9 Questions You MUST Ask When Choosing A Holiday Letting Agent

So you’re probably reading this article because you’re researching where to advertise your holiday cottage. There are a number of factors you need to consider when deciding what is right for you as an owner. To ensure you don’t make any mistakes and choose the wrong path, we’ve compiled a list of questions that you need to ask before deciding who to go with.

1. What are the commission fees?

Agencies typically charge between 15-25% per booking. Make sure that you fully understand the commission structure before you take the plunge as this will affect every booking of the property.

GroupAccommodation.com don’t charge any commission – find out more

2. Are there any other additional charges?

When choosing an agency, you need to make sure to consider any additional costs that may be incurred. These can come in the form of set up fees, administration fees, service charges, website listing fees or paper notifications.

You will want to clarify with your agency whether there is an annual renewal charge for keeping your property on their website. Also make sure to identify what their cancellation policy is if you want to remove your property from their website and list it elsewhere.

3. How many bookings can I expect to get?

Your letting agency should be able to give you figures on the average number of bookings they get for their customers. With this you should be able to get an impression of how many weeks of the year you’ll be earning profit from your property.

4. Can I use the property myself without a charge?

Some letting agencies have rules on when you can stay in your property, with many not allowing it during high season. Clarify with the agency exactly what time period they determine as ‘high season’ and what the rules are regarding the number of days you can stay in the property at that time. You’ll also want to establish the notice period you need to give the agency before you book time in your own property.

5. Does your agency provide a photography service?

The letting agency might offer your their services to take good quality marketing photos. Check whether this is included in the administration fees, or if it is an add on.

6. What extra services does your agency offer? And at what cost?

Your letting agency might offer services like property managers, arranging a cleaning service for handovers, key collection and general maintenance. You’ll find most agencies offer partially or fully managed services at an additional cost if this is something you’re interested in.

7. How much exposure will my property get? Is there a cost to be listed first on the listing page?

When someone types in ‘dog friendly cottages Pembrokeshire’ you’ll want to know where you’re going to be positioned in the listing. How do you know that your property won’t be listed on the 5th page? Clarify with the agency whether there is a fee structure for where your property places on a page.

8. Does your agency have expert knowledge of my region/area?

If the agency has a number of other properties in your region, they might have expert knowledge on seasonal variations in bookings, or advice on marketing that you can utilise. Once you’ve started working with them, a good agent should be happy to share their knowledge with you in the aim of helping you market your property more successfully.

Along with getting answers to all of these questions, make sure to check the reviews of the agency, as these give a good insight into the satisfaction of existing customers.

9. So where does GroupAccommodation.com come into all of this?

At GroupAccommodation.com we charge a fixed annual fee, rather than commission, which ensures you get more profit from your property. We also offer bespoke packages tailored to your marketing needs, so you only pay extra for what you deem necessary.

If you choose to advertise with us you can stay in your property whenever you like because you make the rules. After all, it is your property!

At GroupAccommodation.com we’re proud of our 4.8 star rating (average across TrustPilot Facebook, Google). For more details on what we have to offer, take a look here.