Excited about the 2012 Olympics? Yes, I'm sure you are. It's a great

honour, it's going to be lots of fun. But the truth is, most of us are

going to be inside watching it on the telly, and we won't be able to go

to Greenwich when the events are on because it'll be packed with people

and an absolute traffic nightmare. So if that doesn't sound appealing,

or if you're really not inclined to get excited, you might be thinking

about renting out your home.

Greenwich is the perfect base for people visiting London for 2012. There

are the equestrian events, and the Gymnastics over by at the 02 (so

excited about those, I do love the back flipping action). But it's not

just the local stuff going on, we're in the perfect spot for people

wanting to hop into central London too. But then you know that, you live

here. If you're not up for the sporting action, renting out your home

for a few weeks whilst you go somewhere sunny sounds fantastic in

theory. But it might not be as simple as that.

Initially, the local Greenwich estate agents were excited about the extra revenue, says Tamer at Conran Estates.

"We've realised that it's just not worth the hassle. After initially

thinking that we could make a packet, it's essentially short-term

holiday lets. We won't make enough after the landlord fees." So if the

estate agents aren't getting on board, should you think about doing it

privately?

The internet is littered with sites

set up for you to advertise your home to rent. But you have very little

protection if you do that. The website will likely on be live for the

time of the events, and after that you're on you're own if you've got a

problem. The fees look attractive, with six bedrooms homes asking for as

much as €2000 a week, but it's not much more than you'd make in a high

peak holiday season anyway. "You're likely to make a few hundred more in

a month." Says Tamer.

Still wanting to give it a go? Make sure you've got a tight contract in

place and a healthy deposit. You'll also need a cleaner if you've got

tenants in (they can be messy folk) and bear in mind that if you get

unlucky, your home might wind up empty and you'll be losing money. Ask

yourself if you'd rent out your home whilst you were away on holiday. If

you wouldn't it might not be worth the hassle, despite lucrative folk

on the internet trying to convince you otherwise.

What do you think? Would you rent out your home during the Olympics or are you staying put next year? Tell us in the comments!

Flickr image from Mernster's photostream.

Excited about the 2012 Olympics? Yes, I'm sure you are. It's a great

honour, it's going to be lots of fun. But the truth is, most of us are

going to be inside watching it on the telly, and we won't be able to go

to Greenwich when the events are on because it'll be packed with people

and an absolute traffic nightmare. So if that doesn't sound appealing,

or if you're really not inclined to get excited, you might be thinking

about renting out your home.

Greenwich is the perfect base for people visiting London for 2012. There

are the equestrian events, and the Gymnastics over by at the 02 (so

excited about those, I do love the back flipping action). But it's not

just the local stuff going on, we're in the perfect spot for people

wanting to hop into central London too. But then you know that, you live

here. If you're not up for the sporting action, renting out your home

for a few weeks whilst you go somewhere sunny sounds fantastic in

theory. But it might not be as simple as that.

Initially, the local Greenwich estate agents were excited about the extra revenue, says Tamer at Conran Estates.

"We've realised that it's just not worth the hassle. After initially

thinking that we could make a packet, it's essentially short-term

holiday lets. We won't make enough after the landlord fees." So if the

estate agents aren't getting on board, should you think about doing it

privately?

The internet is littered with sites

set up for you to advertise your home to rent. But you have very little

protection if you do that. The website will likely on be live for the

time of the events, and after that you're on you're own if you've got a

problem. The fees look attractive, with six bedrooms homes asking for as

much as €2000 a week, but it's not much more than you'd make in a high

peak holiday season anyway. "You're likely to make a few hundred more in

a month." Says Tamer.

Still wanting to give it a go? Make sure you've got a tight contract in

place and a healthy deposit. You'll also need a cleaner if you've got

tenants in (they can be messy folk) and bear in mind that if you get

unlucky, your home might wind up empty and you'll be losing money. Ask

yourself if you'd rent out your home whilst you were away on holiday. If

you wouldn't it might not be worth the hassle, despite lucrative folk

on the internet trying to convince you otherwise.

What do you think? Would you rent out your home during the Olympics or are you staying put next year? Tell us in the comments!

Flickr image from Mernster's photostream.