Business rates are a burden for many businesses across the country. With the recent emergence of the ‘sharing economy’ and an explosion of listings onto platforms such as AirBnB in recent years (there are more than 60,000 in London alone), many holiday cottage complex owners have been left looking over the fence at those offering […]
If you’ve got a holiday home in Wales then you’ll undoubtedly have plenty to shout about to your prospective guests; rugged coastline, heritage, beautiful blue seas and sandy beaches make up just some of the many reasons tourists flock to the 870 mile coastal path that flanks the country each and every year. Here are […]
Feeling safe is a basic human need and something we should all be able to experience in our daily lives; we should feel safe when we’re at home, when we’re in the office or when we’re on holiday wanting to relax. As a holiday homeowner, you’ll no doubt put much of your effort into the […]
In order to ensure self-catering properties are effectively meeting quality standards, the Holiday Home Association (HHA), which is the UK’s longest serving trade association for the self-catering holiday home industry, has launched an industry code of practice aimed at raising quality standards and provide potential guests with a level of assurance when booking privately owned […]
A new campaign led by The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is highlighting the importance of being open and transparent with your guests when it comes to your holiday letting terms and conditions. The initiative, named ‘Small Print, Big Difference,’ is encouraging holiday home owners to ‘check in’ on their small print to ensure it’s […]
The death of any child is always extremely tragic, and the case of a six-year-old who lost his life in a house fire last year has again highlighted the fatal consequences fire can have once it takes hold of a property. Riley Jake Jackson from Derbyshire died from “fire-related burns and carbon monoxide toxicity” after […]
As holiday home insurance specialists we understand the industry and know the insurance needs and demands of letting a holiday property; that’s what comes with using a specialist. Please take a minute to read Holiday Homes – Getting your Buildings Insurance Right and give us a call if you have any questions. We’re here to give […]
As a holiday home owner there’s so much to think about; from guest safety to website photography and Facebook posts to the internal fixtures and fittings. Or even who’s doing the changeovers and mowing the lawns before those guests roll up the driveway. The good news is that we’re here to help. We talk with […]
When it was founded in 2008, very few people could have envisaged how quickly and large Airbnb would grow. It is now home to 31 offices across the world. Airbnb has welcomed more than 400 million guests since its launch and has listings in a staggering 161 countries. With growth can often come problems, the […]
Five years ago, we posed the following question. Whether getting the best terms on the tax you pay on your holiday letting income sounded like an attractive proposition? Our question was related to the launch of a new campaign by the Government, aptly called the Let Property Campaign. You can see the original post here: The […]
Owners of rural holiday cottages should be careful not to fall foul of new septic tank regulations When 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 […]
The government has recently announced (on 29th January 2019) that they intend to introduce new mandatory five-year electrical safety checks for privately rented homes throughout the UK. This move will require new electrical safety legislation to be drawn up. It comes after years of campaigning by consumer and safety groups following a number of tragic […]
Are 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 […]
Social media has changed the way in which many of us find and book our holidays; more and more potential paying guests are now finding their holiday home accommodation provider through platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, where once upon a time they’d be at the local travel agent or reading about them in […]
With longer evenings and the busy peak season fast approaching can there be anything better than the thought of relaxing in a hot tub, taking in the fresh air and watching the sunset over a beautiful coast or countryside view? Holiday homes with a hot tub are proven to secure more bookings. However they do […]
Over the past decade the nation’s views toward smoking have changed immeasurably; the introduction of legislation in 2007 prohibiting smoking from enclosed public spaces such as offices, pubs, restaurants and transport stations has contributed to a drop of 1.9 million smokers in the UK and smoking rates being at their lowest since records began. However, […]
Did 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 […]
If you’ve ever had a water leak in your own home, you’ll know that small problems can quickly escalate when it comes to water damage. It’s therefore little surprise that `escape of water’ causes approximately £1.8 million of water damage to UK properties every day*. That’s a staggering £20.83 every second! They also account for […]
Although 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 […]
Early autumn is often the first opportunity holiday homeowners get to take stock and review their performance from a frantic summer. For many, the feeling has been that it’s been a good one; a heatwave which at one point showed no signs of ever ending meant that it was not only one of the hottest […]
Styling a property and making it your home is something that’s completely reliant on your own taste and personality; you’ll ultimately fill it with items that match your own style expectations and that represent you, your family and the ones you love. But when it comes to styling a coastal holiday let to be occupied by […]
The saying goes that a dog is a man’s best friend. In modern Britain they’re certainly part of the family with almost one in three households having a four legged friend. With so many of us owning a dog you’ll not be surprised to hear that around 40% of guests are seeking pet-friendly holiday home […]
Reported cases of carbon monoxide poisoning, often dubbed the ‘silent killer’, have increased significantly in the past twelve months. As reported in the press around 1,800 properties have been affected in the past year across Devon and Cornwall. This represents an increase of 134% year on year. So what exactly is carbon monoxide and where […]
The 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 […]
The 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. […]
Why consider thumbturn locks for your holiday home exit doors? Have you had that frustrating moment when you get to the door and can’t find your keys to get out? It can be annoying for a few minutes whilst you locate them. However imagine if this were to happen in the case of an emergency […]
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 […]
The security of the internet and the information we share on it is becoming a concern for all of us. Whilst the ransomware attack on the NHS back in May 2018 was an extreme example, any business or holiday cottage website can fall victim to hacking. There were no fewer than 5.6 million fraud and […]
Many of you will have by now heard of GDPR (the General Data Protection Regulation). However there still remains a degree of confusion around what holiday homeowners need to do in order to comply. The new legislation on how we all handle data comes into force on 25th May 2018. So what is changing and […]
Although thoughts are now very much geared toward the summer season the UK tourism industry has had some good news. VisitBritain’s statistics suggests last December was one of the best on record for the UK tourism accommodation industry. An extra 400,000 people enjoyed a stay with a UK accommodation provider when compared with the year […]