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From the news - source Travolution
Holiday Cottages Group (HCG), the UK’s number one holiday cottage rental agency with more than 10,000 properties in the UK, is launching its first TV campaign in three years. The advert will premiere on Boxing Day and run throughout quarter one.
Holiday Cottages Group has reported sales of domestic holidays are up by 12 percent on 2008 and following this success it is looking to strengthen its position further in 2010.
The campaign promotes the cottages4you brand and aims to highlight the benefits of a self catering holiday by focusing on the experiences guests take home with them. Customer research carried out by HCG showed that the main features of a cottage holiday were relaxation, freedom and enjoying being ‘back with nature’. The scenarios depicted in the 40 second advert reflect these feelings and capture the essence of a cottage holiday.
The creative approach will be carried across all marketing channels including direct mail, email and website design. London Underground card panels, newspaper display and online display will also feature within the campaign.
You can see the first cottages4you advert from Saturday 26th December.
Read more here
Mark Lavington, Director of Boshers Ltd | Specialist Holiday Home Insurance advisers, comments; "HCG’s high profile marketing campaign highlighting the benefits of UK holiday cottage vacations is likely to have a knock on effect, thus hopefully increasing web traffic and enquiries for smaller bespoke holiday letting agents who maximise their Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns during Q1 of 2010."
Are you thinking about turning an old barn, brewery or bakery into a holiday let? Or any other pre-1945 building? If so, and you would like free advice on the project, read on.
In conjunction with Robert Hill of the Historic Building Advisory Service, Holiday Villas and Cottages are planning a new ‘house doctor’ series that welcomes questions from readers about any aspect of planning, building or related matters, and which may interest other readers. In addition Holiday Villas and Cottages are looking for one proposal where an owner is considering a conversion or restoration project that could be used as a case study. If you have either a particular question or a property that has an interesting background and needs expert advice and opinion, please e-mail details and images to info@merrickspublishing quoting ref: Boshers Blog. Should you require advice on holiday home insurance in connection with a conversation please contact Boshers Ltd who will be happy to advise you.
Insulate Your Water Pipes Against the Big Freeze
Rugging up is essential for both people and water pipes during this icy snap, with pipes likely to freeze as temperatures continue to plummet. Boshers Holiday Home Insurance Specialists offer the following advice about fixing frozen pipes in your holiday homes, but with a little preventative investment people can avoid major costly repairs in the future. And it’s not too late to act, with more wintry weather predicted in coming months now is the time to take action.
The biggest problem with frozen pipes is not the initial loss of water supply but the subsequent thaw. Compared to water, ice needs more space – so when water freezes it expands, which means a frozen pipe often leads to a burst pipe and flooding.
Boshers offers the following advice:
• First, check the pipes for any signs of splitting. If you spot any damage, call a plumber. If you don’t get the pipes repaired now, you might suffer from flooding once the water thaws.
• If there are no splits, turn on the cold water tap nearest your internal stop tap (often located under the kitchen sink) and turn it to a position where the water flow would normally be slow.
• Turn off the stop tap to cut the water supply and use a gentle heat source, such as a hair dryer or electric fan heater, to gently direct the heat around the internal stop tap until the pipe thaws.
•Occasionally turning the stop tap completely on and off helps clear any blockages.
Do not use electricity, or a blow torch or naked flame where there is a risk of water escaping. Also do not light the boiler to thaw out a hot water or central heating system. If a pipe bursts, turn off the stop tap and leave a tap on to allow the thawed water to drain out. Remember to take the plug out of the sink and contact a qualified plumber.
As always, prevention is better than cure and there are a number of things that can be done to protect water pipes from the cold weather.
• Fix any dripping taps or overflows, a gentle trickle of water can freeze and block the overflow or waste pipe.
• Check that your internal stop tap is working by opening and closing it
• Ensure that pipes in cold and draughty areas like roof spaces, outbuildings and garages are well insulated with approved lagging materials. If this isn’t something you are able to do yourself, then a registered plumber can do this.
• Use waterproof insulation on all pipes exposed to the elements and ensure all lagging is kept dry. Wet lagging is useless.
• Insulate water tanks by covering them around and above but not underneath if the tank is in the roof or loft. Rising warm air from the home below will help prevent the water from freezing.
• Remember to insulate any outside taps or turn them off at the internal stop tap and leave the outside tap open to drain it.
• Keep windows closed and stop draughts near pipes in unheated areas, but remember you must provide ventilation for boilers, gas fires etc.
• Leave central heating on low or a frost-protect setting overnight, or when away for a few days.
• Ensure your central heating system is serviced regularly.
• Keep your plumber’s contact details handy in case of an emergency.
Remember if you do have a burst pipe, take action to reduce the damage to your holiday home and it’s content’s immediately, then report the incident to your holiday home insurer or broker in order as soon as possible. Claim procedures and contact details are to be found in your holiday home insurance policy document.
Here is another Tax Guide written by renowned property tax expert Carl Bayley and published by respected Taxation advisors, Tax-Cafe.co.uk.
Holiday Home Insurance Specialists, Boshers Ltd have negotiated a 30% discount off the purchase price of £24.95 + £1.95 P&P for our clients and friends. For discount code details and information on how to purchase a copy click this link: Furnished Holiday Lets - Emergency Tax Guide - 30% Discount
Tom Entwistle of www.landlordzone.co.uk recently published the following review: "Given Carl’s extensive knowledge of UK property taxation rules, this guide is about as good as it gets in regard Furnished Holiday Lettings taxation, coming up to the major changes in the law after 6 April 2010.
Despite the many uncertainties as to the exact situation after 6th April, as we are still waiting on detailed guidelines from HMRC, Carl gives some very relevant insights into the future and some valuable pointers as to what you can do in the short-term, if you are in the Holiday Lettings business.
Carl starts by comprehensively recapping the rules as they stand today; examining each of the main tax reliefs available until 5th April next, in turn.
One by one he considers what action landlords can take in the short-term to maximise the reliefs they can claim before the abolition of the current regime.
Having considered the short term, Carl goes on to consider the potential future landscape after 6th April next. Using lots of practical examples the guide is easy to follow for the layman and professional alike.
Interestingly, chapter 8 considers a possible “work-a-round” in the form of a Trading Status alternative to Holiday Lettings Businesses, similar to that of guest houses and hotels.
Chapter 9 considers the issues around adopting property as holiday lets in the time left, and Chapter 10 looks at the temporary extension of the Furnished Holiday Lettings regime to the European Economic Area (EEA).
This tax guide is a must for any landlord with Holiday lets."
Buy your copy of Furnished Holiday Lets - Emergency Tax Guide - by Carl Bayley BSc ACA at a 30% Discount here.
The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Margaret Hodge) recently reported to the House Of Commons. "The number of overseas tourists who visited England in each of the past three years is as follows: in 2006, 27,586,288; in 2007, 27,794,425; in 2008, 27,291,584. Figures for 2009 show a downward trend in numbers, reflecting the global recession and particularly a downturn in business tourism. However, spend by those tourists is up by 2 per cent. compared to last year. In the month of July, domestic tourism increased by 20 per cent. compared with July 2008, which is the best figure we have had for quite a long time."
With no sign of Stirling strengthening significantly against the Euro this trend looks set to continue for the 2010 Furnished Holiday Letting season.
Holiday Homes and Holiday Cottages in the UK can be particularly susceptible to water damage caused by burst pipes, as they often lay empty for days at a time during the low season.
According to the weather forecasters, tonight will bring the first widespread frost of this winter. Please ensure that you have taken preventative measures to reduce the risk of water damage due to frozen pipes bursting. Draining the entire water and heating system during spells of unoccupancy is one method. Alternatively leave your heating on at a level sufficient to prevent your pipes from freezing and ensuring that the pipes in your attic have sufficient lagging, coupled with leaving your loft hatch open to allow circulation of warm air in your loft space.
Water damage as a result of burst pipes can be very traumatic and upsetting, apart from being a complete inconvenience for owners, guests and letting agents. Many second home owners suffered damage during the exceptionally cold spells last January & February. The exceptional weather caused a sharp increase in holiday home insurance claims in the early part of 2009. Whilst those that had a quality holiday home insurance policy will have had their damaged properties and contents repaired and replaced as appropriate and been recompensed for loss of income during the period which the properties were being renovated. I am sure that if questioned they would rather have not suffered the damage and inconvenience in the first place.
Sometimes these events are unforeseen, after all that's why we purchase insurance. Although often with careful planning, good housekeeping, due care and common sense these occurrances can at least be minimised. So beware of Jack Frost, take action and help to keep your holiday home insurance premiums as they are, good value for money!
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