English country cottages

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Gary63
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English country cottages

Post by Gary63 »

Hi all.
Has anyone used this company for advertising their holiday let and if so, any thoughts ?
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newtimber
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Post by newtimber »

They are very good - but very expensive. 26% commission when we were looking 6 years ago + joining fee + +
Gary63
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Post by Gary63 »

newtimber wrote:They are very good - but very expensive. 26% commission when we were looking 6 years ago + joining fee + +
Wow that's high newtimber. Just starting out and looking for ideas on who to go with. At this point I'm not interested in using the likes of OD. Need a good reputable company that can take the bookings for me.
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Soupdragon
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Post by Soupdragon »

I'm just starting with them. They are part of Wyndhams so they also list under the Cottages.com and Cottages4you brands, plus a couple of local brands.

They gave me a relatively good deal at 18.5%. Which is still pretty expensive, but so far they have managed to get around 30% of my bookable period away after 4 weeks of marketing and using only a single exterior shot of my house. Mind you, it is quite distinctive house and a sleeps 10.

In my case, I'm paying for their investment in SEO (which I could never get near) to get my house established in the market. I'm also paying for their team to handle enquiries because I'm quite exceptionally busy this year. So I'll deal with communicating with booked guests and learn how to do that effectively before I launch into trying to market the house myself.

They're not a perfect solution - I'm not that sold on my local 'representative' who seems a bit dopey to me - but they do meet a need for me and so far are quite professional.
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charles cawley
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Post by charles cawley »

18.5% from a Wyndham Worldwide brand.. that is a major change. For years, you would be very lucky to get anything less than 25% and, of course, all the extra charges. Wyndhams is a giant with many dozens of brands in the UK and across the World.. they control a very large chunk of the UK holiday letting agency market.

It is worth checking to see if they have a compulsory discount system in their terms.

Some companies promise high income and high rents and get the business over other businesses who are not so rash. When bookings do not come in as predicted, they oblige owners to take discounts by as much as 30% to pay, as it were, for their bad forecasts. Meanwhile, more honest or realistic agents have been seen off because they often lock you in for a year or more.

Some agencies set a time each year where you must give notice for a year. If you miss it, you have to wait for next spring. This practice is quite shocking.

Sleep 10 is a very strong niche at the time being. You have triumphed by forcing them down to 18.5% plus (I assume) vat. Any mainstream agency offering below 17% should be held suspect.

Part service agencies such as AirBnB can go lower but you often pay for it with poor service, no involvement in sorting out problems and, at times, being treated in an astonishingly high-handed arrogant manner.

18.5% out of a Wyndham Worldwide brand! Times are changing.
Last edited by charles cawley on Fri Feb 26, 2016 3:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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newtimber
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Post by newtimber »

I've just met a representative from ECC at a trade stand. Yes they have lowered their commission a lot and they now allow owner bookings. If you use SuperControl, owner bookings are updated automatically.
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charles cawley
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Post by charles cawley »

They had to. Welcome to competition.
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Gary63
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Post by Gary63 »

newtimber wrote:I've just met a representative from ECC at a trade stand. Yes they have lowered their commission a lot and they now allow owner bookings. If you use SuperControl, owner bookings are updated automatically.
Is this Wyndham your on about newtimber ??
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newtimber
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Post by newtimber »

Gary63 wrote:
newtimber wrote:I've just met a representative from ECC at a trade stand. Yes they have lowered their commission a lot and they now allow owner bookings. If you use SuperControl, owner bookings are updated automatically.
Is this Wyndham your on about newtimber ??
The trade stand had an ECC brochure on it and ECC is one of Wyndham's brands.
Soupdragon
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Post by Soupdragon »

Charles, you are right I think. Times are changing. My mother has run a holiday lettings business for years and used to use ECC back in the 1980s! Back then I'm pretty sure 25% was standard.

I wish I could say it's my devastating effective negotiating technique but in truth I think you're right, sleeps 10 is a strong sector and they wanted us on the books.

They do have a compulsory discount system - of a sort. It's based upon pricing software they run on their site which discounts or increases rental prices depending upon the level of traffic they are seeing to homes of the same type and location. It's capped at 10% either way and their schtick is that over the year it will yield more than the 'mid-line' income estimate they provide you with. For most properties. Remains to be seen if we are one of those properties - I'll let you know at the end of the year.

And yes, they do have a notice period which requires me to give notice by the end of May or face a penalty if I want to withdraw later in the year. This one rebounded a bit on them since I pointed out that it gave me a large incentive to terminate in May and avoid the cost unless they have managed to achieve full occupancy by then.

Gary, Wyndham own English Country Cottages and the former Cottages 4 You brand (now Cottages.com) not to mention a couple of more niche local online sites).
Gary63
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Post by Gary63 »

Cheers for that Soupdragon. I'm seeing one of their local reps soon. Be interesting to see what they have got to say.
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rosebud
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Post by rosebud »

I saw an English Country Cottages rep before I started letting in 2011. She said my 1850's cottage was not up to the mark for English Country Cottages - no off street parking..

However I am aware of another (grade 2 listed) property locally with Eng country Cottages that does not have off street parking!

I was offered Welcome Cottages and decided against it - partly because owner's bookings were severely restricted and because of the notice period when leaving..

The same rep contacted me earlier this year to ask if I would consider using Wyndham's. I should have asked if I could be listed with English Country Cottages..

At the time I was fully booked for months ahead so she concluded that I didn't need them..
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