This category is about all aspects of Holiday Home Letting and will be of interest to owners of holiday lets across the UK. As Holiday Home Insurance Specialists we are proud to share tips, guidance and articles.

Whether you own an individual holiday home or cottage or a holiday cottage complex our holiday home letting articles are for you. Subjects covered include taxation, online scams and regulations.

Check out these posts: Holiday Letting Terms and Conditions, Registration Schemes for Short Term Lets, Buying a Leasehold Apartment to Holiday Let, Holiday Lets and Tax – what you need to know.

Leasehold apartment holiday let

Know your rights before buying a Leasehold Apartment to Holiday Let

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Leasehold apartment holiday letAre you considering purchasing a leasehold apartment to holiday let? Although it’s quick and easy to make a listing on the ever-growing list of rental websites; in reality there are a number of steps you should take before buying an apartment and opening your doors to paying guests. Whether you intend to let for a limited number of weeks to help with costs or to provide a more regular income you should ensure that you can comply with the terms of your lease. Have an appropriate mortgage and suitable insurance for holiday letting.

Does your lease allow you to let your property?

From insurance to your lease and mortgage agreements, we take a look at what you’ll need to be considering and the action you should be taking before letting your property…

The implications for leasehold properties

It’s estimated there are tens of thousands of leasehold properties currently listed on AirBnB and similar holiday rental sites. However, an extremely common clause in any lease is that the property must be for “private residence” possibly prohibiting the subletting of the property for short periods.

So what does that mean? In essence if you were to holiday let the apartment and your lease included this or a similar clause, you’re in breach of your lease. As a result you could face the consequences should your freeholder choose to take issue with it. These could include and extend to your landlord asking you to cease holiday letting and potential legal action.

A recent ruling in the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber), which is the highest property court in the land, has supported this stance. In this particular case one resident in a block of London flats fell out with fellow neighbours by letting her property on AirBnB and a range of other similar sites. When others in the block became disgruntled by her actions they asked the landlord to take action, with the case subsequently going to court.

Take legal advice to ensure the apartment is suitable for holiday letting

With a legal precedent now set, if you own a leasehold apartment and are wanting to holiday let it you should first check your lease. For those considering purchasing a leasehold apartment to holiday let it’s vital you check the terms of your lease before committing to buy. Seek advice from your solicitor and be upfront with them and the estate agent regarding your intentions to holiday let. In many popular holiday areas across the UK apartments are springing up. Some new build apartment blocks are intended for use as second homes and holiday lets. Those that are should have appropriate leasehold wordings to allow holiday letting. However do double check and seek advice.

The implications for second homes purchased with a mortgage

So does the above leasehold scenario extend to a property purchased with a mortgage?

The answer really lays in the agreement that you have with the lender. If you’re intending to let your second home to paying guests it’s important you have the right mortgage. Either:

  • secure a mortgage that allows this type of letting from the outset, or alternatively
  • consult with your existing agreement to ensure that it’s not prohibited.

Seek advice from your mortgage adviser who’ll be able to guide you through your options. They’ll provide advice to ensure you comply with the lenders requirements and source a loan to match your needs. Taking the right advice should be both cost effective and tax efficient.

Getting your holiday letting insurance right

When people visit and stay in your home they bring with them a unique range of insurance requirements. These far outreach the standard household buildings and contents policy cover you’d usually have for your home. For example:

  • what if one of your guests has an accident in your property?
  • What if you’re unable to let your property for any period of time as a result of an incident?
  • Would you be able to pay the legal fees should there be a claim made against you?
  • Does the freeholder’s block policy for the buildings insurance include cover for your fixtures and fittings?

These are all areas that could cause distress and expense were you not to have the correct insurance cover.

When holiday letting your second home to paying guests it’s essential to take advice on suitable insurance. Boshers offer specialist holiday home insurance to holiday letting owners across the UK. Need an insurance quote for your holiday letting apartment? Please give us a call on 01237 429444.

 

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holiday home booking scams

Holiday home booking scams `Vigilance is key’

holiday home booking scamsDid you know that there are 14 billion spam emails sent across the world every day? With that sheer volume you’ll not be surprised if one or two pop into your own inbox each day!

Whilst we can all turn a blind eye, perhaps muttering under our breath as we delete them from our rapidly filling inbox, the problem is that some are becoming more and more realistic; the lines between valid enquiries and booking scams are blurring.

This potential problem is further exacerbated for holiday homeowners when you consider that the majority of bookings are now taken online through booking engines. So how do you tell if someone is real or fake so you don’t fall foul of booking scams? A number of incidences have been recently reported where:

  1. holiday homeowners have taken a booking, the person has stayed at the property and;
  2. the payment has subsequently been denied after their departure
  3. the card used had been stolen or impersonated.

So what would you do in these circumstances? You’ve not only lost out on the payment for the stay but also lost out on letting it to someone else. A double loss.

The answer of course is as always to stay vigilant when taking bookings and investigate further if you have doubts over the validity of a potential booking. Here are just a few tips to hopefully help to ensure that fake bookings don’t make it past your proactive safeguards.

Look for some of the more obvious signs of faking

As we’ve already said, email correspondences and online bookings can be very sincere and on the face of it look completely legitimate. However, there are a few red flags that may arouse suspicion:

  1. Not providing a telephone number or other key pieces of verification information – this can be easily solved by making this a compulsory field of any bookings. You could also ask for their home address as a part of this process.
  2. Monitor very late and last minute bookings. If someone has obtained someone’s credit or debit card information, then it’s unlikely they’ll be planning their trip months in advance for fear of being caught. The majority of holiday home scams are concentrated around last minute bookings for short breaks.
  3. Some booking scams have involved individuals ‘arranging a surprise trip’ for someone else. Whilst this in isolation isn’t completely uncommon, if combined with the other potential red flags we’ve already mentioned it may arouse suspicion of scamming.

Trust your own instinct to prevent falling foul of booking scams

If you manage your own holiday home bookings, then you’ll have undoubtedly taken hundreds if not thousands over the years. Trust your instinct; if something around a booking doesn’t feel or smell right then investigate it. Give them a call. Look into things a little further and ask for additional information that would dispel any doubt.

If you’re still in doubt…

Where you have concern over a booking, consider asking for ID and to view the card on which they paid on arrival. If someone has stolen the personal information of another individual, then they’ll not have this to hand.

Use a good holiday letting agent…

Using a good holiday letting agency can also help you stamp out fraudulent or scam bookings. Working with cottage owners in the local area or even nationally, an agency will have an unrivalled knowledge and understanding. Not only will they get you new bookings, but also keep you as safe as possible from would-be scammers.

If you have been a victim of fraud it’s important to report it to the relevant authorities. You can report a fraud to Action Fraud using their online fraud reporting tool or by calling 0300 123 2040.

Boshers are specialist providers of holiday home insurance. For information on how we can help protect your holiday let business ,call us on 01237 429444

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Rent a room tax relief

Rent a room tax relief under review – how will this impact owners holiday letting their main residence?

Rent a room tax reliefAlthough it may seem like a more recent phenomenon, Airbnb was founded a whole decade ago. It has had a massive impact on the holiday home and rental industries in almost 200 countries across the globe.

The platform now has a staggering four million listings across 65,000 cities and is valued at more than $31 billion. What it has done, not unlike Uber, is disrupted an industry norm; where those needing a car would once have traditionally hailed a cab now order an Uber. In turn, those looking for a break will often turn to AirBnB.

The speed with which the business has grown has meant that legislation and policy makers have been constantly trying, often in vein, to keep a pace with changes in order to keep a level playing field for those following the traditional holiday cottage business-model and the regulations and rates they have to pay in turn.

Rent a room tax relief under review

However, the current rent a room tax relief scheme is now under review; so what changes might we see? What will be the impact on those that currently move out of their home for short periods of time in order to list their properties on sites such as Airbnb?

Letting out a room if you’re present in the home

The original purpose of rent a room tax relief was for those living in properties to earn extra income in order to pay for the property itself, and for the person renting the room to have an affordable rent as a result of the tax relief.

For this reason, if you’re wanting to rent a room out whilst you still spend ‘some or part of the time in the property yourself’ then you’ll continue to be eligible for relief on the first £7,500 of income from that letting.

What if you’re wanting to let out the whole property?

Many of the listings on Airbnb allow budding guests the chance to rent whole properties, rather than just rooms. This is where the real proposed changes will affect the listing owners.  Going forward, it is suggested that if a landlord is letting out a whole property, even if it is usually their main residence, they will no longer be able to claim rent a room tax relief.

However, they will continue to be eligible for the new Trading and Property Allowances, which allows up to £1,000 of property income to be earned tax-free. On any income above £1,000, landlords can choose to either deduct the amount of the allowance, or deduct the revenue expenses incurred in letting out the property, such as the cost of replacing carpets or the cost of meeting gas or electricity bills.

So what does that potentially mean in a snapshot?

If you rent only a room within your main residence, there is no great change. You should continue to be eligible for rent a room tax relief. However, if you rent out the whole property you’ll now be subject to the lower Trading and Property Allowance. This is designed to be used against any form of property income.

For more detailed information on these proposals please view the PDF document via this link:

Please note that this article gives only an overview of the proposed changes to Rent a Room Tax Relief. It is not intended as Tax Advice. We suggest you take advice from an accountant before making any decisions in this area. Alternatively contact HMRC for further guidance.

Boshers are specialist providers of holiday home insurance. For information on specialist insurance can help protect your holiday home business, please give us a call on 01237 429444.

 

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Package Travel Regulations

New Package Travel Regulations – where do you stand as a holiday homeowner?

Package Travel RegulationsThe Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018

This summer has been a great one for many holiday homeowners and lettings agents; a weak pound has made foreign holidays less thrifty than they once were. When combined with plenty of sunshine many of us have chosen to staycation and enjoy everything Britain has to offer.

There has however been a slightly grey cloud hanging over the industry in recent weeks. Did you hear the announcement of new government regulations surrounding ‘package travel’? Although designed to protect travellers booking flights and hotels online as part of a package, the legislation has further ramifications. Not only large hotel chains but bed and breakfasts and holiday homeowners alike.

Let’s take a look at the legislation, what you potentially need to do and the impact it could have…

What are the Package Travel Regulations?

The UK’s package travel regulations came into force on 1st July 2018. They aim to provide those booking online greater protection should a business they book with go bust before their stay. They come in response to an estimated 50% of current holiday bookings offering customers no financial protection in these circumstances.

The main clamp down is on something called ‘flight-plus’ packages. This is when a flight departing the UK and accommodation (and sometimes car hire or transfer) are booked at the same time. Or when sold in close proximity to each other but the way in which they are sold means it doesn’t form a ‘package’. Going forward these types of holiday will either no longer exist or alternatively form part of a package or ‘linked travel arrangement’.

Greater protection for the consumer – sounds sensible so far doesn’t it? However, there are some further consequences to these changes…

Linked Travel Arrangements (LTAs) and your holiday home

So what exactly is a ‘linked travel arrangement’?

Visit England indicate that ‘a linked travel arrangement is formed where, on the basis of booking one element, the customer is provided with a targeted offer for another element and takes up that offer within 24 hours. This includes offers where if the customer stays in your accommodation they can take advantage of an offer at another business that they wouldn’t otherwise get.’

An example of this may be where you offer guests 10% off at that great gastro pub down the road, or perhaps you can get them 2 for 1 entry at a local festival or attraction and your guest decide to take advantage within 24 hours of booking with you. It’s important to highlight that you don’t have to benefit financially from the offer for a Linked Travel Arrangement to be formed’. This means as far as the regulations are concerned, even if you don’t get a commission you’re still selling a linked travel arrangement’.

Are there any exceptions?

The good news is that the package travel regulations don’t include simply signposting people to local pubs and attractions or making recommendations, so there’s no need to quickly remove these from your website or stop adding value to your visitors by offering them your local knowledge.

What if you are selling a Linked Travel Arrangement?

Are you are offering discounts or promotions in partnership with other attractions and eateries (as two examples we’ve already used)? If yes, the new regulations mean that you now need insolvency insurance. It’s a criminal offence to sell LTAs without this. Unsure of where you stand in relation to the latest regulations? Please have a read of these government guidance notes to ensure that you’re meeting all of your legislative requirements:

Boshers offer specialist holiday home insurance to owners across the UK. Would you like an insurance quote for your holiday letting property? Give us a call on 01237 429444.

 

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sharing economy

New report calls for greater regulations for the ‘sharing economy’ and online platforms such as AirBnB

sharing economyThe UK’s tourism sector has seen many changes over recent years, but perhaps none more significant than the emergence of the sharing economy.

Online platforms such as AirBnB, whilst originally positioned as helping homeowners make additional income by renting out a spare room in their home have now been used by an all-together different marketplace. Of the 64,000 properties listed on AirBnB in London, 50% of owners aren’t present at the home and 40% of those making listings are doing so for more than one property.

The suggestion is therefore that these are not homeowners and are instead tourism accommodation businesses. The issue with this? It is perceived by many that there is currently no level playing field when it comes to the regulations faced and taxation paid by those holiday letting via the sharing economy when compared to traditional holiday homeowners. In reality the reglations and tax regime applying to those offering furnished holiday accommodation is the same whichever route owners choose to market their holiday letting properties.

The report highlights concerns that “Rather, the problems derive from two main factors. First, sharing economy companies are very poor at providing information to potential hosts regarding their statutory responsibilities regarding the health and safety of their guests. Leading sharing economy platforms do not check if the hosts are compliant with regulations such as gas and fire safety before allowing them to post a property on their site. Of particular concern is that sharing economy companies place all responsibility for customer safety with the host.”

For example, the Airbnb terms and conditions state:
“Airbnb has no control over and does not guarantee the existence, quality, safety suitability or legality of any listing”

The report from the ‘All Party Parliamentary Group for Tourism’ has highlighted ‘the need to protect customer safety, maintain a level regulatory playing field across the tourism industry, take into account the needs of local communities, and ensure that all operators of tourism accommodation are paying the appropriate level of tax’. The report also highlights; “The need for comprehensive public liability insurance is becoming more acute as visitors, and the public as a whole, become more claims conscious.”

We recommend that anyone involved in the holiday letting industry reads the full report which can be downloaded as a PDF here – Inquiry into The Sharing Economy

The report recommends that the Culture Secretary launches a consultation on using his powers under the Development of Tourism Act 1969 to establish a low-cost statutory registration scheme for tourism businesses which would be devolved to local councils to enforce and administer.

This statement is certainly one that brings with it some encouragement, however it does cover a number of complex areas; from business rates to taxation and it will take time to achieve.  So what can you do to communicate the quality of your own holiday letting accommodation to potential guests?

Work with your great local holiday letting agencies

As a business we’re lucky to meet many holiday letting agencies across the country on a regular basis. They have years of experience in driving guests to your area so make the most of their knowledge and work with them in order to boost your occupancy rates. Holiday Home Letting Agents will also provide you with guidance on the laws and regulations applicable to you as a holiday homeowner.

Have your quality independently accessed and verified

We’ve already highlighted that there is a perception of lack of regulations when it comes to the sharing economy. Communicate just how far you go to ensure that every guest has a safe and enjoyable time at your holiday home. No matter if it’s entering local and regional awards or signing up to the AA or VisitEngland standards, guests often trust external verifications of your quality. So if you are five star, make sure that everyone that visits the website or your letting agent’s know that you are!

Boshers offer specialist holiday home insurance to owners across the UK. For more information on how a specialist insurer can help and support your holiday home business, please give us a call on 01237 429444.

 

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holiday home waste

Disposing of holiday home waste – your obligations

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holiday home waste

When we’re at home putting the bins and recycling out can sometimes be a chore. However it is certainly made easier than dealing with your holiday home waste by being there most of the time. Holiday homeowners often live a long distance from their holiday letting property, or perhaps only have the capacity to visit infrequently. So with this in mind how do you keep on top of your holiday home waste collection; and what are your obligations?

What are your obligations with respect to dealing with your holiday home waste?

By law, all businesses are required to take ‘all reasonable steps to ensure their waste is kept safe’; and when removed is ‘handled by a contractor authorised to collect, transfer, recycle or dispose of it safely.’

Unfortunately, waste disposal isn’t included within business rates. This is because it’s deemed fairer to charge businesses individually based on the quantity and type of waste they produce.

Is a holiday home a business?

The question is therefore, as a holiday cottage owner, are you a business?

The Controlled Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 indicates that holiday lets and self-catering accommodation providers do qualify as a business. Therefore for the purpose of holiday home waste collection, holiday let owners should pay for a commercial waste service.

Full collection and disposal charges are applicable unless you receive the small business rates relief. It’s worth noting that many individual holiday lets do qualify; in which case you would only need to pay for the collection of the waste from your holiday cottage.

The benefits of commercial waste collection

There are a few benefits to having your holiday home waste collected commercially; such as

  • compliance with the waste regulations
  • increasing the frequency of collection during peak periods
  • matching collections to fit in on or before your changeover days

Saving money and increasing participation in recycling

When paying for your waste to be collected it goes without saying that in order to reduce costs, it’s important for you to reduce the amount of waste generated by your property.

But how do you actually do that in practice?  The answer is recycling although you’ll need to be savvy in getting your guests engaged when on holiday.

Although most of us will now recycle at home, attitudes can sometimes slip when we’re wanting to relax. Therefore making it as easy and simple as possible for your guests is vital to increasing their participation.

Clearly labeled or perhaps coloured containers are a must to make sure they know exactly what goes where. Also consider where you position them and if you welcome families into your cottage, whether it can be turned into a game to get everyone involved.

How do I organise a holiday home waste collection?

For more information on refuse collection please contact your local council for details of commercial waste contractors. Expect to pay a fee for a supply of commercial waste sacks and agree your collection days. It’s a good idea to make it clear to your guests when your holiday home waste and recycling will be collected and ask them politely if they will put the bags out in good time on the allocated day.

If you’d like to discuss how our specialist holiday home insurance can ensure your property has the cover it needs, please give our experienced team a call on 01237 429444.

 

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Negative feedback and guest complaints

Handling negative feedback and guest complaints

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Negative feedback and guest complaintsTimes they are a changing, and never has that been truer than in the area of negative feedback and guest complaints. Where people would in times gone by leave their feedback in a comment book placed within your holiday home and raise any issues over the phone during their stay, these comments and issues are now often left online once they get home for the world to see.

So what is the best way to address negative feedback or guest complaints made after they have left your holiday home, and the option of rectifying any issue is no longer on the table?

The TripAdvisor conundrum

Love it or loath it, TripAdvisor plays a large role in effecting the buying decisions of potential guests. Therefore any negative reviews need to be dealt with effectively, efficiently and also without emotion.

You should have a strategy and approach to Tripadvisor which should include the following:

  1. Having someone responsible for reviewing and responding to your reviews, both positive and negative.
  2. Have a time frame for responding to any ongoing reviews.
  3. Create a review process for any response to a negative review which brings in more than one person.

The final point is a key one here; when writing online it can be very difficult to denote tone, which means that in the majority of cases the person reading the response you’ve written (whether that’s the person that’s left the complaint or a potential guest) will apply their own perceived tone to it.

Ensuring that more than one person has read the response, and that it isn’t posted in haste, will help to ensure you’ve struck the correct chord.

Is it all lost or can the situation be resolved?

If a guest has left a negative review then it can be understandably difficult to not take it personally; you’ll spend a lot of time, effort and money in making your cottage a great place for guests to stay so any complaint can seem as somewhat of an attack.

Because of that the default position may be to revert to defense.  However, take some time to think how best to resolve the issue rather than pointing elements out to the contrary of what they’ve said.

Entering into conversation away from the public eye is a positive way of moving toward a resolution and away from an unseemly TripAdvisor spat, which can quickly and frequently, go viral.

If points they’ve made do need clarification make sure they’re made in a factual and non-emotive way.

What if they’re not made on Tripadvisor?

The question here is how to find them! Although TripAdvisor is a massive part of holiday home and tourism life, not all comments and reviews will be made through the platform.

You should regularly monitor your brand online through Google, Twitter and Facebook.

How to find recent mentions of your cottage on Google

When it comes to Google, try putting in the name of your cottage, or your website url (try both).  If you select ‘Tools’ which is just underneath the search box on Google and alter the ‘Any Time’ drop down to ‘Past week’ you will only be seeing new information added to Google in the last seven days.  This can be a great way of keeping on top of the vast search engine.

How to find mentions of your cottage on Twitter

Are you already using the third party application Hootsuite for Twitter? If not then here is a great reason to do so. Hootsuite provides quick and easy access to recent mentions of your holiday cottage from the millions of tweets made every hour.

You can do this in seconds by:

  • adding a tab / stream into the platform; and
  • setting the search to the name of your cottage.

This will let you see mentions of your cottage when they’ve not included your Twitter handle in their tweet. (These will appear automatically in your @mentions tab on Twitter).

For more information on adding columns to Hootsuite, take a look at these instructions:

How to find mentions of your cottage on Facebook

Last but not least; you can find mentions of your cottage on Facebook by using the simple search tool available on all profiles.

And once you’ve located the comments?

Once you have found any feedback and comments from your guests ensure you always respond. Do so in the same effective, efficient and non-emotive way as you should on TripAdvisor.

Boshers offer specialist holiday home insurance to owners across the UK. For information on how specialist insurance can help protect your holiday home business, call us on 01237 429444

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welcome hamper

Crafting the contents of your holiday cottage welcome hamper

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welcome hamper

The start of any holiday is an exciting feeling; you’ve got your out of office on, you’ve packed your car and you’re on the road heading to an idyllic holiday home. First impressions are everything, so what better way to greet your guests on arrival than the smell of the contents from your sumptuous welcome hamper wafting in the air?

It’s something more and more holiday cottages are offering, so what does make a great welcome hamper? What should you be considering when carefully crafting yours?

Is it OK to include alcoholic drinks in a welcome hamper?

A welcome hamper needn’t contain alcohol, as tempting as it may seem to slip in a tipple for your guests. Before you do be aware that there are licensing implications to consider, which we covered in an earlier article that can be found here:

Know your area

It’s always important to remember that your cottage is more than just a place to stay; the local area, the restaurants, the attractions and the food and drink suppliers are all part of the ‘destination’ that draws people in.

So why not give them a slice of this? Packing your hamper with great local produce makes sense; it supports local businesses, it makes your welcome more personable and will ultimately be more special than any generic offering.

Quality not quantity

As with many things, the key to a good welcome hamper is quality not quantity. Even leaving a fresh pint of local milk in the fridge and a few tea bags near the kettle will have a positive impact on your guests after a long journey.

Know your market

Hampers are often associated with food and drink but it needn’t stop there. Who is it that stays in your holiday cottage? If you’re the finest accommodation around for families, consider including something for the children.  Whether it’s a colouring book or board game, when the rain comes (which it often will with the great British weather!) the parents will be glad of the distraction, and thanking you for not providing sugary sweets!

Understanding allergens

If you’re offering food or drink you’ll need to bear in mind that approximately 2% of the population have some sort of food allergy, so the chances are that during the course of a busy summer you’ll be welcoming someone that may be intolerant to something within your hamper.

You may have noticed in recent years that restaurants and eateries are now required to list the allergens contained within their offerings on their menus and other promotional literature.  Communication is the key here; if the cookies from the local bakery contain peanut or gluten then you need to make this clear to guests.

Whilst nut and gluten are two of the better known allergies, there are several more that are common within Britain including:

  • Cereals (which includes gluten).
  • Crustaceans, for example prawns
  • Eggs
  • Fish
  • Soybeans
  • Milk and other dairy produce
  • Mustard
  • Celery
  • Sesame
  • Sulphur dioxide (a food preservative sometimes found in dried fruit).

NB This list is not exhaustive and is only an indicator of some of the most commonly found allergens in the UK.

It’s important to have dialogue with your suppliers and ensure that they provide you with all of the allergen information you need to give to your guests; they shouldn’t be left in any doubt as to what’s in your hamper.

Offering your own produce

When selling a house, there’s always been an old adage that the smell of home baked bread in the air as potential buyers walk through is a sure fire way to seal the sale. So how about adding that feel to your holiday home with some freshly baked scones?

If you’ve got the time and the culinary skills to cut the mustard, you’ll need to adhere to all food hygiene requirements – you can find an outline of those in our previous article:

Insurance implications

To avoid gaps in cover ensure that your holiday home insurance includes both public and products liability. Check that your policy includes cover which extends to holiday letting to paying guests.

This is just an overview for holiday homeowners on welcome hampers in holiday homes. If you have any tips or suggestions please leave them in the comments box below.

Boshers offer specialist holiday home insurance to owners across the UK including public and products liability cover for holiday letting. For information on how specialist insurance can help protect your holiday home business, give us a call on 01237 429444.

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Tips for preparing your holiday home for the peak letting season

Tips for preparing your holiday home for the peak letting season

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Tips for preparing your holiday home for the peak letting seasonThe peak letting season is almost upon us. It’s time to get organised and start preparing for an influx of guests (and sunshine!). It’s vital that your holiday home is ready for everything the peak period has to throw at it. And that you’ve also taken every precaution to ensure that guests have a happy and safe stay in your property.

In order to do that there are a few checks that you’ll need be making. Here’s an overview of our tips for preparing your holiday home for the peak letting season.

Electrical items, boilers and alarms

When it comes to the safety of your guests, ensuring that electrical items, boilers, fire and carbon monoxide alarms have been recently serviced and are in full working order should come at the top of your priority list.

Keep a record of when these items were last checked and inspected. Make a diary note of when they’ll next need attention.

There’s further information on the specific checks you’ll need to carry out and how often here:

The garden and grounds

The winter can often take its toll on our gardens, so before guests begin to return to your cottage ensure that you’ve had a thorough check of any external areas; this should include elements such as making sure that winter weather hasn’t damaged nearby trees, that your pathways are cleared of algae or leaves that could cause visitors to slip, and that any decking is in fine fettle.

Whilst a risk assessment can sound like an arduous and technical task, having a detailed list of items to check in the garden (and other areas of your holiday home) will ensure that nothing is missed by you or the person responsible for inspection if you live a good distance from the property.

You can find more information on maintaining your holiday home garden in our blogs here:

The interior

Holiday homes come under more stress than the average home, therefore furniture will sometimes need a little TLC or replacement. Wobbly chairs should be fixed, and that dodgy door knob should be repaired. Even the smallest details, such as a loose floorboard or kink in the carpet, could present a trip hazard for all of the guests that you will be welcoming.

The lead up to the peak letting season is also the perfect time for a thorough spring clean, so pop your marigolds on and give your holiday cottage a deep clean. Replace any tired looking towels, plump up the cushions, and make sure that everything a guest may need is in there.

If you have a housekeeper responsible for changeovers then now is a great time of the year to go through their checks, and ask them what could be altered to reach an even higher level of visitor service in the coming period.

You can find more information on maintaining the interior of your holiday home and housekeeping in our blogs here:

Is your welcome pack up to date?

Your welcome pack should be seen as a key part of your communication with guests, so you should be taking the time to review it on a regular basis and ensure that it’s completely up to date.

Correct emergency information, local restaurant recommendations, and any other information that isn’t right. Also ensure that instructions to electrical items and anything else they may need within your cottage during their stay are readily available.

For more information on using your welcome pack as a marketing tool please take a look at our blog here:

The paperwork

Your welcome pack isn’t the only paper work you should check in the lead up to the peak letting season. Both general and fire risk assessments should be reviewed annually. Ensure that you’ve got all the appropriate certificates covering areas such as gas safety, PAT testing and Electrical Installation Condition Report.

Property maintenance is an essential aspect for holiday homeowners fulfilling their duty of care. Keeping on top of it will ensure you achieve the best returns on your holiday home. A well maintained property will also reduce the risks of holiday home insurance claims.

Boshers offer specialist holiday home insurance to owners across the UK. Require a quote for your holiday apartment, cottage or complex? Please give us a call on 01237 429444.

 

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Dog friendly holiday home insurance

Dog friendly holiday home insurance – is yours?

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Dog friendly holiday home insuranceDog friendly holiday home insurance is well worth considering if you offer pet friendly self-catering accommodation. The dog-friendly tourism market is one that’s grown exponentially over the past decade. This isn’t surprising considering that a staggering one in four UK households has a dog to call their own.

With more and more of us taking our dogs and other pets on holiday with us, have you asked yourself whether your holiday home insurance is as dog friendly as your accommodation?

Some insurance policies (even those with accidental damage cover included) exclude damage caused by pets. Therefore if a guests golden retriever unwittingly knocked the television off its stand you’d not be able to claim.

When it comes to our own holiday home insurance we’re striving to offer owners an unrivalled range of cover. So we of course include your guest’s pet causing an accident too. However there are a few things for you to consider before welcoming dogs into your holiday home.

Things to consider with your insurance when welcoming dogs

What’s covered?

When you welcome dogs into your holiday home this will inevitably lead to a heavier level of wear and tear over time. This won’t be covered within an insurance policy, which is why some holiday homeowners will make an additional charge for those bringing dogs with them to cover the costs of the additional time it may take to clean and remove dog hairs.

Your insurance is there for a one-off identifiable event; if for example a dog were to knock some items off of a shelf causing them to fall and shatter, this would be covered under our policy, but not if your insurer excluded damage by pets from theirs.

Minimising the potential for problems

If you welcome dogs to your holiday home, you’ll want to be sure that their owners know and understand their obligations before they arrive.

Consider outlining a few ground rules at booking such as:

  • Setting a maximum number of dogs allowed per booking.
  • Indicating that dogs can’t be left alone or unsupervised in the holiday accommodation.
  • Dogs are not allowed in the bedrooms or on furniture.
  • That dogs are up to date with vaccinations, worming and flea treatments.
  • That dogs are in good health.

You may also want to communicate this in your welcome pack to ensure everyone is clear on where the dog can and can’t go within your holiday home.

Advice for pet friendly accommodation

If you’ve been welcoming pets for some time you’ll have no doubt found the best way to accommodate them.  If you’re currently considering it then here’re a few tips. They’ll help ensure wear and tear is kept to a minimum and you’re ready to greet a man’s best friend.

  1. Consider having tiled or wooden flooring on the ground floor of your property; it’ll be far easier to clean up hairs and mud than that beautifully laid carpet!
  2. Stair gates aren’t just for children; they can also be used to stop pets making their way upstairs!
  3. Some dogs like life on two paws as much as they do on four; ensure that furnishings, ornaments and vases are kept in places they can’t be knocked down or seized upon for a good chew!
  4. Fix flat screen televisions to the wall rather than placing on consoles; a broken television is one of the most common household claims in the UK.
  5. Use a vacuum cleaner with a “HEPA” (High Efficiency Particulate Air) rated filter to reduce allergens which can affect people who are susceptible to allergies or asthma.

Welcoming guests with assistance dogs to your holiday home

To help you understand the rights of guests with assistance dogs, The Equality and Human Rights Commission and VisitEngland have produced an informative publication mentioned in our previous article, link below:

Boshers offer specialist holiday home insurance to owners across the UK. For information on how our dog friendly holiday home insurance can help protect your holiday letting property, call us on 01237 429444.

 

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