A Guide To Holiday Letting Your Cotswolds Property

If you are looking to invest in property as a holiday let, our guide to holiday letting your Cotswolds property can help you maximise your profits and minimise the hassle.

Whilst the thought of letting out your home may initially appear daunting, here at Manor Cottages we will make it simple and enjoyable for you. Our job is to advise you on the things you are unsure about and to make sure that you get the financial returns you are seeking.

A guide to holiday letting your Cotswolds property

At Manor Cottages we are very experienced in acquiring, establishing and operating holiday homes. We are often asked about some of the key practicalities of the process.

Marketing my Cotswolds property

The benefits of appointing a holiday let agency like Manor Cottages means the marketing of your property is all taken care of.

At Manor, we have a designated marketing team that feeds into our parent company. We have the latest tech and know-how within our team to market your property to its full potential.

Should I manage the guest enquiries and bookings myself?

Our systems are set up to maximise your property’s exposure. We work with sister booking companies like booking.com (amongst others) to fill in empty occupancy and get you bookings.

We have a unique pricing structure that’s market leading. You can be sure having us do this for you will save you time, admin and give you ultimate flexibility to enjoy the rewards of having a second home.

Housekeeping and maintenance of my Cotswold property

Managing the housekeeping and maintenance is a huge task for any property, especially a holiday let. You’ll likely have a mix of short breaks and long stays so you should factor in this and how it will fit in with your lifestyle. Having a holiday letting agency like Manor manage this for you ensures less stress for you.

Our team of property managers and housekeepers have a high level of standard for our properties to abide to. You can rest assured that each check-in this is all taken care of resulting in excellent guest feedback.

Furnishing your Cotswolds Property

When holiday letting a property it’s important to assess the property as an individual. It’s lovely to have statement pieces of furniture or artwork but consider the wear and tear of these.

Are you allowing children or pets to your property? As a standard it’s a great idea to provide a travel cot, high chair and a stairgate. For pets, a food bowl, pet towel, bed and also dog treats would be a nice touch.

Garden furniture is essential for outdoor spaces guests can use furthermore, if you have a bbq or firepit it can really enhance a guests’ stay.

What health and safety checks do I need to do?

If you are holiday letting your property you will need some compliance items. Firstly, you’ll need to supply:

• A gas safety certificate
• Fire safety assessment,
• Smoke alarms
• A carbon monoxide alarm
• Public liability insurance
• PAT certificate
• Electricity NICEIC certificate
• Energy performance certificate

There may be other items required depending on the property if it contains a swimming pool or open water for example.

Welcome Packs

Welcome packs are a lovely touch and a lasting first impression. You can also create a hamper or leave items on display for your guests.

Things like milk, biscuits, cake, tea bags, coffee and a loaf of bread are great things to include.

Similarly, it’s useful to include the Wi-Fi information, local attraction leaflets, transport timetables, leisure hire, taxi and emergency contacts for your guests.

How do I manage key holding and access to the property for guests?

Most people have a secure key safe located at the property and issue the code on the day of check-in. If your holiday property is nearby to your own home or on site, you might like to personally greet your guests.

If your property is fully managed by a holiday let agency like Manor Cottages, you can also opt for having the keys available for collection at the office. Equally, this does however, impose problems should your guests arrive outside of office hours.

Council Tax or Business Rates?

Planning on holiday letting your property for more than 20 weeks (140 days) or more in a calendar year? You will be valued for business rates as you’ll be classed as self-catering accommodation.

Find out how much council you will need to pay on a property in the Cotswolds, head to Gov UK.

Earning income as a guide to holiday letting your Cotswolds property

If you are the new owner of a holiday home, or have a second home that you want to let out to earn additional income, we can help you maximise your profits.

Contact Manor Cottages

Each holiday home and each owner is individual. We believe that there is no “one size fits all” solution.

In order to maximise your profits, we will work with you on a one-to-one basis.

Furthermore, we will carefully evaluate to ensure that your holiday home is a success.

Call us today on 01451 600 844 or complete our holiday letting form and our team will be in touch.

Please Note: The information contained in this article was accurate at the time of writing, based on our research. Rules, criteria and regulations change all the time, so please contact our prospective new owner team if you’d like to hear how. Nothing in this article constitutes the giving of financial, tax or legal advice to you; please consult your own professional advisor (accountant, lawyer etc). in this regard. If we have referred within the article to a third-party provider of unregulated holiday let mortgages, this is due to the fact that such mortgages aren’t currently regulated by the FCA. 

As a helpful reminder, your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage, so again anything you decide to do in this particular area this is one on which you should take your own professional advice on too, as we aren’t providing and can’t provide you with this.