Author Topic: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)  (Read 7031 times)

barewirewalker

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4226
Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #30 on: 16:32:17, 01/07/20 »
£1227 for the only free week in August. Sleeps 3.
OUCH!
That is high season in an area that attracts visitors, per night per person it is £58-43. 10 years ago I was paying £35 ppn for B&B. The point must be that these figures are feeding into the statistics that prove that walking and other countryside leisure pursuits contribute to the rural economy.

An old farmstead conversion at the head of Lock Katrine had some fabulous bijou lets. We had a 2 person let for a week, during which we walked daily doing routes totally to ourselves, equal to the more popular circuits and because we had the let, that supposed to be Rob Roy's birthplace, we were on the private road that ran around the Lock. We were able to catch the cross Loch ferry one way back to usual start and climb Ben Venue the do a return route around the far side of the loch. The crowds were on the west side of Loch Lomond but we could have been in Wester Ross for all the people we saw out walking.

I have often pointed out to farmers that difference walking alone makes to the Scottish economy is ten time the total product of all the Field Sports and still they will not realise how much the landowners are pulling the wool over there eyes. Until effort is made to research how this part of our economy works no one will be able to understand it.

We all have a choice how much we spent, should we not respect those who deliver quality service and think positively how it all links together.

BTW the trip across Loch Katrine in the Victorian power boat, especially the return trip of the first of the day gave us almost a private cruise, a wonderful start to the climb up Ben Venue on a superb clear day. Our unusual way back, that did not fit the usual routes had us climbing deer fences, because the gates were not mapped or in the right places.


There are always rogue traders, should they be the example that all break the rules.
« Last Edit: 16:36:52, 01/07/20 by barewirewalker »
BWW
Their Land is in Our Country.

tonyk

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2857
Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #31 on: 17:25:19, 01/07/20 »
If they have not paid council tax and are in consequence not entitled to certain services why are the council providing them?
Would appear that the council need to get their act together

 Most holiday lets have to pay business rates,albeit at a slightly lower rate than if they were paying council tax. If they are paying business rates rather than council tax they should also be a paying a fee to the council to have their waste taken away.

BuzyG

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3761
Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #32 on: 17:39:55, 01/07/20 »
That's the same old argument always trotted out by the Holiday Home Owners Association.  At least owners of second homes pay council tax. O0    Yesterday I saw the owner of a holiday let in a local village making preparations for re-opening on July 4th.  She looked a little sheepish when she noticed me watching because she was actually committing a fraud with one of her actions, by doing so she was undercutting the running costs of her competitors who do do the right thing along with the pubs, hotels and other businesses in the village.  Over the years that particular property/business, and the one fifty yards from it, have defrauded the council and its tax payers of thousands of pounds by receiving services to which they are not lawfully entitled.  ???


The reason they trot out that argument is because it is valid and true.  O0  They Pay business rates not council tax as they are a business.  Most of them are normal average people who have taken out bank loans and taken on risk.  Some will be loosing money hand over fist at the moment,.  I know a few of those and none of them are moaning about it,  They are just looking forward to 4th July and trying to keep their businesses afloat.
« Last Edit: 17:49:50, 01/07/20 by BuzyG »

forgotmyoldpassword

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1017
Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #33 on: 18:06:09, 01/07/20 »
I'm afraid that posting reviews with photos is my thing. Surely you've been following my Completely Covering Kent thread?  ;)

But the great thing about threads is that you can ignore them at your leisure!  :)


Looks like a great place with plenty of character, I was in Dolgellau a few years ago and really fell for the place (spent a lot of time in Roberts' cake shop!) as we stayed in Arthog just down the road.   Excellent walking area where you can put your boots on by the front door and have some fantastic time in the hills, and as always for Wales lots of historical sites to explore if you're looking for a switch up. 

Brandywell

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 656
Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #34 on: 18:14:52, 01/07/20 »

The reason they trot out that argument is because it is valid and true.  O0  They Pay business rates not council tax as they are a business.  Most of them are normal average people who have taken out bank loans and taken on risk.  Some will be loosing money hand over fist at the moment,.  I know a few of those and none of them are moaning about it,  They are just looking forward to 4th July and trying to keep their businesses afloat.
Most holiday lets don't pay any business rates as they are small businesses and qualify for 100% rate relief so local councils get nothing at all from them. O0
Watch where you are putting your feet : AW

forgotmyoldpassword

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1017
Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #35 on: 18:16:32, 01/07/20 »

OUCH!


Worth mentioning that high season peak pricing is likely 1/3 higher than off-season, and another 1/3 different towards low season properties (outside of xmas etc). 


You also may want to approach owners directly after using the property the first time as every owner wants to build a directory of excellent customers who are no hassle + who keep the place in good condition, and often give a discount for direct letting outside of their agent.

Brandywell

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 656
Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #36 on: 18:16:48, 01/07/20 »
If they have not paid council tax and are in consequence not entitled to certain services why are the council providing them?
Would appear that the council need to get their act together
To paraphrase  Donald Rumsfeld,  - I don't know but I do know that they know about it.  Perhaps their different departments don't actually communicate with each other or maybe they are just plainly inept and lazy. ::)
Watch where you are putting your feet : AW

forgotmyoldpassword

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1017
Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #37 on: 18:55:35, 01/07/20 »
Most holiday lets have to pay business rates,albeit at a slightly lower rate than if they were paying council tax. If they are paying business rates rather than council tax they should also be a paying a fee to the council to have their waste taken away.


It's also very possible that were they to qualify for rate relief that they may opt to reduce the letting availability and instead pay council tax for regular collection, which is what is often done for properties with very high demand in high season but have a comparatively short season - a good example might be coastal holiday lets, properties in areas likely to deal with changeable weather and a short summer season, or those where owners prefer to attend the property off-season themselves for maintenance.

WhitstableDave

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3254
Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #38 on: 19:24:13, 01/07/20 »
All that tax stuff is well beyond me, so here's our third and final Welsh cottage where we stayed just a few months ago - Dry Dock Cottage on a canal in the Brecon Beacons.

We'd climbed two of the Welsh Three Peaks (Snowdon and Cadair Idris), and only Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons remained. My wife still had seven days holiday for the year left, so we decided to find accommodation within easy reach of the mountain. After many hours of searching for something a little different, I found the perfect place - Dry Dock Cottage on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal.

In the description, I particularly liked this bit:

Quote
Dry Dock Cottage has a number of truly unique features, one being that you can enjoy coffee sitting in your armchair below canal water level with a spectacular view of the waterway and the Skirrid Fawr mountain beyond...

The cottage was absolutely amazing. Not shown in the photos is the 'cinema room', which is down a few stairs in the centre of the open-plan cottage; it has electric reclining chairs, a big screen and a thundering sound system! Another thing worth mentioning is the hi-tech electrical system where everything can be operated by a tablet.





The front windows open fully and it was great fun watching boats come under the low bridge and try to make the turn without hitting the bank...  :)



This cottage, another cottage of similar size and a house (centre of photo below) are near each other and are operated by a major narrow boat company based a few miles along the canal.



It's a fantastic walking area and, except for the Pen y Fan horseshoe, we did all of our walks that week directly from the cottage.  O0
Walk, Jog, Run : our YouTube video channel.

Brandywell

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 656
Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
« Reply #39 on: 19:43:12, 01/07/20 »
Most holiday lets have to pay business rates,albeit at a slightly lower rate than if they were paying council tax. If they are paying business rates rather than council tax they should also be a paying a fee to the council to have their waste taken away.
That's true some councils do collect trade waste for a fee.  But our local council does not - quote from their website - It is illegal to dispose of your waste by:
 
  • using a street litter bin
  • pretending it is household waste
  • using recycling banks

  • Watch where you are putting your feet : AW

    forgotmyoldpassword

    • Veteran Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 1017
    Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
    « Reply #40 on: 19:57:10, 01/07/20 »
    All that tax stuff is well beyond me, so here's our third and final Welsh cottage where we stayed just a few months ago - Dry Dock Cottage on a canal in the Brecon Beacons.

    We'd climbed two of the Welsh Three Peaks (Snowdon and Cadair Idris), and only Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons remained. My wife still had seven days holiday for the year left, so we decided to find accommodation within easy reach of the mountain. After many hours of searching for something a little different, I found the perfect place - Dry Dock Cottage on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal.



    Absolutely stunning.  Love the kitchen furnishings and the style of the place, definitely 'on the list'.   Brilliant conversion and seems cinema rooms are getting really popular for some of the more decked out cottages.


    edit:  Also seems they used a wet-room design bathroom, which are definitely a bit of a luxury and expensive to put in but really pleasant to use since they maximise usable space.  Obviously plenty of thought put in to it.
    « Last Edit: 20:17:32, 01/07/20 by forgotmyoldpassword »

    Brandywell

    • Veteran Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 656
    Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
    « Reply #41 on: 20:24:38, 01/07/20 »

    It's also very possible that were they to qualify for rate relief that they may opt to reduce the letting availability and instead pay council tax for regular collection, which is what is often done for properties with very high demand in high season but have a comparatively short season - a good example might be coastal holiday lets, properties in areas likely to deal with changeable weather and a short summer season, or those where owners prefer to attend the property off-season themselves for maintenance.
    Can't understand why any holiday let owner would want to choose that option, certainly not in the Lake District where the holiday let 'industry' operates for pretty much over the whole year nowadays. ;)
    Watch where you are putting your feet : AW

    forgotmyoldpassword

    • Veteran Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 1017
    Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
    « Reply #42 on: 21:20:53, 01/07/20 »
    Can't understand why any holiday let owner would want to choose that option, certainly not in the Lake District where the holiday let 'industry' operates for pretty much over the whole year nowadays. ;)


    Well, I don't want to get this thread more derailed, but in short many people don't actually make a huge amount of money in the low season months due to static changeover costs on a per week basis - costs which have increased with Covid.  On top of that you're still dealing with dilapidation and deterioration of the fixtures and fittings at a fairly standard rate the more weeks per year you let out, often at a  faster rate in winter months due to wet conditions meaning guests are in the property for more time and using everything more, greater heating and electricity costs etc - also some things like soft furnishings needing more rejuvenation than you'd like due to carelessness.  In many ways there are a lot of hidden costs which aren't immediately appreciated to the tenant but are there and need budgeting for.


    Many owners decide instead to let the 139 days allowed whilst keeping under the small business tax requirement rate to switch you to estimated rated value (which works against luxury properties), whilst still paying the council tax bracket to give them the convenience of being able to visit themselves.  If it was purely about making money you'd be able to find a conservative investment fund which would give you a better return at far less work, but for many it is a lifestyle business with a significant return to the local areas -  particularly when running luxury properties which often have six figure capital expenditure on improvements which allow for local building and services jobs to flourish as well as gardening, cleaning, laundry, letting and admin services to actually manage the process.

    pdstsp

    • Veteran Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 3826
    Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
    « Reply #43 on: 08:08:18, 02/07/20 »
    Love the dry dock cottage there Dave - looks an absolutely fantastic place.

    Brandywell

    • Veteran Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 656
    Re: Self-catering cottages for walking holidays :-)
    « Reply #44 on: 08:10:02, 02/07/20 »

    Well, I don't want to get this thread more derailed, but in short many people don't actually make a huge amount of money in the low season months due to static changeover costs on a per week basis - costs which have increased with Covid.  On top of that you're still dealing with dilapidation and deterioration of the fixtures and fittings at a fairly standard rate the more weeks per year you let out, often at a  faster rate in winter months due to wet conditions meaning guests are in the property for more time and using everything more, greater heating and electricity costs etc - also some things like soft furnishings needing more rejuvenation than you'd like due to carelessness.  In many ways there are a lot of hidden costs which aren't immediately appreciated to the tenant but are there and need budgeting for.


    Many owners decide instead to let the 139 days allowed whilst keeping under the small business tax requirement rate to switch you to estimated rated value (which works against luxury properties), whilst still paying the council tax bracket to give them the convenience of being able to visit themselves.  If it was purely about making money you'd be able to find a conservative investment fund which would give you a better return at far less work, but for many it is a lifestyle business with a significant return to the local areas -  particularly when running luxury properties which often have six figure capital expenditure on improvements which allow for local building and services jobs to flourish as well as gardening, cleaning, laundry, letting and admin services to actually manage the process.
    Thanks for your explanation. :)
    Watch where you are putting your feet : AW

     

    Terms of Use     Privacy Policy