👋 Welcome to this weeks newsletter. How has your week been? Hit reply and let me know what have been your top 3 🥇 wins and 🧗 challenges this week.

See you next Saturday at 5pm?

Phil

Founder, My Holiday Guide

IN THE NEWS

Abolition of FHL Tax Regime

With the Autumn budget just around the corner, trade associations are continuing to lobby MPs to seek a pause in the implementation of the planned changes.

This week, PASC the ASSC and 16 other hospitality lobbying associations in the UK are submitting a formal letter to HM Treasury to request that a full economic impact assessment is made.

What is the best current advice to owners? PASCs advice to owners :

1. Get an Accountant - We have a list of accountants and tax advisors in our directory that support holiday let owners and businesses

2. Claim Capital Allowances - Download the free ebook from Zeal for more details and talk to your accountant

3. Petition government - Make sure you have completed the iParl Petition

4. Ask your MP to visit your business - PASC have created a toolkit to help

In this episode of The Tax Track, a podcast from ICAEW, a panel examines the planned tax changes. The hosts and their guests discuss the tax implications for property owners, explore potential challenges during the transition period, and analyse the wider economic impact of the policy change.

What other holiday let related podcasts do you listen to? Hit reply and let me know.

This article argues that local authorities in the UK should be cautious in restricting holiday lets as doing so could negatively affect local economies. The author, a former leader of Harborough District Council, argues that holiday lets play a crucial role in the economies of rural and coastal communities, and that smarter regulation, rather than outright restrictions, is needed.

Statutory Registration Scheme

It has been a few weeks since we have covered this subject however it is still very much on the agenda with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport currently refining the software with input from trade associations.

The STR Industry and Trade Associations are broadly behind this proposal assuming it is implemented in a sensible and consistent manner. We will have more news on its planned implementation in the coming weeks.

Other News

Brits are taking a record-breaking average of 3.94 holidays per year, driven by "habitual holidaymakers" who prioritise travel, reveals a new ABTA survey. Interestingly, although bookings are generally lower this year, the proportion of people going on holiday is the same as last year at 84%. Here are some other highlights from the article :

• Families with at least one child under five years old take the most holidays, averaging 6.49 per year. This includes 3.74 holidays within the UK and 2.75 trips abroad

• Beach holidays are the most popular type of holiday, with 48% of respondents having visited a beach destination in the past year

• City breaks are the second most popular type of holiday, chosen by 43% of those surveyed

• The popularity of cruises for families with children has almost doubled in the last five years, rising from 8% in 2019 to 15% in 2023

• The survey suggests that holidays are the last thing people are willing to cut back on when it comes to spending

• Only 32% of respondents said they would reduce their spending on holidays, compared to 58% for eating out, 43% for leisure activities, and 43% for clothes, shoes and accessories

The new regulations in Wales aimed at curbing the negative impacts of second homes on the housing market are having unintended consequences to the tourism sector. According to findings from a PASC survey, holiday let businesses are struggling to meet the new 182-day rental requirement and are being forced to sell, but these properties are not necessarily becoming affordable homes for locals according to this article.

This article examines whether Airbnb listings are truly owned by individuals who offer an "authentic" experience or by professional hosts seeking profit. Using data from Inside Airbnb, the article compares the prevalence of professional versus individual hosts across 15 European cities.

LISTING PERFORMANCE & GROWTH
Tips and strategies to enhance the visibility and attractiveness of your holiday let.

How To Create Social Media Content Using Google Alerts And AI

If you know that you should be posting more on social media but you are struggling to get inspiration on what to post, a recent article I have written may be of interest to you. In the article I highlight how you can :

• Use Google Alerts as a free tool to receive email updates with links to new articles on a chosen topic. You can specify topics like local events or new restaurants and set the frequency of email alerts

• Use AI tools, such as Google's NotebookLM, to summarise articles from Google Alerts and generate social media posts. NotebookLM allows you to input the URL of an article and use it as a source for creating social media posts

• Use free AI image generation tools to create images to accompany social media posts. Leonardo.ai is an example of an AI image generator. You can even use NotebookLM to generate a prompt to use with Leonardo.ai

You can read the full article here :

FEATURED RESOURCE
Highlighting useful tools and resources for your holiday let.

Wild England Luxury Organic Toiletries

Wild England is a company that creates natural and organic amenities for hotels and B&Bs with a focus on sustainability. Their products include cleansing gels, body lotions, shampoos, and conditioners, all made with ethically-sourced, vegan, and eco-friendly ingredients. The company is committed to reducing plastic waste, so their products come in stylish refillable glass bottles. Wild England's products are designed to be kind to both your guests and the environment.

IN THE DIRECTORY
Accountants & Tax Advisors

Within our resources directory we have over 500 individual services and products that support UK hosts. We have a category for Accountants (and also one for Tax Advisors), so if you are in need of a service feel free to take a look.

INTERIOR DESIGN
Interior design inspiration and decor tips.

PROPERTIES OF THE NEWSLETTER
We all love looking at and getting inspiration from other properties so here’s our top pick for this edition.

NO FOMO
Missed last weeks newsletter? Here’s one thing you might like.

Travel Trends for 2025

In last weeks newsletter we delved into an article created by Beyond Pricing that highlighted some trends they can see for 2025. Alongside these trends we have included some key takeaways and suggested recommendations for hosts.

You can read the full article below:

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