Hard times for the holiday let industry in the UK?

[user1477391263]

Seems like the post-COVID recovery, crappy weather, COL and other factors have dampened the situation for people owning holiday lets in places like Cornwall. On the other hand, perhaps (as the article hints towards the end) there will be an increase in long term rental properties coming on to the market.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/apr/07/britains-staycation-boom-may-be-over-as-bookings-dry-up?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1712464698

Anecdata from talking to friends tells me that many people are fed up with the rising cost of holiday lets in these places, more and more demands being placed on guest re cleaning etc., and the fact that so many local places like restaurants are understaffed; of course, part of the issue may be that locals have to an extent been priced out of the local housing market, meaning there are fewer people available to clean, mow lawns or wait on tables. It may be a good thing if the local housing market self-corrects in this manner.

I'm sure check out at 10am has been pretty standard for years - if not decades (we used to go to self catering places as a kid and it wasn't unusual then)

But imo check in time I think has got later. Some places when we were looking were 5pm check in (I'm sure 2 or 3pm used to be standard)

I had to smile that in the middle of all our negativity about self catering in this country up pops a Mumsnet advert about getting 7% off a holiday cottage 😂

We use them to meet up somewhere in the middle with extended family so I think we'll always want to do it sometimes. Otherwise no, it wouldn't be my first choice of holiday.

We recently rented a cottage in the grounds of a big house in a national park.

When we arrived, our host had turned on the heating, put milk and a bottle of chablis in the fridge, laid the log burner so I just needed to strike a match, and put hot water bottles in the beds.

He came and said hello, checked we had everything we needed, and then left us alone. There were no daft rules. Just peace and quiet. When we left, I put the rubbish bag in the wheelie bin.

I'd happily go back there 😊

We are currently staying in one now. The only reasons I can afford it are, 1. I'm sharing a bed with my daughter, husband and son stayed home, and 2. I'm sharing with family , so the cost is split 3 ways. Otherwise it would have been £700 for 3 nights. Last Easter we went to France for around 1000 for all of us, for a week.

As a family we prefer a holiday home if it's for more than a couple.of nights. My kids are teens so definitely need their own room (s), we like to explore the local area to eat out etc, but balance by cooking at the home some days. For shorter stays it's hotels, I like the luxury.

Having grown up and still work in a tourist area, it's difficult to get the balance. We need tourists, we need staff. I think the real issue comes when 2nd homes stand empty for 50 weeks of the year. Which many do. Those home owners do not contribute to the local economy, unless they're having extensive building work done. But even then they often bring big teams from elsewhere. It's been a problem for all of my life and I'm 46.

And, as other people have pointed out, the holiday home owners have to remember we are on holiday. We came away to get away from the cleaning etc. If you can't get a cleaner, do it yourself, don't expect your guests to do it!

Gosh, I've too much to say on this!

That sounds lush but sadly it does not seem to be the norm - was it very expensive? Many holiday home owners just seem to provide the bare minimum they can get away with.

We even stayed at one holiday let where they said please don't throw your recycling into the main bin as we can get fined for it - please drive to the nearest supermarket 3 miles away where you will find recycling bins!

Reader, I can report that every single item got slung into the main bin.

Staying in a holiday cottage in Dorset this summer. Check in from 2.30pm. It’s the earliest we’ve ever had.

Where I stayed recently there was no instructions for recycling so I looked them up, but the different coloured bags were not in the house. I felt awful throwing recycling into the main bin so did drive to a few supermarkets- but all their recycling had been removed. Went to the main centre which had a massive queue so in the end took it back home and phoned the owner who said she’d sort it! Should’ve done that first!!

I received an email from the owner of the cottage we stayed in last Easter complaining that we had not adequately cleaned, that a pillow was left on the floor and that the downstairs lights had been left on. They felt that we had not respected their property and that it looked as if we had left in a rush.

Yes, we had left in a rush to get out by 10am! We had cleaned and tidied as we always do, and I can’t think that leaving a pillow on the floor was a heinous crime. My DH thinks he probably didn’t switch the lights off as we saw the cleaners arrive and we wanted to get out of their way. It turns out that the cleaners must have been for other cottages in the block as the owners only visited the property a few days later.

Anyway, it completely ruined the holiday for me and we will not be going back. I like the cottage but it’s very expensive and I don’t think the price should include a telling off.

We paid £1.5k for a week in Cornwall during covid because we couldn’t go anywhere else. Luckily the weather was ok for most of the week.
Id never risk that now.

If they got fined then surely they should have had their own recycling bins!

Your friend is the norm not the exception - most AirBnB lets are owned by locals, not "evil outsiders".

There are small pockets which are priced out of everyone's reach - including holiday makers - but the bulk of AirBnB/holiday lets belong to local people and local landowners. They are also often a part of another property or the result of families bunking up like your friend. Banning them will not release homes for long term rental/sale.

I agree with the PP that the excesses of AirBnB from covid are going to cause a reset in the price of holiday rentals, however holiday cottages have been a key revenue stream in some areas since long before AirBnB.

If we want a better rental market then that requires legislation along the lines of most of the rest of Europe. Long term rental is a common model in much of Europe and successful enough that people choose it even when they could buy. It also brings stability to the domestic property market overall and disincentivises hobby landlords.

Was it Whitby? We were there last year and came across this.

I think a lot of councils are stupidly making recycling harder. In Whitby's case, this page talks of them having a legal duty to provide recycling facilities for RESIDENTS, and asking

"Therefore, we are asking residents to share their views about changes to the following services:

• Restricting the use of the household waste recycling centres to North Yorkshire residents only.
• Limiting the access for commercial-like vehicles.
• Changes to commercial waste."

https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/your-north-yorkshire-december-2023/your-glance-guide-whats-new-your-council

Foolish move on the part of a council of a popular tourist area.

I don't go on holiday to do housework! I disagree with laundry and cleaning charges - that's a cost of running your business and is factored into the price. I'm a great lover of hotels - a premier inn might be basic but at least you don't have to clean the bathroom or strip the beds or deal with owners!

This is really interesting as a property owner myself.

what constitutes overpriced then say for a family for a week ?

I have to pay Sykes 20% commission and my cleaners £150 for each clean and linen wash for 4 guests. Add on the heating costs and really there’s not much left over for me…

Absolutely this!!!

Tarma has it right in one.

Great! In my small city, my local area is getting hammered by holiday lets.

They destroy community spirit – you no longer have neighbours who care about the street
They are dirty – guests are always leaving rubbish out on wrong days, attracting rats
They are noisy – stag/hen parties don't give a shit about people getting up for work or getting their kids to sleep

They also drive up prices and take perfect starter/small family homes off the rental/buying market, so the workers my city needs have to live further and further out.

I hate them. There is no need for them, we have plenty of hotels and even 'apartment hotels'.

I hate well-off people thinking that their 'right' to a cute little airbnb matters more than people here having decent homes and neighbourhoods.

Yes God knows. Deepest, darkest rural Scotland.

I just got back from the US where you checked in at 4pm, checked out at 10AM, stripped the beds and did the bins/tidying/dishwasher. Why would you expect to leave dirty crockery? And you had to pay a holding deposit. In 30 years of holidaying everywhere I've never known this not to be the case. It's not new.

But the quality was extremely high - the quality of UK airbnbs is not consistently good and is often quite poor.

That's interesting. No it was close to Fort William. I'd never come across it before but how shortsighted.

That's why I no longer use Sykes, Cottages.com etc. I prefer to book direct with the owner, even better if they clean and do the laundry themselves. Outsourcing booking and cleaning is always going to hike the cost.

I predicted this three years ago, the holiday let landlords got greedy, brought in extra requirements and surprise surprise people started going abroad instead, even some of the reluctant flyers have started going abroad again (like my parents) they wanted £2k last summer for a very ordinary property, said slept 8 but that included a single room with bunk beds and no wardrobe and a double sofa bed not even walking distance to the sea, we passed on it and did 2 nights in a 3 nights star hotel instead! That included breakfast too!

Holiday let owners may well realised that all year lets are better, a win for local people

I agree with all the PP who say that that cleaning rules, ridiculous late check in times, the unreasonable expectations for check out, fees for everything and measley toilet roll has contributed to the fall of holiday let's. We are prime target market for holiday cottages and air b n b. Young family with fussy small children so benefit from separate bedrooms (or we are sat in the dark from 7), cooking facilities, microwave in room for easy sterilising. The check out expectations are just ridiculous (property pretty much deep cleaned by 9am) and after having to get up at 5.30 in order to complete them we have holidayed in family hotels since. Check in at 4 or in some cases 4.30-5 is no good to us when the children are hungry at 5. Also places listing as "family friendly" but in reality are not - small ornaments everywhere, fires with no fire guard, glass top tables with sharp corners.

We've found family friendly hotels much much better for us. No ridiculous cleaning expectations, nice breakfast cooked in the morning. Check out at usually 10am.