Awful holiday let

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Name changed for this one. Sorry for long post but don't want to drip feed.
Does anyone know if there are certain standards that should be met in the UK for holiday accommodation please?
We booked a cottage in Devon for a weeks holiday via a holiday cottage management company and were really looking forward to it until arrival.
Some of the issues we came across:
The smell - it was damp, musty and dusty. My face and legs were itching and we both developed a cough. The carpet was filthy and stained. Stains on the wall (not sure what) Ground in dirt on the kitchen floor that they tried to cover with two loose and slippy carpet/mats. Kitchen
cupboards filled with crap, think rusty cake tins and rusty saucepans. Water was scalding hot so couldn't use hot taps. Cobwebs over furniture, fire extinguisher covered in thick dust, teabags in cupboard were best before Oct 2013. The patio area was up some steps and about 3 foot wide, no chairs, and home to a bunch of broken bricks. 25 steep steps up the garden led you to a narrow area with a sheer drop. The 'safety rail' was two rusty broken posts with washing line wire draped between them. Fake guest book with comments written by family members (the comments said things like dear auntie and uncle...)
As it was Saturday evening we were unable to get hold of anyone from the cottage company so we desperately sought alternative accommodation and left first thing in the morning feeling disgusting, stressed and sick.
On Monday when their office was open, the holiday cottage company said no refund was due because we should have stayed there and let them sort the issues. After seeing my photos they refunded some of the amount and said they will work with the property owners to resolve the issues. They released us from our contract but kept £173 for cleaning and laundry. We used two glasses that we had to wash before using and we used one hand towel. This holiday cost nearly £900 so we expected it to be clean and safe.
Does anyone know if there is a company that manages or governs uk holiday lets please or who to get advice from?

Fake guest book with comments written by family members (the comments said things like dear auntie and uncle

If it openly said 'auntie' and 'uncle' then I don't think you can accuse them of faking it. You'd put 'Mr and Mrs Smith from Woking' or whatever if you wanted to fake a guest book.

How much are you out of pocket by after the refund?

Did you pay by card, as you might have a claim for the service being not as described?

Trading Standards is probably your best bet for advice.

Thank you yes that's a fair point. I just felt like the book was fake because it looked like new but with comments dating back over ten years or so. Thanks for the suggestion I'll look into Trading Standards.

It’s no excuse but £900 for a week in Devon during peak summer holiday season is incredibly cheap and would’ve rung alarm bells for me. Hope you have a good time in your alternative accommodation.

Thank you it was before the school holidays and similar price wise to other cottages for that week. We did enjoy our stay once we'd moved and settled in to new accommodation.

It's not incredibly cheap !!!!!!

Who was the letting agent?
If you don't get a full refund then I agree you need to speak to trading standards, as suggested. Leave a review on the agent's website as well as trip advisor.

Blimey. Take photos of everything. When was the place last let??

Then contact the holiday company and don't stop until they agree a full refund. They clearly didn't clean before you arrived, so don't pay for a clean now!

Then Trading Standards - and leave reviews everywhere on social media you can.

Shocking.

Good luck.

Thank you so much we've been home over a week now and emailing the cottage company is ridiculous, one person says they think we deserve a full refund and compensation but the complaints department is trying to make me feel thankful for a partial refund. All we want back is the rest of the money we paid. It was so disgusting. I hope they sort so no one else has to endure it.

According to the next door neighbour there was only one other poor family before us. They left a bad review in the guest book about dangerously hot water and the garden being dangerous and unsuitable.

Thanks we don't think so either! £900 for one week!

We had an experience like this in Greece once. A lovely big detached house in Hydra (which we knew well) let's just say photos were very selectively taken , online reviews I'm now not100% were genuine and they had pinpointed it on the map most definitely where it wasn't- to be honest we did 2 nights, went into town and sorted somewhere else - I did resent though£1100 down the drain

Please tell me you took lots of photos?! You need them as evidence. Also post them on trip advisor.

We stayed in a disappointing, tatty and depressing cottage in Dorset booked via a holiday cottage company in 2018. We will never do a UK cottage holiday again.

900 pounds is not cheap! I would be telling them that they sort out the refund or you will name and shame them and go to small claims. No wonder people go abroad.

Absolutely review with photographs on trip advisor. Does the management company have a website with the opportunity for review or a Facebook page/twitter account?

In fact - what was the name of the holiday company / cottage you stayed in ?

Put up a TripAdvisor review with photos to warn others. Clearly state the name and location of cottage and the company you booked through

I agree that £900 for a cottage is not cheap. I've never paid more than that and have stayed in some lovely cottages, all in summer holidays.

They are wrong to say you should've stayed to get compensation. We were once refused compensation because we chose to stay - had a minor flood which cost us a day of our holiday while it was sorted out but were enjoying the holiday & the cottage so, unlike you were happy to stay. Definitely name & shame via reviews.

Cottages in Devon do tend to be more expensive, look at rates for next year, most are more than this.

I just felt like the book was fake because it looked like new but with comments dating back over ten years or so.

Just an aside, I rent my home and I've done this before. Reason being that the previous book got damaged and I bought a new one, but didn't want to lose my old reviews. Ripping out the pages and sticking them in the new book looked messy, so I just re-wrote them.

I'd love some links for these under £900 a week cottages some of you are mentioning!

www.northumbria-cottages.co.uk/property/cottar-s-barn#prices

£880 next August, it's lovely. Admittedly not Devon but I believe OP said her stay was prior to the summer hols.

Yes it is much cheaper up north.

can't believe those of you saying that it was cheap, and that somehow this is what you should expect? Even if a let is a fiver a week, it should be as advertised, be clean, be safe. No bloody wonder people endure the hell of holiday airports if this is what passes for 'cheap' holiday accomodation in the UK. Contact Trading Standards, stop being so nice, this is completely unacceptable, the property sounds dangerous and a hazard to health. Sue them if necessary.

@kidsatuniemptynester i did say it was no excuse but would’ve made me suspicious. I wouldn’t stay somewhere below the market rate without checking reviews etc

Did you pay by credit card? If so contact your bank for a chargeback.

The holiday company may dispute it but if you've got the evidence then there is a good chance they will fail.

Also leave the company a 1* rating on Trustpilot and other review sites