Tips for creating an Access Statement for your Holiday Home

Last Updated on March 24, 2014 by admin

With visitor needs becoming increasingly diverse in nature it’s becoming more and more important to let your potential guests know that your property is the right one for them; that it meets all of their needs and it ticks all of the right boxes in terms of access, facilities and services.

An access statement, if you’re not already familiar, is a document that lays out the facilities and services your holiday home has to offer.

As we highlighted in a previous blog post `Marketing benefits of having an access statement for your holiday home‘, they can be used to support the marketing of your property, but their benefits don’t just stop there.

They can also be utilised to help your holiday home meet legislative requirements such as the Equality Act 2010, act as good housekeeping to reduce the risk of a holiday home insurance liability claim, and also stand you in good stead should a guest make a complaint that your property isn’t suitable for their needs.

If you’re currently looking at creating an Access Statement or reviewing your existing document we’ve put together the following tips:

The VisitEngland Access Statement Tool

When first writing your Access Statement it can be daunting; what information should you include? What should it look like? How long should it be?

These may well be questions that you are asking.

VisitEngland has created an online Access Statement Tool that will provide your statement with a framework.  You’ll be provided with an information collection form and once completed an Access Statement to download from their website.

This can save considerable amounts of time and ensure your Access Statement falls within best practice.

To access the VisitEngland online tool please visit:

http://www.access.tourismtools.co.uk/

Be thorough but concise

Your Access Statement should be thorough but concise.  If there are reams and reams of text then information that could be vital to the person reading it is likely to get lost.

Make sure you prioritise your content and also separate it into sections; this will make it more easily digestible for potential guests.

Make sure your Access Statement includes photos as well as text.  This will allow the reader to gain a full picture and context of the information you are referring to.

Ensure you cover potential issues for all people

Statistics from VisitEngland indicate that 1 in 5 people residing in the United Kingdom have some form of disability.  Of these, only 8% are wheelchair users.

Access and suitability for wheelchair users should form an important part of your Access Statement but also make sure you cover issues that others could potentially incur; for example if you had deaf or blind visitors is your property suitable for their stay and what information would they find most pertinent.

Integrate it with your other marketing and communications

Once you have an Access Statement it’s important that people can easily find it and that this isn’t just isolated to a link on your website.  You should consider integrating it as a central element of your marketing communications and fully utilise it as a sales tool.

For example, if someone emails you with an enquiry about your property you could not only email back with the answer to that question but also attach your Access Statement, providing them with a full understanding of whether or not your property is the perfect one for their needs.

This can not only promote your property but also save you time answering lots of separate questions.

Your Access Statement doesn’t need to be another clerical task; it could well be the new prong in your marketing attack.  Why not use it to make sure they know you’re the perfect home for their holiday?

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