What do you call your holiday home?

[LeanneA]

Just wondered if a name is important?

I am setting up my previous residential flat to start letting for holiday use, and not sure whether to give it a "title" or just use the address. Its in a block and I was thinking of using the block name and adding "Holidays" to it, rather than just "Flat X" and the address.

Also, do you have a "corporate identity" for want of a better term, ie headed paper etc, for your holiday let business? I am planning to use an agency to advertise, take booking and payment, but I guess there will be some communication between me and guests, so just wondered whether I should set myself up with some proper PC generated stationery - I help run a nursery and did their corporate logo, advertising literature and stationery and I feel it gives a good impression, rather than sending out everything on plain paper.

Am I going to fall foul of any trading requirements, company name issues etc?

Sorry, probably thick questions, but anyone have any views please?

Thanks

[Sue Dyer]

We've had our place for over 12 years now and in the village it will never be anything but Lily Cottage, or just "Lily" as it is referred to!

I thought long and hard about a name and naming it after my lovely mam just seemed to fit. Our returning guests all say they are looking forward to their return to "Lily". It does give a place more of a personality imho than "26 West St".

[tavi]

I agree, I think a name adds a bit of personality - almost a "brand".

My apartment's name just evolved - from the decoration which I wanted to suit the environment (nature and coast), then the fact that it was so tiny it could hardly be called an "apartment" (!) - so it became the Beach Hut.

In fact the name suits it perfectly and guests seem comfortable using it - (had a text from a departing guest the other day: "thanks for all at the Hut, shall we leave the keys.....").

I don't have a logo but might get that done one day.

[newtimber]

If you are using an agency, I doubt it is worthwhile bothering with headed notepaper & logos - some agencies do all the correspondence with the customer and you have no contact until they arrive. In any event, email seems to be the main means of communication nowadays rather then letters.

Similarly with the corporate name - find out what the agency is going to do and there may not be a place for your name at all. If you have a website, then you need a name, but I cannot see any point if you don't - the agency promotes their corporate identity not yours. You can just give your flat a pretty and descriptive name.

Depending on what you plan to do, you may in theory need planning permission to change the use from residential to holiday let so there might be a case for not having a corporate identity and staying beneath the radar.

[Nemo]

Give it a name yes, but don't worry about notepaper, logos etc. I do have a word booking form I can send out and that is just a photo at the top with the name of the property overwritten. Anything else needed in paper form I just email to myself and then print out the email. Most people will function by email.

Just because you use an agency now, doesn't mean you won't consider doing it yourself in the future. You may be very happy with your agency and that's great, but having gone from agency myself at short notice, there's nothing worse than having to do things in a hurry.

An identity and a basic website is a good starting point. Planning is always a tricky one, but I just found a good site that explains things well, written by a solicitor specialising in planning law. http://planninglawblog.blogspot.co.uk/2 ... f-use.html

I pulled this section out:

Whilst no hard and fast rule can be laid down, I think it is reasonably safe to assume that a holiday let comprising accommodation which would sleep, say, up to to 6 to 8 people, and is therefore likely to be occupied by family groups who, during their stay, constitute a single household, will in all probability still fall within Use Class C3, and so there will be no material change of use where the property was previously used as a family home.

[LeanneA]

Thanks for replies.

Although I am using an agency to handle the booking/payment side, they allow owners to advertise and and take bookings for the property themselves as well, so I am thinking of a cheap, basic website for myself - maybe even a facebook page as I have come across a couple of local lets who have them aswell. I will refer them to the agency to book and pay, but just feel it might generate a different route for promoting the property.

I also enquired about a Bookers Cash and Carry card this week, and the lady said you need to apply under your "trading name", so might have to come up with something there too!!!!

I take it I don't have to register the name anywhere for business purposes? Sorry, not done anything like this before so want to avoid any problems.

[newtimber]

That's interesting Nemo.
I'm not sure that I agree that 6-8 people are family groups. Depending on the area you are in, you may attract hill walkers who are friends; you may have 2 or 3 couples; employees on work-related business.

I presume that you would have to pay business rates which would mean notifying the council that the property is now used for a holiday let business and is the council not going to want some evidence?

[Nemo]

No, there are indeed lots of variables. Here's another quote from the same piece I quoted from before

Large groups of people (who were not family groups) stayed there, with all the associated comings and goings, vehicular movements and parking, and the noise and general disturbance inevitably associated with such a use. It was undoubtedly this factor that prompted the LPA to take enforcement action, and which led to a finding of fact on the part of the Inspector that a material change of use had taken place.

So, basically every case has to be judged on its own merits. Cornish Maid only sleeps two, so I don't think the above could apply to her!

Registering your name - no obligation at all. Your financial obligations will be filling in a self assessment form on the income from property section.

Cash & Carry - I set up a name (that I have since changed on buying the second property, but haven't notified them!) but needed very little proof apart from address details etc. I can't remember if I pointed them to my website or simply produced a leaflet that I quickly bashed together on a word doc. Really easy though.

Business rates - you simply notify the council what you're doing; it should be very straight forward. Don't forget to ask for small business rate relief - it's not automatically given and not all councils ask you if you're eligible. Plus, planning, council tax and business rates are all different sections, so never expect one to communicate with the other - in my experience they don't!

[Wendy@NorthIdaho]

Definitely choose a name, many people don't remember my website address (it's wayyyy too long, beginners mistake...) but they remember the cottage name and then do a search by that and can find us using google, etc... I think it gives it a bit more "personality" also a name seems to make a connection with some people, no doubt some don't care but others seem to.

Wendy

[arkvilla]

Our villa is called Arkvilla, our boys are Arun, Ryan and Kyle so it's their initials

Lots of people mention it

Sandra

[barbersdrove]

We gave our place a name and I stayed up all night trying to find the right one with no success. Next morning, hubby, who had had a good nights sleep thank you woke up and said 'what about Fen-Acre'. B***er! Of course it was just right!!

Now we have 2 units I've had to think up individual names for them and that was just as hard. Now, I'm happy with one but not with the other. We called it Eastside but how I wish I had names it Sunnyside as it faces east and is really sunny.

I do have a corporate identity as I think it gives an overall good impression.

[funkymonkey]

Our duplex is called Papatya. Hubby's eldest granddaughter is called Daisy and Papatya is turkish for daisy.

[Moliere]

We were very original and called our house in France "The French House". Ooh, novel, eh?

But it became a logo and a label, so our website is www.atthefrenchhouse.com - we couldn't do without the "at" because of some bloody shop in South London - but the label was great because it was simple and memorable, so returners could find us easily - many people lead such chaotic lives these days that anything you can do to make your place memorable will pay dividends by making it easier for guests to find you.

Moliere

[pizza-salsa]

our holiday home is divided into 2 apartments so we wanted to give each one a nice name, rather than calling them "ground floor flat" and "first floor flat" or apt A and apt B.
So we've called the ground floor Apartment Bella
and the first floor Apartment Vista
and putting them together we got Villa BellaVista (beautiful views) as there is a great seaview from both apartments.

we like it and we think it will be easy to remember.
Since I'm Italian, it also has an Italian connection with the name. We checked beforehand and there are no similar names in our island so it would not create confusion with bookings and also with searching online.