Cottages.com

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
Jemima Copping
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Cottages.com

Post by Jemima Copping »

Does anyone have any idea what commission Cottages.com take?
Better to be mutton dressed as lamb than mutton dressed as mutton!
Gettingthere
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Post by Gettingthere »

I believe it’s variable, but at least 17%+vat. Be careful though - they have a tendency to discount weeks without asking the owner.
Jemima Copping
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Post by Jemima Copping »

Thanks,i'll bear that in mind.
Better to be mutton dressed as lamb than mutton dressed as mutton!
CarolineJ
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Post by CarolineJ »

They told me standard was either 24%+VAT or 26%+VAT (can't remember which), but will go to 18%+VAT for areas they're short of properties in.
Faint heart never won fair holiday let...
Jemima Copping
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Post by Jemima Copping »

CarolineJ wrote:They told me standard was either 24%+VAT or 26%+VAT (can't remember which), but will go to 18%+VAT for areas they're short of properties in.
Quite a chunk then, I think I’ll give them a miss!
Better to be mutton dressed as lamb than mutton dressed as mutton!
zebedee
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Post by zebedee »

When I was with one of their first subsidiary agencies set up outside of Cumbria, they also took what was a set booking fee from the guests although it was never itemised separately. At the time other big UK cottage agents listed a booking fee on top of the rental. Not sure if this happens now, as the group were sold and became cottages.com but it is worth checking out if you are interested in signing with them. It means they do get a large slice of what guests are prepared to pay for your property.
Jemima Copping
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Post by Jemima Copping »

I’m liking it less and less! I suppose for someone who doesn’t have the time to manage their property or is in a different part of the country it makes sense to list with this type of site and pay the fee. I was just wondering because when you google holiday cottages on Skye they cone top of the list and also have more listings further down the page. I am not prepared to pay a large chunk of my earnings to a third party, since I live next door and can offer my guests a better price with no commission added on and a more personal service through my website.
Better to be mutton dressed as lamb than mutton dressed as mutton!
CarolineJ
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Post by CarolineJ »

I did sign with them, even though I live just up the road from mine :) I took the view that 18%+VAT was buying me someone to answer the phone, deal with most of the queries, process all the payments, worry about all the data protection issues, do a big chunk of the marketing (the reason they come up top on Google is because they spend millions on Google Adwords and SEO optimisation) and experienced advice at the end of a phone when needed. I would never have dreamed of charging over £1,000 a week in high season for a small croft house in a remote part of Scotland, but they're getting bookings at that rate for me and I think part of the reason for that is that it's being booked under a brand name that people have confidence in. That's with only being on their website for five weeks and not all the photos up yet (the day they came to do them and grade us, Storm Caroline took the power out in the village and it was too dark without lights, so I've been doing them myself as I get round to it - living room today!)
Faint heart never won fair holiday let...
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