Why Choose Sykes as your Holiday Let Agency?

If you're looking for a holiday let agency to maximise profits on your property while saving time, there are a few things to consider. Here are our top tips for choosing the best holiday letting company to manage your holiday let.

Our Services

Whether you're an existing or potential future holiday cottage owner, renting out your second home to a holiday letting agency presents its own unique challenges and rewards.

One of the biggest questions for holiday let owners is whether they should manage the property themselves, or outsource tasks to a holiday let management agency.

Working with a trusted holiday let agency can take away the hassle of holiday letting and helps free up your schedule so you can spend it doing other things - whether it's for work or pleasure.

So, why choose Sykes Holiday Cottages?

• We're the fastest-growing holiday let agency in the UK and Ireland, and one of the largest holiday letting companies worldwide

• Our family of regional brands provide the ideal place for holiday let owners to list their second home online with a more local focus

• We aim to connect 3 million happy holidaymakers to 35,000 holiday homes by 2023

More bookings, More revenue, Less hassle

From changeovers and repairs to handling guest bookings and complaints, managing the day-to-day running of your holiday cottage is often strenuous, and it can quickly eat up most of your time.

If you're looking to work with an agency such as Sykes Cottages, our hassle-free holiday letting means guests can have the best possible holiday experience and come back time and time again, whilst also giving you more time to relax.

Depending on how much you plan to be managing your holiday let, we provide a range of flexible services so you can have peace of mind knowing that your property is in safe hands.

Our friendly teams are here for you, offering round-the-clock support and expert advice to help make the most of your holiday let investment.

Advice for those thinking of buying a holiday let

If you're thinking of buying a holiday let, reviewing your aspirations for holiday home ownership is a great place to start when looking for the best holiday letting company.

Getting clear on your expectations for buying a holiday let is paramount to its success. Do you want a dream property close to the beach? Are you wanting a holiday let for a new source of rental income, capital growth, or simply looking for somewhere to enjoy yourself? Or perhaps you want to own a holiday home to let out and help fund your dreams?

If you're planning to visit your holiday cottage socially with friends and family, how many months of the year do you plan to visit? Do you want to be free to use your holiday home as much as possible?

Whatever your motivation for buying a holiday let, we're able to offer advice to help you make an informed decision, including:

• The best places to buy a holiday home and which areas to avoid

• Locations with the highest growth­­­ for short-term letting, from Liverpool to Bath

• Different types of income-producing properties and how much you could earn

• How to spot if a property could make a good holiday let and why

• Trends in popular holiday letting locations

• Top-performing features to maximise your holiday let income

• General advice on how much you can earn for your property and estimated performance in the holiday market using our Holiday Let Income Calculator

• Research of UK holiday let data, including our Staycation Index guides for inspiration when you are thinking of where to buy and what to include in your holiday let

Holiday Let Mortgage Guidance

In addition, Sykes has a range of holiday let mortgage guides and tips from our trusted teams to help guide you throughout your journey.

Our expert property advisors will walk you through everything you need to know when looking for holiday let mortgages, and working out your plans to buy. This includes:

• General mortgage advice and links to recommended holiday let mortgage specialists

• A free service for Holiday Rental Income Estimate Letters

• Stamp Duty and holiday let tax guidance

• Guidance on holiday let planning and renovations

We also have case studies from all types of holiday homeowners with varied motivations for getting into holiday letting. You can discover their formulas for holiday let success, and what to avoid when buying a property.

What happens when you're ready to buy

For those who are ready to buy, you may be looking to see what's really involved when owning a holiday let.

Perhaps you've read different information on various websites, but you're feeling overwhelmed with options? Or you've tried looking for properties with minimal success, and are undecided on which location or property type is best to buy?

You might also have certain goals and aspirations for holiday letting, such as building a property portfolio for financial returns, or capitalising on upcoming areas, while asking questions such as:

• What are the differences between holiday let and residential mortgages?

• How much does it cost to own a holiday home?

• Are there any hidden charges on top of holiday letting that I haven't thought of?

• How much tax do you pay on a holiday let income, and is tax relief available?

• Is the type of property I'm looking at profitable for holiday letting?

• How much holiday let mortgage deposit do I need?

Whether you need general advice, or have specific questions around holiday letting, Sykes Holiday Cottages will be able to guide you in the right direction.

When you are ready to buy a property, our experts can assist you in everything from:

• The latest holiday let rules and regulations

• Independent mortgage guidance and finding the best holiday let mortgage specialists

• Help securing your holiday let mortgage with our free Holiday Rental Income Estimate service, also showing estimated earnings for your property

• Holiday let mortgage guides for financing the purchasing of a holiday home

Managing your holiday let can often feel like a full-time job, and may be frustrating for those who don't have much free time on their hands. Using a holiday let management agency can help save you time and effort, while attempting to deliver minimum investment with maximum yield.

Setting up your holiday let when ready to list

Once you have secured your property with Sykes, let us help you along the road to listing for holiday let success.

We will:

• Set you up on our system ready to begin your holiday letting journey

• Arrange a personal visit to your holiday cottage by one of our Property Consultants to discuss holiday letting in detail

• Demonstrate a personal revenue estimation for your property, and agree on what we can do together to try and help boost your holiday home income

Holiday Home Management

The next step on your holiday let journey will involve a consultation with one of our local expert Property Consultants, who are often holiday let owners themselves.

Our consultants will work with you in the best way possible to achieve your letting goals. From how to earn the most from your property with our unique pricing system to booking flexibility for customers, we'll cover everything you need to know for holiday let success.

Maximising Your Holiday Let Income

Our optional Income Maximisation and Short Break schemes are a great way to help boost your holiday let income and fill up your calendar. Using intelligent pricing algorithms, we adapt your holiday let pricing to reflect demand and changes in the market, helping you earn an average 27% extra revenue per year.

We are flexible around how you want to manage your holiday let and offer you a range of holiday let maintenance services, including:

• Guest changeover and housekeeping

• Holiday let welcome packs

• Window cleaning

• Holiday cottage gardening services

• Hot tub maintenance

• Owner discounts for your holiday let, including bed linens, mattresses, and kitchen equipment

• Entertainment facilities and gadgets to add value to your holiday home

• Advice for optimising the outdoor space, parking areas and external lighting in your holiday let

You'll also receive a holiday inventory checklist to help get everything ready for your first guests. This includes all the essentials, from furniture to cutlery, bed linens to towels, coat hangers and kitchen appliances to Wi-Fi and even cleaning equipment and fire safety.

Once we know you are happy, we will ask you to sign your contract, and the process of listing your property can begin. The Sykes Cottages New Owner Team will then look after you through the set-up period. Your personal contact will guide you through health and safety, legal certificates and holiday let insurance.

Advertising your holiday let

When it comes to advertising and promoting your holiday let, our dedicated marketing team is on hand to take care of everything for you. At Sykes Cottages, our proven marketing strategies can help attract consistent year-round bookings and reliable income for your holiday let.

What we do:

• Promote your property to our extensive database of holidaymakers through targeted email marketing campaigns and bespoke print media

• Increase exposure of your property and generate bookings through third-party sites including TripAdvisor and Booking.com

• List your holiday let on our website which attracts over 36 million visitors each year, using professional photographs and optimised descriptions for maximum exposure

• Shout about your property on social media to over 327,000 followers across multiple platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

• Our dedicated Customer Relationship Management programme will also help promote your property and maintain consistent holiday let bookings throughout the year

Next steps when your property is listed

Our work doesn't stop once you are live. After your property is listed on our website, we will:

• Monitor booking performance and queries from your holiday rental

• Provide 24/7 support and advice from our dedicated teams and your personal contact as required, from general maintenance to urgent queries

• Share guest feedback from your rentals and identify ways to improve reviews

Managing your holiday let

As soon as your property goes live, you'll be able to manage your holiday let remotely on our Online Owner Portal. This will include all your holiday let data, including booking requests, contacts, earning statements, monthly payments, guest feedback and the option to add income-generating features.

Our friendly teams will handle all aspects of your booking, dealing with enquiries, deposit collection and balance payments. We provide all the information required for your guests to arrive safely and to access your property, as well as what to do when their stay is over.

Sykes Owner App

Owners can download Sykes' exclusive mobile app to manage listings and bookings, respond to guest messages and conveniently manage your holiday let remotely. The Sykes Owner app provides flexibility and convenience to stay in control and help run your holiday let with ease. Download the Sykes Owner App today to enjoy all of these benefits and more.

Why choose Sykes Cottages as your holiday letting agency

We never forget that this is your holiday let, and we are privileged to help market and manage it on your behalf. Our aim is to put your second home first, and it's at the forefront of everything we do for an owner.

At Sykes, we aim to help thousands of consistently happy cottage owners just like you get the best returns on their investment. Therefore, we believe we are the best holiday letting company to help maximise your property's potential.

Reasons to let with Sykes Holiday Cottages

• Results-driven with 30 years of expert knowledge in all areas of holiday letting

• Strong foundation for growth with solid, well-funded support from investors

• Experience helping thousands of owners successfully set up their holiday lets

• Friendly and helpful teams providing 24/7 support

• Managed services with flexible options to suit your needs

• Hassle-free holiday letting to generate consistent bookings and help keep customers coming back year after year

• Award-winning holiday letting agency, including holding the Best Company for UK Holiday Home Rentals title for 10 years in a row at the British Travel Awards, as well as the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work for in the UK and 1000 companies to Inspire Britain