You need to ensure that your holiday let is compliant with all mandatory Rules and Regulations. Here is a list of Rules and Regulations that you need to complete before letting your property.
Health and Safety Regulations
Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Arguably one of the most important rules you need to follow!
You are required by law to fit a carbon monoxide alarm in every room containing a fossil fuel appliance. (ovens, log fire etc). It is really important to make sure that you have your boiler and oven serviced and checked by a professional.
Here are some things you need to check if your property contains a log burner or open fire:
- Getting your chimney swept annually
- An adequate hearth (no chips or cracks)
If you have a log burner or fire in your home, it is also essential that you provide safety equipment for your guests. This can include:
- Longer matches / fire lighter
- A dedicated bucket for ash
- Fire Gloves
- Fireguard for children
Hot Tubs
- A hot tub is a great addition to any holiday let! Hot tubs are subject to high cleanliness standards. its really important to make sure that they are thoroughly cleaned, maintained and are safe to use at all times.
- A hot tub can increase revenue for a holiday let up by up to 37%! You will need to empty, clean and re-fill your hot tub after every guest. You can add an additional charge for the hot tub to cover cleaning and emptying costs.
i.e. for pools, making sure that there are no loose tiles and that any pool steps are fixed properly. As the safety of your guests should be priority, it’s important that the hot tub is compliant with (HSG) 282.
In your guest handbook, it is vital to include life saving information, how to use the pool safely and where to store pool floats and toys to ensure that these are not going to cause any hazards.
Failure to do so could lead to a bad accident or serious legal action if someone gets seriously hurt. Make sure that you are fully knowledgeable on health and safety before considering either. You can read more about it here: Health and safety around swimming pools.
Important Financial Responsibilities
Insurance
It’s really important that all owners take out specialist insurance for their property. Make sure that you take out a policy that is specifically for holiday letting. You will not be fully covered if you only have a standard home insurance policy.
There are a lot of holiday let insurance’s to chose from, however, we recommend Boshers Insurance to all of our owners.
Mortgages
If you have a mortgage on your property, or you are thinking of buying a holiday let through the mortgage route, you need to check that your mortgage provider allows you to do so. If your property has a standard mortgage, it’s very likely that you will need permission from the lender to turn your property into a holiday let.
TV Licensing
You need a special type of TV license for your holiday let.
You will need to apply for a Hotel and Mobile Units Television license.
Despite watching your shows on mobiles, laptops or tablets (like the BBC or ITV player), you still need a license.
Taxation Rules and Regulations
‘The Welsh Government has announced an increase to the maximum level of council tax premiums for second homes, as well as new local tax rules for holiday lets.’
A new law will increase the maximum level at which councils can charge council tax premiums on second homes and long-term empty properties to 300%, beginning in April 2023.
Depending on their particular local circumstances, councils can determine which level is appropriate. Councils will be able to set the premium at any level up to the maximum, and they will be able to apply different premiums to second homes and long-term empty dwellings.
Currently, properties that are available to let for at least 140 days and are actually let for at least 70 days pay rates instead of council tax. Under the new thresholds, properties must be available to let for at least 252 days and actually rented for at least 182 days in any 12-month period.
Rules and Regulations can be quite confusing for a first time holiday Let owner, Our experts are able to answer any questions you may have, get in touch today to start your Holiday Letting Journey!
