The future of holiday letting in Northumberland

The annual holiday letting report from parent company, Sykes Holiday Cottages, has revealed that Northumberland is growing in popularity with holidaymakers.

We take a look at some key insights from the holiday letting outlook.

Top Locations:

Northumberland has been a ‘hidden gem’ of the UK and is becoming more popular. Five of the top ten locations for income growth are all Northumberland based.

Bamburgh has seen a 25% increase in income between 2022 – 2023.

Seahouses has had an even larger increase with a 36% increase in income between 2022 – 2023.

Alnwick and Alnmouth have also progressed, with Alnwick seeing an increase of 19% and Alnmouth 17%. 

Seahouses

Northumberland Earning Potential:

Research* from parent company Sykes Holiday Cottages also places Northumberland in the top 10 earning regions.According to our research, Northumberland has an average earning potential of £25,000 a year for a holiday let.

Two bedroom properties in Northumberland earnt on average £20,500 a year, with 4 bedroom properties earning on average £38,300 per year.

Our dedicated team monitor market demand and adjust pricing accordingly. To ensure your property is let for the best price, we recommend you opt for our Income Maximisation tools, learn more about the options here. 

We also look at the industy as a whole, and according to data and analytics provider AirDNA, the top three seasonal periods where income potential is greatest are:

• Christmas week – 87% increase in revenue versus the week prior
• May half-term – 47% increase in revenue versus the week prior
•  Easter – 38% increase in revenue versus the week prior

Easter 2024 also saw a record breaking number of bookings.

Grange Cottage

Running a Successful Holiday Let:

Adding quality features to your holiday let or ensuring you have maximsed the properties potential is key to gaining bookings and improving income.

The top five most searched for features on the Sykes website were:

1. Hot tub
2. Wifi
3. Pub proximity
4. Garden
5. Swimming pool

Top five property types for income:

1. Unique/wow properties
2. Detached house
3. Farm stay
4. Barn conversion
5. Cottage

Woodland View Luxury Lodge

Industry Insights:

Below are some key insights from our parent company Sykes Holiday Cottages UK survey and bookings data:

• £24,500 was the average turnover of a UK holiday let in 2023, versus £24,000 in 2022.
• 8% of increase in booings year-on-year in 2023.
• Bookings up 71% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
• Double the amount of new owner enquries compared to 2019 volumes.

Croft Cottage

Let with Northumbria Coast & Country Cottages:

To join our community of successful holiday let owners, request your FREE owner pack which will provide you with more information and guide you in the right direction. Call us on 01665 830783 or drop us an email on newowners@nccc-ltd.co.uk and we’ll get right back to you.

*Data taken from our parent company Sykes Holiday Cottages – data from Sykes Holiday Letting Outlook Report 2024.