FAQ For Heritage Homeowners
GENERAL
Where is Our Heritage Homes legally established?
Our Heritage Homes is legally established in Georgia, with a holding company in Singapore.
What is the relation between Our Heritage Homes and Doh Eain?
Our Heritage Homes was incubated by Doh Eain, a participatory urban design practice initially established in Yangon, Myanmar, and a holding entity in Singapore. Since 2017, Doh Eain has been investing in family-owned historic properties, while also providing heritage homeowners with other services such as restoration design and property management. Alongside preservation, Doh Eain works on urban analytics, community engagement, public space design, and capacity building.
Is Our Heritage Homes a for-profit or non-profit?
Our Heritage Homes is a social enterprise. A social enterprise is a cause-driven business whose primary reason for being is to realise social objectives and serve the common good. We aim to make a profit, believing that a business approach is more sustainable and scalable, allowing us to do more good.
In which countries is the Our Heritage Homes brand currently present?
At the moment, Our Heritage Homes is present in Myanmar, Georgia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. Soon to be rolled out in India, Cambodia, and Indonesia.
CRITERIA & ELIGIBILITY
How do you define heritage or heritage buildings?
Globally, ‘heritage’ buildings are defined differently, for example in the Philippines any building over 50 years old has certain protection, while in other countries they are defined by when certain regulations were established. In Our Heritage Homes, we have loosely set the definition as pre-1950. The rationale is connected to pre and post-war construction techniques and styles. Typically pre war, there was much less cement and concrete and much more natural building materials used, and modern techniques post-war significantly changed building systems.
Any style or vernacular pre-1950 is ‘heritage’ for Our Heritage Homes.
Are there any criteria for joining as a member or listing properties?
Our Heritage Homes is a community of like-minded individuals and homeowners who care about heritage preservation, quality spaces, local communities, and sustainable travel. To that end, we have established criteria for joining this community.
There are no criteria for joining as a member, anyone with an interest in heritage can join as a member. For example, you may be looking to buy a historic property in the future, or simply be interested in all things preservation. However, there are criteria for listing properties.
Basic Homeowner Members listing properties on our site will need to have a heritage home that is older than 1950.
To apply for Premium Homeowner Memberships homeowners need to demonstrate historic or architectural value and commitment to preserving the property. When you list a property that you think will score at least a 6 on each or most of our 5 criteria, you can apply to become a premium member. These 5 selection criteria include:
Significance of the building
Heritage conservation
Style & delight
Comfort & facilities
Sustainability
MEMBERSHIP & LISTING
Why would I join as a member and list my property on this website?
Our aim is to help members owning or managing historic properties to increase their income and reduce hassle, all while jointly protecting heritage and history.
Our members can access the Our Heritage Homes digital platform, which features manuals, advice, as well as rosters of recommended experts and suppliers including discounts. The platform also features a members’ forum and allows for digital consultations with our experts. Finally, members can list their properties as property for short or long-term rent, for sale, or for investment.
Our property portal, with optimised SEO and regular content updates, including posting on associated social media channels, will increase the visibility of your property and put it in front of people that are looking to specifically stay in, rent, buy or invest in a historical property.
Plus, due to our work being documented and showcased in both local and international relevant groups, our reputation means we are a trusted site.
What types of memberships are available?
Currently, there are three types of memberships available to interested heritage homeowners:
Registered Users – these are complementary accounts that give users individual online profiles and access to selected technical modules and guides
Regular Members – these are free annual memberships. Regular members have access to all resources and functionalities such as individual online profile, technical modules and guides, supplier directory, member forum, digital consultations, property listing, and additional support and services.
Premium Members – the premium annual memberships at USD$150 per year, with a one-time onboarding fee USD$200 per property (not room or apartment). Premium members have access to all of the above features, plus listing support including copywriting or photography (if needed), vetting of the heritage & restoration qualities of their property, additional marketing and promotional support to maximise the presence of their online Listing(s) including but not limited to exposure on social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), monthly newsletter push, GDN ads, and others, and finally participation in partnerships including with travel companies. Please consult your local Community Manager to get the full details.
How do I join as a member?
For a detailed description of the steps, please check our “Our Heritage Homes User Manual”
How do I become a premium member and are there any additional criteria?
When you list a property that you think will score at least a 6 on each or most of our 5 criteria (see section Criteria & Eligibility), you can apply to become a premium member.
In your dashboard, you can click the “Apply for premium membership button”, following which you will be contacted by our team.
Premium membership comes at the cost of a one-time onboarding fee of 200 USD which is to cover our visit including vetting, historic research, and professional photography if needed.
Why should I choose premium membership over regular membership?
Once your premium membership has been approved, your property will become part of the special Our Heritage Homes vetted collection and will feature your scores and an Our Heritage Homes review. This badge is a trusted benchmark for prospective guests, renters, buyers, and investors. These are also the properties that we market and promote most proactively, looking to generate maximum visibility for you.
What kind of marketing & promotion support do premium members receive?
Premium members enjoy various promotional support such as but not limited to the following:
Monthly Newsletters – we have two newsletters that go out every month. One goes to our heritage homeowner partners and the other to our guests and renters. Both newsletters are an excellent way to amplify the brand’s message, and each premium property can be showcased in either/both of these channels
Facebook Global Page and In-Country Networks – Our Heritage Homes has a Facebook Page that currently targets local and global audiences. Furthermore, we also push specific promotional content to our in-country homeowner networks in Georgia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Instagram Global – boosted Instagram posts and promotional materials through our existing Our Heritage Homes IG handle
LinkedIn Network – certain materials and branded updates are also pushed through our Doh Eain’s (parent account) LinkedIn page
GDN Placements – we partner with a media agency that helps us optimise our presence on search and online in general through various Google display ads (video ads, static ads, etc.)
On-Ground Events – we participate in various international exhibits and conferences as well as local events and activations where we showcase and highlight selected premium properties.
Flyers and Leaflets (Digital & Printed) – as part of the brand push, we activate additional marketing collaterals that we can push both online and offline.
Network Push – Our Heritage Homes partners with industry leaders from different sectors and often extend special discounts and promotions to these partners throughout the year.
How do I list my property?
For a detailed description of the steps, please check our “Our Heritage Homes User Manual”
Please note that each listing will go through a review process from one of Our Heritage Homes Admins to ensure the quality and completeness of each listing. The review process will take 1 to 3 days, depending on the quality of the submitted listing. Once approved by the Admin, only then will the listing go LIVE and appear on the Our Heritage Homes page.
For property listing as a premium member, how does the Our Heritage Homes vetting process work?
Coming soon
I own multiple units or properties in different locations, how many properties can I list?
As a regular member, you can list as many properties as you want.
If you are joining as a premium member so that you can showcase your property as an Our Heritage Homes vetted property, you will only need to pay the annual 150 USD fee once. You will need to pay the 200 USD onboarding fee for each property. If you own multiple rooms or apartments in the same building (e.g. a hotel), this will fall under the same onboarding fee of 200 USD. If you own separate properties, whether adjacent or in different locations, you will need to pay the onboarding fee for each property.
BOOKINGS & RENTALS
Can I continue hosting on other platforms?
Yes. We do not require exclusivity, and we have features that allow you to easily manage your listing across multiple platforms, such as calendar sync.
How do I synchronise my calendar between booking platforms?
At Our Heritage Homes, we use iCal links to synchronise calendars across various platforms. iCal is a standardised calendar format that is widely accepted and used by other platforms like Airbnb, Booking.com, and Agoda. It only requires pasting your iCal links from your other booking platforms into your Our Heritage Homes account.
For a precise overview of the steps to take, please check the “Our Heritage Homes User Manual”
Is Our Heritage Homes different from any long term tenancy brokers?
Our Heritage Homes offers the “Rent” category, for properties that can be rented for 1-6 months (considered “mid-term”) or 6+ months (“long-term”). We help homeowners identify the best opportunities for their property and in setting attractive prices.
We are different from normal long-term tenancy brokers. Not only because we exclusively focus on heritage properties, but also because we function as an intermediary between you and future tenants. We will liaise with you to organise house viewings and will support you and the tenant in signing a transparent and comprehensive lease agreement. Should any language barriers exist between you and your tenant, we are here to help. Through us you will also be able to offer your tenant a variety of payment options, and – as monthly payments will be made through Our Heritage Homes – we will be sending tenants a monthly reminder.
In addition, you can opt for purchasing our property management services. With Our Heritage Homes as your property manager you will not have to worry about handling any management or maintenance issues. We will supervise and coordinate building maintenance and work orders, do light handyman and cleaning work and act as the primary point of contact for the tenants to resolve their concerns, complaints and requests. Our property management services ensure minimal involvement for the property owner who is contacted only for serious issues that require their input. For a complete list of included services see the item on our “Property Management Services” in the section “Additional Services”
How does Our Heritage Homes deal with guests or tenants damaging the property during their booking or tenancy?
Maintenance costs ultimately remain the responsibility of the owner, but the Our Heritage Homes team is here to help minimise your risk.
For short-term rentals, as a host, you can set a security deposit for your property. Upon booking, our guests agree with our Terms of Service which state that they are responsible for any damage. In the event of damage, all you need to do is notify Our Heritage Homes and the guest within 48 hours of checkout. In appropriate cases, we will then seek to charge the guest’s payment card. We will offer you our hands-on customer service team who are there to protect both our hosts and our guests.
Long-term tenants, before moving in, will be asked to pay a one-month deposit. The funds will be kept by Our Heritage Homes for safekeeping and we will act as an impartial party should issues arise. When tenants check in, we go through a detailed inventory list and provide a report on the condition of the property. When the tenant moves out, we will compare the condition of the apartment to the check-in report and use this as a basis for our evaluation of the payment of any damage compensation.
For properties that we manage (in addition to brokering), we provide more extensive services. We will agree on a level of repair you are comfortable for us to handle without asking for your consent. This will allow us to deal with small issues without the need to bother you. Above a certain amount or for specific requests, we will contact you prior to taking action, and help you gather quotes if necessary. Because of our years of experience renovating and managing properties, we can also advise regarding preventative work allowing you to maintain the condition and value of your properties for generations to come.
RESTORATION INVESTMENT
When should I list my property as a property for investment?
If you own a heritage property and need access to capital to be able to restore or undertake proper maintenance, you can list your property as a property for investment.
Do you provide grants or charitable funding?
At this stage, Our Heritage Homes does not provide grants or philanthropic funding for restoration. We are only able to provide investment in the form of pre-financing restoration or maintenance work, whereby we recoup the finance provided through future rental revenue.
What can I expect when I list my property as a property for investment?
For members listing their property as needing investment, we will explore options to provide pre-financed repair works, improvements and restoration. We can not guarantee such assistance; we investigate each listing on a case by case basis. Properties that we financially support are always taken into property management by Our Heritage Homes, and a partnership period (generally between 1 and 10 years) is agreed during which monthly payments will be deducted to repay the investment made.
HERITAGE PROPERTY SALES
For members listing their property as a property for sale, we can help identify suitable buyers and provide full brokerage services. These members can list their property for sale and our team and network of brokers will find the right buyer for you to help ensure the continued existence and integrity of your home.
We will start facilitating sales in January 2023 and more information on the exact process will follow shortly.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Which additional services does Our Heritage Homes provide?
Our Heritage Homes teams can offer Building Condition Assessments and Feasibility Studies, Design services including interior design, and Property Management services. As we maintain different types of teams in different countries, not all services are available in each market. In markets where we are not able to offer a specific service, we will point you in the direction of other qualified service providers.
FEE STRUCTURES
Fee Structure – Memberships
To help us run the Our Heritage Homes platform, we charge a one-time onboarding fee of USD 200 per property (not room or apartment) for Premium Memberships and a 150 USD / year fee. This fee covers our visit, the costs for your listing curation and setup, which includes historical research and editorial style copy from our experts as well as a photoshoot if we deem it necessary, and additional marketing push on our owned channels. Membership fees allow us to offer the services we provide including relevant and useful content for heritage homeowners, identification of the best local professionals in each market, and all other member services.
Fee Structure – Bookings
Our Heritage Homes has a single simple fee structure for Hosts:
Host-Only fee structure
– 15% of the total accommodation charges + VAT over the 15% will be charged to the Host, and nothing will be charged to the guest.
Fee Structure – Long-Term Rentals
For long-term rentals, Our Heritage Homes charges a fee depending on the length of the contract. The said fee is collected at the time of signing or collected as an addition to the monthly rental fees. For further details on the applicable fees, please connect with your local country representative.
Fee Structure – Restoration Investment
A detailed offer will be prepared including the level of our investment, projected future rental revenue and proposed split, and proposed length of the agreement.
Fee Structure – Sales
Coming soon
Fee Structure – Additional Services
For most of our additional services, a fee proposal will be prepared based on the hourly or daily rate of our experts
Our property management services are provided at the following rates:
Short & Mid-Term Rentals (6 months or less):
23% of monthly rent + VAT
Long-Term Rentals (over 6 months):
10% of monthly rent + VAT
CONTACT
How can I learn more?
Please get in touch with us at [email protected]. We also have country-specific email hotlines, please do feel free to contact our local team most relevant to you:
Georgia: [email protected]
Myanmar: myanmar@ourheritagehomes.com
Philippines: philippines@ourheritagehomes.com
Thailand: thailand@ourheritagehomes.com
Sri Lanka: srilanka@ourheritagehomes.com
Malaysia: malaysia@ourheritagehomes.com