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South West Holiday Property Management - Gardeners Cottage living area with plush sofas, pouffe and patio doors to the outside.

Helpful Holidays has over 40 years’ experience in South West holiday let management.

Whether you’re just starting out on your holiday letting journey, looking to invest in a holiday let in the West Country or have been letting for several years already, our team can assist. We offer advice and support every step of the way, sharing expert information to help you achieve holiday letting success. 

Read on to find out how you can benefit from using a reputable South West holiday letting agency,  like us at Helpful Holidays.


South West Holiday Let Management Company

Use the quick links below to navigate to a particular topic or read on for our full guide to South West holiday let management.


What does a holiday let management company do?

There are plenty of things to consider when it comes to letting out your holiday home. From marketing and bookings to maintenance, cleaning, and finances. This is where a holiday let management company comes in. 

They help to take the pressure off your shoulders by either managing these aspects for you or helping you to organise suppliers, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and is as stress-free as possible. This allows you to relax and enjoy the rewards of your holiday letting business.


Choosing the right holiday let management company

Choosing the right holiday let management company for you and your holiday let is important. Why? Because it allows you the greatest chances of success. 

When choosing a holiday home management company, the key factors are top-notch service and how they maintain their client relationships. Beyond this, you want to make sure your holiday let is set apart from others. 

A reliable property management team, that’s caring for your guests is vitally important as they ensure repeat bookings, relieve you of the challenges of running your holiday let, and help you achieve your desired income.

If you live a long way from your holiday let, having a holiday let management company, like Helpful Holidays, looking after your property will give you peace of mind that everything is taken care of. 

Benefits of using a holiday let management company

Owning a holiday home can be financially rewarding but it’s also a lot of hard work. Here at Helpful Holidays, we aim to offer peace of mind to second homeowners when letting their property. We want our owners to enjoy their holiday letting experience, knowing their property is in safe hands.

We understand that everyone’s situation is different. That’s why we’ll take the time to work with you to achieve exactly what you want from your holiday let. With a local team of friendly advisers available daily, you can rest assured that we’ll be here for you, no matter what the situation.

So, what are the benefits of using Helpful Holidays’ holiday home management services?

Over 40 years’ experience

Since 1982, Helpful Holidays has grown considerably. We began at a kitchen table in Chagford and are now part of the UK’s leading travel agency, Sykes Cottages.

The key to our success is our knowledge of the properties we let as well as a good working relationship with our owners. Most come to us through personal recommendations. 

With Helpful Holidays, you’ll enjoy all the advantages of having your holiday home looked after  by a well-established agency, whilst knowing that you’re in complete control. Our flexibility, care, attention, and consideration for your individual circumstances are why our owners continue to work with us.

Guest liaisons

Helpful Holidays will be the first point of contact for your guests, before, during and after their stay. From finding your customers and administering bookings to answering questions about the local areas, we’ll always be on hand so that you don’t have to be. 

Our dedicated reservations team, who work from 9am to 8pm, seven days a week, will be there to answer customer enquiries and take bookings. 

Our 24-7 emergency call service for guests also gives you peace of mind that your guests are constantly looked after no matter the time of the day. 

If for any reason there is an issue with one of your bookings, or any damage to your property, we will liaise with the guest to find a resolution. 

Maximised revenue through regional and national marketing

At Helpful Holidays, we believe that having your property seen in as many places as possible is the key to getting you great levels of bookings.

All properties that join Helpful Holidays are listed on both our website and Sykes’, and we actually generate around 75% of our bookings through the Sykes brand.  

Our £35 million annual investment in marketing is carefully planned and targeted to ensure relevant customers find your property. Google remains the number one way that customers find their holidays, and our aim is to be number one for all common search terms. 

Find out more about our marketing strategy…

Part of the strategy for our regional brands such as Helpful Holidays is that it gives us a second chance to appear in search results, and we rank highly for more specific local area terms. For example, for terms like ‘holiday cottages in Dartmoor’, both Helpful Holidays and Sykes appear in the top 3 results.

We also connect your property to over 700 Partners, giving maximum visibility. Our partners include large listing sites like Booking.com, Airbnb and Snaptrip, as well as smaller affiliate sites, and tourist board websites such as Visit Devon. We also have accommodation partnerships with a number of local attractions, such as Dartmoor Zoo. 

We are currently the only agency business to have an app, providing greater booking opportunities. Since our Sykes Cottages app launch, we have seen that around 20% of customers now book using the app. App customers are proven to book more holidays each year, and the app helps to drive customer loyalty.  

As well as having this exceptional national marketing strategy, we are also proud to have a local marketing team operating at a regional level. In this way, we continue to support local projects, attend shows, secure advertising in relevant local publications, and maintain our brand presence on social media and through local signage. 

We believe a unified approach, with local and national marketing, is the way to secure optimum brand awareness and ensure your properties receive maximum exposure.

A Local Team

We have an office in Chagford, Dartmoor so you can rest assured we are just a stone’s throw from your holiday home.

Our local team includes New Property Consultant, Owner Relations experts and a Quality Assurance team.

We love the West Country and each of our team members has an extensive knowledge of the business across the region, from Bath to Land’s End. All the holiday homes we let are in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset or Somerset.

Helpful Holidays has a well-earned reputation for helpfulness and consideration. We can offer advice on everything from development and planning to income forecasts and interior design.

Remotely manage your holiday let

As part of the Sykes Cottages family, you will enjoy the benefit of our local expertise backed up by the presence of a national brand and industry-leading technology.

With access to an online Owner Portal and Owner App, our property owners can find bookings, financial information and feedback all in one place. These modern processes make holiday letting as hassle-free as possible for our owners.

Within the portal, you will find a wealth of information including lots of hints and tips on holiday letting as well as informative guides on holiday letting insurance and how to maximise your income. Keeping you on track and in control wherever you are, whenever you wish.

Need to reserve time for yourself at your holiday property? That’s fine by us; all we ask is that you keep us in the loop so we can keep your calendar up to date. The owner portal helps you remain in control, allowing you to block off any dates at the click of a few buttons. No need to call us. Our guests can use the Sykes Holiday Cottages App to easily book unforgettable holidays. The app features local recommendations from our holiday cottage owners, meaning guests can find out the best things to see, do or visit, ahead of their stay.

Putting you in touch with trusted local suppliers

Over the years we’ve established an extensive network of preferred suppliers across the South West.

Each one is chosen with care; allowing us to assist you with every aspect of property management. Whether you need help decorating your property, arranging a cleaning service or anything in between, we’ll put you in touch with the right local business for you.For more details on how to clean your cottage and manage changeovers read our blog ‘Holiday Let Changeover and Cleaning Checklist’.


Holiday let management costs

Holiday let management costs vary from company to company. At Helpful Holidays, our services are charged as a commission percentage for each booking we take, meaning that our earning is based on the level of bookings we generate for our owners.

Just like other South West holiday let management companies, our commission varies. Our rates are based on the level of support each owner requires and the amount of private usage they wish to have throughout the year. 

The best way to understand what our commission charge would be for your specific property is to get in touch with our New Property Consultants, as our packages are bespoke based on each owner’s requirement.

If you are trying to calculate what the overall running costs may be for your property, our New Property team can provide you with information on the following:

  • Agency commission fees, based on your requirements
  • Estimated cost for a caretaker or management service
  • Estimated cleaning and laundry costs
  • Cost of legislative checks such as fire risk and gas safety assessments

Let your cottage with Helpful Holidays

Over the years we’ve established an extensive network of our preferred suppliers across the South West.

Each one is chosen with care; allowing us to assist you with every aspect of property management. Including sourcing a cleaner or housekeeper, organising changeovers and maintaining properties to a high standard.

Interested in our holiday property management service? Find out more about letting with Helpful Holidays, request your FREE owners guide today.