I've found this forum so helpful during our 'starting out' time that I thought I'd take time out to give some of our experience in kitting out the let. Our cottage is in Eskdale, in the western Lake District, and it's about an hour's drive to any major shops, so mail order helped.
We are taking bookings now for mid-Feb onwards, although we still have to tidy up our own stuff and put a few pictures/mirrors up (so photos are not up to date). I'm working on our own (rather than agency) website at the moment.
Beds:
1. www.beds2u.com - really impressed by the speed, service, price and quality of the product. We chose £350 6ft Zip/Link with 'Best mattress' and 'Luxury Base' (to avoid using valences) and friends/family have offered unsolicited praise of the comfort. These are very high quality open coil and easily as comfortable as my much more expensive pocket sprung at home. We got the suede headboards - they look fine, but you need to add felt pads on the back to protect the wall from the staples...
2. Get Laid Beds (http://www.getlaidbeds.co.uk/wooden-bed ... iental-bed) - I needed a low bed for an attic room (and useful for children) - so got twin Low Oriental Beds - they are self-assembly, but easy to do, and are usually on 50% off at £183 each. Pleased with them and used Beds2u mattresses on them
Sofas
I looked at SofaSofa, but the reviews on TrustPilot suggest their customer service and delivery has really fallen, so ignored it. I visited Nabru (self-assembly without screws) to test their sofas. They look ok and seem robust, but creak quite a lot and are not that comfortable. In the end we got lucky in a Multiyork factory outlet: http://www.multiyork.co.uk/visit-our-st ... ry-outlets - well worth checking out for a quality sofa. Worth haggling too. Smaller chairs we struggled with (Ikea not robust in general) and spent a little more at a local furniture store.
Appliances
We used John Lewis and Appliances Online. We had real problems with getting John Lewis to deliver quickly, or on time, but they come with a 2yr warranty. Appliances Online were brilliant in terms of delivery and price, you just have to ask them to stop when they try to sell you their 'appliances for life' insurance.
Curtains
No time to make them, so picked up in the sales (Laura Ashley have good discounts), except for some awkward blinds, where we went for Hillarys. Perhaps not the cheapest way, but they made life very easy with measuring and fitting in our absence.
Bed Linen
We have been very pleased with Out of Eden for pillows, duvets, protectors (no-one has yet noticed they are sleeping on a waterproof matress cover) etc. We're using a laundry company for the letting linen though. Also white bathroom bins (don't rust).
Kitchenware
We found that Ikea (even 2hrs away) was the best place to sort this out quickly and nicely, buying double what we needed to keep spares. Also (a tip from these forums) - black toilet brushes!
Other Furniture
A real mixed bag - some old stuff we had been hanging onto, some bargains in Dunelm Mill (actually very good for many things - bedding, kitchenware etc), a dining table from the Multiyork clearance, B&M bargains... etc
Lighting
We found this hard as there are wide ranges in terms of pricing, with not that much difference in effect. Mostly used Ikea for shades and lamps after a lot of searching. Particulary pleased with the NOT - an £11 uplighter with reading lamp.
Carpets
Used a local recommended fitter and very pleased (Tony Roberts in Whitehaven).
One final tip: I didn't use them as I didn't fancy hiring a van to collect and drive half way up the country, but I was recommended this by a local hotelier and it seems brilliant: http://www.cityfurnitureclearance.co.uk/index.php
I hope this may help someone!
Tom
www.sallyscottages.co.uk/underhow
www.facebook.com/lakedistrictcottageeskdale
Feedback on our 'starting out' experience
Feedback on our 'starting out' experience
Last edited by tchn on Wed Jan 09, 2013 12:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Normandy Cow
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Thanks for posting this Tom.
I'm sure that there are many people who are starting out and pick up many tips from LMH but we never hear from them. And even though we are now considered to be "old timers!" having been in the business for 10 years, it is always useful to pick up new tips, because things do change over the years!
For example, I remember back to about 5 years ago when HolidayLettings was still a young independent company and one of their directors, Ross I think, used to be a member on here and would get involved in discussions and listen to our feedback, and many of us would sing their praises
I'm sure that there are many people who are starting out and pick up many tips from LMH but we never hear from them. And even though we are now considered to be "old timers!" having been in the business for 10 years, it is always useful to pick up new tips, because things do change over the years!
For example, I remember back to about 5 years ago when HolidayLettings was still a young independent company and one of their directors, Ross I think, used to be a member on here and would get involved in discussions and listen to our feedback, and many of us would sing their praises
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kendalcottages
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Booking up very nicely there, well done. (And hello from SE Cumbria!)
In fact, the fact that you are that booked up already in your first year makes me wonder whether you have got the pricing right.
I see you are already booked for both Christmas and New Year but at just £435 for each week for a property that sleeps 6... that does strike me as a little too cheap for what you are offering and could account for you being booked up so soon for both weeks in your first year...
In fact, the fact that you are that booked up already in your first year makes me wonder whether you have got the pricing right.
I see you are already booked for both Christmas and New Year but at just £435 for each week for a property that sleeps 6... that does strike me as a little too cheap for what you are offering and could account for you being booked up so soon for both weeks in your first year...
Kendal Holiday Cottages Ltd., Kendal, Cumbria - between the Lake District & the Yorkshire Dales.
Ah, I should probably explain that the bookings look really healthy because I have block booked out most of the school holidays. Those who run their lets as a full time source of income may be surprised by this, but I am a teacher living and working in a boarding school and use the cottage as my escape in the holidays. Although we will release some of these profitable weeks, I have to book them out until my plans firm up. Currently my wife and I both work full time so our aim is to start gently (get back some of the renovation costs) and use the house a lot ourselves, but I have no doubt that in due course we will need to let it for more of the year.
In a way, it makes it all the more important for me to use all the tricks of the trade and offer quality, as I'm only competing for the off-peak weeks.
The Christmas/New Year price is an anomoly and I need to chase that up with the agency. If we weren't both working full time (and with a young child), we'd do all the marketing ourselves - as it is I am supplementing theirs.
In a way, it makes it all the more important for me to use all the tricks of the trade and offer quality, as I'm only competing for the off-peak weeks.
The Christmas/New Year price is an anomoly and I need to chase that up with the agency. If we weren't both working full time (and with a young child), we'd do all the marketing ourselves - as it is I am supplementing theirs.
Last edited by tchn on Wed Jan 09, 2013 12:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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French Cricket
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No surprise Tom, I know other owners who block book out and then release when their plans are firmed. I too am in the main tied to school holidays and so have no compunction in booking a week during half terms etc. It makes sense to have your property do what you want it do for you after all!tchn wrote:Those who run their lets as a full time source of income may be surprised by this, but I am a teacher living and working in a boarding school and use the cottage as my escape in the holidays. Although we will release some of these profitable weeks, I have to book them out until my plans firm up.
The Christmas/New Year price is an anomoly and I need to chase that up with the agency. If we weren't both working full time (and with a young child), we'd do all the marketing ourselves - as it is I am supplementing theirs.
It looks as if the agency did certainly let Christmas go too cheap as it is priced the same as November. Christmas/New Year is usually priced high to peak by most of us. I don't go as high as my summer rates but have it pitched at June & September pricing.
So long as you're not desperate for the funds, then correct pricing can follow in due course. You just need to learn a little more, so you can keep an eye on the agency. I'm still tweaking in my third year of setting rates.
Good luck and hope it goes well. If you use a lot of the peak weeks yourselves, you may find that your cottage no longer has the number of weeks let to others to count as a furnished holiday let for tax reasons and so you won't get the capital allowances which are so valuable when you are starting out.
You need to have the property available for 210 days and booked for a minimum of 105 days or 15 weeks. I would be amazed if you were not able to fill 15 weeks outside of school holidays, with such a lovely property, marketed correctly. The key may be to not hold out for family bookings filling the house, but perhaps either pricing competitively off peak or discounting for couples.
If you are good with accounts you could do it yourself, but I chose to have my first year accounts prepared by an accountant. That way I learnt how to do it in future years and had my first year costs maximised!
If you are good with accounts you could do it yourself, but I chose to have my first year accounts prepared by an accountant. That way I learnt how to do it in future years and had my first year costs maximised!
Thanks Nemo. I'm assuming that's in a financial year, rather than a calendar year, and I believe that you can holdover some of the costs to the following year (as we start letting in February and clearly don't qualify in that year). I've calculated and we definitely have 210 days available and so the challenge is the 105 days let. The property has been priced competitively (relative to similar properties in the area), and we are marketing to different groups, so, touchwood.
I now just need to find an accountant who understands holiday lets, but I expect that is already somewhere else in this forum so I'll go hunting.
I now just need to find an accountant who understands holiday lets, but I expect that is already somewhere else in this forum so I'll go hunting.