Staycation BOOM Holiday let
Marketing No Comments

Holiday let owners made a third more money last year than in 2019

Holiday let owners are making third more money in 2021 than they did in 2019, as the popularity of staycations continues.

The average annual income generated by a holiday home in 2021 was nearly £28,000 – up 33 per cent on 2019, according to data from rental agency Sykes Cottages.

This was due in part to a 35 per cent increase in occupancy rates, it said, with homes in the Lake District having the highest occupancy at 80 per cent.

It also found that Dorset, the Cotswolds, and the Peak District were the top three earning locations for owners in 2021, while Devon and Somerset rounded out the top five.

Based on the average income figures for a four-bedroom holiday let, those in Dorset earn their owners nearly £36,000 per year.

Meanwhile, four-bed properties in the Cotswolds and the Peak District generate just over £35,000 and almost £34,000 respectively.

The income uplift came as many shunned foreign holidays due to travel restrictions and ongoing uncertainty.

In terms of occupancy rates, the Lake District was closely followed by Northumberland, the Peak District, Southern Scotland and the North York Moors.

Contact us today to speak with a specialist Holiday Let Broker to discuss how we can assist you

In all of these locations, holiday homes were rented out for more than 78 per cent of days in the year.

Bev Dumbleton, chief operating officer at Sykes Holiday Cottages, said: ‘2021 was certainly the year of the staycation, as we saw the strong demand for UK-based accommodation culminate in record occupancy rates and a significant boost in average yearly income.

‘With the interest in holidays closer to home likely to remain a fixture for years to come, those considering investing in a holiday home in 2022 could see great success – particularly if they choose a location which has proven fruitful for those already in the market this year.’

How to make your holiday home more profitable

Sykes Cottages has put together five tips to help holiday let owners make their home more profitable.

1) Shorter breaks: Could lead to a 58 per cent increase in revenue

Enabling travellers to book shorter stays of two to four days at properties will open up the calendar to a lot more bookings.

Sykes has found that holiday homeowners who opt to do this can expect to make 58 per cent more per year than those who don’t.

Offering shorter breaks attracts guests who might only want to book a couple of days off during the working week, such as groups of friends, students or couples, as well as those who prefer full weeks. By doing this, owners are ensuring the property is less likely to have any weeks where it is empty and not making money.

2) Dress up your garden: Up to 15 per cent increase in revenue

After 18 months of on-and-off restrictions forcing people to stay inside, it’s little surprise that holiday homes with gardens earn 15 per cent more than those without.

Cty dwellers, families and holidaymakers with pets are particularly likely to look out for homes with outdoor space – especially if they’re looking to visit during the summer months.

To make sure a garden is holidaymaker- ready, homeowners might even consider investing in professional help to keep it looking its best all year round.

3) Give guests the option to get cosy: Up to 21 per cent increase in revenue

During the colder months, there’s nothing better than warming up by a fire after a winter walk.

This rings true with UK travellers, as Sykes has seen properties with an open fire or log burner earn 21 per cent more than those without.

With a working fireplace now a rarity in many homes across the country, ensuring a holiday let has a log burner not only gives guests somewhere to dry off after a day of exploring, but it can also help to create a welcoming atmosphere.

4) Consider installing some luxuries: Up to 66 per cent increase in revenue

Depending on the holiday home’s size, installing luxuries such as a hot tub, sauna, pool table or games room could help to draw all types of guests year-round.

Especially with the weather being so unreliable, holidaymakers are often looking for alternatives to fill their time if they’re unlucky enough to experience rain throughout their staycation.

While providing these extras can be costly, Sykes has seen holiday let owners reap the rewards and earn up to 66 per cent more for a hot tub, 33 per cent more with a pool table and 61 per cent more with a sauna.

5) Make sure your location works: Up to 21 per cent increase in revenue

For those who have not yet invested in a holiday home, they must ensure they research a potential property’s location as this is key to securing a good number of bookings throughout the year.

Sykes has found that properties in towns earn 21 per cent more than those in cities and 9 per cent more than those in smaller settlements – suggesting that staycationers like a location that offers them some level of remoteness, but still somewhere with lots to see and do.

Homeowners might also consider somewhere near the coast or one of the UK’s national parks, with many holidaymakers keen to take on walking trails and enjoy picturesque scenery.

By GRACE GAUSDEN

Source: This is Money

Discover our Holiday Let Mortgage Broker services.

short-term lets holiday cottages Holiday Let Mortgage UK UK holiday homeowners Holiday lets Staycations staycation boom
Marketing No Comments

Staycation bookings surge as holidaymakers choose more sustainable options

Research from Sykes Holiday Cottages found that one in five are now more likely to consider a staycation because of concerns for the environment.

UK holidays have grown in popularity since travel restrictions were eased as bookings for next year are already surging ahead.

While the trend has obviously been fuelled by the pandemic, it’s also because many holidays want a more sustainable travel experience.

Research from Sykes Holiday Cottages found that one in five (19%) UK adults are now more likely to consider a staycation because of their concerns for the environment.

Removing the need to fly abroad and with so many eco-friendly accommodation options available, it’s easy to see why people are opting to stay closer to home for a more sustainable break.

Contact us today to speak with a specialist Holiday Let Broker to discuss how we can assist you

To help continue to drive for more eco-friendly breaks, Sykes Holiday Cottages has partnered with National Parks to share some top tips on responsible travel:

Location, location, location

When choosing a location for a UK break, take into consideration how to minimise impact on the environment.

Travelling by train or another form of public transport is going to be much better for the environment, and also takes away the worry and stress of driving to a new location. Instead, you can grab your favourite snacks, sit back, and catch up with your friends or family on route to your destination.

Not taking a car also means you can explore the area surrounding your holiday home on foot or by bike, which is often easier.

Choose accommodation wisely

From shepherd’s huts to eco-friendly cottages, there has never been a wider range of sustainable accommodation options.

Sykes Holiday Cottages has a number of properties with strong eco-credentials, including several with electric car charging points, solar panels, eco-friendly hot water systems or even air source heat pumps which use electricity rather than fuel to keep guests warm during the winter.

Any booking also helps support the vital work of National Parks in looking after amazing landscapes across the UK.

Discover our Holiday Let Mortgage Broker services.

Plan a green itinerary

Once you’ve decided on a location and property for your staycation, planning your activities and meals out is usually the next step – and it is easy to choose green options.

From restaurants that source produce and ingredients locally, to factoring a beach clean-up into your plans, a quick bit of research could help find sustainable places and events to fill a holiday itinerary.

There are also numerous volunteering opportunities at National Park locations across the UK from habitat management, path maintenance and construction, participating in this while staycationing can be a great way to unwind and see more of the local wildlife and scenery.

Try to buy local

Check out the local farmer’s markets and cafes that are based in your holiday location.

Supporting these rural businesses enables them to continue to farm using sustainable methods and buying your necessities nearby can reduce your carbon footprint. It also means you can give back to local tourism communities that might have faced challenges of their own in the past 18 months.

Make small changes to help the planet

Although they might feel small, there are several little changes you could make to your trip that will all add up.

For example, packing a reusable coffee cup, water bottle, food containers and shopping bags can be a time saver and help you to become a more sustainable traveller.

Keeping the lights off in rooms you’re not using at your holiday let or hotel and turning off the resident kitchen appliances will reduce the amount of energy you expend while on a trip.

By Brett Gibbons

Source: Wales Online

short-term lets holiday cottages Holiday Let Mortgage UK UK holiday homeowners Holiday lets Staycations staycation boom
Marketing No Comments

Holiday homes are a better investment than normal buy-to-lets, say experts

Agents set to benefit as staycation demand continues and tax breaks make holiday lets ‘a nice little earner’ as an alternative buy-to-let model.

With the staycation market likely to continue, holiday homes represent a good investment opportunity, according specialist marketers Fabrik Invest.

Pandemic-related travel restrictions have been driving a staycation boom in the UK, as families turn to lodges, holiday lets, caravans and campsites to enjoy their downtime this summer.

Researcher at Mintel estimates holidaymakers’ collective spend over the summer will total £7.1bn – 22% more than during the same period in 2019, before Covid.

But what will happen once international travel opens up again? Is the staycation market really here to stay? According to the team at Fabrik Invest, it most certainly is.

Contact us today to speak with a specialist Holiday Let Broker to discuss how we can assist you

STAYCATION BOOM

“The longer-term nature of travel restrictions means a staycation boom not just for this summer but in all likelihood for next year too, and potentially the year after,” said Dale Anderson, managing director of Fabrik Invest, which works with select holiday park developments.

“Even once restrictions are lifted, we anticipate that many families will still feel reluctant to fly and so will look to take breaks in the UK instead.

“Add to that those who choose not to fly for environmental reasons and those who can’t or won’t have the Covid-19 vaccine, and so probably won’t be able to fly, and the long-term prospects of the holiday let market here in the UK look very healthy indeed.”

ANOTHER INCOME STREAM

Holiday park homes offer another potential income stream for agents, particularly with residential property in short supply.

Anderson points out that holiday chalets offer much better tax breaks to owners than conventional buy-to-let properties, and don’t usually incur stamp duty.

Discover our Holiday Let Mortgage Broker services.

He also believes that with the new trend of working from home likely to stay, at least in part, there will be increasing corporate use of holiday parks for team-building exercises.

“There’s an exciting long-term future ahead for UK holiday lets,” he added.

“The current staycation boom has served to focus attention on this type of investment and its advantages. Over the longer-term, holiday lets provide one of the highest-yielding types of property investment.”

POTENTIAL YIELDS

For investors currently looking at the holiday lets market for the first time, the Fabrik Invest team advises opting for a property that uses pre-pandemic occupancy levels in its forecasting. This should provide a realistic long-term view of potential yields.

Finding an investment that has a reputable management company in place is also important for those looking for a well-managed, hands-off investment.

The latest development being marketed by Fabrik Invest, The Hideaway by Liv Lodges, is set in the Lincolnshire countryside, on the doorstep of the spa and golf facilities at Woodhall Spa.

The luxury lodges come complete with their own outdoor space with hot-tub, while The Hideaway is also home to an on-site gym, games room, children’s play area, Xbox and PlayStation room, farm shop, café, restaurant and bar.

By Richard Reed

Source: The Negotiator

Staycation Holiday Let Market News Cornwall
Marketing No Comments

Surge in Britons booking ahead for UK holidays in 2022

It is a conundrum that British tourist boards have struggled for decades to solve: how do you persuade holidaymakers to swap sangria in Spain for Blackpool rock?

This year, record numbers of Britons opted for domestic holidays amid pandemic-induced clampdowns on foreign travel. Now, despite this August’s temperamental weather, many appear to be planning a holiday in the UK again next summer.

Accommodation providers report that bookings for next year are already pouring in, with the usual suspects – Cornwall, Devon and Norfolk – particularly popular. There is also a noticeable increase in demand for destinations in Cumbria, the Peak District and Pembrokeshire.

Contact us today to speak with a specialist Holiday Let Broker to discuss how we can assist you

Host Unusual, a website offering more esoteric domestic holiday locations, has registered a strong level of demand for 2022. Properties in popular areas including treehouses and windmill conversions – as well as the more usual accommodation near beaches – have already been booked for next year’s peak summer dates.

The site’s co-founder Alex Wilson said many people have adapted their booking behaviour because they realise they need to reserve earlier to get the most sought-after accommodation, especially in the case of single-unit properties.

With searches for 2022 up 74% compared with this time last year, he suspected that “a year ago the emphasis was trying to find a much-needed last minute post-lockdown break, whereas this year it’s all about getting booked in early to avoid disappointment”.

Steve Jarvis, the co-owner of Independent Cottages, which takes bookings for self-catering holiday cottages across Britain, also suspected the “last-minute mindset” had caught a lot of people out this summer. He put this down partly to 2020 bookings being moved to 2021 because of Covid, but also a fourfold rise in the level of booking inquiries for this summer very early in the year.

Whereas more people left it late to book a summer cottage holiday before the pandemic, booking ahead looks set to continue into summer 2022 as 25% of inquiries are for next year, Jarvis added – their website this month registered twice as many booking inquiries for 2022 compared with 2019.

Discover our Holiday Let Mortgage Broker services.

“Traditionally, August is always a busy month for us with holidaymakers searching for last-minute breaks, but as availability is so scarce, the people who traditionally wait and book last minute have missed out,” he said.

There is also early demand for camping and glamping holidays, which also tend to be booked later. The glamping collective Canopy and Stars said forward bookings for 2022 were up four-fold on the same period in 2019, with many of their most popular spaces already booked up during peak 2022 dates.

Dan Yates, the founder of Pitchup.com, said that while the vast majority of its bookings over the last week were arrivals for the rest of 2021, it had already taken thousands of bookings for UK destinations for 2022, with 90% for bring-your-own accommodation including tents, touring caravans and motorhomes.

Although he expects the last-minute trend to continue to dominate, Yates feels confident of many repeat customers booking for next year after the success of pop-up campsites this summer. “Huge numbers of Brits have taken their first-ever camping, caravan or glamping holiday over the last year and were delighted by what they found,” he said.

The self-catering provider Under the Thatch, which mostly has holiday homes in Wales, also said its “premium properties” were booking up well for peak summer season next year, typically with repeat customers. Its director, Greg Stevenson, said: “People have rediscovered just how wonderful Britain and Ireland really are, and they’ll be back. I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard people say they wished they’d come to Wales sooner.”

By Lucy Campbell

Source: The Guardian

second homes staycation destinations
Marketing No Comments

Lancashire town named one of most popular places for second homes in UK

Blackpool has been named amongst the most popular towns where people want to have a second-home in the UK.

According to research, carried out by Lakeshore Leisure Group, Blackpool is the thirteenth most desirable town for a second home in the country.

The study analysed the Google search history of over 100 UK cities since the beginning of the first national Covid lockdown, to find which coastal and rural locations were being searched for the most in relation to second-homes and holiday homes.

There was almost 6,790 Google searches made by the UK’s city dwellers for ‘Blackpool second homes’ since lockdown began.

Contact us today to speak with a specialist Holiday Let Broker to discuss how we can assist you

Overall, the research found that people are most interested in second home properties located in Salcombe, Falmouth and North Berwick.

Almost 20,000 searches were made on Google in relation to Salcombe properties.

A spokesperson for Lakeshore Leisure Group, said: “The combination of Brexit and the Covid pandemic has prompted city dwellers to find a way to regularly escape their urban homes and guarantee a much-needed holiday escape whilst international leisure travel remains so uncertain.

“The huge increase in interest for a semi-permanent rural escape since the start of Covid is easily evidenced in people’s online behaviour; Google Trends shows an all-time high for ‘second home’ searches in July 2020 which have remained high into 2021, and rising property prices in the South West and other rural towns and villages across the UK prove the interest is turning into serious demand.”

By Chantelle Heeds

Source: Lancs Live

Discover our Holiday Let Mortgage Broker services.

short-term lets holiday cottages Holiday Let Mortgage UK UK holiday homeowners Holiday lets Staycations staycation boom
Marketing No Comments

UK holiday homeowners could make ‘£3,000’ weekly if they pick the right property

UK HOLIDAY homeownership has shot up across the UK in the last year, with sales propelled by the popularity of domestic vacations are a result of coronavirus international travel restrictions. But how can those looking to buy be sure they’ve picked the right property?

According to Raoul Fraser, founder of UK holiday park provider Lovat Parks, those looking to purchase a staycation property “shouldn’t think of them as investments”. However, he does note that holiday homes in certain locations have the potential to help owners make money by renting them out.

In the last 18 months, Mr Fraser says some homeowners have managed to attract even more guests than normal, and earn enough money to help cover the costs of their staycation property.

He told Express.co.uk: “We’ve seen some customers rent their holiday homes for over 3000 pounds a week. We do not say that customers should think of these as investments, but if you think about that your payback can be up to five or six years.”

For Britons just dipping their toes into the world of holiday homeownership, however, the prospect of purchasing may seem daunting.

Luckily, Mr Fraser shared some of his top five tips to help homeowners pick the right staycation property.

Contact us today to speak with a specialist Holiday Let Broker to discuss how we can assist you

Research the holiday park you are purchasing a home within

Many holiday homes across the UK are housed on existing holiday parks, such as Lovat Parks.

Lovat Parks, for example, has eight holiday parks across the UK – seven of which offer the opportunity for people to purchase a holiday home within the park.

According to Mr Fraser, if Britons are hoping to buy a staycation property, it is vital they look into the park they are hoping to purchase from.

He explained: “I would always as the park operator if they are members of the two trade bodies, The British Holiday Park and Home Parks Association or the Caravan Council because they have rules and regulations that you have to abide by and I think that’s important.”

He continued: “We always say to customers, even if you don’t buy from us, when you’re thinking about it, buy from someone who is financially solvent.

“Buy from someone who treats their customers properly, because that is really important.

“Unfortunately, there are some operators like in any industry, who are often the customers.”

Mr Fraser also advises speaking to other customers on-site to find out what the holiday park is like to spend time on.

He said: “You want to go with a company whom you think does care about the experience and make sure you speak to customers on-site, so that you can hear of their experience and how it’s gone for them.”

Pick the right price point for your holiday home

The cost of holiday homes varies depending on the age, style, fixtures and fittings of the property.

As Mr Fraser points out, newer or custom-built properties can cost far more than a traditional caravan.

He said: “We have different price points on our park.

“You can buy a pre-loved caravan on our site in Kent for £30,000 pounds, or you can buy a new lodge in Cornwall or the New Forest for ten times that.

“We’d always say when thinking about buying a holiday home, make sure you can afford it, because every year, people have to pay site fees.

“That site fee is in return for maintaining the park, and that enables them to keep their caravan on a piece of land.”

Even if you have picked a property within your price range, Mr Fraser recommends thinking seriously about whether this is a long-term purchase you want to make.

He explained: “Just think about it long term. We always say to people, it’s a big decision, and really think about it, we’d never want anyone to rush into making decisions and not think about it.

“Is it something that you want to do long term? There is no point owning it for one or two years and then deciding you don’t necessarily want to own it anymore.”

Decide whether or not you want a custom or fully furnished property

Some caravans and lodges, particularly new-builds, can be kitted out with specific upholstery, appliances of features.

Mr Fraser says, if this is something customers are hoping for, they should think about it in advance.

He said: “If you buy a lodge which comes fully furnished, there is an opportunity to customise the lodge if you give us enough notice.

“In other words, you can literally pick the furnishings, the layout, but it does take longer than if you just buy one off the shelf.”

Pick your location wisely

The location of your holiday home is not only important for personal holidays but can also be crucial to homeowners who are looking to rent out their property in the future.

Mr Fraser explained: “We try and recommend people buy relatively close to where they live so that they can get the most out of it.

“That’s typically a two to three-hour radius. Cornwall is a little different because not many people live in Cornwall.

“For the New Forest, for example, there’s no point buying it and then hardly using it yourself.”

He added: “Generally people need to think about if they want to be closer to the beach or they happy to be inland. If they are inland are there nice pubs nearby or are you close to shops swell so that you’re not too isolated?”

Be prepared to wait

Given demand is sky-rocketing for properties, Mr Fraser says people need to be prepared to wait.

Some of the most popular parks currently have no availability, while those seeking new-build or customised properties will have to sit tight until their holiday home has been created.

He explained: “Because the demand is so high, we always say to customers you might have to wait for your caravan to arrive because the manufacturer is under real pressure to cope with demand.

“We ourselves, on some of our parks are waiting for some of our holiday homes to arrive, so just be patient.”

By AIMEE ROBINSON

Source: Express

Discover our Holiday Let Mortgage Broker services.