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Last chance for holiday home owners to comment on new holiday let rules

Last chance for holiday home owners to comment on new holiday let rules. New rules on furnished holiday lets will make it more difficult to let certain properties, reduce the number available and act as a barrier to new entrants to the industry. That is the verdict of a Westcountry expert on holiday lettings who is urging affected businesses to express their concerns to Government before consultation on the new rules ends next week (February 9).

John Endacott, tax partner at accountants Winter Rule in Truro and a prominent commentator on the issue of furnished holiday lets, said the revised rules would lead to significant changes in the industry.

They say that holiday lets must be available to let for 205 days in a year (up from 140) and actually let for 105 days in a year (up from 70), which could see more marginal properties in less popular areas fail to qualify. The Government is also tightening up on the ability to offset trading losses against profits, something which Mr Endacott said could deter new entrants to the industry trying to let properties with no letting record. He said: “I’ve no doubt that these new rules will result in consolidation in the industry because the lettings targets are going to be onerous for some owners and planning restrictions may actually prevent some properties from meeting the 210 day requirement.

“The new regime around trading losses is also very restrictive and means it will take a very long time to get tax relief on start-up losses. That will be a barrier to new entrants and high investment into single units does not look like a good business model.”

Mr Endacott said the new rules would probably lead to more owners with greater numbers of furnished holiday lets, but he was hopeful that owner-occupiers of holiday let complexes may be exempt. He added: “Winter Rule will be making further representations to the Government before next week’s deadline so if anyone wants to get in touch they can email me at taxcampaign@winterrule.co.uk.”

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Boshers Ltd | Specialist Insurance Solutions

Boshers commerical insurance and holiday home insurance teams have settled into our new office without too many hitches.

Our phones have been busy with both new enquiries and a flurry of claims as a result of the very cold weather experienced across the UK recently.  

Details of our new location and a link to our google map can found at https://www.boshers.co.uk/ or call us on 01237 429444 for quotes or general insurance enquiries.

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Holiday Home Owners Are Warned To Be Prepared For The Thaw

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Holiday Home Owners Are Warned To Be Prepared For The Thaw. Winter 2010-11 already shows signs of being an unusually cold one throughout the UK. The Met Office forecasters are suggesting that the cold spell which began in November could persist well into January. After a decade or more of relatively mild conditions the sub-zero temperatures of the past three winters have taken some holiday home owners by surprise. As a result escape of water claims have spiralled for many insurers.

Mark Lavington, Director of Holiday Home Insurance specialists, Boshers Ltd offers his tips to help mitigate potential water damage this winter. Mark says: “The cost and personal inconvenience caused by a burst pipe claim can be considerable with claims often running into many thousands of pounds. Just a small fracture can release hundreds of gallons of water into your holiday home; damaging carpets, walls, ceilings, personal items as well as potentially rendering your let property uninhabitable until essential repairs and redecoration is carried out.”

The chance of suffering these losses can be reduced and Boshers recommend furnished holiday let owners taking the following steps to do this:

General tips:

  • Check the location of your stopcock.
  • Check whether your boiler needs servicing.
  • Check the insulation on your water pipes and cold water tank, those in the attic or other vulnerable spaces should be lagged or similarly protected.
  • Modern methods of insulation can be so effective in keeping heat within your property that attics can become very cold, this could cause a pipe to freeze. We therefore recommend you keep your loft hatch open if you have pipes in the attic to keep this area warm. Consider consulting your friendly plumber to see if your water and heating systems can be redesigned to negate the need to have pipes and header tanks in the attic.
  • Keep doors between heated and unheated rooms open to allow warm air to circulate.
  • Keep cupboard doors open below sinks to allow warm air to circulate around the plumbing.
  • Seal any holes or gaps that may be letting cold air into your property.
  • Make sure any valleys and gulley’s on your roof are kept clear and free from debris.
  • Make sure any external taps are turned off and disconnect any hoses.
  • If you discover a frozen pipe don’t wait for it to burst.

Turn off your water supply and then slowly thaw the affected pipe by introducing gentle heat to the area e.g. hair dryer, space heater, hot water bottle. DO NOT attempt to thaw the pipe with a blow torch or other open flame such as a cigarette lighter or matches.

What if the property will be unoccupied?

  • Keep your property heated to reduce the chance of a pipe freezing.
  • If unoccupied for an extended period drain and shut off your water system.
  • Ask somebody to check on your property daily. This may not prevent a loss but early identification of an escape can help reduce the ultimate cost.
  • Ensure you have complied with any unoccupancy conditions or warranties listed in your policy.

What if the worst happens?

  • Turn off the water supply at the stopcock. This should prevent any more water escaping into your property.
  • Where practical try and catch any excess water in a bucket or other container.
  • Do not use any electrics if you believe these may have been affected by the escaping water. You will need to have these checked by a professional electrician.

Additional guidance and holiday home insurance quotes are available from Boshers on 01237 429444 or for further information on UK holiday home insurance visit the website page most relevant to you:

 

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Flood Advice

Flood Advice. As you may be aware a number of areas in Cornwall are currently affected by flooding. The Environment Agency has now issued a number of flood warnings in the South West & Wales. Ecclesiastical have issued guidance to those affected by todays flooding. For further information click here  

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Boshers Ltd are moving offices

We are pleased to announce that we will be moving to newly refurbished purpose built offices on Monday the 22nd November 2010.  

Our new offices have extensive IT and phone sytems to further improve our efficiency and service standards.

That said, it is possible that our phone systems will be down for a time between 3:00pm and close of business at 5:00pm on Friday 19th November.  Apologies in advance for any inconvenience.

Our office opening hours remain unchanged, they are 8:30am until 5:00pm, Monday to Friday.

Please call us on 01237 429444 if we can be off assistance or visit https://www.boshers.co.uk/ for more information.

Our new address is: Boshers Ltd, 14 Habat Enterprise Park, Bideford, Devon, EX39 3HN 
  

We look forward to servicing the home, business, let property and 
holiday home insurance needs of our clients from our new location.
 
Find us here – Boshers Ltd on Google Maps
 
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