Try to arrive in daylight - This is important if your villa is in a rural area.
Often villas are situated on small roads or dirt tracks and will be impossible to find in the dark, on unfamiliar roads.
Even if you have a Sat Nav.
Check the local agency office opening times : Even worse than driving around for hours in the dark is being unable to get into your villa because you cannot get the key from the agency or owner as they have left for the day.
It's essential to know the contact number for your local villa representative ...
as well as their hours of office (see above), in case you have any concerns, need to knows or there is something wrong with the villa.
In private rentals the representative contact will be the owner or a caretaker.
The rep should be your first point of contact and will often provide an immediate response.
It is quite unnecessary to phone your villa rep up at 2am to tell them about a leaking shower when they can't do anything about it until the next day.
Be sensible and don't waste your reps time, they are human too! Be safe: If you have pets or small children check the security of the villa grounds before letting them loose.
Check for -

• Perimeter fences  for gaps
• Hedges for gaps
• Gates for gaps and locks.
  
• Pool and patio safety
• Ponds and rivers

Check your inventory Inventories can  rare in holiday villa rentals, as most properties provide basic and functional equipment.
In the case of private rental villa's there may be an inventory list provided, check the list for your own peace of mind.
Take an appropriate adapter and/or transformer for electrical appliances that you may take with you.
Be careful that you do not overload the electrical system.
In Italy, for example, many houses have a circuitbreaker, which will trigger when too much electricity is being used.
Bring a torch! If the circuit cuts out it must be switched back on manually.
It also pays to ask where the fuse boxes are when you pick up the keys.
Take slippers Villas in hot countries will often have stone or tiled floors that keep the building cool in the hot sun.
There is nothing like scalded feet in the morning when walking across hot floors...
Complain on site If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of your villa the first thing you must do is complain to the local representatives or the local agency representing the villa owner /operator while you are there.
Give them the opportunity to make the stay more enjoyable for you.
We hope you like the practical nature of  these tips, and that they make your holiday villa rentals more enjoyable.