In the last few weeks, we have received a high volume of calls from cottage owners who are all experiencing the same problems with their holiday cottage agency. Over the last 35 years we have always congratulated ourselves on the standard and quality of the service we have provided to our owners and holidaymakers, and we are disheartened at the service these big agencies are now giving, bringing the whole of our industry into disrepute.
Do any of these resonate with you?
- Can’t get through to the agency and when you do, you can’t speak to the same person twice?
- Maintenance issues seem to drag on and need constantly chased up?
- Management charges have increased significantly for the agency to manage your cottage?
- Your guests inform you, they received very vague replies to their questions about your cottage prior to booking – it felt to them that the person they were speaking to did not know the area or your cottage.
- Your agency has been taken over by one of the big national agencies and you no longer feel valued as an owner.
Please do not despair, not all agencies are the same, there are some fantastic small agencies still out there.
If you are considering changing agents then we would love to talk to you, but before you make that decision, please read on to see how we differ.
As a small, independent, family run business our aim is simple; to provide the best possible service, not just to you as an owner of a holiday cottage, but to your guests also, lets face it without holidaymakers there is no need for a holiday cottage and without a holiday cottage there is no need for holidaymakers, so both parties have to be equally valued.
We (David, Julia and Gail) have grown up and lived in Cumbria all of our lives and have each brought our families up chasing the elusive ice cream van at the top of the many fells we have climbed, the love of the Lake District and Cumbria is not only in our blood, but now the blood of our children and in David and Julia’s case, their grandchildren.
With years of experience in running successful holiday cottage agencies, David and Julia were the original founders of Cumbrian Cottages over 35 years ago (now owned by Cottages.com) and Lakes Cottage Holidays (now owned by Sykes Cottages) with Gail working alongside them for 30 years as the agency manager, there is very little we do not know about the area or running an agency.
So how do we differ from the now big national companies? Our focus is primarily on providing a professional, knowledgeable, friendly service to you and your holidaymakers, where we are transparent in everything we do.
Below we address some of the issues raised during our chats with owners who are disheartened with their current holiday cottage agency.
- Can’t get through to the agency and when you do, you can’t speak to the same person twice?
We are a small team, currently 3 of us, you will currently always speak to either David, Julia or Gail. Gail deals with the majority of the day to day running of the business and will be your first point of contact for any queries. At busy periods, an answer phone is available, and all calls are returned the same day, whether you are an owner who has been with us since the start, new to our portfolio or a holidaymaker wanting to make a booking or have a problem whilst in the cottage.
David is mostly ‘on the road’ meeting owners, checking inventories, ensuring cleaning is up to standard and helping resolve any maintenance issues.
- Maintenance issues seem to drag on and need constantly chased up?
We endeavor to get someone out to your cottage to deal with any maintenance issues as soon as possible, at the very least on the next change over. You will be kept informed every step of the way via email of the progress made and if you do need to speak to us on this, we are at the end of the phone waiting to help and as it is one of the 3 of us who has dealt with the problem from start to finish there is no wasted time trying to get to speak to someone who may know what is happening and then be passed onto someone else, who again may not know what is happening.
- Management charges have increased significantly for the agency to manage your cottage?
We are all acutely aware there is a cost of living crisis and we have to work even harder to ensure your cottage is receiving bookings and you are receiving an income that covers your expenses. Charging a fixed management fee even on the months you have no income simply works against our common goal of providing good quality accommodation at a price holidaymakers can afford, holidaymakers and owners are both facing the same cost of living pressures at the moment and increased holiday prices to cover unnecessary maintenance costs are not helpful.
We will only charge you for the work we do to cover our time and any expenses incurred in dealing with any management issues, there are no additional monthly fees on top of our charges.
- Your guests inform you, they received very vague replies to their questions about your cottage prior to booking – it felt to them that the person they were speaking to did not know the area or your cottage.
As a small agency we know all of our owners and cottages well, we can advise holidaymakers if the cottage has walks from the door, is in a quiet location or on a busy main road, if the stairs are suitable for their elderly mother to climb, which mountains give the best views and where you can hire a canoe to try the watersports available. We are confident we can answer all of your questions and those of your guests, but occasionally a curve ball is thrown and we may need to research this, but you can guarantee our curiosity and love for the job we do will send us off immediately to find the answer.
- Your agency has been taken over by one of the big national agencies and you no longer feel valued as an owner.
Unfortunately, the big agencies have lost their way in making owners feel valued, your cottage being 1 of thousands is pretty insignificant to them in the grand scheme of things, add to this there corporate way of working and there is no movement in the service they provide, simply it is ‘there way or the highway’.
Our aim is to have a small number of cottages that we can personally look after and provide a quality service that we can both be proud of, we aim to take the hassle out of running your holiday cottage ensuring you receive a level of service that exceeds your expectations. We will always be approachable and above all else, give you honest advice on how to make improvements, even if we know this is not something you want to hear.
So if you feel our ethos and goals mirror your own ethos and aspirations for your cottage, then we would love to talk to you to see how we can work together.
Visit our website to request a copy of our ‘Information for New Owners’ https://www.cumbriancottageholidays.co.uk/let-your-cottage/ or if you would prefer an informal chat in the first instance then please give David a call on 07702 488495 or Gail on 01228 597136.
We look forward to speaking to you soon.
David, Julia and Gail
