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short term tourist accommodation

Have your say: Government launches review into short-term tourist accommodation

A review into the effect of short-term holiday lets aims at improving the holiday letting market for those living in popular tourism destinations.short term tourist accommodation

Call for evidence aims to understand impact of increase in short-term holiday lets in England

An open call for evidence aims to understand the impact of an increase in short-term holiday lets in England following the rise in use of rental booking websites and apps. The review will look at the market and the opportunities and challenges presented for consumers and tourism communities.

The scheme, proposed in a government review that looked at the impact of increases in short-term and holiday lets in England, and could involve physical checks of premises to ensure regulations in areas including health and safety, noise and anti-social behaviour are obeyed.

Government is considering including a registration ‘kitemark’ scheme

Further measures the Government is considering including a registration ‘kitemark’ scheme with spot checks for compliance with rules on issues such as gas safety, a self-certification scheme for hosts to register with before they can operate, and better information or a single source of guidance setting out the legal requirements for providers.

Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston said:

“We’ve seen huge growth in the range of holiday accommodation available over the last few years.

We want to reap the benefits of the boom in short-term holiday lets while protecting community interests and making sure England has high-quality tourist accommodation.

While no decisions have been taken, this review will help us work out the options to look at so we can protect our much-loved communities and thriving holiday industry.”

Housing Minister, Rt. Hon Stuart Andrew, said:

“Holiday let sites like Airbnb have helped boost tourism across the country, but we need to make sure this doesn’t drive residents out of their communities.

We are already taking action to tackle the issue of second and empty homes in some areas by empowering councils to charge up to double the rate of council tax.

This review will give us a better understanding of how short term lets are affecting housing supply locally to make sure the tourism sector works for both residents and visitors alike.”

The Government understands there can be an impact on housing supply and price in these areas and there are fears caused by evidence of a rise in anti-social behaviour including noise, waste and drunken behaviour in local communities. Lower protections for guests caused by negligence of health and safety regulations are also amidst concerns.

What’s happening in the devolved administrations?

The devolved administrations have taken steps in this area.

Scotland – The Scottish government set out legislation requiring all local authorities in the country to establish a licensing scheme by October 2022.

Northern Ireland – In NI tourist accommodation cannot be provided without a valid certificate issued by the national tourist board.

Wales has publicly stated its ambition to establish a statutory registration or licensing scheme.

What is the trend in Europe?

In other countries, anyone wishing to advertise and provide guest accommodation in Portugal must register electronically before doing so, Greece requires anyone renting out their home to paying guests to register, and, in parts of Ireland designated ‘Rent Pressure Zones’, hosts are only allowed to short-term let their primary residence after having registered.

The commitment to consult on tourist accommodation was first made in the government’s Tourism Recovery Plan published in June 2021.

Who is the government interested in hearing from?

Although this call for evidence is open to everyone, the government is particularly interested in hearing from:

  • hosts operating in the short-term and holiday letting market.
  • guest accommodation businesses, including digital peer-to-peer platforms that market letting opportunities, short-term and holiday let service companies and those operating other guest accommodation business models.
  • enforcement agencies, including the Fire and Rescue Service, the police and local authorities.
  • representative bodies, organisations, and groups, including destination management organisations.

The call for evidence will ran for 12 weeks.

Further to the consultation the government released the following press release on 19 February 2024:

Statement setting out the next steps in developing a registration scheme for short-term lets in England:

Boshers offer specialist holiday home insurance to holiday let and cottage complex owners across the UK. If you need an insurance quote for your holiday let call us on 01237 429444.

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Septic tank

Does your holiday cottage have a septic tank?

Owners of rural holiday cottages should be careful not to fall foul of new septic tank regulations

Septic tankWhen you think about a holiday home, emotive thoughts of stunning locations, long summer evenings and fun with family and friends are often some of the first things that spring to mind. An important, albeit less glamorous aspect of owning a rural home or holiday cottage is dealing with sewage. Not a problem if your property is connected to the main sewerage system, but what if it isn’t?

Does your cottage have a septic tank or a private sewage treatment plant?

As many holiday homes across the country are based in rural, coastal and countryside areas, it’s not uncommon for them to be served by a septic tank or private sewage treatment plant (STP). If your cottage has either of these then you’ll need to comply with The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, which came into force on 1st January 2017 and need to be adhered to by 1st January 2020, or sooner if pollution is already occurring or you wish to sell the property this year.

So, for those that perhaps aren’t fully acquainted with waste management systems, what actually is the difference between a septic tank and a STP?

Septic Tanks

A septic tank is the most common and well-known of potential waste disposal systems. Sewage from the holiday home enters the tank, which is usually buried underground or situated away from the property, with solid matter staying within the tank and liquids flowing out for disposal.

Strutt and Parker reports that a 2010 study by Natural England found around 80% of septic tanks weren’t working satisfactorily, with the outflow pipe from many older systems flowing straight into a field drain and eventually to an open watercourse or, in some cases, directly into streams and rivers themselves.

If your septic tank is currently leading to any of these watercourses, then you’ll need to take remedial action before the end of this year to prevent any potential fines or further pollution and damage to your local area.

Private Sewage Treatment Plants

A private sewage treatment plant operates much like a mini sewage works. Pumping and aeration equipment within the plant enhances the breakdown of waste, meaning that any effluent discharged is much cleaner when compared to a traditional sewage septic tank, and can therefore be discharged into rivers and streams (subject to an Environment Agency permit where appropriate).

Practical Steps for you to take

The following useful information has been taken from Strutt and Parker’s recent guide on septic tanks and sewage treatment plants. You can find a link to their full information at the bottom of this blog post.

Septic Tank Owners

The first thing to say is that every property needs somewhere to place its waste, but if your holiday home is served by a private septic tank or a private sewage treatment plant (STP), you’ll need to ensure that this is compliant with The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 which have come in to place.

Check that your septic tank is:

  1. Discharging to the ground only
  2. Discharging domestic sewage only
  3. Not discharging more than 2m cubed per day
  4. Regularly de-sludged by a registered waste handler

Also check that your septic tank:

  1. Has sound, properly fitting lids and covers
  2. If installed prior to 1st January 2015, is more than 50m from any well or borehole and is outside a Special Protection Zone
  3. If installed after 1st January 2015, is also outside any designated sensitive area (DSA)
  4. Shows no evidence of overflowing or pollution (If there is effluent visible in the vicinity of your tank, your tank needs to be emptied, or your ground discharge is not working properly – or both. Surface run-off of effluent is likely to end up in a watercourse which is illegal.)

If your septic tank is ticking all of these boxes then no further action should be required. However, if you fail to meet any of these requirements then you’ll need to employ a competent professional to remedy any issues before 1st January 2020 passes.

Owners of a sewage treatment plant

Check that:

  1. Working parts are suitably serviced –advisable to have a management contract with a specialist
  2. The plant is regularly de-sludged by a registered waste handler
  3. There is no evidence of overflowing or pollution

In addition check that it’s:

  1. Outside of a designated sensitive area (DSA)
  2. Handling domestic (i.e. not commercial) sewage only
  3. Not discharging more than 5m cubed per day
  4. Installed in accordance with the planning and building regulations in place at the time (pre-1983 installations are deemed to comply automatically with this)
  5. Installation date was pre-1st January 2015.

If your STP is meeting the requirements then you shouldn’t need to take remedial action. In the event that it isn’t, it’s recommended that you seek professional advice to quickly remedy any issues.

For more information on this topic you can download your own copy of Strutt and Parker’s guidance below:

Additional information is available on the Government’s website below:

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 home or cottage complex? 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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