- Holiday Letting Limited is the booking agency that drives the booking success at Hall Farm
Occupancy rates at
Hall Farm are twice the national average, a clear indication of the success of the Booking Agency in generating ongoing rental
interest
- The web site at http://www.hallfarm.com enjoys very high Google page ranking and has been online since 1997 which makes it one of the oldest continuously live
Broads letting web sites in the UK
- Analysis shows a page one, page two rank for key search words
The Hall Farm brand is well known and near 70% of all
bookings are returning customers who make contact through the Hall Farm Booking Agency
- Hall Farm has an added niche appeal because of its configuration for easy disabled access
Question about the booking agency
Do I have to use the Hall Farm booking agency, why can't I just do my own thing?
You do not have to use the Hall Farm booking agency; you are free to conduct your own marketing and
generate and manage you own bookings if you want. However, if your aim is return on your investment through letting, you should
be careful to reject a formula that has consistently worked for over ten years.
Can I use the booking agency but add my own bookings if I get any?
Of course, you simply advise Holiday Lettings that you want to block off a period on the calendar of availability
so the same time cannot be sold twice. The most important thing is that the agency must know exactly what is happening with
your private bookings, so you must keep them informed.
What if I want to use the cottage myself or for family and friends?
Once again, you simply let Holiday Lettings know the dates you will be using your cottage so it's not double
booked.
How much do I pay in commission to get bookings?
You will pay a 15% commission on all bookings that are secured for you.
How do I set it up?
When you buy your cottage this will be discussed with you. Booking rates are already looking good for 2008 and
you will simply absorb the bookings already made.
Managing your cottage
After every time your cottage is let it will need to be cleaned and made
ready for the next visitor. Cottage Maintenance Limited is the company that conducts all the support services to run your
holiday cottage
Over a period of years the company has developed an efficient and well managed system to support Hall Farm holiday
cottage lettings with:
Change-over between lettings including complete cleaning, bedding change and linen changes
- Internal and external cottage maintenance including touching-up paint work and minor repairs
- Garden maintenance
- Laundering services
It cannot be overstated that the quality of the holiday experience and therefore the success of your cottage lettings
are dependent on maintaining a high quality in everything. Cleanliness and readiness of your cottage is vital to its success,
this will fall entirely to the management company you choose
Question about the cottage management company
Do I have to use the Hall Farm cottage management company, why can't I just do my own thing?
You do not have to use the Hall Farm cottage management company; you are free to make alternative cottage management
arrangements if you want. However, you should be careful to reject a formula that has consistently worked for over ten years.
Everything required to support the often immediate and unpredictable demands of a successful cottage management business are
already to hand. If client satisfaction, and therefore ongoing commercial success are important to you, you should think carefully
before rejecting an already proven onsite service.
How much does it cost?
Some elements are charged by the hour, such as cleaning and management time, others are fixed or unit costs such as
laundry and maintenance etc. The cost will also depend on whether you own a two or three bedroom cottage. On average you should
budget a minimum cost £55 per change-over, remembering that this could be slightly more. You may find that these prices are
slightly higher than may be quoted by some other firms. However, you must remember that these prices reflect the current work
that results in a high quality regular letting. There is no doubt that cleanliness and responsive service are vital to letting
success. Separate services not included in change-over, such as garden maintenance and pre-arrival grocery shopping etc, would
normally be priced separately.
How do I set it up?
This will be discussed with you when you buy. It's easy though, remember Cottage Maintenance is already maintaining
all the cottages at Hall Farm; you will just be the new owner!
Can I buy the furniture and fittings that are already in my cottage?
Yes. You can buy the entire contents of a cottage separately from the current owners. A full schedule of fixtures,
fittings and furniture, and the cost is in the Prospectus which you can download from this site
Site Maintenance and your Landlord
Why leasehold?
When you buy your cottage at Hall Farm you will own it on a 999 year leasehold basis. Very careful thought was given
to the legal nature of the sale. Freehold was rejected because it restricted the ability to create a legal framework that
could support a high quality, controlled, living environment for all owners. A very long 999 year lease implies a freehold
in longevity, but retains a legal framework in leasehold contract law to protect all the owners on the site. In particular
it meant that, under Freehold ownership, it would have been difficult to enforce the site rules on any future owners since
restrictive covenants are difficult to transfer in Freehold title.
In short, with leasehold, rules can be set-out which govern the way owners can and should behave on what is a private
and secluded site. Everybody benefits from clear rules and most importantly the unique nature of the site can be preserved
even with several owners. In these types of situation, such as apartments and the like, leasehold is quite common. Ultimately
the leasehold protects you investment for the future.
The landlord
Mr Ivor Hudson, the current owner of Hall Farm Cottages will be your landlord and will carry out a number of duties
as landlord.
Provision of utilities
Your electricity, heating and water to each cottage is metered and will be provided by the landlord. You will be
charged monthly in arrears for all the utilities you use. The landlord will also maintain the infrastructure that supports
the provision of utilities such as boilers, pumps and will carry out repairs and maintenance as may be necessary to maintain
integrity of your supply. All this is included in your monthly utility charge. You do not need to do anything but pay the
bills!
Maintaining shared areas
Shared areas used by everyone, but owned by the landlord, need to be maintained in good condition for everyone's
benefit. The landlord will maintain all the common areas, such as the games room, laundry room, grass verges, common hedges
and rights of way etc. You will be responsible for maintaining the rest of your own private areas, such as gardens and external
maintenance of your cottage etc.
Service charge
You will pay an annual service charge in two half-yearly instalments for your share of the site maintenance based
on the number of beds in your cottage (two or four). A Service Charge Assessment for 2008 is shown below for you
to examine.
Rent
You will pay a nominal ground rent to the landlord every year. For 2008 the rent will be £130 for two-bedroom cottages
and £160 for three-bedroom cottages.
DOWNLOAD PROSPECTUS HERE (5MB)
