Posted on 11/03/10, filed under Latest News | No Comments
Today (11th March), Google has rolled out its Street View technology featuring 360-degree images of more than 99 per cent of the United Kingdom’s roads – from the Shetlands to Penzance.
No doubt may of you will have seen the Google camera cars and tricycles surveying the country, but how popular is street view?
The telegraph reports that…
a survey commissioned by Google from polling company YouGov indicated that Streetview’s launch has coincided with a 30 per cent increase in people using the website’s mapping technology.
Six out of ten of those users had consulted Streetview to find out what a place they were going looked like, while one-third had used it to look at locations abroad and 21 per cent had used it to help while house hunting.
Not only can Google Street View be used to check out holiday homes for sale, but more importantly, holiday cottage owners can utilise the technology by allowing potential guests view their holiday cottage and its surroundings – remotely.
However, it should be noted that it’s advisable that your actual holiday home address is not disclosed openly. It should only be disclosed to potential holidaymakers who you have had some contact with, and trust.
Why? There is the obvious risk that burglars could use street view to check the security of your property, view images of your cottage valuables (from your website or advertisement) and check your availability calendar to see when its vacant.
It should be noted that Google allows users to request that their property be removed from the service.
How to use Google Street View
Visit Google maps, enter a location or postcode, zoom in and if images are available the man marker is yellow, not grey. Simply drag it onto the map where streets are highlighted blue to see street view.
Use the technology to promote your cottage, but don’t ignore the security implications.
An image of Windermere using Google Street View.
Posted on 10/03/10, filed under Overseas | No Comments
Following the recent storm Xynthia which caused damage estimated at €1bn in France, holiday home owners in the areas recognised as natural disaster zones have been given an extension to submit insurance claims with their French insurer. The deadline is March 31.
In France, normally a five-day limit applies to general storm damage claims – extended to 10 days to declare flood damage to the insurer if the government decrees a state of catastrophe naturelle (natural disaster).
When choosing holiday home insurance in France, owners are often confused whether they should insure with a French based company, or a UK based French insurer.
Stringent claims timescales for submitting claims to French insurers are yet another… read the rest of “French home insurance claims for storm damage” >>
Posted on 05/03/10, filed under Latest News | No Comments
Ownership of a holiday home by the sea or holiday cottage in the country is at an all time high according to research from Knight Frank.
There are now 245,384 registered second homes in the UK. 6212 more second homes were bought last year, an increase of 2.6 per cent on 2008 when the recession and credit crunch saw growth falter.
Why the growth? The number of second homes has reached a record high due to a combination of renewed confidence in the economy, low-cost borrowing, weak returns on cash investments and a weak pound – which makes buying a property in the UK a more attractive option than Europe.
Where are the UK second home hotspots?
Posted on 01/03/10, filed under Overseas | No Comments
Overseas holiday home owners are urged to check their properties for storm or flood damage following the violent storm “Xynthia” which battered France, Spain and Portugal yesterday – leaving 51 people dead.
The bulk of the casualties and damage was in France, hitting the Vendee and Charente-Maritime regions in southwestern France the hardest.
Fierce rain and 150mph winds caused rivers to burst their banks and sea walls to collapse, flooding properties and leaving up to a million homes without power. The deadliest storm in a decade.
Prime Minister François Fillon has declared a state of catastrophe naturelle and a ministerial decree to this effect should be published within 48 hours.
Claims experts at Schofields holiday homes… read the rest of “Storms batter holiday homes in Europe” >>
Posted on 26/02/10, filed under Holiday Letting | No Comments
There is always lots of publicity about holiday rental scams and problems from a holidaymaker’s point of view. But what about the property owner?
One thing is for sure – holiday home owners take a huge risk every time they let their homes to a ‘stranger’. With a constant turnover of holidaymakers staying at holiday homes, owners have a continuous fear that guests will cause damage.
How can owners protect against damage from holidaymakers? Security or damage deposits are one way, however there are often challenges when proving who is responsible and what happens when the damage is extensive?
For complete peace of mind property owners need holiday let insurance, which includes damage by guests… read the rest of “Holiday let insurance to cover damage by guests” >>
Posted on 23/02/10, filed under Overseas | No Comments
Following the devastating mudslides and floods that swept the Portuguese holiday island of Madeira, holiday home owners are urged to check their property insurance abroad covers flood and storm damage.
Winds in excess of 70mph, hours of torrential rain, streams of water and mud swept through the capital Funchal, destroying homes, cars and felling trees. Adverse weather has also battered other parts of Europe this winter, with parts of Spain and France also being flooded.
Many owners of overseas property who lock up and leave their homes over winter are often unaware of the extent of the extreme weather that pounds properties in Europe, as they only visit when the sun is shining.
Although these owners… read the rest of “Flood & storm insurance for property abroad” >>
Posted on 19/02/10, filed under Latest News | No Comments
Its time once again for our holiday home news round up, here’s what’s been happening: 16,000 burst pipe claims this winter, 10 property improvement mistakes, which are the most expensive ski resorts, beware of this property rental scam and some useful holiday rental statistics.
Claims flood in for insurers – business.scotsman.com
It’s been a bad winter for insurers. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) estimates claims caused by November’s flooding in Cumbria will reach £206 million.
In addition to the floods, the UK insurance industry has received almost 16,000 home insurance claims relating to water damage caused by the coldest winter in decades. Sainsbury’s Finance estimate that claims were worth £35 million… read the rest of “Recap of holiday home news: 19 February 2010” >>
