Guide to Choosing your UK Holiday Let Location

A terrace of brick and flint cottages - geograph.org.uk - 969366 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So, you are thinking about investing in a holiday let property?

Are you also a bit unsure about top locations and holiday home mortgages etc.?

Well, here are a few helpful top tips about that perennial subject of location, location, location:

• established holiday resorts and destinations are always a relatively safe bet in terms of location. On the downside though, bargain opportunities might be rather thin on the ground simply because everyone knows it is a great area to buy holiday let property in. So, if your budget is tight, try to think outside the box a little in terms of less well-known holiday destinations;
• there is something romantic about the coast for many people and that means properties in coastal locations might always be a relatively good bet;
• however, remember that the coast won’t appear particularly romantic if your property happens to overlook a major industrial complex in the distance. Whatever the nature of a holiday property, people typically want it to have reasonable outlooks in all directions. That doesn’t necessarily mean stunning views, as cute village rooftops might be fine - but industrial chimneys and cranes are never likely to be;
• tiny and quaint properties may be visually attractive but they might be seen by many families as being totally impractical. Be cautious about such investments unless you happen to be targeting the market for romantic weekend breaks for couples;
• surprisingly, significant numbers of people don’t have a car or do not like using it on holiday. You may keep your options open with properties that are accessible via reasonable public transport services;
• by the same logic, it might be sensible to find somewhere that is at least within realistic driving distances of shops and facilities;
• think about access and parking. Town centre flats in major tourist locations may be fine but if parking locally is virtually impossible or very expensive then you are going to put off a significant number of your potential customers;
• although some people may wish to shut themselves away for the entire duration of their holiday, most will welcome the chance to get out and about in the evenings where possible. Therefore, holiday home lets that are within walking distances of pubs and restaurants may be particularly attractive;
• much as a holiday in the wilderness might appeal in theory, many people after the first day or so will be climbing the walls looking for some sort of entertainment. So, locations that have easy access to things such as fishing, cycling, swimming, sports and so on, will be more attractive than those that do not;
• investigate potential noise pollution in the area carefully before buying. You won’t want to discover after you have purchased that there is a local railway line only a few hundred yards away which is a hive of activity with gravel wagons going up and down at 4am;
• remember that very isolated locations a long way away from major urban centres of population may be difficult for people to reach on long weekend type breaks, as they won’t want to spend the bulk of that time travelling. This might be a major component of your target marketing outside of July and August - so be cautious about excluding yourself from it by virtue of where your property is located. 

A few basic tips but they might help you avoid you doing the equivalent of painting yourself into a corner with your holiday let property!

Traveling in Times of Crisis

Travel Guides (Photo credit: Vanessa (EY))

During the period of financial crisis traveling is not easy and that is not good for many countries in which the tourism sector, is one of the most important. People still want to travel but are more reluctant to do so because of the current crisis hitting Europe in general and more particularly countries like Portugal, Italy and of course Spain. Of course this crisis causes problems to all over the world or it will in the near future.

Due to the current situation there have been many questions tourists have made, such as whether to save rather than traveling or is it better not to travel at all as this usually involves excessive spending on many occasions.

There are many deals on offer in travel agencies and wrapped packages made to consume, but this is not to everyone's liking, since more and more tourists like to choose what type of accommodation, flights, dates or days will travel. So there have been many alternatives to travel in order to save more. One could point out a way to move between neighboring countries or within the same country, for those who like to travel by car but not wishing to have the option to share car. This medium is unknown for many but very effective and very safe also, you pay a price per trip, depending on the length of it and there is no concern.

For trips where the destination is not so close, we all know the famous company Ryanair which is cheap and with a multitude of destinations. Make you sure you have an international travel insurance that covers all your needs and pocket. What is left to do is choosing accommodation and for that there are many deals if you are looking for an alternative to standard hotels and usually the price does not reference quality. To find a property to the desired extent you can do your research online where you can find different types of accommodation such as a room in a shared flat, an apartment or an entire house, as well as Bed and Breakfast, hotel-like accommodation with basic facilities for sleeping and breakfast.

With all the alternative media that exist today is hard to resist making a vacation or a trip without having to spend a large portion of the payroll. Thanks to these new ideas materialized in companies, we can save enjoying the pleasure of traveling.

Make Extra Money By Renting Out Your Static Caravan

English: The caravan park at Pease Bay A high quality static caravan holiday home park in a secluded bay. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From the early day of the package holiday, we all loved to save up and get away from it all on our “two weeks in the sun”. But against the background of the credit crunch and recent economic woes the financial landscape has changed and many of us simply can’t afford to holiday abroad any more.

Despite the unpredictability of our British summer, the undeniable cash savings of holidaying in the UK have driven a massive growth in the “staycation”.

A large chunk of this new holiday market is based around static caravans, usually a cheaper option than staying in a hotel or renting a house. With the added attraction for holiday makers, that the holiday parks the caravans are on usually have entertainment and facilities to hand right there.

Suddenly things look more and more attractive for static owner to start or increase the time that they rent out their caravan. As popularity is growing the financial benefits of renting out your static move from a way to try to offset the costs of your family holiday home, to a reasonable way to actually make some money from what can actually be a relatively low upfront cost.

Obviously for an owner moving into rental for the first time can be a little daunting. Although they will be used to the various site fees associated with static ownership, renting to others can throw up new issues and costs, such as specific rental insurance and regular gas and electrical safety checks.

There are a growing number of websites and forums where owners and potential owners can find information and advice, but a great starting point is the National Association of Caravan Owners website. You can find plenty of advice and information about costs and issues around the ownership and renting out. In particular you will want to look into insurance issues and they can help with quotes for that.

Borne out of a need for some kind of group or association representing the caravan owners themselves when dealing with park owners or manufacturers, the National Association of Caravan Owners are can provide support, information and even legal advice where required.

The obvious way to rent out your static, especially on some of the larger big company owned sites, is to rent via the park owners themselves. Obviously the services the parks provide and of course the charges they make (often they just take their cut from the payment the holiday makers make direct to them) vary and its essential to read any rental contracts before you sign and ensure you understand the costs and responsibilities on either side. This is an easy and reasonably hassle free way to rent, but is usually the most expensive method you can use.

In order to maximise your income you may decide to take on the role yourself and deal with all the renting and booking issues directly. With the advent of forums and websites it is now easier than ever to get set up online and start to make extra money from your caravan.