Owners
Maximise your property’s potential
Chances are, if you own an investment property in this area, you’ll have thought about letting it out for holiday accommodation. Poole’s beautiful beaches, its leisure facilities, and its proximity to wonderful Dorset countryside make it a favoured spot for both short breaks and longer vacations.
But do you really want to get involved? Isn’t holiday letting hard work, the income uncertain, and the whole enterprise more hassle than it’s worth?
Well — yes and no! At Quay Holidays we make it our business to take the hassle out of holiday letting. Poole, Bournemouth, and the surrounding Dorset coastline remain some of the UK’s most desirable holiday destinations, with award-winning beaches, vibrant marinas, excellent transport links, and year-round demand from leisure, corporate, and relocation guests. Here’s how we help — though don’t just take our word for it; you’ll find feedback from our owners at the end of this page.
Chances are, if you own an investment property in this area, you’ll have thought about letting it out for holiday accommodation. Poole’s beautiful beaches, its leisure facilities, and its proximity to wonderful Dorset countryside make it a favoured spot for both short breaks and longer vacations.
But do you really want to get involved? After all, isn`t holiday letting hard work, the income uncertain, and the whole enterprise generally not worth the hassle?
Well, yes and no! At Quay Holidays we make it our business to take the hassle out of holiday letting, and in response to these frequently asked questions here`s how – though don’t just take our word for it, at the end of this page you’ll find actual feedback from our owners…
FAQ
Questions? We’ve got answers
Getting started
In coastal locations like Poole and Bournemouth, well-managed holiday lets can provide valuable income — peak-season rates can be several times higher than residential rents over the same period. Our role is to maximise your overall annual performance, not just headline weekly rates, through professional pricing, marketing, and hands-on management.
Early advice is invaluable. From the moment you decide to invest, you should be talking to us — we’re happy to assess a property’s suitability, the income you could expect, and how to equip it to its full potential, along with layout, location, and presentation, before you commit. Our local experience helps owners make informed decisions and avoid costly mistakes.
First, check the terms of your existing agency agreement — we’re happy to help review it if that’s useful. We can work side by side during the handover, or manage any existing bookings that need to be honoured — whatever works best for everyone.
Usually within a couple of weeks, depending on how quickly you’d like to progress. We recommend signing up as early as possible so we have plenty of time to prepare and start forward-marketing before your property goes live. There’s a lot to run through when setting a property up, but you needn’t worry — we hold your hand every step of the way and prompt you for anything we need, whether that’s a tin opener or an essential safety certificate. Some owners like to be fully involved and prepare everything themselves; others prefer us to handle it all, including furnishing. We tailor our services to suit.
Our catchment currently runs from Poole — down through Hamworthy and including Rockley Park — then back along the coast through Sandbanks and the Chines, on to Bournemouth, and as far as Christchurch. We don’t currently cover Studland or Wimborne, though we’d never say never for the right property!
We take on a wide range of properties from sprawling houses, luxurious penthouse apartments to central apartments, cosy retreats and even static mobile homes (at Rockley Park). We don’t take on properties with shared facilities — for example, a single room within a house.
Yes — broadly equivalent to a Visit England 4–5 star standard. Our Inventory Proposal Report details everything required and is shared with owners at sign-up. We check each property thoroughly before the first booking to make sure everything’s in place — much of it kitchen equipment — and we’ll help sort anything that’s been missed.
Costs, income & tax
There are some running costs to budget for: electricity and gas, water rates, TV licence, insurance, broadband and council tax. Many holiday-let owners qualify for business rates instead of council tax, which can offer significant savings — including Small Business Rate Relief of up to 100% where applicable. You’ll also pay service charge where relevant and the cost of repairs — though compared to long-term residential lettings these remain a landlord’s liability anyway.
Quay Holidays charges a one-off registration fee covering professional photography, a floor plan, a 360-degree virtual tour, visitor guide on our app with specific details prepared for your property, key fobs, and full launch set-up. We charge an ongoing management fee and set charge for cleaning, linen, and welcome packs which is specifically calculated for each property and applied for each booking. All our cleaning staff are directly employed to keep costs down.
Until April 2025, Furnished Holiday-Letting (FHL) had its own tax regime, which reflected the long-held understanding that holiday-letting was a business, rather than a passive investment. Sadly, the FHL provisions were withdrawn in 2025 and FHLs are now taxed in the same way as residential investment properties. There remains one extremely valuable benefit though. If your holiday property is available for letting on commercial terms for 140 days a year and actually let for 70, then you can apply for business rates, rather than council tax. If your property qualifies, you’ll probably be able to claim ‘small business rates relief’, which would mean that you could pay nothing. In an era when many local authorities are imposing penal double rates of council tax to deter second home ownership, this is one benefit that offers holiday-let owners a real saving.
One important point – do not elect your FHL for VAT. It might be tempting to claim VAT back on initial set-up costs but once you are registered you will have to charge VAT at the prevailing rate on every letting, which will make your property horribly uncompetitive, compared to the wider market.
Successful holiday letting depends on year-round demand, and this is where our marketing, our extensive database of returning guests, and our strong links with local businesses come to the fore. We actively market beyond peak season — targeting short breaks, corporate and contractor stays, insurance bookings, and repeat guests — and we have great relationships with local businesses and insurance providers who often need bookings through winter and the shoulder seasons. Occupancy can never be guaranteed, but we aim to build strong, sustainable performance over time, with repeat business playing an increasingly important role.
We suggest the pricing and may fine-tune it with your input — but we won’t overprice, because an empty property benefits no one. You can set a minimum number of nights, though bear in mind that the more restrictive the parameters, the more it can close off the market.
We issue detailed monthly statements — usually in the first week of each month — showing all bookings, income, and expenditure for the prior month. Net proceeds are transferred directly to your bank account by BACS, giving you clarity and regular cash flow. We can also provide copies of the information you’ll need for your tax return.
Marketing & management
Every property benefits from professional photography, a virtual tour, and a floor plan, and is marketed through our high-performing website and all the major booking platforms — including Booking.com, Airbnb, VRBO, Holidu, Expedia, and Cottages.com — giving your property the widest possible international exposure. Our channel management links these seamlessly: once a booking comes in on one channel, the dates automatically block on the others. Around a third of our bookings come directly through our own website.
Our local team is based in Poole Old Town and handles enquiries seven days a week, while online live booking is available 24/7, 365 days a year. Once a booking is made, we collect deposits and balancing payments, arrange access, provide cots, z-beds, and highchairs (which we buy and supply), and clean, launder, and do everything reasonably possible to make each guest’s stay enjoyable. Happy guests mean repeat bookings and recommendations — which is key to long-term success.
Cleanliness and presentation are central to guest satisfaction and to protecting your investment. We employ and manage our own in-house cleaning team — overseen by supervisors who know each property well and act as our eyes and ears. Most agents farm this out to a third party even when they claim to manage it in-house; we don’t. High-quality linen and towels are professionally laundered, and occasional small accidental damage is covered through our guest security deposit waiver scheme. In practice, well-presented homes are treated with respect, and issues are rare and promptly addressed.
Your property is effectively inspected during every changeover clean — it’s our own team in there, with several extra pairs of eyes, time and again throughout the season.
Not at all. We provide an Inventory Proposal Report which enables you to review what you already have and see what’s needed to reach a high-quality, home-from-home standard. If you’d like, we can help source and furnish to an agreed budget. We don’t advocate buying the cheapest of everything — guests rightly expect good-quality furnishings, and quality items look good for longer — but our experience ensures maximum guest appeal with minimum unnecessary outlay.
Using your own property
Absolutely — that’s one of the joys of owning a holiday let. You’re free to block out periods for personal use, provided bookings aren’t already in place. We always suggest you ‘book in’ before you travel: it’s been known for a last-minute guest booking to come in and arrive while an owner is in situ — just us doing our job! There’s no notice period and no cap on owner use; it’s your property. Do bear in mind, though, that blocking out too much time for personal use can affect your eligibility for some business rates benefits.
Yes — the same process applies as for owner use; we just ask you to provide their details.
Safety, insurance & peace of mind
The holiday-letting industry isn’t formally regulated (yet), so there’s no trade body to belong to as such. What matters more is how we operate: we adhere to strict safety legislation and follow strict client money protection guidelines, giving owners genuine peace of mind.
You’ll need holiday-letting insurance that includes public liability. We’d also suggest accidental damage cover for peace of mind, just in case.
There’s a full set of safety requirements for holiday lets — covering gas, electrical, fire, alarms, and more — and we guide every owner through exactly what’s needed for their property as part of setting up. We’ll talk you through the detail directly so nothing is missed.
In this area, you don’t generally need planning permission to holiday let. If your property is a flat, you’ll need to check your headlease to confirm holiday letting is permitted. We’ll walk you through the specifics for your property when we talk. And if it turns out holiday letting isn’t the right fit, our sister company Quay Living can help with residential and corporate lettings instead.
Ready to get started?
Simply contact us for a no-obligation conversation. We’re always happy to talk through your plans, assess your property, and guide you through the process step by step — at our offices or over a property you’re thinking of buying. Just call us on 01202 683333 — we look forward to hearing from you.
What the owners say
Testimonials
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Holiday letting, made effortless
Independent and proudly local, we provide complete in-house management across Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch — helping you maximise your income while we handle everything for you.