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 […]

Holiday Let Restoration Projects Sought By Holiday Cottages Magazine. 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 […]

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 […]

The Chancellor has confirmed that the Furnished Holiday Lettings Rules will be withdrawn from 2010/11. The Chancellor has confirmed that the Furnished Holiday Lettings Rules will be withdrawn from 2010/11. Self-catering industry bodies continue to lobby the government. In the meantime Boshers Holiday Home Insurance clients can purchase a copy of Furnished Holiday Lets – your Emergency Tax Planning Guide at […]

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: […]

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 […]

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 […]

Boscastle Flooding

Ten Tips For Holiday Home Owners Or Guests Affected By Flooding Gather essential items together either upstairs or in a high place. Fill containers such as kettles and saucepans with clean water. Move your family and pets upstairs, or to a high place with a means of escape. Turn off gas, electricity and water supplies […]

Latest Met Office Warning: Unsettled weather is expected to continue across the UK over the next few days, with heavy rain and gale-force winds bringing the risk of flooding in places. In the 24 hours to 11 a.m. Thursday, Seathwaite (Cumbria) has recorded 173 mm of rain, Shap (Cumbria) 71.6 mm, Keswick (Cumbria) 64.2 mm […]

Boshers advises UK holiday home owners to use quieter periods, such as the Winter months to carry out essential maintenance checks so their properties are protected from inclement weather and in tip top order for the following letting season. Mark Lavington, says: “Many weather related insurance claims could be avoided if holiday home owners were to […]

More Britons opted for “staycations” in the UK in first half of the year, providing a much needed boost for domestic tourism. The number of holidays taken in England by UK residents rose by 14% compared to the same period last year. That amounted to 2.6 million more trips and more than 9.1 million extra […]

In this post we explore the subject of a holiday home owners duty to adhere to electrical safety regulations. Is your Holiday Home Safe To Let? Landlords Guide To Electrical Safety. Although the UK has a fairly good record of electrical safety, there are still over 30 deaths and nearly 4000 injuries from electrical accidents and […]

The Federation of National Self Catering Associations was founded to provide a forum for bodies representing the interests of owners or operators of self-catering holiday accomodation, thus facilititating the the exchange of information and debate on matters of common interest. They have a number of other very worthy aims and objectives which include making representations to offical […]

Fire safety of furniture and furnishings in holiday homes

In this post we take a look at the Fire Safety Of Furniture and Furnishings in Holiday Homes And Furnished Residential Properties. A Comprehensive Guide To The UK Regulations. An amendment to the Regulations made in 1993 requires that all furniture supplied within rented accommodation (including those classified as ‘fixtures and fittings’) needs to meet […]

Calls for Government rethink on holiday letting tax change. A GOVERNMENT tax change that could cause the closure of holiday lettings, an increase in second homes and cost the county’s economy an estimated £5 million has been slammed by tourism promoters, owners of holiday homes and MPs. The Government announced in the last Budget that it […]

Holiday Let Tax Changes Threaten Investment, Says Industry Survey. Controversial Government plans to change the tax rules on furnished holiday lets will be a direct threat to new investment in the tourism sector, according to our new survey. We have established that the proposed removal of tax breaks on capital investment was highlighted as the top […]

Gas Safe Register For Landlords and Accommodation Providers Including Holiday Home Owners. A new gas registration scheme was introduced on April 1 in Great Britain. The new scheme, Gas Safe Register, is delivered under an agreement with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and replaces the CORGI gas register which ended on 31 March. Landlords’ legal […]

BBQ Safety for holiday home owners. Barbecue summer or not, if you provide a BBQ for your guests to use at your holiday home you would be wise to give this consideration in your risk assessment and provide some safety guidelines for your guests. You may wish to consider some of the following tips: Many people […]

Campaign Launched to fight rural tax bombshell. A campaign has been launched to fight proposed tax changes that could impact on thousands of rural business across the region. Hidden in the small print of last week’s Budget were plans to change the tax regime for people who let property as holiday accommodation. The Government, in an […]

Promising Forecast For UK Cottage Holidays This Summer. ‘Hot and dry’ UK summer forecast. The UK is “odds on for a barbecue summer”, with no repeat of the washouts of the last two years, according to Met Office forecasters. Temperatures are likely to be warmer than average across the UK, topping 30C at times. Rainfall should […]

Crime Gangs Target Second Homes And Holiday Cottages To House Cannabis Factories. Holiday Home Used As Cannabis Factory – The following story appeared in the Western Morning News on the 6th January 2009. A MASSIVE Vietnamese-style cannabis factory has been discovered in Cornwall – the first of its kind in the county. Devon and Cornwall Police […]

Holiday Home Insurance Policy Warranties – Restrictive Clauses Or Just Good Housekeeping? That time of the year is upon us when your holiday let may be unnocupied for a few weeks at a time. Owners must ensure that they check and abide by any policy warranties. A warranty is a policy condition which must be adhered […]

UK Holiday Home Winter Maintenance Checklist. Boshers advises UK holiday home owners to use quieter periods, such as the Winter months to carry out essential maintenance checks so their properties are protected from inclement weather and in tip top order for the following letting season.Mark Lavington, says: “Many weather related claims could be avoided if holiday […]

Holiday Home Insurance – Fire Precautions and PAT Testing Q and A’s Question Dear Sir or Madam, My house is insured with you as a holiday let for up to 8 people, with 2 bedrooms upstairs and 2 down. I have had a fire risk assessment completed which was favourable and I’m hoping to implement […]

Is your cottage in the country becoming a financial burden? Here at Boshers it has recently become apparent from a steady stream of holiday home insurance enquiries, that second home owners who use their country and coastal cottages for family and friends use only and often infrequently, are feeling the squeeze of the recent “credit crunch”. […]

In Part 7 – Guide to Holiday Home insurance – General Considerations we look more deeply into the conditions and warranties that may apply to your holiday home insurance policy. Ensure you have a good understanding of your policy cover and in particular you understand your obligations regarding any conditions or warranties. You or an […]

Legal Expenses Insurance This provides cover for legal fees, compensation awards or appeal costs arising from a wide range of legal disputes that you may become involved in as a Holiday Home Owner whilst running your holiday let business. Cover for all claims occurring at the same time or from the same originating cause is […]

Loss Of Rental Income In Part 5 – guide to Holiday Home insurance – Loss of rental Income we look at how you protect your holiday letting income in the event of an insured peril affecting your property. Your specialist Holiday Home Insurance policy should also provide loss of rental income cover for insured perils, […]

Contents Insurance In Part 4 – Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Contents Insurance we discuss the contents of your holiday home. The very nature of a holiday home is that it is a `home from home’ and therefore let on a fully furnished basis. In the past it was not unusual for the value […]

Buildings Insurance In Part 3 – Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Buildings Insurance We look at how you should not overlook the investment property itself – it is likely to be one of your major assets. To properly protect your holiday home property, you need to cover the buildings of your holiday home against all […]