Archive for Holiday Letting
Posted on 27/08/10, filed under Holiday Letting | No Comments
 The peak summer holiday rental season is nearly over and no doubt your holiday home has seen an influx of guests – some properties see as many as 30-40 different families throughout the year.
I often come across rental owners ‘ranting’ about guests who have stained towels, bedding or sun lounger cushions, left a mug ring on a coffee table or misplaced sun umbrellas.
Owners need to accept that holiday letting comes at a price – accidents happen. Occasional damage and wear and tear are part of the risks when holiday letting. On occasions, owners need to absorb these cost as ‘part of the territory’.
Don’t get me wrong, damage deposit deductions should be made when there has… read the rest of “Wear and tear at your holiday rental” >>
Posted on 04/08/10, filed under Holiday Letting | 1 Comment
Whether you are a holiday letting expert or a new to the market, the recession and a weak pound have resulted in a recent decline in family holidays abroad. Combined with increasing competition from owners renting in order to offset mortgage and maintenance costs – getting those bookings has never been so important.
However, it’s not easy to fill availability calendars. Holiday home owners often over-estimate the revenue they will get, and under-estimate the amount of work they have to do in order generate bookings.
 How to get more bookings at your holiday home
Now, there are some things that you just can’t do much about. If you own a property in a location nobody… read the rest of “How to rent your holiday home” >>
Posted on 30/07/10, filed under Holiday Letting | No Comments
The Government has just published a consultation paper on proposals to change the tax rules for furnished holiday lets so they meet EU legal requirements in a fiscally responsible way.
 The proposed changes to the special tax rules for furnished holiday lettings include;
- increasing the number of days for which a property must be available to let from 140 to 210 days each year;
- increasing the number of days for which a property is actually let to the public from 70 days to 105 days during a year;
- the proposals also restrict the use of loss relief from furnished holiday lettings so it can only be set against certain income
Posted on 08/07/10, filed under Holiday Letting | No Comments
July and August are always peak periods for holiday bookings as thousands book last minute summer getaways. Get Safe Online, a government-backed campaign developed in collaboration with ABTA and The Travel Association are warning holidaymakers about following some simple online fraud prevention measures as they search for holiday bargains.
 According to their research, one in three internet users fail to authenticate the travel provider they were booking a holiday with and one in five do not check the web page is secure when entering payment details.
Holiday rental frauds
Although relatively few and far between in comparison to the thousands of holidays booked direct with villa owners each year – holiday rental scams do exist… read the rest of “How to book your holiday securely online” >>
Posted on 03/06/10, filed under Holiday Letting | No Comments
Many of the most desirable country houses have appealing features – views, privacy, architecture and the setting. Some also have the facility to house guests somewhere outside of the main house in an annex or granny flat.
 Converting a coach house or outbuilding into a self contained annex can also be a wise investment, adding 10% to the value of a house. However problems can arise when annexes are holiday let to generate revenue.
Having a self-contained annexe or granny flat that’s holiday let, whether attached or in the grounds of your home can present problems when it comes to annex insurance or granny flat insurance.
It’s likely that once the insurer of your main residence… read the rest of “Insurance for a granny flat or annex” >>
Posted on 18/05/10, filed under Holiday Letting | No Comments
It appears that flights will continue to be disrupted throughout the summer due to the ash cloud – with flight delays and cancellations inevitable.
 This means that holiday let owners will need to keep track of guests flights in order to re-schedule dates, key collection details or further assist departing guests.
Having recently assisted a family member who was stranded abroad due to the ash cloud, these are the steps I used to keep updated on the status of a flight.
Ideally you will have a record of the guest’s flight number on your booking form to make this process easier.
- Check the airlines website to see if flights are disrupted or cancelled. Usually
Posted on 27/04/10, filed under Holiday Letting | No Comments
There were lots of holiday let owners who feared the worst last week when there was a very real possibility that holiday rental guests would cancel their holidays for the unseeable future, due to the volcano in Iceland.
If one thing can be learnt from the travel chaos, it’s that holiday rental owners need to protect their rental income from the unforeseen, to safeguard against cash flow being stemmed.
Thankfully, it is possible for holiday let owners to insure themselves against loss of rental income should the unexpected happen to a holiday home. Loss of rent insurance will compensate for rental income due, should the holiday let become uninhabitable following an insured event; such as a fire or… read the rest of “Loss of rent insurance for a holiday let” >>
Posted on 19/04/10, filed under Holiday Letting | 1 Comment
Due to the continued travel chaos following the volcano and all flights being cancelled at UK airports, thousands of holiday let owners are in a dilemma with regards to guests who can’t travel to the accommodation.
Should guests get a refund for the holiday home they booked, but can’t get to?
As with all cancellations, it’s a difficult situation for holiday rental owners to deal with. After all, it isn’t the guest’s fault they can’t fly – but neither is it the owners who will lose out financially if they refund.
So what are the options?
Do the guests have travel insurance? (you should advise guests take out travel insurance… read the rest of “Airport closures – should you give guests a refund?” >>
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 12/02/10, filed under Holiday Letting | No Comments
Following on from HomeAways “Hotel Hell Vacation” ad during the Super Bowl, which featured the Griswolds from the “National Lampoon’s Vacation” movies, and HomeAway’s plans to use them in their campaign – “rent a house for half the cost of a hotel”
 Would you rent your holiday home to the clumsy and accident prone Grizwolds – Clark, Ellen, Audrey, Rusty and cousin Eddie?
Our feedback from clients over the years is that many of you have rented to families just like the Griswolds.
Here are some of the outcomes from those rentals:
- Guests tripping down stairs, slipping by the pool and falling off bikes – all resulting in injuries
Posted on 14/01/10, filed under Holiday Letting | 1 Comment
Whether you already own holiday let or are thinking of investing a holiday home, most people have ongoing concerns about how to run a holiday let or what is the best way to get more bookings…
Thankfully, there are some excellent resources available that give advice on marketing, renting and maintaining a holiday let.
From downloadable rental agreements to inventory checklists and tips on taking photos – the advice is endless.
So get yourself a drink, a comfy chair and take a few hours to soak up all the advice from these resources.
Here are some of the best holiday letting advice sites:
Posted on 08/12/09, filed under Holiday Letting | No Comments
Recent reports speculate that Google will soon be rolling out its property search engine/portal in the UK, which could pose a serious threat to existing websites that advertise UK and overseas property. But will they add holiday homes to Google Maps?
How does Google property search work?
It is expected to be similar to the real estate service Google launched in Australia, which allows users to view real estate listings on Google Maps by selecting “Real Estate” from the “More” menu at the top right of a Google Map. Users can then refine their search using the options in the left hand panel and also view properties for rent.
Google Maps also recently added Place Pages for each listing. Clicking the “more info” link… read the rest of “Google property search: are holiday rentals next?” >>
Posted on 10/11/09, filed under Holiday Letting | 1 Comment
Holiday letting can be a great way to earn an income to support the expenses of owning a holiday home. However, there are several risks that holiday home owners take every time they let a ‘stranger’ stay in their homes.
Thankfully, a comprehensive holiday let insurance policy should cover these risks so owners don’t have to lose out financially. But be aware, some don’t, especially foreign policies. Ensure you are protected against these 5 holiday letting risks that could eliminate your holiday letting profits.
1) Damage by guests
 The constant turnover of holidaymakers staying at your holiday home means that wear and tear is to be expected. What will inevitably happen is that a… read the rest of “5 Insurance Risks When Holiday Letting” >>
Posted on 05/11/09, filed under Holiday Letting | 1 Comment
Each time a holiday cottage owner lets their home to guests, no doubt a sigh of relief is expressed when holidaymakers depart, the holiday home in inspected and there is no sign of damage. However, the risks that property owners take when they holiday let to ‘strangers’, recently came to light when a holidaymaker emptied a holiday cottage.
 The holidaymaker deliberately scammed the holiday let owner, as they booked with a stolen credit card under a false name (worryingly via a holiday cottage letting agency). Once the fraudster had the keys to the cottage, they emptied it of valuables.
Are you covered for theft by guests?
Although this type of fraud is rare, it highlights… read the rest of “Holiday Cottage Emptied by Guests” >>
Posted on 23/10/09, filed under Holiday Letting | No Comments
I’m not sure how long this has been happening or if it’s new, but when I did a search on yahoo.co.uk for villa in spain there was the option to just show results from selected holiday rental websites.
If you look at the screen shot below you can see at the left, options to:
- show all – which is show the default standard yahoo results
- or click on either;
www.holidaylettings.co.uk
www.ownersdirect.co.uk
www.holiday-rentals.co.uk
When you do this, yahoo just shows results from the selected holiday rental website for the search terms.
When I searched for other terms, such as “apartments in spain” the option to narrow the search… read the rest of “Yahoo Featuring Holiday Rental Websites” >>
Posted on 06/10/09, filed under Holiday Letting | No Comments
Breaching occupancy limits is a situation that many holiday cottage owners will be familiar with. But it’s a difficult scenario to deal with, especially when children are involved. Should you terminate the booking or turn a blind eye?
 As reported by the times, a family booked a holiday cottage through an agency, and on the first night they had a guest and her baby to stay. As it was just for one night and there was a spare bedroom, they did not think that it would be an issue.
Unfortunately, this breached the occupancy limit as the property only had beds for five people, but there were now three adults, one child and two infants –… read the rest of “Breaching Holiday Cottage Occupancy Limits ” >>
Posted on 10/09/09, filed under Holiday Letting | 2 Comments
It’s every holiday let owner’s worst nightmare. You get the dreaded phone call that there has been a break at your holiday rental and some of the guest’s valuables have been stolen. (Note: if the guests have travel insurance, this should cover any personal items stolen: passports, money, credit cards, jewellery etc.)
After you help the guests report the theft to the police, get replacement passports etc. the holidaymakers decide to checkout because they feel unsafe staying in your holiday home.
Then they drop the bombshell, they expect you to refund their money so they can pay for a local hotel. Should you provide a refund, how much, or can you claim on your holiday let insurance?… read the rest of “What To Do When Guests Want A Refund” >>
Posted on 27/07/09, filed under Holiday Letting | 2 Comments
Do you provide a standalone holiday let public liability insurance policy to protect us if a guest has an accident in our holiday home?
This is a question we are often asked and the answer is no, we do not provide a standalone public liability insurance policy. However, public liability insurance is included in our policy, as standard, when you insure either buildings or contents. In fact, I don’t think there are any insures who do a standalone policy.
It is likely that anyone looking for a standalone policy because their current insurer doesn’t provide liability cover for holiday letting, could be putting themselves at risk of not being adequately insured – as there are other insurance implications to… read the rest of “Public Liability Insurance For Holiday Lets” >>
Posted on 14/07/09, filed under Holiday Letting | 6 Comments
 Following the recent holiday rental scams that were exposed and reported by the times, it is important to show caution when booking holiday villas and apartments.
As documented by the scams, holidaymakers are vulnerable when booking holiday lets online, especially when looking for bargains and last-minute deals. Even booking through one of the leading holiday rental and letting websites can offer little protection.
To avoid being scammed by bogus holiday rentals, follow these steps to check if an apartment or villa is genuine before booking.
Holiday rental scams – how to check if an apartment or villa is genuine
- If booking through a rental listing site, such as holiday-rentals.co.uk, holidaylettings.co.uk or ownersdirect.co.uk
Posted on 01/07/09, filed under Holiday Letting | 5 Comments
The times is reporting that up to 100 families have lost an average of £3,000 after booking fake Spanish holiday villas through the website morairaway.com, which has now gone offline and whose owners are unreachable. There are concerns that exposure of this alleged rental scam will affect confidence in the holiday letting market at a time when tourist numbers are falling, or worse still, fraudsters will setup copycat holiday rental scams.
How did this happen?
 It appears that morairaway.com placed villa adverts on leading holiday letting sites, including holidaylettings.co.uk and holiday-rentals.co.uk. These lettings sites refer enquiries to holiday home owners and agents who advertise on the sites. They do not take… read the rest of “Holiday Rental Scam Shocks Letting Industry” >>
Posted on 09/06/09, filed under Holiday Letting | 1 Comment
Targeting niche markets to get bookings at your holiday cottage can help fill those empty weeks. Marketing your property as a dog friendly holiday cottage is one way to attract bookings, so pet lovers don’t have to leave their dogs in expensive boarding kennels. The dogs can enjoy the country walks along with their owners.
Our holiday cottage insurance covers damage by domestic pets, but be aware, most contents policies don’t. So before a boisterous pooch or feline tears your settee, chews your dining table or leaves their mark by urinating throughout your holiday cottage – check the terms of your policy to see if damage by pets is excluded.
Our experience is that most guests who take their dogs to cottages that accept pets don’t cause damage… read the rest of “Damage By Pets” >>
Posted on 02/06/09, filed under Holiday Letting | No Comments
Providing extras for guests at your holiday let can be a great way to secure bookings and stand out from the competition. Supplying bicycles for guests to use is one such way, as cycling to the local bakery in the morning for some fresh bread is all part of the perfect holiday experience for many.
After all, why shouldn’t you let guests use your bikes when you are not there? Because there is the risk that holiday let insurance may not cover the use of bicycles away from the insured premises.
With some insurance policies, the use of bicycles at the insured holiday home may be covered under the contents section of a policy, for theft and third party… read the rest of “Letting Guests Use Bicycles” >>
Posted on 18/05/09, filed under Holiday Letting | 3 Comments
Owners of holiday rentals and gites in France who are insured via French insurers take note, you could be uninsured for liability claims against you and damage by guests when renting.
This is a common enquiry we get…
The French owner of a holiday home we are renting requires proof of liability insurance (assurance responsibilite civile) – what is this?
We are renting a holiday home in France for a family holiday in the summer and the property owner has informed us that we are responsible for accidental damage caused by fire, flood etc. He has asked us to provide evidence of liability insurance before we can access the property. As he is the owner
|
