The January peak holiday rental and cottage holiday booking season is under way and many owners are seeing an increase in ‘what is your very best price for’, ‘would you take £X amount for’ and ‘we only have a budget of £x’ enquiries – sound familiar? I’m sure many owners have their own ideas on how they would like to … Continue reading →

Statistics show that most second home house insurance claims occur during the winter, predominantly caused by extreme weather – frost, snow, flooding, storms, but also break-ins. This is understandable due to the very nature of holiday properties being locked up and left for long periods without inspection. Claims costs: Insurers paid out £1.4bn in ‘big freeze’ insurance claims in the … Continue reading →

During the Christmas and New Year holidays the Schofields office will be open as usual (9am-5pm) except for the Bank Holidays when our office will be closed. Office opening times: 26th December Closed (Bank Holiday) 27th Closed (Bank Holiday) 28th Open 29th Open 30th Open 2nd January Closed (Bank Holiday) 3rd Open as usual All the team at Schofields would … Continue reading →

It is likely that your UK holiday home will be locked up and left unoccupied for long periods over the winter. During the ‘empty’ winter period, your holiday property will be exposed to extreme winter weather. The last three winters have been extremely severe in the UK and many unprotected holiday cottages experienced substantial water damage claims caused by burst … Continue reading →

Time to batten down the hatches. The UK is experiencing one of the stormiest periods it has seen for several years, with heavy rain, high winds and snow. Storms have an enormous impact on properties – causing flash floods and structural damage. The last couple of winters in the UK have been extremely harsh. It’s estimated that insurance claims for … Continue reading →

Do you have an unwanted house guest or two in your holiday home? Insects and other “creepy crawlies” such as bed bugs, woodworm and fleas off pets can cause real discomfort and distress to both humans and animals. While house insurance typically does not cover infestations, the good news is that they can often be treated, but you may have … Continue reading →

Own a property abroad? Then get your tax affairs in order. A team of HM Revenue and Customs inspectors is targeting overseas holiday home owners to see if they are correctly declaring rental income or gains from holiday homes abroad. Using sophisticated ‘data mining’ technology, a new 200-strong unit has been set up to identify those in the 50% tax … Continue reading →