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This section is for Churchfield Holiday Lettings “Property Owners” or owners that are considering using their properties as self-catering / holiday lets. The landlord information section for Self Catering properties will help you understand how to:

Define self-catering holiday/short term lets and explain who uses them
Outline the key difference between self-catering holiday/short term letting and longer-term letting.
Explain what you should consider when deciding whether to let your property short term
Describe how to prepare your property for holiday / short-term letting
Provide a sample inventory to assist with equipping a property for self catering holiday lets
You should also be aware that certain types of property cannot be let on a holiday basis. These are usually leasehold properties (normally flats) where the head lease prohibits or restricts letting. Your deeds/lease will confirm this.

If you have a second home in Bournemouth, Poole or Christchurch and the surrounding areas, please contact Churchfield Holiday Lettings for FREE independent advice on holiday lettings, including an assessment of your home and the likely income to be derived from it. Please Call Martina Loxton on 01202 779911, Fax: 01202 779898 or E-mail: martina.loxton@churchfield.uk.com

Internet advertising on our well designed web-site:

Send us your property details and photographs and we will load them onto the site ready for visitors to view. (There are examples and templates to help - these can be found on the holiday properties page).
Advise us of any price changes, Special Offers, holiday dates, photos, etc. We will update the new information within 48 hours of receiving the changes.
The Web Site has been built using search engine optimization techniques meaning we maximize the hits for people looking for self-catering apartments and holiday accommodation.
Has links with other related sites so that people interested in coming to Dorset can access and find the site easily
Provides an availability calendar so that we can update your bookings. This avoids lots of enquiries for periods when you are already booked and potential visitors can see what is available. It is important that you update us when you receive any direct bookings.
Churchfield Holiday Lettings Terms and Conditions. Please click on the link below to view Churchfield Holiday Lettings full Landlord Terms and Conditions.

Terms and conditions

List Your Property Now

Please fill in this form and then press the send button. Your property details will be added to our database within 48 hours. (All personal information submitted will be treated in the strictest confidence).

Churchfield Landlord Booking Charges

There are no set-up costs to advertise your property on our website and we only take a payment when you get a confirmed booking via Churchfield Holiday Lettings. Below is a breakdown of Churchfield Holiday Lettings's Fee Structure

Holiday Letting Sole Agency Fully Managed 15% + vat
Holiday Let Multiple Agency Fully Managed 20% + vat
Holiday Let Introduction Only 10% + vat
Short Hold Tenancy Sole Agency Fully Managed 10% + vat
Short Hold Tenancy Multiple Agency Fully Managed 10% + vat
Short Hold Tenancy Introduction Only – Half the first months rent + vat

Please Call Martina Loxton on 01202 779911, Fax: 01202 779898 or E-mail: martina.loxton@churchfield.uk.com or complete the on line booking form above.

Churchfield Holiday Lettings is part of Churchfield Estate & Letting Agents. Churchfield are able to assist you with Assured Shorthold letting and Residential/Commercial Property Sales, please ask for further details. 01202 779911 or E-mail Andrew.hooper@churchfield.uk.com

What is a Self Catering Holiday Property?

Let's start the discussion with what exactly is a 'Holiday Let / Self Catering' Property.

A holiday Let/ Self-Catering property is sometimes described as a 'furnished holiday letting' - a term referred to by HM Revenue and Customs. These are properties let for periods of anything from days to weeks rather than the more common 6 months plus letting done for normal buy-to-lets. The HM Revenue and Customs definition is important because they treat these properties as a business rather than as an investment, which means there are currently important tax advantages over longer-term lets. The tax treatment of holiday lets is different to the tax treatment of longer-term lets just now, but it has been announced that the different treatment will stop. Details of the changes have yet to be provided.

The definition of a Holiday Let/ Self Catering property (as defined from the 2005-2006 tax year when the definition was updated) is:

Available for holiday letting to the public on a commercial basis for 140 days or more, and
Let commercially for 70 days or more, and
Let for periods of longer-term occupation (more than 31 consecutive days) for not more than 155 days during the year.

(Please note that this information is written to the best of our knowledge. Please ask your accountant for the most up to date tax advice)

Whilst the government’s definition talks about holiday letting, many of the people who use self catering/short term lets are visitors who are on business, attending conferences, undertaking courses etc. 'Churchfield Holiday Lettings' marketing targets these people as well as the traditional Dorset holidaymaker. We approach colleges and universities, theatres, conference organisers and companies and provide them with links to our website.

What are the key differences between self-catering, short term and longer term let properties?

Short term

Longer Term

Income

MORE and LESS regular. You can charge more for high season

LESS, but once let is usually regular

Expenses

MORE - the owner pays for utilities, council tax, TV license, Wifi, etc. (see preparation)

LESS - the tenant will pay for utilities, council tax, TV License, etc

Occupancy

LESS - you are likely to have periods with no-one staying

MORE - Once let, you usually have a 6 month contract

Furnishing and Equipment

MORE - you usually provide TV, DVD players and internet access as well as bed linen, towels, etc

LESS - the tenant will normally provide their own services and linen

Effort

MORE - the property will need cleaning and laundry doing after each changeover. Each new tenant/guest will need to be provided with keys

LESS - once the tenant is in, there is not usually much support required

Risk of damage to property or non-payment

LESS. People staying for short periods don't usually have parties, move furniture around and damage walls. Frequent changeovers mean minor maintenance is addressed regularly. Non-payment is rare as payment is usually taken before people stay in the property

MORE. People staying in a property that is their main home will make changes, hold parties and treat your property with less respect than a guest staying for a short period. There is a risk that people stop paying monthly rent. In which case, it can take some time to evict them

Bureaucracy

LESS. Properties are let against terms and conditions and people staying do not have tenant's rights. HMO regulations do not apply.

MORE. You need a lease and your tenants have many more rights that people staying in holiday let properties.

Flexibility

MORE - if you want to use your property for some of the time, you simply book it out and use it!

LESS - Once let, you cannot take over your property for your own use within the period of the lease.

In summary, whilst the set-up costs for short term lets are greater than with longer term lets as more equipment is provided and the owner pays for more running costs, the income can be more as well. There can be significant financial advantages in short term lets over longer term lets but only if the occupancy is high enough for the higher income to cover the extra costs, and it is appreciably more work to market and manage the property.

Remember that choosing to let your property as a Holiday Let allows you the flexibility to have the property for yourself from time to time. If you don't live in the area where you own the property, you may choose to book out the property for you own personal use. If you let out your property as a 'long term' let, then you will not have this flexibility. Also the services such as the utilities, wifi and TV will not be set up for occasional use.

You should also note that currently there is less bureaucracy and risk of damage to your property with a short term let (rather than with a longer term let). This is probably because of a combination of:

The owner or manager of the property being at the property frequently to do changeovers means simple maintenance is being done continually
Whilst people often ask to have facilities such as a washing machine, they don't often use them
People staying for a short period don't normally re-arrange furniture or attach things to walls
Short term let properties are usually let with terms and conditions rather than a lease. In long term lets, the tenant is empowered with many rights over your property, their terms and conditions should be drafted to ensure this does not happen in short term lets.
The visitor pays a deposit (normally of about one third of the total rent) to reserve the property and then pays the full amount of the rent between 4 and 8 weeks in advance of their visit. This means the risk of non-payment of rent is low.

Preparation for Holiday Rentals or Short Term Letting

Before you consider allowing paying guests to stay at your holiday home/property, there are certain tasks that you must complete.

Insurance for Self Catering Apartment:

You should get appropriate insurance - your insurance broker should be able to help you find insurance for holiday letting. You must let your insurer know that this is not a 'buy-to-let' property, but the property is for Holiday Letting. Insurance for holiday letting properties tends to be more expensive, so it is worth your while to find a competitive quote. Remember that when you take in guests, it is acceptable to take a 'damages deposit', which is usually about £100. The amount requested for the damages deposit could be equal to the excess charge in your insurance policy, which would help you minimise any money that you may have to provide should there be excessive damage caused in your property. Churchfield Holiday Lettings is able to offer competitive Holiday Letting Insurance facilities. Please ask for details.

Gas Safety

If there is any form of gas in the property, you will need to provide a Landlord's safety certificate. This certificate can only be provided by a gas registered plumber - and it does need to be updated on an annual basis. Churchfield Holiday Lettings are able to offer competitive Gas Safety Inspections. Please ask for details.

Electrical Safety

Although not currently required by law - it is advisable to have a safety certificate covering the electrical installations, which should be obtained, and electrical safety certificate for all portable electrical appliances (PAT) over 12 months old is needed. In Scotland, these certificates need to be renewed once every 3 years. Churchfield Holiday Lettings is able to offer competitive Electrical Safety Inspections. Please ask for details.

TV Licence

All guests will expect a television in the property. And by law you will need to ensure that you have a valid TV licence for the property.

Council Tax

It is the Landlords’ responsibility to ensure that the council tax is up to date and valid.

Utilities

It is the Landlords’ responsibility to ensure that all utility bills are paid and up to date.

Energy Performance Certificates

(It is a legal requirement for Churchfield Holiday Lettings to hold a valid EPC before a property can be marketed for Holiday/shorthold lets) From October 2008, an EPC is required whenever a building in social or private rented sectors is let to a new tenant. Landlords must provide an EPC free of charge to prospective tenants at the earliest opportunity and must provide a copy EPC to the person who takes up the tenancy. If you would like us to arrange an Energy Performance Certificate the cost will be (£65.00 + vat) – At the prevailing rate

Internet Access (optional but strongly recommended for Self Catering Accomodation)

We do recommend getting Internet access (of some form) in your self-catering property. Internet access comes in various forms. The most common type of access is Wifi. This access is provided in the property via broadband, that allows the wifi to flow through the property. Please seek advice when setting this up, it is important that if you are using wifi that you have the wifi secured with a password. If you do not know how to set this up, many of the Internet providers can provide you with step-by-step instructions. You can also provide Internet with a 'dongle' this popular device is attached to a laptop, and allows access to the Internet. It is generally less expensive than Wifi. As with all technology, the prices change on a regular basis. This main restriction with the dongle is that it only allows one computer at a time access the Internet, and it also does not work with I Phones and other such devices.
We have noticed that on the longer type lets (where contractors or students are involved), these guests would not consider renting a property that did not have wifi (or broadband provided).

Pets

Self catering holiday makers often want to come on holiday with their pets, we recommend that you consider this as this may be the one thing that makes your property stand out above the competition. Please ensure that your lease allows for pets to be kept in the building if you are offering a flat to let. It is not unusual to make a small charge for this option, please inform us on the List My Property form if you wish to make a charge or offer this option for free.

Marketing

You need to decide how to market your property - commonly done by setting up on websites such as ours. You will need a clear and comprehensive description of the property covering all the rooms, facilities and the location. A short paragraph summarizing the property and highlighting the best features is often required as well. Photographs are needed and the quality of photographs is important, as they are what potential guests will see and base their decision upon. We can see that properties with good quality photographs get more enquiries than those with poorer photos. Don't underestimate the importance of good photos - this is what sells your property. While you may want to save money by not using a professional photographer, you need to ensure that you have taken a photo that show a clean (yes clean) room, well lit, and appealing to your future guests.

Information Packs

An information pack is required to describe how to use the facilities in the property, how to deal with matters such as rubbish disposal, where local facilities are located such as: shops, banks, pharmacy, etc. And you should also note whom to call in the event of problems.

Keys

You will need keys for guests and for cleaners and one extra set for yourself just in case you can't locate any other set of keys. Alternatively Churchfield Holiday Lettings can hold your sets of keys. We recommend that a minimum of 5 x sets are available.

What Should I think about if I want to let out my property for Self Catering

Self-Catering landlords' work is far more labour intensive than 'long-term' letting. But before you even think about your workload and commitment to the property, you need to objectively look at your property and decide whether or not it is appealing to a tourist, or short-term stay visitor.

While many properties may have lovely locations for 'long-term' visits or people buying a property (i.e.: gardens, quiet roads, large bedrooms), the short term visitor is looking at a property for different reasons. Usually they want to be very central OR very close to their purpose of their visit (ie: work; visit family). These visitors are not really interested if the area has good schools or has a large garden. Most guests won't even bother about the garden, because they don't usually spend much time in the property. Similarly, while period properties have lovely, and quirky features, guests usually want modern bathrooms, kitchens, and comfortable beds. New properties usually offer more what a guest is looking for, along with parking and/or lifts. So when considering whether or not your property is suitable for Holiday Letting, try to see yourself a visitor, and what you actually look for when visiting a foreign city.

The factors to consider when deciding whether to let your property short term are:

Do you want to use the property yourself some of the time? If so, short term letting is a good option
Are you dependant on having a regular income? If you need a regular monthly income, longer-term letting will probably be a better choice for you. The income from holiday letting whilst is usually more that long term letting, can be very erratic.
What is your attitude to risk and the property? If you are emotionally attached to the property and would have difficulty dealing with damage or mis-treatment of the property, long-term letting may give you some problems and short-term letting will enable you to keep a closer eye on your property.
Location? You must consider your location when deciding whether or not your property will be well suited for 'Self Catering Holiday Guests' your property located quite centrally so that it can attract holiday visitors short-term visitors who are here to study or work in the area? If so Then self catering (holiday letting) is a good option. If your property is not in such an area, short-term letting is less likely to be successful.

Self Catering Inventory

Suggested Sample Inventory for Self Catering Properties

Here is a list of the sample inventory that is typically expected in a Self Catering property. Many landlords provide more that this basic list. Providing these basics (or maybe a little bit more), help give your guests a more memorable time, and tend to lead them to return if they enjoyed their experience. Guests also tend to let their friends know if they had a nice experience, so a bit of up front investment can help with greater returns in the future. Churchfield Holiday Lettings have a recommended independent Inventory company, who will be pleased to compile an Inventory for you, please ask for details.

Lounge Inventory for Self Catering apartment

Please note when furnishing a Property you must adhere to the Furniture and Fire Safety Regulations.

Sofa bed & Sofa/chairs – there should be seating for the number of people the flat can sleep
Side Table, Coffee table or nest of tables
TV, DVD player, broadband or wifi
Waste bin
Cushions, prints, rugs, accessories (vases)
Books, DVDs and games can be provided for the odd rainy day
Smoke Detector

Broadband and wifi are popular because many people like to work, access email etc whilst away from home.

Upholstered furnishings must comply with the Furnishing (Fire) Safety Regulations 1988. This applies to furnishings that have been upholstered (i.e.: mattress, couch, cushions). All new furniture comes with a label verifying its safety. If you choose to use second-hand (or used) furniture, ensure that it has the appropriate fire-safety labels attached to it.

Dining table and chairs to seat the number of people the flat will sleep (the dining table can be a table with leaves that fold down to minimise the space it takes in the room)

Crockery, wine glasses, juice glasses and cutlery for the number of people the flat will sleep

Place mats and coasters
Tips Treat crockery and glasses as consumables and expect the odd breakage. Have a spare set. IKEA is good and cheap.

Kitchen Inventory for Self Catering apartment

Oven, hob, extractor fan
Fridge or Fridge freeze
Dishwasher
Washing machine/dryer
Microwave
Toaster
Saucepan set, frying pan
Cafeteria, Teapot, milk jug, sugar bowl

The kitchen appears to be used mostly for breakfast – Washing machines are often requested and rarely used. Make cleaning equipment visible if you want people to use it

Bedroom Inventory for Self Catering apartment

Beds
Mattress covers and duvets to cater for all the bed combinations.
Pillows and pillow protectors – 2 for each person the property will sleep
Wardrobes and hangars
Bedside tables
Bedside lights for each bed (or side of bed)
Sets of drawers
Waste bin
Prints, accessories
Smoke detector
Radio Alarm Clock
Hair Dryer

Short term let properties do not need lots of clothes storage. People don’t normally carry a full wardrobe of clothes! Single beds that can be arranged as doubles increases the flexibility of your property making it attractive to a wider market. Duvets a size larger than the bed (e.g. double duvets on single beds or king size duvets on double beds feel luxurious) A travel cot can be useful. Bed linen and Towels

Duvet covers for each duvet size
Sheets for each bed size
Pillow cases for each pillow
Bath Towels
Hand Towels
Flannels

Tips: Have at least 3 sets of bedding for every possible bed combination (e.g. 4 singles, 2 king size sets for twin beds that can be combined to make a king sized double) so that a set can be washed while the other set is in use. Similarly have 3 sets of towels for the maximum number of people the property can accommodate – so if it sleeps 4 have 12 sets of towels. Fitted sheets make it easier to make the beds up during the changeover. Ironed bedding provides a good look and feel.

Bathroom

Towel rail
Toilet brush for each toilet
Toilet roll holder
Accessories
Bin - (preferably covered)
Bath Mat

The bathroom is important and is used a lot – make sure it looks good and is hard wearing. Most visitors prefer showers to baths; of course it is best if you could provide both. Ensure that the showers are protected properly from water dripping outside of it.

Churchfield Holiday Lettings offer holidaymakers bedding, bathroom sets & cots for hire which you are able to take advantage of as part of our fully managed service