Owner Case Study: Making a Fresh Start with Holiday Letting

A few years ago, Helen Peutherer was made redundant. An earth-shattering event for most people, Helen decided to turn a negative into a positive and make a fresh start. She invested in a property in the village of Chirnside, near Berwick-upon-Tweed in the Scottish Borders. Kirkgate Cottage was added onto our website just two months later.

A cosy two-bedroom property, has attracted couples and their four-legged friends looking to explore the surrounding countryside of the Scottish Borders. Helen had originally thought of holiday letting as something to do in her spare time.

How did you first get into holiday letting? Was it for financial motivations or something else?

I inherited from my father's estate, and was made redundant within the space of 3 months. I wanted to use the money to put towards something that I could make an income from and that could be a bit of a job to keep me busy. It’s an investment but also something to interest me. I have a background in hospitality so it was just meant to be!

For more information on setting up a holiday let, take a look at our guide on how to set up a holiday let business.

Did the property need any work before you could let it out? How long did it take and how much did it cost?

Kirkgate Cottage needed only changes really – things like updating the décor and adding new flooring etc. It had been let as a holiday home for 12 years beforehand, so we only spent £2000 updating it. From buying it to getting it listed on Sykes, it took only about 2 months.

Is holiday letting what you expected?

It’s been better than expected, and bookings have been brilliant, with so many more than we expected.

I do all the turnovers myself; the cleaning, laundry and the maintenance where I can. I’ve done it all my life so I know how to do it well and I’m more than happy to do it.

Sykes have been brilliant – they manage all the bookings and I get to keep a connection with the guests too. Their marketing activity is also really good and they take the hassle out of things like taking the money from customers etc. so they’re worth every penny in commission.

What kind of holidaymakers come to your property?

Mainly older couples who are retired or semi-retired. Most people bring pets too.

Do you have any tips for prospective owners thinking of getting into holiday letting?

I’d say buy a property near a pub if you can. I also like to leave a welcome tray for guests’ arrival – people appreciate the personal touches.

What are your views on holiday letting versus long-term letting/buy-to-let?

Because I’ve worked in hospitality, holiday letting was the obvious choice for me. I didn’t want to do a buy-to-let because that wouldn’t have given me much to do on a weekly basis. I also wouldn’t have earnt as much income on a monthly basis from buy to let.