Owners' Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I create a new account?
  One of the great things about the holidaylets.net site is that it’s simple and easy to use. Just click the ‘how to advertise’ button at the top of the home page (or any other) and this will take you to the advertisers section. Then follow the online instructions to create your own account, which will give you complete control to add, edit and manage your property portfolio online.
  

• How do I create my property advert?
  You use the simple online “advert builder” to create and view your property advert. This can be accessed through your own, password protected area, where you can create and manage all your property adverts. From here you can create new property ads, modify existing ones, add new photos, update pricing and even maintain an availability chart. You can create sample ads and practise until you're happy with your efforts and only then, when you're good and ready, request it to be added to the live site. Basic text details are added first, after which photographs and availability can be added.
  


• How do I add my photos?
  To add photographs to your property advert is a relatively simple process. If you have photos stored in a digital format on your computer, the holidaylets.net system allows you to add them through the Administration Console. Simple click on the “add photo” link and you will be asked to select the relevant photograph on your computer and then to click the “update” button to send the photo to holidaylets.net. We will then approve the photo prior to it going live on the site.
  
  The photo must be smaller than 500kb in size
  
  However, we also appreciate that not everybody has access to digital photographs and therefore you may send the photographs to us via the normal post. All we ask is that you put the property reference number on the back of each photo and include a stamped addressed envelope should you wish them returned. We will scan the photos and have them added to your property listing. This service is offered free of charge.
  
  


• How many photos can I add?
  You can add up to ten detailed photographs of your property and one summary photo, which appears on the summary results page. We recommend the summary photo is an outside view of the property taken on a nice sunny day as first impressions count for everything! People often use the same summary photo as one of the detailed shots too.
  


• Can I put descriptions next to the photos?
  Yes you can and it’s easy! Just type what you want to appear in the caption box underneath each picture and then click the “update” button.
  


• Once I have finished my advert, how long will it take to become live?
  We aim to approve your advert within 1 working day, our working hours are Monday to Thursday, 8.00 am to 5.00 pm (GMT) and on Friday 8.00 am to 4.00 pm (GMT). If for some reason your property has not been approved after this time, please contact Customer Services who will be happy to investigate for you.
  


• Is there a detailed guide on creating a successful listing?
  Yes. Simply follow this link. You will then be taken to a detailed guide on how best to create a property listing that will help maximise your rental income.
  

• How do I update the availability calendar?
  When you click the "Update Availability" button in the Owner's Area you will be directed to a calendar page. Simply click on the day of arrival and then click on the day of departure. So for a Saturady arrival and a Saturday departure, you should first click on the Saturday and then on the next Saturday.
  
  When you have clicked the two dates an Update button will appear at the bottom of the page. Simply click this button to save your changes. Repeat the process as often as needed and then click the Finished button to return to the Master Administration area.
  


• I've updated new pictures on my advert but they aren't showing.
  Try pressing 'Ctrl' and 'F5' when you see the old picture, and ask the page to refresh.
  


• Can I change my advert in the future?
  Yes you can! One of the great beauties of the Internet is its flexibility. At any time of the day or night you can log into your personal account and edit details relating to yourself or your property.
  


• Do I have to keep my Availability Chart up to date?
  Nobody will force you to keep your Availability Calendar up to date, but it would it would be beneficial to all concerned if you did. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, as the search mechanism filters on property availability, you are more likely to only receive booking enquiries for weeks that are genuinely available, thus saving you the time and trouble of replying to the many requests often received for the popular school holiday periods.
  
  Secondly, your ranking in the summary results page is influenced by the frequency with which you update your availability chart. The system sorts both on this and a daily randomise function. So in simple terms, updating your availability chart will help maximise your position in the directory and therefore help increase your number of property views and booking enquiries.
  
  


• How will I be notified of booking enquiries?
  The prospective holidaymaker will contact you directly, either by email or by phone. If by email, the request will follow a standard format and the email subject will read:
  
  Booking Enquiry from holidaylets.net
  
  The email will be sent to the address listed in the Owner Account details.
  
  We also have an SMS alert service which you can set up from the enhanced services link in your Owners Area. This service is free of charge.
  
  

• Will I need training on how to use the system?
  Not at all. The system is easy to use and self explanatory. If you can use a word processor, you will be able to use holidaylets.net.
  


• What determines the rank order in which properties are returned?
  If no search filters are used, the adverts are placed in a random order, with a weighting for those properties which have an updated calendar. We feel it only fair to reward those people who help us to keep this resource up to date, which in turn makes it better for everyone!
  


• Is there a Special Offers section?
  Yes there is and we call it ‘Late Offers’. It’s very easy to use and can be accessed from the main Admin page in your Owner's Area. It’s there to help you rebook those last minute cancellations and rave about the savings on offer or just maximise your short-term rental income. It takes prominent place on the homepage, so if you have any last minutes offers to make, this is the place to be.
  


• You don’t appear to have my region/area/town listed?
  We’ve put a lot of thought into how we categorise the various departments, counties and regions within a country. However, we do not claim to be experts, and we fully expect you to know your own region better than we do! If you would like us to add an area, modify a region’s name or even add an area of outstanding natural beauty, please drop us a line. We’ll do our best to accommodate your request.
  


• I’ve forgotten my password, what should I do?
  Simply click on the link on the Owner’s Login page and we’ll email you by return.
  

• What does it cost?
  The standard charge is £99 (approximately €140) per year for the first property, and £40 (approximately €56) for all additional properties when purchased at the same time. If you have more than seven properties, please email or call for a quote.
  
  We also understand some Owners would like an hyperlink to their own websites. Whereas this makes it difficult for us to track the effectiveness of the holidaylets.net site (because we cannot monitor the number of booking requests), we do recognise this need and therefore offer the facility as an additional option. A link to your own website is charged at £30 per property.
  
  VAT is charged for UK and for other European residents where the property letting is not run as a registered business. A tax number must be provided from those owners who are residents in Europe to be VAT exempt.
  


• How do I pay?
  There are three different ways in which you can pay for your advertising on holidaylets.net.
  
  a) Online – Once you have created your Advert you will be able to pay online using a credit or debit card. This is a fully automated, real time payment where your card is authorised and processed online. The advantage of this method being that it ensures your property remains on the holidaylets.net site at all times. Assuming the property has been previously approved for content, it will go directly to "paid" status and remain live for a period of one year. This is a fully secure, encrypted service.
  
  b) Credit or debit card – We appreciate that some people may not wish to divulge their card details online, so this method allows you to phone us, fax us or email us with your card details. holidaylets.net will then process your card details locally. On completion, one of our team will change the status of your property to "paid" and it will remain live for a period of one year.
  
  c) Cheque – We accept cheques in British Pounds drawn on a UK bank. Cheques should be made payable to “holidaylets.net”. Please send cheques to:
  
  HolidayLets.Net
  Cranfield Innovation Centre
  Cranfield
  Beds MK43 0BT
  England
  
  


• How do I appear as a featured property on the home page?
  If you contact the holidaylets.net team, they can add you to the waiting list. The cost is £50 + VAT per month.
  

• What about PR?
  We run an ongoing PR campaign to ensure maximum visibility of the site within the Travel and Internet media. Our achievements include a full site review and 4 star rating in a recent edition of Internet magazine.
  
  
  
  We've also had a write up in Web User magazine and a pleasing review in the Saturday edition of The Times. Most recently, we won a prestigous DTI E-Commerce award. Needless to say, buoyed with this success, we will be continuing the PR activity throughout the coming year.
  
  
  


• How do I create a shortlist?
  
  Holidaylets.net has a sophisticated but easy to use 'Shortlist' function. You can add properties to your shortlist from any of the search results, and from any property advertisement page.
  
  Access your shortlist from the “My shortlist” tab at the top of every page. You can then send a booking enquiry to the owner and remove any properties from your shortlist.
  
  To create a shortlist account, all you need to do is click on the Shortlist tab at the top of every page, enter your details and submit the form. If you want to be able to access your shortlist next time you visit the site, you just click on shortlist and enter your email address and password. Don’t worry if you have forgotten your password, just click on the link next to forgotten your username/and/or password and we will email it to you.
  
  


• What advertising do you have planned for holidaylets?
  As part of our marketing strategy, and to help you sell your property, at key times in the year we advertise in various broadsheets such as The Telegraph, Independent, Guardian, Times and the Observer. We also pay for premium positions on the Google search engine. We have a simple aim for holidaylets.net - To make it the biggest, the most user friendly and the most professionally run holiday letting site on the web and we'd like you to come and join us.
  

• How do I contact you?
  Any way you want. Although we operate in the virtual world, we are a real company with real employees. You may write to us, email us or pick up the phone and call us. It’s your choice and we’re always happy to hear from you. We are especially keen to hear your feedback about the site and how it can be improved. Your continued input is greatly appreciated.
  


• Office Address
  HolidayLets.Net
  Cranfield Innovation Centre
  Cranfield
  Bedfordshire
  MK43 0BT
  England
  
  Tel: 0044 (0)207 108 1131
  Fax: 0044 (0)207 108 1134
  Email: info@holidaylets.net
  
  


• Customer Services
  info@holidaylets.net