Make the most of your holiday property with Good Life Lake District Cottages
With both local and national expertise and support, you'll get the best of both worlds
Here in the Lake District, we have passionate, knowledgeable property specialists who can support you in getting your property ready to let. We're also part of the Original Cottages family, which means that you get additional benefits from our central team of experts. From pricing to marketing to property grading, we can ensure that your property is set up for a successful season, year after year.
The refurbishment of my holiday home had been majorly delayed by the lockdown and there was a significant chance that I would miss the summer season completely. However, with Annabel’s support, hard work and enthusiasm, it was actually launched to the holiday market within just 36 hours of being ready and then went on to achieve an incredible 7 full weeks of summer bookings in the first few days of going live. My thanks go to Annabel and her team for such a speedy response!
Homeowner Feedback, July 2020
Our advice is free and without obligation, so call us today on 0800 368 9358, email us at letting@originalcottages.co.uk or Request a free owner pack
Why holiday let with Good Life Lake District Cottages?
Our holiday letting service in the Lake District can be tailored to suit your needs, here are some reasons why you should let with Good Life Lake District Cottages:
Expert marketing
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Leading digital marketing expertise & innovative activity such as virtual reality property tours.
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Effective, targeted and exciting marketing activity featuring your individual property & free professional photography.
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We list our properties on over 3,000 additional websites too - at no extra charge to our owners - including the following major brands:
It makes financial sense
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We’ll visit your property (for free) to let you know how much you could earn.
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Competitive commission rates, no sign-up or renewal fees (we only start making money when you do).
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Attractive payment terms; regular monthly payments and easy to understand statements, plus protection from cancellations and damages.
We're customer service led
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Knowledgeable & friendly local team in Cumbria, plus a central team of experts.
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Our holidaymakers come back year after year (which means more repeat customers for you).
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Tailored property management services, arranged to suit you (we won’t try and sell you a package).
Our response to Coronavirus (Covid-19)
From the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have, of course, been focused on supporting our homeowners, guests and staff. Safety has been our top priority, alongside timely information. In a world with so many unknowns, we have cut through the noise to give our homeowners clear, regular and informed communications about the situation, what it means to them, how we’re adapting, and what they need to do to adapt.
We have made sure that we’re always available on the end of a phone or email too, and the feedback from our homeowners has been fantastic – we, and they – feel like our relationships have only strengthened during this time.
And now, with holiday bookings on the up, we are helping our homeowners to make their properties safe and ready for visitors. We understand how holidaymakers’ needs are changing and advising our owners on how to optimise their property – from facilities, to pricing – to achieve their booking potential.
Some quotes from our homeowners:
"Just to say thank you so much for such a thoughtful and comprehensive update, and for all of the tips, it is much appreciated and very reassuring to receive."
"Thank you all. I am so relieved that our agency have demonstrated integrity and balance. Well done."
"Many thanks for the update. Your message underlines the professionalism shown every day by your company. Let’s look forward to a healthy and happy future."
See below for a short video from Natalie, our Lake District manager, talking about how we’ve helped homeowners during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Marketing your holiday property
Our goal is to bring you bookings - lots of bookings
Our aim is to help you maximise the revenue potential of your holiday property. The primary objective of all our marketing activity is to bring you bookings – lots and lots of bookings! We help maximise booking rates with our extensive and targeted marketing programme through our local activity in Cumbria, and nationally via The Original Cottages Family.
OUR WEBSITES
Our websites are 'fully responsive’ which means they change to best fit the device on which they are being viewed. We invest in ‘pay per click’ advertising and continuously work on our ‘organic’ search engine performance on Google. We market properties on our national website; www.originalcottages.co.uk and our luxury website; www.nicheretreats.co.uk
Over 96,000 visitors to our own website each year
AFFILIATE WEBSITES
We pay to list your properties on a range of affiliate websites, both in the UK and elsewhere in the EU, casting the net further still. These include: Airbnb, Tripadvisor, Snaptrip, Holiday Lettings and HomeAway.
Advertising on 3,000 additional websites
SOCIAL MEDIA
We showcase holiday properties, special offers, local news and events through our social media accounts, and actively engage with our followers on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube through our organic and paid social media activity.
Our social media following has grown by over 12% in the last year.
CAMPAIGN MARKETING
We regularly communicate with our customers with personalised, targeted emails and mailers. We feature properties, events and special offers, tailoring the content to our audience. In addition to this our online blog gives customers insider news and tips to make the most of the Lake District.
Over 260,000 marketing emails sent to our customer base every year
BROCHURES
Taking advantage of the significant footfall we have passing our offices, we produce a full colour brochure updated annually, with high quality imagery of our beautiful holiday properties. This can also be requested online and we give it out to visitors at shows we attend and through local businesses too.
We distribute over 300 brochures per month from our doorstep alone!
SHOWS
We attend local, county and national shows, so people can meet us and find out about our holiday properties. We have high quality show displays, branded giveaways and run a 'win a holiday' competition to build our customer base and attract new holidaymakers to our properties.
ADVERTISING & PR
We place carefully timed advertisements in local press and selected national magazines and papers. We work with PR specialists, journalists and high profile bloggers to gain our cottages as much coverage as possible. We also work closely with local tourism agencies and a number of UK and overseas affiliates.
Multiple relationships formed with national brands, for example Virgin Wines, John Lewis and Country Life Magazine
LOCAL PRESENCE
Our offices, vehicle and sponsorships in Cumbria and the Lake District promote our brand and collection of holiday properties. We make the most of every opportunity to ensure holidaymakers, local businesses and visitors to events are directed to book our properties with ease.
Our high street office is perfectly positioned to advertise our holiday properties to passers-by.
Maximising your income
Maximise your income with minimum inconvenience
Combining over 25 years holiday letting experience nationally with our local expertise in the Lake District and Cumbria we know how to maximise your income through holiday letting.
Competitive commission, including a reduced introductory rate
Individually researched price bands and optimised calendar
Bespoke marketing showcasing your property's unique features
Tailored property management, only pay for the service you want
High repeat booking percentage builds your customer base year after year
Holiday properties as an investment
Staycations are experiencing a huge surge in demand and given the nature of UK self-catering breaks appealing to those looking for safe, environmentally friendly, cost-effective holidays, this is set to continue for some time to come.
Our experienced Property Recruiters frequently work with homeowners to help them select, furnish, manage and let their property, optimising their return on investment. Here is a summary of how we can help:
We can visit properties with you.
We can provide helpful feedback on the ‘letability’ of a property given its location and amenities.
We can offer practical advice on simple steps to improve the ROI of the property (e.g. interior design).
We can generate property proposals with rental rates and income.
We can support with the practical running of the holiday let, taking away any ongoing hassle.
Please call us on 0800 368 9358 or send us an email if you’d like to find out more about how we could help you with your holiday home investment.
Testimonials
We're proud of the feedback we receive from our property owners, here's what they have to say:
Additional benefits for our homeowners
10% Original Cottages discount
As we are part of the Original Cottages group, our homeowners enjoy a 10% discount off their own holidays.
With over 5,000 Original Cottages properties to choose from, you too could enjoy exploring the UK for less.
Exclusive discounts from our partners
We love loyal customers. To say thank you for choosing us, we’ve teamed up with a range of local and national companies to ensure that you are rewarded with some seriously great offers and discounts.
How to join our family
If you’re interested in letting with us our knowledgeable and friendly team members are on hand to advise and support you through the simple 3-step process.
1
Contact us
Send us an enquiry so we can arrange an informal chat with one of our knowledgeable team members.
2
Arrange to meet
We would love to visit your property, or arrange a video meeting and tour (whichever is more appropriate) with no-obligation on you at all.
3
Join our family & receive bookings
We arrange your property setup and once live we launch our marketing activity to secure bookings and generate you income.
Meet the Team
Manager
Portfolio Manager
Property Manager
Office Manager
Property Assistant
Property Assistant
