Booking a rental cottage a year ahead: pitfalls?

[Pluvia]

I'm booking a rental cottage in the UK for early September 2024. It's offered by a small independent company with only a few local properties in the portfolio. I'm required to give the names and contact details for all those staying in the property (which sleeps 8) on booking. I phoned them to explain that at the moment I can be sure of 4 names but the other 4 may change nearer the time. I was told that if we planned to have a party of 8 we would need to put down the 8 names and contact details on booking and that there will be a charge if, later, those details change.

Is this standard procedure? It's some years since I booked a holiday rental. I have full, rolling holiday insurance.

No, that's ridiculous for them to say there is a charge to change names! It makes no difference to them.

Thanks for responding. I've read through three pages of T&Cs and nowhere do they mention this, so I'm going to assume the young and rather offhand person I spoke to was making it up on the hoof. I got the feeling that it's a family-run business and junior was answering the phone in lieu of a grown-up.

It does look as if I need to put down the names of all who will be there, so I'll put the names of those I hope will be able to come and a couple of instant email addresses so that if they contact my friends/ family it'll be me they're communicating with. It's an amazing house so perhaps they're extra cautious.

Never heard of individual names being required for a holiday let! Will they check for proof of ID? Can you just give random names?

I might do that. I wondered if it was something that had come in with Covid regulations, so people were traceable. It's a pretty spectacular house with expensive furnishings and facilities, so I wondered if they check people out on FB or social media to see if they're villains who'll run off with the mattresses and sofas and hot tub.