Things To Consider When Choosing A Holiday Letting Agency

There are so many things to consider when choosing a holiday letting agency in the Cotswolds. 

According to the *Sykes Staycation Index, the Cotswolds is one of the highest-earning, fastest-growing and most popular regions in the UK for holidays.

With this in mind, owners need to be savvier than ever to ensure that they are receiving the bookings that they deserve. But where to start?

6 Important Questions To Ask Your Next Holiday Letting Agency:

1. History
2. Location
3. Bookings
4. Performance
5. Advice
6. Exposure with a Holiday Letting Agency

1. History

Asking an agency to talk you through their history is a great place to start when comparing different agents. This way you can determine how much experience they have in the industry, as well as gathering insight into the values that they hold important.

Home-grown family businesses scream passion, as they understand the grit and determination it takes to make each and every property successful. Growth is just as important as the market continues to surge in popularity.

From humble beginnings in 1989, we have accumulated more than 25 years of holiday letting experience, allowing us to fine-tune our owner offering

2. Location

Letting a holiday is a great source of additional income and can be a lot of fun, but from time to time things can go wrong. Knowing the location of an agency will indicate what to expect when you need additional support.

Not only do local offices mean support, but they also mean expert local knowledge. Knowing the location of your holiday let, as well as the market, local agencies are able to deliver an improved experience for owners and guests alike.

Having an office in Burford, right in the heart of the Cotswolds, enables us to deliver an exceptional service to both our owners and guests.

3. Bookings

Ask agencies if they can tell you about the performance of similar cottages listed with them. This way you will get an indication of how many bookings you can expect to achieve with them.

Many agencies work closely with owners to maximise not only booking numbers, but total income too. Probably the most important thing when picking who to go with, is to feel confident that they are going to work for you.

Since becoming part of the Sykes Holiday Cottages Family, some of owners have achieved highs of 60 bookings a year.

4. Performance

Booking numbers are a great place to start but there is more to brand performance. Ask potential agencies what’s going well for them and what the future of the brand looks like.

Here are some additional performance indicators worth asking about:

• Owner satisfaction
• Guest satisfaction
• Website traffic
• Portfolio growth

In the last couple of years we have experienced a lot of growth. This is everything from growing our portfolio of properties to increasing the number of people visiting our website

5. Advice

Each and every agency has a different offering, so the level of advice you can get from each may vary.

Advice can come in many forms, from property appraisals to maximising your income and bookings. Signing up to an agency with rigorous owner communications is great for staying in the loop with market trends and industry tips.

We’re continuously working with owners to ensure their experience is both enjoyable and fruitful, regardless of their previous letting experience.

6. Exposure with a holiday letting agency

Asking about an agency’s marketing activity gives you a good idea of how much exposure your property will get. It is important to find an agency which has dedicated marketing resource to ensure your property is getting in front of customers.

Whilst local brands resonate well with those who are familiar with the location, national brands provide a far greater reach. Finding a happy medium can be tricky but well worth your time.

Marketing activity can include any (or all) of the following:

• Paid Advertising both online and offline
• Search Engine Optimisation to ensure customers can find your website in google
• Customer Relationship Management through email communications and direct mail
• Social Media coverage & PR
• Partnerships with brands such as booking.com and airbnb

We have teams dedicated across all of marketing, from social media to email communications, ensuring we get your property infront of the right people.

Chat to one of our specialists about investing in a holiday home by calling us on 01993 824 252 or email newowners@manorcottages.co.uk. Alternatively, fill out our form and one of our team will contact you.

Let Your Cottage

Information sourced from Sykes Holiday Cottages: “Sykes Staycation Index 2019“