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Holiday cottages with a pets corner

Guidance for owners of holiday cottages with a pets corner

Girl and Baby GoatsBritish agriculture has seen unbelievable change since the turn of the century. During that time somewhere in the region of 60 – 80% of farms have diversified in totality or looked to new avenues in order to sustain incomes and grow revenues.

From farm shops to organic produce or a multitude of other trades, farmers have utilised their buildings and land to their advantage. Many now turn their hand to the provision of accommodation in the form of holiday cottages and combine their agricultural roots with the hospitality sector by introducing a pets corner.

This experience can be particularly attractive for visiting families looking to give their children a slice of our glorious countryside.  The ability to feed a goat, to pet a young lamb in spring or learn more about a curious looking alpaca brings visitors in their droves to diversified farms across the country every year.

Combining your holiday cottages with a pets corner brings considerations about health and safety; creating the best possible environment in which children and adults alike are able to enjoy their break whilst minimising the chances of risk.

Whether you’re a holiday cottage with a few sheep at the end of the garden or a working farm it’s important to consider the following areas:

The risk: Micro-organisms

Animals naturally carry a range of micro-organisms which can be transmitted to humans. Some that you will have heard and be more familiar with such as E. coli can have a detrimental effect on health, causing a range of ailments and symptoms.

For this reason it’s important that you have control measures in place to minimise the risk of these organisms being transmitted to guests and causing illness. These measures should be regularly reviewed for effectiveness, with changes implemented as developments are made and required.

Decide on where you will offer access

Access to animals should be restricted and clearly signposted. Establish where guests will be able to see and visit stock and how you’ll prevent them from potentially accessing restricted areas, for example through fencing or warning signs.

Selecting your Routes

Contact with an environment contaminated with animal faeces is a key cause of the transmittance of micro-organisms with humans. For this reason you should if possible avoid directing visitors across tracks regularly used by stock and farm vehicles.  If this is unavoidable ensure that routes are cleaned and cleared on a regular and agreed basis.

Choosing the right animals

Animals that will be in contact with the public should be chosen carefully; stock that is young, pregnant, under stress or unfamiliar with dealing with people will be more likely to excrete mico-orgnisms and heighten the potential risk of transfer.

Keeping hands clean

Keeping hands clean is essential in minimising risks. Washing facilities should be readily available to visitors of all ages when leaving any area in which they have been touching animals, or could have come into immediate contact with them.  Signage should be in place to direct visitors to these facilities, along with information on the importance of using them.

Soap dispensers must be checked and refilled regularly. Whilst the frequency of checks will depend on the number of visitors you have, as a minimum these should be accessed at the beginning of each day the site is open.

The use of signage

Communicating the measures you’ve put in place with your visitors is vitally important. Information should be provided to guests on potential risks to health, precautions taken to minimise those risks and their own obligations in minimising risks (e.g. washing their hands).

Signage should be used to:

  • Clearly communicate designated routes, including those areas that are not open to the public.
  • Highlight the location and importance of using hand wash after any contact with animals. This should include stating the use of cleansing or anti bacterial wipes is not a substitute for proper hand washing.
  • Inform visitors to wash their hands prior to eating or using other facilities such as play areas, swimming pools or returning to their accommodation.
  • Establish areas that no petting or contact with animals is permitted

The Industry Code Of Practice

For full information on the health and safety advice and requirements please refer to The Industry Code of Practice “Preventing or Controlling Ill Health from Animal Contact at Visitor Attractions” which has been updated and is available to download here:

If you have a pets corner as an attraction for guests staying at your holiday cottages be sure to inform and take advice from your specialist holiday cottage complex insurance advisers.

For further information and a quotation for your holiday home insurance call our specialist team on 01237 429444.

This article has been created as generic guidance for holiday home, cottage and holiday cottage complex owners and does not constitute legal or insurance advice. If you have any questions relating to health and safety management and the provision of a pets corner at your holiday cottages, you should discuss them with your broker or insurer.

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Holiday Home Insurance – Are you fully covered?

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Holiday home insurance specialists, Boshers Ltd advise furnished holiday let owners to review their cover and in particular to check that sums insured are correct. Mark Lavington, Director of Boshers Ltd said that, “many holiday home owners will find that their holiday home insurance falls due for renewal during the Spring and early Summer as this is often when properties were purchased or began their life as furnished holiday lets. This is therefore a poignant time to ensure that you have sufficient cover”.

Suitable holiday home insurance will give you peace of mind should the worst happen, however you’ll need to ensure the correct buildings and contents sum insured are specified to ensure the right amount of cover is provided as the implications of underinsurance can be costly.

Holiday Home Insurance. Are you fully covered?

Underinsurance

It is important not to underinsure your holiday home property or its contents. This is because if you only insure for say, 50% of the reinstatement value of your property or contents you stand to have any claim payment reduced by half and you will be considered as your own insurer for the difference and thus bear a rateable proportion of the loss accordingly. The guidance below will help you calculate the correct figures and avoid the potential for underinsurance.

Rebuilding Costs

Your holiday home buildings sum insured should represent the amount that you would have to pay to rebuild your holiday home again should there be a total loss e.g. in the event of a fire. This should include the cost of rebuilding boundary walls or fences, reinstating driveways and outbuildings. Internally you will need to consider fixtures and fittings such as built in bedroom furniture, kitchens and bathrooms as well as redecoration, basically everything that is fixed and would be left behind if you sold the property.

The Association of British Insurers’ (ABI) rebuilding cost calculator is designed to help you assess the rebuilding cost of your property, if it falls within a range of standard house types. There is of course no substitute for instructing a professional Surveyor to prepare a Rebuilding Cost Assessment for insurance purposes. The RICS web site can be used to search for a Chartered Surveyor (http://www.ricsfirms.com/) in your area.

Index linking

Because your holiday home insurance buildings sum insured is index-linked (i.e. it’s adjusted according to inflation), if the worst happens and the sum insure is sufficient your claim will be paid in full up to the sum insured. It is none the less, important that the sum insured as well as being correct at outset, is also increased to reflect improvements that you make to your holiday home, such as adding an extension, conservatory or a designer kitchen or bathroom.

Contents Calculator

Your holiday home contents sum insured is the total value of replacing your holiday home contents with new items, should there be a total loss e.g. in the event of a fire. It’s important that your sum insured is correct so that your insurer can quickly pay any insurance claims you make.

The most effective way of working out your contents sum insured is to draw up an inventory of all the contents in your holiday home, room by room. Against each item write the replacement cost for a similar brand new item. The contents of your holiday home includes everything that isn’t fixed, which you would take with you if you sold and interestingly also includes carpets, so ensure that you allow sufficient to re-carpet throughout. In respect of books, works of art, television and audio visual equipment a single article limit may apply, be sure to check that you have sufficient cover and for items exceeding these limits please refer to your broker for further advices. Index linking may apply to the contents section of your Holiday Home Insurance policy; however it is important that you ensure that the sum insured is sufficient at outset and each renewal. In today’s market this is particularly pertinent as competition for guests dictates that holiday homes are increasingly furnished to a high standard and equipped with expensive flat screen televisions and accessories such as hot tubs and home gyms.

Loss of rental income

A quality Holiday Home Insurance policy should provide cover for loss of rental income, for insured perils which consequently render the holiday home uninhabitable for a period during which the property is repaired. As it may take some time to rebuild a holiday home levelled by fire or damaged by flooding; cover should be considered for up to two years. Check that your loss of rental income sum insured is sufficient and that your projected gross holiday letting income does not exceed the cover provided.

Should you require any additional guidance or a holiday home insurance quote, please contact a member of Boshers Holiday Home Insurance Team on 01237 429444.

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Reduce Holiday Home Insurance Claims

Insulate Your Water Pipes Against the Big Freeze

Rugging up is essential for both people and water pipes during this icy snap, with pipes likely to freeze as temperatures continue to plummet. Boshers Holiday Home Insurance Specialists offer the following advice about fixing frozen pipes in your holiday homes, but with a little preventative investment people can avoid major costly repairs in the future. And it’s not too late to act, with more wintry weather predicted in coming months now is the time to take action.

The biggest problem with frozen pipes is not the initial loss of water supply but the subsequent thaw. Compared to water, ice needs more space – so when water freezes it expands, which means a frozen pipe often leads to a burst pipe and flooding.

• First, check the pipes for any signs of splitting. If you spot any damage, call a plumber. If you don’t get the pipes repaired now, you might suffer from flooding once the water thaws.

• If there are no splits, turn on the cold water tap nearest your internal stop tap (often located under the kitchen sink) and turn it to a position where the water flow would normally be slow.

• Turn off the stop tap to cut the water supply and use a gentle heat source, such as a hair dryer or electric fan heater, to gently direct the heat around the internal stop tap until the pipe thaws.

•Occasionally turning the stop tap completely on and off helps clear any blockages.

Do not use electricity, or a blow torch or naked flame where there is a risk of water escaping. Also do not light the boiler to thaw out a hot water or central heating system. If a pipe bursts, turn off the stop tap and leave a tap on to allow the thawed water to drain out. Remember to take the plug out of the sink and contact a qualified plumber.

As always, prevention is better than cure and there are a number of things that can be done to protect water pipes from the cold weather.

• Fix any dripping taps or overflows, a gentle trickle of water can freeze and block the overflow or waste pipe.

• Check that your internal stop tap is working by opening and closing it

• Ensure that pipes in cold and draughty areas like roof spaces, outbuildings and garages are well insulated with approved lagging materials. If this isn’t something you are able to do yourself, then a registered plumber can do this.

• Use waterproof insulation on all pipes exposed to the elements and ensure all lagging is kept dry. Wet lagging is useless.

• Insulate water tanks by covering them around and above but not underneath if the tank is in the roof or loft. Rising warm air from the home below will help prevent the water from freezing.

• Remember to insulate any outside taps or turn them off at the internal stop tap and leave the outside tap open to drain it.

• Keep windows closed and stop draughts near pipes in unheated areas, but remember you must provide ventilation for boilers, gas fires etc.

• Leave central heating on low or a frost-protect setting overnight, or when away for a few days.

• Ensure your central heating system is serviced regularly.

• Keep your plumber’s contact details handy in case of an emergency.

Remember if you do have a burst pipe, take action to reduce the damage to your holiday home and it’s content’s immediately, then report the incident to your holiday home insurer or broker in order as soon as possible. Claim procedures and contact details are to be found in your holiday home insurance policy document.

You may also find the following article of interest:

For further information on UK holiday home insurance visit the website page most relevant to you:

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Holiday Home Owners Beware – Jack Frost Is Back!

Holiday Homes and Holiday Cottages in the UK can be particularly susceptible to water damage caused by burst pipes, as they often lay empty for days at a time during the low season.

According to the weather forecasters, tonight will bring the first widespread frost of this winter. Please ensure that you have taken preventative measures to reduce the risk of water damage due to frozen pipes bursting. Draining the entire water and heating system during spells of unoccupancy is one method. Alternatively leave your heating on at a level sufficient to prevent your pipes from freezing and ensuring that the pipes in your attic have sufficient lagging, coupled with leaving your loft hatch open to allow circulation of warm air in your loft space. 

Water damage as a result of burst pipes can be very traumatic and upsetting, apart from being a complete inconvenience for owners, guests and letting agents. Many second home owners suffered damage during the exceptionally cold spells last January & February. The exceptional weather caused a sharp increase in holiday home insurance claims in the early part of 2009. Whilst those that had a quality holiday home insurance policy will have had their damaged properties and contents repaired and replaced as appropriate and been recompensed for loss of income during the period which the properties were being renovated. I am sure that if questioned they would rather have not suffered the damage and inconvenience in the first place. 

Sometimes these events are unforeseen, after all that’s why we purchase insurance. Although often with careful planning, good housekeeping, due care and common sense these occurrances can at least be minimised. So beware of Jack Frost, take action and help to keep your holiday home insurance premiums as they are, good value for money!            

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