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?

Yes it is much cheaper up north.

As much as I love Devon, it does get ridiculously busy in high season. We've had some great holidays in Yorkshire, Northumberland & on the Cumbrian Coast, all relatively quiet and have never paid more than £900 in the summer holidays for lovely, clean cottages with lots to do nearby.

We had a similar experience a few years back. We had photos and proof and still they refused to refund
The only way we got our money back was ny going to the small claims court. They paid before any actual action was taken but it did th job of scaring them
I hate people like this

This is not particularly helpful to you but more of a commiseration, that I understand, having had a similar experience.

Some years ago when I was still married the dc's, my mother and husband rented a cottage from a well known holiday letting agency. It was foul. Thick grime and grease and dog hair everywhere, the garden was so overgrown we would have lost the kids in there had they gone out. The towels that we paid extra for were not there at all. We had to go and buy cleaning supplies to clean it ourselves.

I rang letting agency, they told me I needed to contact the owner direct not them as it wasn't their responsibility.

I think they then had to give us the number to call.

The representative for the owner came with towels which were fit for use as rags. Mismatched bright towels with holes in!

I made a complaint in writing to the agency. Who told me it was out of their hands and nothing to do with them. However, I did notice the property was removed from their website.

Thanks so much for all your replies. I don't consider £860 for a weeks holiday for two of us to be cheap at all. Also like a previous poster said even if it was cheaper than that we still expected it to be clean and safe. It was definitely a case of carefully taken photos and clever wording.

UPDATE
Following a few comments on social media and a TokTok video that I created and also shared to my blogs Facebook page and Twitter, the company emailed and said they've had a conversation with the owner and it has been decided to give us a full refund.
It's gone back onto my credit card today!
So if anyone finds themselves in a similar situation please persevere and hopefully you'll get there in the end! 😊

I wonder, with the advent of ‘staycations’ as a result of the pandemic - whether there are more home owners who are ‘chancing their arm’.
They see that the demand is there, they can make some money, but are not offering a professional service.

I can see the holiday let market crashing as quickly tho.

I totally agree! I think the property's been empty for years though as the teabags were best before 9 years ago!! Unless they have no standards whatsoever and just don't care. Hmmm yes I think so!!