Schofields Insurance Blog
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Schofields Insurance Blog
2w ago
Reading Time: 5 minutes
As a short-term holiday letting host, maintaining a clean and healthy environment for guests is essential. Therefore, most holiday home owners understandably choose not to permit smoking indoors. Smoking leaves a lasting smell, it can damage your furniture, furnishings and is one of the main causes of accidental fires around the home.
The smell of smoke in a non-smoking holiday cottage is also one of the most common guest complaints and can lead to poor reviews. So how do you prevent guests from smoking in your Airbnb and what do you do if they smoke despite your no-smo ..read more
Schofields Insurance Blog
3w ago
Reading Time: 2 minutesFurnished holiday lets tax relief abolished
Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced in his 2024 budget that he will abolish the furnished holiday lettings tax regime.
Currently, holiday let landlords enjoy far greater tax advantages than buy-to-let landlords who let out residential properties to longer term tenants. They are entitled to deduct more costs including; costs incurred from furnishing properties, mortgage interest, the cost of replacing fixtures and furnishings, ongoing expenses such as cleaning costs, utility bills and the ability to reduc ..read more
Schofields Insurance Blog
1M ago
Reading Time: 10 minutes
They say that “a picture is worth a thousand words”, and nowhere is this truer than when selling holidays. Studies show that you have just 20 seconds for your photos to make an impression before viewers lose interest and move on to a competing holiday let.
Holiday cottage photography is one of the most versatile tools to increase bookings – but only if it’s done well. Do your photos showcase the property features at their absolute best? Do they entice people to stay there? If not, it’s time to take some new photos.
In this guide we’ve put some tips together to help yo ..read more
Schofields Insurance Blog
1M ago
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Holiday home owners dread the thought of undesirable guests, especially those who refuse to leave after their booking has ended. Squatters who target your holiday cottage whilst it’s empty can also harm your holiday letting business. Whether they intend to extort money or stay in your property for as long as possible, the expense and inconvenience caused can be stressful.
There have also been incidents where holiday homes have been rented for a few days and then the guest fraudulently sublets the property long term and disappears with the rental money. The duped renter ..read more
Schofields Insurance | Tips for marketing & running a successful holiday rental
2M ago
Reading Time: 4 minutes
It’s inevitable that as a holiday let landlord you will have to deal with guests who breach your holiday cottage occupancy limits and bring extra guests.
What typically happens is the lead guest doesn’t include young children in the booking numbers, wrongly assuming that children don’t count as they are sleeping on the couch, on airbeds or travel cot. Another example is the guests have friends who are staying in another property or camping nearby, but they spend all day at your property and maybe stay over.
Whether the guests have not realised the implications of over ..read more
Schofields Insurance | Tips for marketing & running a successful holiday rental
2M ago
Reading Time: 4 minutes
The appeal
An open fire or wood burning stove in your holiday cottage can be one of its biggest selling points and one of the most requested features by holiday let guests, especially during the colder months. After all, who doesn’t dream of sitting in front of a cosy log fire on a chilly evening while on holiday.
Installing a wood burner will give your holiday cottage year-round appeal and boost your low-season bookings. They can also be an efficient way to heat your holiday home and reduce energy bills.
The risks
However, compared to other heat sources wood burning s ..read more
Schofields Insurance Blog
3M ago
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Please note our office will close on Friday 22nd December 2023 at 5pm and will re-open at 9.30am on Tuesday 2nd January 2024.
Schofields Underwriting Agencies – UK & Overseas Holiday Home & Let Property Division
PaymentsWe recommend that renewal or new policy payments are made online:
Renewals
New policy payments
How to make a claimShould you need to make a claim please visit our claims page and refer to page 13 “How to make a claim” of your policy wording.
May we take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and wish you a Merry Chr ..read more
Schofields Insurance Blog
4M ago
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Whether you’re selling your holiday home to retire from holiday letting or are buying somewhere new, there are several steps you need to take to ensure a hassle-free sale.
Why are they buying
Typically holiday home buyers are either looking to invest in a holiday home for family use which will also be holiday let, they are buying a holiday home for family and friends use only, or they are buying purely as an investment for the rental income. Once you identify why the interested party is buying, you can tailor your offering to appeal to their requirements.
Explain why y ..read more
Schofields Insurance Blog
5M ago
Reading Time: 15 minutes
Many holiday home owners fall into the trap of thinking it’s easy to set up a holiday letting business, secure bookings, and make a good income — but the reality is it’s often not quite so straightforward.
While the ‘barrier to entry’ might seem as though it’s lower than other types of business, the world of holiday letting is hugely competitive, and guests are spoilt for choice.
So, for the best chance of success, you need to be savvy when it comes to your marketing, the guest experience, and quality standards.
Mistakes can cost money, waste time, and cause a great d ..read more
Schofields Insurance Blog
7M ago
Reading Time: 6 minutes
What is holiday let management software?
Running a successful holiday let can be extremely demanding, that’s why anything that can make managing tasks easier and improve the guest experience better is essential.
A good property management system (PMS) can help automate tasks and streamline your day-to-day operations through a variety of features. You can manage everything from guest communication, bookings, listings, housekeeping, maintenance, payments, accounting and reports. A good PMS can save time, reduce human error and give you useful insights about how your prop ..read more