Holiday let tax change is abandoned

Good news for UK holiday let owners as the tax break, which Labour had planned to revoke, has been reprieved in a pre-election deal with the Tories.

According to the telegraph
The proposed new tax is one of three that Labour has been forced to abandon following negotiations to fast-track the Finance Act – which introduces the laws necessary to enact the budget – through Parliament ahead of the general election. The Conservatives refused to sanction the fast-tracking of the legislation unless the three tax changes were dropped.
It is estimated that removing the tax relief would have cost holiday home owners an average of £4,000 a year and affected more than 120,000 self-catering holiday businesses.

Currently, holiday let owners are allowed to… read the rest of “Holiday let tax change is abandoned” >>

What insurance do you need for a UK holiday?

The recent BA and planned train strikes (which were due to take place over the Easter weekend but could still happen in the future), highlighted the need to take out UK holiday cancellation insurance which covers cancellation of rail and aircraft journeys due to industrial action.

Due to the fact that cancellation and curtailment (cutting a holiday short) being the most common claims made on UK holidays – holidaymakers are urged not to overlook cancellation cover when taking a holiday in the UK.

What does holiday cancellation insurance cover?

Cancellation and curtailment cover typically enables customers to claim refunds on their holiday accommodation charges and associated costs should they have to cancel due… read the rest of “What insurance do you need for a UK holiday?” >>

What does holiday home contents insurance cover?

Whether you take out holiday home contents insurance is an entirely personal choice. However, not insuring your contents could well be a false economy. In the event of a major disaster, such as your home being flooded, would you be able to pay to replace your contents?

In order to appreciate what should be covered by second home contents insurance, you must understand what is meant by the contents of your home.

What are contents? It is probably best to think of contents as being everything you would take with you if you moved house. This typically includes furniture, household goods, electrical equipment, curtains, plus items kept in the garden, garage or outbuildings.

The industry… read the rest of “What does holiday home contents insurance cover?” >>

What does holiday home buildings insurance cover?

Insurance explained – is it ‘buildings’ or ‘contents’?

It’s important that property owners understand what holiday home buildings insurance actually covers, as many are confused as to what items are buildings and what are contents. This confusion can lead to claims disputes and holiday homes being underinsured.

If you have a mortgage on your property, the lender will insist you take out buildings insurance. Otherwise, buildings insurance is not compulsory, but it’s a huge risk to be uninsured.

Buildings insurance covers the structure of the building (walls, windows, roof) plus permanent ‘fixtures and fittings’ such as bathroom suites, toilets, fitted kitchens/wardrobes. The definition of buildings usually includes domestic outbuildings, garages, fixed fuel… read the rest of “What does holiday home buildings insurance cover?” >>

Does insurance cover burst pipe repairs?

Due to the fact that one of the main causes of damage in holiday homes is from the escape of water, we get lots of calls from holiday home owners asking if the cost of repairing a leaking pipe is covered under their holiday home policy.

It’s important to point out that insurance for holiday homes is not a maintenance contract and will not pay for damage caused by wear and tear or any other gradually operating cause.

Although we cover water damage from the “escape of water” – fixing a leaking pipe that has deteriorated through wear and tear is a maintenance issue and isn’t covered. This rule applies to most home insurance policies.

However, we… read the rest of “Does insurance cover burst pipe repairs?” >>

Recap of holiday home news: 17 March 2010

It’s time once again for our holiday home news round up, here’s what’s been happening: Holiday let crackdown in Paris, holiday home plunges 30ft down cliff, Conservatives would restore tax breaks for holiday lets, avoid title disputes abroad and BA strike advice.

Holiday let crackdown in Paris

Looking to buy a holiday let in Paris or already own one?

Be aware that Parisian authorities are cracking down on people who rent out second homes without official permission.

Owners of holiday homes in Paris must obtain permission if they wish to let them for periods of less than a year, even if only for… read the rest of “Recap of holiday home news: 17 March 2010” >>

View holiday cottages on Google Street View

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… read the rest of “View holiday cottages on Google Street View” >>