyCar.com, where he led pricing, data and commercial strategy as both businesses grew rapidly. He brings the same data-led approach to how we run the properties in our care, from pricing decisions to owner reporting.
Chris and Natalie have let their own holiday properties in Oban since 2017, and they still own five of the properties we manage. So when you ask how something will feel from the owner's side, Chris can tell you from experience.
Your partner, co-owner or anyone else involved in the decision is welcome to join the call too. Find out more about us and our team.
What do we cover in the 45 minutes?
We’ll look to discuss five main areas in our call, shaped around your situation and property.
Your goals and priorities. We'll find out what success looks like for you, whether your main focus is maximising revenue, improving your property's standards, or a bit of both.
Your property's potential. We'll talk about location, layout, the type of guest it's likely to suit, seasonality, and what's most likely to influence occupancy and nightly rate.
What will make the most impact. Based on where you're starting from, we'll highlight the areas that will make the biggest difference: pricing, presentation, operations, positioning, or something else.
Costs and money flow. We'll walk you through how payments work, the running costs to expect, and what a realistic revenue outlook looks like.
Timeline and next steps. If it feels like the right fit, we'll outline a clear launch plan and agree what happens next.
Along the way, we'll work out which of our two services suits you, talk through your licence position, and answer anything else you want to ask. You'll get a straight answer to every question.
The call exists so you can make an informed decision, and that includes deciding we're not for you, so you won’t get a hard sell from us.
Will we talk about fees?
Yes. Our rates are set out in the service guide we send with our first email. If you haven't had a chance to read it, Chris will take you through them on the call.
Here's how our fees work:
Our fee is a percentage of the booking revenue your property earns, plus VAT. We're only paid when you are. There's no monthly retainer, so nothing is charged when the property isn't booked.
We don't add a booking fee for guests on top of the commission you pay us.
Running costs are yours. Housekeeping and laundry, basic guest supplies, maintenance, gardening and window cleaning are paid by the owner. Cleaning and laundry are billed to you directly by the companies we coordinate.
You're paid within seven days of each month end, with a monthly statement showing what your property earned and our fees.
Set-up is free.
Contracts run for 12 months.
You can read more about how we run things day to day in our How we look after your property blog post.
"Before signing up we obviously had concerns about the earning capacity, we should not have worried, their knowledge of this business ensures a very positive outcome."
Steven (read Steven's story)
Can you help with my short-term let licence?
Yes. Licensing is one of the most common topics on our calls. Every holiday let in Argyll and Bute needs a short-term let licence before it can take bookings, and the application covers most of the paperwork we'll need from you too: safety certificates, floor and site plans, an EPC and insurance.
We'll talk you through where you stand, share our free Licence Guide, which walks you through every document, and pass on our top tips to help your application go smoothly. For the formal requirements, Argyll and Bute Council has the final word.
"Talking to OHL it was evident they had the experience, expertise and local contacts to guide us through the licence application and put in place a comprehensive system to let and manage the property."
Janette (read Janette's story)
What happens after the intro call?
Within two working days, we'll send you a revenue forecast for your property.
It's built from our own booking performance across properties of a similar size, with low, medium and high scenarios. We check it against PriceLabs market data for comparable properties in Oban, then apply our own judgement about your specific property: its location, its layout and how it's likely to appeal to guests.
This is a realistic estimate, not a guarantee. We'd rather give you a realistic range you can plan around than an optimistic number that sounds good on a call.
Then it's over to you. Take your time, read it through, and come back to us with any questions.
Can I meet my property manager before I decide?
Yes. If you'd like to take the next step, we'll arrange a free visit to the property with one of our local property managers. If you go ahead, they'll be your main point of contact, so you get to meet them first.
They'll walk through the property room by room, check it's the right standard for a holiday let, and recommend what's needed to get it guest-ready. That covers everything from bed configurations to the items each room needs before it goes live. If any maintenance is needed, we can recommend local trades we've worked with for years.
You don't need to travel to Oban for the visit. Someone does need to be there to let us in, show us around and hand over keys, but that can be a friend, family member or anyone else you trust.
When do I sign a contract?
When it suits you. We only ask owners to sign after we complete the first property visit so we are both on the same page and comfortable with moving forward. Contracts then run for 12 months.
How quickly could my property be live?
Once you've signed and we have what we need from you, set-up takes around two weeks. That includes a full 150-point inspection of the property and building your listing across multiple booking platforms. Your property is then live and advertised for its first guests.
How long it takes to reach that point depends on where you're starting from. A property that's already let and guest-ready can move quickly, while one you're still buying or renovating will take longer. We'll give you a clear plan on the call.
The set-up is the start of your first 12 weeks with us, when we fine-tune pricing, listings and operations. You can read exactly what happens in the How we look after your property blog post.
When a property isn't the right fit
Occasionally we'll tell an owner that their property isn't right for a holiday let, or isn't right for us. Usually it's because bringing it up to standard would cost more than it's likely to earn back, which can happen with some smaller studios. Sometimes it's simply outside the area we cover.
We'd rather say so early than take on a property that won't perform for you.
What owners say about getting started
Our owners rate us 5 stars, and several of them have shared how it felt to make the first move.
"Jonathan and myself were quite nervous of changing to a new company that we didn't know."
Anne (read the Tigh Na Sith story)
"Having never done this before, I needed someone I could trust."
Elaine (read Elaine's story)
You can read all of our owners' stories on our case studies page.
Questions owners often ask before our intro call
Is the intro call free? Yes. The intro call is free, and so is the property visit that follows it. There's no obligation and nothing to sign.
Do I have to commit to anything? No. The call is a conversation, not a sales pitch. You'll come away with a clear picture of what working with us would look like and a revenue forecast for your property, and the decision is entirely yours.
Can I speak to you before I've bought a property? Yes. If you're considering buying a property in or around Oban to let, we can review it with you on the call and give you a realistic view of how it might perform.
Can my partner or co-owner join the call? Yes. Anyone involved in the decision is welcome to join.
Do you cover my area? We manage holiday lets in Oban and the surrounding villages. Whether we can take on a property in a particular village depends on the property, so get in touch and we'll let you know.
I live a long way from Oban. Does that matter? Not at all. The call is on video, and many of our owners live elsewhere in the UK or abroad. For the property visit and key handover, a friend, family member or other representative can be there in your place.
Do you help with the short-term let licence? Yes. We'll talk you through your licence position on the call, share our free Licence Guide, and pass on our top tips to help your application go smoothly.
Will you tell me your fees? Yes. Our fee is a percentage of the booking revenue your property earns, plus VAT, so we're only paid when you are. The exact rates are in the service guide we send with our first email, and Chris will go through them on the call.
Can I phone you to book? We arrange all intro calls by email. Send us a message through our contact form, and we'll reply within one working day to find a time that suits you.
How soon could my property be live? Once you've signed and we have what we need, set-up takes around two weeks, then your property is live and taking bookings. How long it takes to get to that point depends on whether the property is already guest-ready.
Ready to talk about your property?
If you're thinking about letting your property in Oban, get in touch through our contact form. We'll reply within one working day to arrange your free 45-minute intro call with Chris.
Last reviewed: October 2026
