NAUGHTY OR NICE: YOU CAN STILL HOLIDAY IN THE UK THIS CHRISTMAS

Now that the Government has issued new COVID-19-related rules for Christmas 2020, here's what you need to know if you are thinking of booking a self-catering holiday in the UK this Christmas.

Travel restrictions are relaxed from 23 – 27 December (inclusive) to allow people to travel between local authority areas and the four nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) of the UK to join their bubble.

The good news is that your Christmas bubble (which for a few days can be up to three households) can come together in a cottage for up to four nights from the 23rd of December to the 27th of December.

You will be able to mix as much as you like inside the cottage and go on walks etc., outside.

While you can't all go to a pub or restaurant, one of the joys about booking a large holiday cottage is that it will have excellent kitchen facilities and dining areas. These should be sufficient to enable you all to not only cook gargantuan Christmas banquets but also to dine together around one large table.

Self-catering properties have never been so popular as a place to holiday as now. They provide accommodation and facilities that you don't have to share with others (unless you are in a holiday park, (and even then, you only come into contact with others if you use their communal facilities). They also offer plenty of opportunities to spend time in reassuringly remote and secluded rural areas away from urban centres of population.

The main Christmas rules are:

* Up to three households in a 'Christmas bubble' can mix indoors and stay overnight.

* There are no travel restrictions in place during this period.

* You aren't allowed into a pub or restaurant with your bubble, although you can pick up takeaways.

* You might want to get everyone to self-isolate ahead of your holiday, as f you have COVID-19 symptoms or are self-isolating, you cannot join a bubble.

* You can only meet other people outside your bubble outdoors, and then only in line with the rules of the tier in which you are staying.

For further Government information on the conditions for all three tiers, CLICK HERE.

Finally, if you haven't booked a holiday property yet, don't dally! There's been a significant upsurge in demand for Christmas bookings, especially in Cornwall, Scilly and the Isle of Wight, the only Tier One designated locations in England.

Click here to begin your search for a suitably large holiday today!

Having a pool at your holiday cottage is part of its attraction. Naturally, you want to have fun in it. However, you also want to be sure that it meets your particular needs and is clean, safe and healthy.

So, before you book purely based on its existence, you should do more research to ensure that it meets your expectations. Nobody wants to be disappointed because they omitted to check some essential information before they confirmed a booking.

Here are twenty-three questions you should ask the owner or manager of a property with a swimming pool. They shouldn’t have any difficulty answering them!

You don’t necessarily need to ask all of them, but you’re advised to go through them all and ask those that might be deal-breakers or to check your assumptions.

1.     Is the use of the pool included in the price?

2.     How large is the pool?

3.     What kind of swimming pool is it?

        * Heated indoor pool

        * Unheated indoor pool

        * Heated outdoor pool

        * Unheated outdoor pool

4.     How is access by unaccompanied children prevented if it is an indoor pool?

5.     If it is an outdoor pool,

        * is it securely fenced off to prevent access by unaccompanied children?

        * Is the pool in a secluded location? Do other properties overlook it?

6.     Is the use of the pool on an exclusive or communal basis?

7.     If it is a communal pool:

        * How many other properties also have access to the pool?

        * Are there set opening and closing hours?

        *  Is there a lifeguard in attendance?

8.     Are there any opening/closing times during the week when the pool is unavailable?

9.     Is the pool open all year round or for a limited period in the summer?

10. Is it closed at set times for cleaning?

11. Is the pool scheduled to be closed for any reason during our stay?

12. At what temperature is the water maintained if the pool is heated?

13. What are the depths in the deep and shallow ends

14. What kind of steps are there?

        * Ladder

        * Roman steps

15. How is the water in the pool kept clean?

·       Chlorine filtration?

·       Salt-water filtration?

·       Pool net to skim off leaves?

16. Do we need to bring our own pool towels, or are these included or available to rent?

17. Is there external and underwater lighting allowing us to use the pool at night?

18. Will any pool toys be available for us to use (flotation rings, airbeds etc.)?

19. Are there any poolside sunbeds, loungers, chairs and tables?

20. What facilities are there on the pool terrace:

21. Is there an external shower by the pool?

22. Is there a poolside changing room?

23. Sounds great. Can I book?

OK. I made that last question up, and although it’s one, I hope you’ll feel confident asking when the time is right.

Having this information before you book will ensure you shouldn’t arrive and be disappointed because some of your assumptions failed to meet your expectations.

Have a lovely holiday. I hope it goes swimmingly.

Read More advice and information to help you find and book a self-catering holiday in a cottage with a swimming pool:

 

1. Large Holiday Cottages With Private Pools
2. Six of the Best Waterparks
3. Our Favourite Holiday Cottages With Indoor Pools
4. Splash Out on a Holiday Cottage With A Pool
5. What type of Swimming Pool do you want on your self-catering holiday?

Overseas holidays can be a tiring experience - more stress than relaxation. That’s hardly surprising as, while changes to your environment can be refreshing, coping with the myriad of tiny adjustments we have to make to our lifestyles to travel further afield is endless.

Here are twelve staycation holiday benefits: compelling reasons why self-catering holidays in the UK offer a more relaxing alternative to gite and villa holidays on the continent.

1. If things go badly wrong – you don’t have to rely upon the British Consulate to come to your assistance or struggle with translation when informing a property owner that they need to call a plumber straight away and that whatever happened wasn’t your fault.

The Old Apple Store on the North Devon Coast near Ilfracombe

2. Suntan preservation: Have you noticed how quickly that hard-won suntan fades almost overnight? This is something to do with arriving home completely shattered after-hours, tucked into an economy seat and standing in line in Arrivals. Indeed, arriving at work on your first day back looking tired, worn and paler than planned will earn you scant sympathy from your colleagues. So why not go somewhere where the better part of the day you travel home can be spent on holiday activities? After that, it’s just an undemanding drive, and you can still be home in time for The One Show.

3. Pre-Booking: It’s so much easier to pre-book tables at restaurants and tickets for shows before you leave home when holidaying in the UK holiday.

4. Lost property: If you’re like me, leaving something behind is commonplace. Securing the recovery of lost property from a UK holiday cottage owner is much easier and less expensive than from abroad.

5. Technology: Appliance instructions (and operating panels) are all in English. Think about that the next time you try to manually reset your Turkish or Hungarian air conditioning system or make sure you’ve selected the woollen wash.

6. Groceries: Have you ever tried pre-ordering supermarket groceries for your villa holiday in Sharm El Sheikh? Knowing that Sainsbury’s or one of the other supermarkets will be following you up the drive of your holiday cottage with your groceries is very comforting.

7. 4-Seasons Reasons: People holiday all year round in the UK. Therefore, it’s common for shops, restaurants, bars, tearooms, and even attractions to remain open out of season.

8. Short breaks are more viable. You spend far more time on holiday rather than travelling to and from it. I recall a particular ‘weekend’ in Paris. With departure times and delays, we arrived at our accommodation long after bedtime. We had one day in the city and then an early night, so we could be ready to leave at six on a Sunday morning for the flight home. Three days’ away’ led to about twelve hours of holidaying. Never again! Reason 2 also applied.

9. Card Payments: You don’t run up a substantial interest-charging debt on your credit card account. Well, you could, but paying by Debit card is much cheaper in the UK.

10. Travel insurance fees won’t knock a large hole in your holiday budget.

Rural views at Isacc’s Byre, A gorgeously warm, cosy and pet-friendly Pennine holiday cottage in Cumbria

11. It’s Pet-Friendlier: Taking the dog is easy

12. Highway Codes: In the UK, it is straightforward and perfectly acceptable to drive on the left on holiday!

Bonus Benefit: Climate-Friendly: Here’s a bonus money and climate-saving reason to stay in the UK rather than fly abroad: If you are concerned about your journey's impact on global warming and plan to offset your travel carbon contribution, consider these savings.

·      Bristol to Barcelona by short-haul flight: £18.64 (per person).

·      Bristol to Bude in Cornwall: £2.68 (one car)

That’ll cover the cost of many ice creams you can lick in Cornwall!

Data from the Travel cost calculator at https://onboard.earth/)

The Secretary of State for BEIS, Alok Sharma, gave a press briefing on COVID-19 on Thursday, along with Prof Steve Powis of NHS England, in which he confirmed that the Government will be distributing £2.2 billion to local authorities in England today, to allow them to make grant payments to businesses which have been affected.

Meanwhile, BEIS has published guidance on five grant schemes. Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG (Closed) Addendum)The Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG (Closed) Addendum) supports businesses in England that were open as usual but have been required to close due to the national restrictions between 5 November and 2 December 2020.

Eligible businesses may be entitled to a cash grant from their local council for each 28-day period under national restrictions.EligibilityYour business may be eligible if it: 

• Is based in England
• Occupies property on which it pays business rates (and is the ratepayer)
• Has been required to close because of the national restrictions from 5 November to 2 December 2020
• Has been unable to provide its usual in-person customer service from its premises

Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG)

To support businesses that are not covered by other grant schemes or where additional funding is needed, this scheme provides local councils with grant funding to support closed businesses that do not directly pay business rates as well as businesses that do not have to close but which are impacted. In addition, larger grants can be given than those made through 

Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed)

.EligibilityLocal councils have the freedom to determine the eligibility criteria for these grants. However, the funding is expected to help those businesses which – while not legally forced to close – are nonetheless severely impacted by the restrictions. This could include: 

• Businesses which supply the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors
• Businesses in the events sector
• Business required to close but which do not pay business rates

The Local Restrictions Support Grant (LSRG (Sector))Businesses including nightclubs, dance halls, discotheques adult entertainment venues and hostess bars that have been required to close due to the national restrictions introduced in March 2020, and which have not been able to re-open, may be eligible for this grant. Eligible businesses are entitled to a cash grant from their local council for each 14-day period they are closed. This funding is available from 1 November 2020 and is not retrospective. The grant will be based on the rateable value of business owners properties on 1 November 2020.Eligibility.

Your business may be eligible if it: 

• Is based in England
• Occupies property on which it pays business rates (and is the ratepayer)
• Has been closed since 23 March 2020 because of national restrictions

Eligible businesses can get one grant per non-domestic property. 

 

Local Restrictions Support Grant (for closed businesses)

Businesses in England that were open as usual and were then required to close due to local restrictions (Local COVID alert level: Very High) may be eligible for the local restrictions support grant. Eligible businesses are entitled to a cash grant from their local council for each 14-day period they are closed. 

Eligibility

Your business may be eligible if it: 

• Is based in England
• Occupies property on which it pays business rates (and is the ratepayer)
• Is in an area of local restrictions and has been required to close because of local restrictions that resulted in a first full day of closure on or after 9 September
• Has been required to close for at least 14 days because of the restrictions
• Has been unable to provide its usual in-person customer service from its premises

Local Restrictions Support Grant (for open businesses)The 

Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG (Open) supports businesses that have been severely impacted due to temporary local restrictions. Businesses that have not had to close but which have been severely impacted due to local restrictions (Local COVID alert levels: High or Very High) may be eligible for LRSG (Open). Eligible businesses may be entitled to a cash grant from their local council for each 28-day period under local restrictions.

Eligibility

Your business may be eligible if it: 

• Is based in England
• Is in an area subject to ‘High’ or ‘Very High’ local restrictions since 1 August 2020 and has been severely impacted because of the local restrictions was established before the introduction of Local COVID alert level: High restrictions
• Has not had to close but has been impacted by local restrictions

Local councils have the freedom to determine the precise eligibility criteria for these grants. However, the funding is expected to be targeted at hospitality, hotel, bed & breakfast and leisure businesses.

It’s Staycations UK Boom Time! 

Tips To Help (Lockdown’s Permitting) Bookings Blossom in 2021

In 2021, people in the UK will have more holidays to take, as so many have accumulated or been able to transfer unused holiday dates as a result of Lockdowns in 2020. One of the impacts of the Lockdowns has been that more people are planning only to take one main holiday in 2021. However, lingering COVID-19 fears and concerns about travelling abroad now that we have completely left the EU mean that more and more people are looking to take that holiday in the UK.

Better still, self-catering accommodation, where there is no need to mix with people outside your family group or bubble, is proving more popular than hotels, B&Bs and holiday parks where social mixing is the order of the day. The beauty of holiday cottages, especially those with gardens, is that they give you your own private space.

For that reason, the chief UK Staycation beneficiaries are likely to be rural rather than urban holiday cottages – the more remote or isolated, the better.

So if your property meets any or all of these criteria, make this clear on your website. It will reassure potential bookers.

Take a look at other trends owners have noticed creeping in as a result of COVID-19:

 

1.     Late bookings: Because of the uncertainty as to whether an area may be locked down by the date of arrival, the time gap between booking and arrival date is growing even shorter. This results in more and more properties being advertised with late booking discounts. If last-minute trends continue, you should factor this into your pricing structure and advertise on sites that offer free Late Availability adverts.

If you want to encourage long-term bookings, reassure them with your new ‘full refund cancellation policy’ and offer them a discount for bookings more than a specified number of months in advance. Deposits from bookings made well in advance provide reassurance and feed your cash flow for you too.

 

2.     Eco-Friendly: It’s not just because we rank highly on Page One of Google that we’ve noticed an increase in interest for Eco Cottages; it’s because more and more people are seeking environmentally friendly holidays. If you can adopt sustainable living amenities into your holiday property, you’ll be widening your appeal to the market and being kind to the earth. Eco-Features include things such as: installing electric car chargers, solar panels, ground-source heating, non-synthetic natural fibres from towels to dishcloths, low-energy lighting etc.

 

Buckminster Fuller: A Luxury Yurt in Devon with a Private Cinema

3.     Technology: We’ve moved on from Digital TVs – people want smart TVs that allow them to log in to their Netflix or Amazon Prime accounts, connect to the internet and hold Zoom meetings. A smart TV will also appeal to families if they can continue with any home-schooling online.

 

Broadgate Farm Cottage A  Pet-Friendly Holiday Cottage in Beverley, East Yorkshire

4.     Be Pet-Friendly: Now that taking a dog on holiday in Europe requires jumping through many hoops, people with pets will be more inclined to holiday in the UK instead. So, ensure your garden is secure and consider how else you can make it pet-friendly to reach a massive market. As a pet owner myself, I instinctively look for properties that feature wooden or stone floors on the ground floor - with perhaps the occasional rug. If you have one, mention an external hosepipe for washing off muddy paws. And if there is a promise of some canine ‘treats’ in the welcome pack, what’s not to like?

 

5.     Cleanliness: Most owners tell us that the most common question they get these days is, ‘How clean is your cottage?’ Get your cleaning regime accredited. Visit England and the AA offer useful and influential self-accreditation schemes, each with eye-catching logos you can upload to your website and adverts. Publish your cleaning regime or policy on your website too.

Show suitably attired cleaning staff at work in a photo. Upload details about your cleaning regime to reassure otherwise tentative enquirers. More and more properties now include 2-3 masks and a small but new bottle of sanitiser in their welcome packs,, as people often forget to pack them. This makes your home safer as well.

 

6.     Cancellation Concerns: At least the days of non-refundable deposits or full amounts are long gone for now – not unless you only want bookings to occur about a week before arrival.

Ensure that people know that you will offer a full refund upon cancellation – (adding a small charge such as £25 to cover administration costs is acceptable).

Ensure your cancellation policy is easily found on your website and include it in responses to enquiries.

 

Devon Holiday Cottage  Luxury Welcome Pack of Local Produce

7.     Welcome Packs: In line with eco-cottage trends, make your welcome packs plastic-free and organic. It might take a little research, but once you have a list you know how to source, this won’t take any longer to collate than a non-organic welcome pack. It’s a great way to impress guests and encourage repeat bookings.

8.     Virtual Guest Directories. Rather than expecting guests to read an increasingly dog-eared and unhygienic guest directory after arriving, email it to them about a week before they appear. It’s much more likely to be read in advance than while guests are in residence, and it gives reassurance that they are expected. Include:

a.     Details of cleaning materials provided for guest use

b.     Details of things to do, places to go etc. These days, with the limited limited seating capacity of pubs and restaurants, they are often fully booked in advance. Please help them by including contact details of places you recommend so that they can book well before arriving. Let the places you recommend know and see if they will:

    i. Add a link to your website from their website.

   ii. Offer your guests a booking discount.

  iii. Do both.

c.     As well as the popular places, include details of secret places – picnic spots, wild swimming, less-trodden footpaths etc., for guests who want a holiday away from the crowds. Don’t forget to mention this in your advertising.

 

Black Moon. Luxury Holiday Cottage for Couples in St. Ives, Cornwall

9.     Markets to chase: Right now, a considerable number of couples have been booking cruise holidays as their main holiday. If you’ve got a 1-bedroom cottage, you should go after this market and convert them into staycationers!

 

Holiday Cottages for Working Holidays

10. Home Workers: The other new staycation UK market to appeal to is people who now work from home. They can work equally well away from home, too, so you can be tempted to take a working break if your property is set up to allow it. This is especially good for mid-week bookings (4 nights for the price of 3?)) outside the school holidays. Decent broadband, a monitor screen, a multi-plug socket, a quiet space with a desk or table, and even a small stationery drawer will appeal to those who want a mid-week break without taking time off from work completely, such as the self-employed.

 

11. Advertising: Choose sites that allow you to get the contact details of every booker and enquirer. It is being able to communicate directly with your guests before and after their holiday is the best way to build a relationship that encourages more repeat bookings – as well as avoiding booking fees or commission charges that some sites will apply.

NB: At My Favourite Holiday Cottages, we allow you to include online booking within your advert but don’t apply any charge to you or your guest, with payments made by the latter going directly from them to your account. We are only too happy knowing that you’ve got a booking!

 

Suggestions Welcome!

What else are you looking for in a holiday cottage that will convince you to book home-from-home holidays in the UK rather than travel abroad? Share your thoughts with us, and we will do our best to persuade holiday cottage owners to implement them!

 

Click Here to find more luxury holiday cottages in the UK

COVID-19 has led to quite a change in holiday cottage guest expectations. It’s essential that you address these within your marketing—especially on your website—as many people won’t book a property or even enquire about it if they feel that the cottage will not meet their health and hygiene-related concerns.

Here’s a helpful 10-point checklist of some of the most frequently raised concerns for you to address.

1. Cleanliness – Written evidence that a cottage has been meticulously cleaned:

• Post guest reviews that contain references to cleanliness, especially since March 2020.
• Provide a synopsis of your cleaning schedule on your website. NB: Many owners are duelling up on crockery and cutlery sets, removing one set and replacing it with the other that has been properly cleaned. This saves time cleaning these items during the changeover.

2. Things to do: Provide up-to-date information on generally what is open in terms of:

• Shops
• Restaurants and bars
• Visitor Attractions

3. Free Wi-Fi: Say if it is super-fast / fibre-optic broadband. Many people now use Wi-Fi for Zoom/Teams calls, and they must be confident that the Wi-Fi can accommodate this.

4. Smart TVs. NB: only provide free access to Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc., if you are happy to change the password as part of your changeover programme. This is because guests may keep your login details to try and use them back home!

5. Remote check-in:

* Some people don’t want owners to meet and greet for social distancing purposes. Ensure you have a remote access option, even if this means putting the key under a bucket (although a key safe would keep your insurance company much happier). If meeting and greeting your guests is important to you, let guests know that both remote access and meet and greet are available and let them choose which one they would prefer.

* External lights – for five months of the year, it’s it’s likely that guests will arrive after dark. Let them know that there will be lights on, such as external lights to leading up to the front door (solar lights are an excellent and cost-effective option for this). Leave the hall light on to avoid guests scrabbling around in the dark – and provide this information in your marketing materials. Guests appreciate being told where the main light switches likely to be used when arriving are located. Put this in your advance information, and they will feel well-cared for even before they arrive.

6. A Dishwasher – even in 1-bedroom cottages: people perceive these as being far more hygienic than hand-washing dishes.

7. Install Home Office Facilities: With so many people now adapting to working from home, there’s a whole new market is emerging of people happy to take mid-week breaks as long as they are online. In addition to strong Wi-Fi, can you provide suitably lit desk space and other simple office facilities? NB: If you’ve got good mobile phone reception, flag this up!

8. Online Bookings: Your website should include information on all the above because 75% of bookings these days are done online (which also means you should have an online booking facility on your site!). A potential booker wants to see this information on your website (possibly within a special COVID page). If not, they are more likely to look elsewhere rather than pick up the phone or wait for you to respond to an email.

8. Vaccine Concerns: People are assuming that there will be no 100% effective vaccine in 2021, so they are looking for the safest possible holiday options. Self-catering holidays, which offer better social-distancing lifestyle holidays than hotels, are becoming increasingly popular. This is particularly advantageous for individual properties in rural areas where there is no sharing of facilities. Again, if your cottage fits the location requirement, make it clear in your adverts and on your website.

9. Advertising:

* Advertise widely—don’t put all your eggs in one basket. It’s a Business maxim: the tougher a market gets, the more you need to invest in marketing.

* Prioritise sites that allow you to have direct contact information with a potential booker, e.g. website links to your site and direct email links for enquiries. Direct contact information for guests is especially important for properties with a high ratio of returning guests – you need their information!

10. Repeat Booking: Do not rely solely on your existing repeat bookers, especially elderly ones. Older people are being far more cautious about booking holidays and travelling long distances. To fill the gaps in your calendars, diversify your advertising to reach new markets.

Have you noticed any other guest expectations that have emerged due to COVID-19? If so, do share them with us. The more the self-catering sector can do to establish a perception amongst guests that this is one of the healthiest and safest ways to holiday – the more business will grow. 

How Does My Favourite Holiday Help Cottage Owners?

Your advert encourages potential bookers to visit and enquire from your website, where you’re more likely to convert an enquiry to a booking than those from adverts.

*   We allow you to display your online booking facility allowing you to enjoy direct bookings straight from that advert. No commission charges or guest fees apply!

*   You get direct contact with all enquirers – and naturally, you will get the same information from all the additional traffic we drive to your website.

Click here for further information.

 

We look forward to hearing from you.

Well then, here we are again. Locked down, Christmas and New Year are coming up over the horizon (hopefully unlocked if we all behave ourselves).

While the loss of bookings in November will be nothing like as bad as the loss of bookings in the spring and early summer, it’s still a big confidence blow to the sector. If there is anything, you think that we at My Favourite Holiday Cottages should be doing to provide more support or position ourselves better for the re-opening of the market next month – all suggestions – even blindingly obvious ones – will be very welcome.

Now is a perfect time to join the PASCuk or the ASSC for Scottish holiday homeowners, who are lobbying hard with their respective Parliaments on your behalf. Join to add weight to their campaigning.

In the meantime, The November Homefront brings you some handy tips and advice on everything from marketing to compliance issues to put your business in a better position when bookings resume. So, think ahead and take advantage of this respite from changing bed linen and fogging machine management to consider some long-term planning to help you get back on top of your finances and bookings.

If this is your first edition of The Holiday Homefront, you should know its purpose is to help holiday property owners better manage and market their properties. It’s free and is published once a month. Click Here If you would like to subscribe to it. It’s a Newsletter – not a Salesletter!

Read on!

To read the full articles - click on the title.

 

HOLIDAY COTTAGE MARKETING

Using Your Holiday Home as a Wedding Venue 

You might consider marketing your cottage as a wedding venue if you’ve got the grounds and a good-sized reception area for at least 30 (or room for a marquee on the lawn). There’s a lot to think about, but this article outlining the experiences from Act Studios should provide enough food for thought to take on board.

 

How to Market Your Property to Workcationers

Did you know there is a whole market comprising people who want to work while on holiday? I should know, as I’m probably one of them. Here are a few tips on setting up your cottage to appeal to people who cannot bear to be surgically removed from their laptops and networks while on holiday.

 

The Secret to Creating the Perfect Holiday Rental Advert

Who’d have thought there were any secrets left regarding successful holiday marketing? Well, test your knowledge against this handy checklist from Schofields Insurance. It considers ways to get your cottage ahead of the competition regarding the persuasive quality of your advert. Be sure to read our comments below the article – including the ones that can lose you a potential booking!

 

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

How to Calculate Your Holiday Home Contents Value

Schofield’s made Homefront’s page twice this month. This article could save you a lot of pain and money if you ever have to make an insurance claim on your holiday cottage. Warning: The value of your holiday home’s contents will be larger than you dared to think

 

Payment Services Directive Affecting Those Who Accept Card Payments

Do you accept card payments? Add 3d Secure Rules to continue to receive payments by card.

Thanks to the revised PSD2 (Payment Services Directive), there are a new set of game-changing security measures to make it safer to shop and bank online, benefitting both the shopper and the business. At the heart of it is Strong Customer Authentication (SCA). SCA makes payments more secure by adding an extra layer of protection known as two-factor authentication (2FA).

Important changes to your payment integration are required to ensure it complies with the mandated requirements and is on the way. The updates are not complicated (so far, as we managed it at the first attempt). 

They will be enforced from 31 December in the European Economic Area (EEA) and 14 September 2021 in the UK, respectively. Note that this is the ‘European Economic Area’ – not the ‘European Union’. It’s unclear whether the UK will remain part of the EEA. However, even if not, if you are used to attracting visitors from across the channel, then you might want to pay attention to this forthcoming directive. Here’s the worrying bit:

• December 2020, European card issuers will enforce 3DSv2. This means the card issuer will decline all transactions that are not 3DSv2 ready and without a valid SCA Exemption.
• September 2021 – UK card issuers will enforce 3DSv2. This means the card issuer will decline all transactions that are not 3DSv2 ready and without a valid SCA Exemption.

For further information on this, click on the title above.

 

FOR MY FAVOURITE HOLIDAY COTTAGE ADVERTISERS

 

Use of Images

Just a gentle reminder that when you upload images to your adverts – or submit any for use in one of our Blog articles and social media postings you do so on the basis that you own the copyright of the image and can grant us the right to use your images in connection with My Favourite Holiday Cottages.

Occasionally, we get a legal letter from one of the many agencies that specialise in tracking down the unauthorised use of images. Today’s technology makes it much easier to do this – you can even do an image search using Google to see if anyone is using yours.

If the image is one that an advertiser has submitted, we are obliged to pass on that person’s contact details as there’s a charge to pay, and much as we love you for advertising with us, we cannot afford to pay the fee!

If you think you’ve uploaded a ‘borrowed’ image, now would be a good time to review the images in your advert and change those that aren’t yours or that you haven’t had permission to use.

 

We Are Here For You

As you know, we pride ourselves on our ability to respond to and help all our advertisers. If you need any help or advice or want to suggest how we can improve the site, you just have to get in touch.

 

Logging in. If you cannot remember your username or password:

· Your username will be the email address you used to register.

· If you cannot remember your password: Use the Password reset button, which will be sent to your registered email address.

· Once logged in, click on the icon /your name in the top right of the menu bar. This will open a dropdown list of self-explanatory options.

 

Guest Testimonials: Spreading the Word

If you add a recent guest testimonial or two to your MFHC advert, those 300 characters in length (or less) are more likely to be featured on our Twitter Page. So, keep them brief (and frequent) if you want to be trumpeted on Twitter! We moderate all testimonials to ensure they comply with our criteria.

 

It’s free to every UK holiday cottage owner or manager and published once a month.

England

For details of the latest COVID-19 Restrictions in England announced, which take effect on Thursday, 5th November, click on this link to the gov.uk  website page.

Summary of the key points

Hotels, hostels and other accommodation should only be open for those who have to travel for work purposes and for a limited number of other exemptions which will be set out in law.

Pre-booked holidays that were due to start prior to the 5th of November can continue as normal, so there is no need for owners or guests to cancel a holiday that meets this criterion purely as a result of the new Lockdown information being announced.

The Job Retention scheme (Furlough) will now be extended for a further month. The Job Support Scheme has therefore been postponed until Retention Scheme ends :

If you have taken a mortgage holiday, you will be able to top up the holiday period to a total of six months (including holiday months already taken). Borrowers who have been impacted by COVID-19 and have not yet had a mortgage payment holiday will be entitled to a six-month holiday. Those that have already started a mortgage payment holiday will be able to top up to six months without this being recorded on their credit file.

 

Scotland

A five-level system for Scotland came into place on Monday, 2nd November. For information about the 5-Tier System and the latest regulations, click here to read the article published by the Association of Scottish Self-Caterers

 

Wales

A two-week  Firebreak was introduced on the 23rd of October. It is not certain if or not restrictions will be in place when this ends.  Welsh AssemblyMinisters have worked through the weekend to discuss the new national measures, which will be put in place from 9 November. These details are still being finalised, but it is hoped they will be announced on the 3rd of November.

We are continuing to finalise the details of these measures, and I will make a further statement to the Senedd tomorrow. Details should be published here: Gov.Wales/Announcements