Paying for UK Accommodation, Retaining Maximum Consumer Rights

mike_302

I am looking at a UK-based large group accommodation for 11 months from now, for 7 days --- the cost is ~£3K total, or up to ~£1,500 downpayment.

It'll be from a site like cottages.com, Secret Norfolk, or Norfolk Cottages (I think these are all the same company at the top). Point is -- they're all properly registered companies.

I am worried though, that these companies may or may not make it another 11 months. OR the place I hire might not still be hiring out. The websites just arranging a hire with other property owners.

What is the best way to pay the down payments, such that I retain the most consumer rights in the future? I'm not trying to play a game of booking lots of things and cancelling one at the end... I want to book one place, and to have the lowest chance of losing the deposit for that place, if things went poorly. In particular, mot of the guests joining my booking group will be travelling internationally, and I'm worried there could be a travel restriction for them, but not for me, so the booking would be pointless / unchangeable!

Any advice would be much appreciated. Credit card? Debit? OR is it largely going to be down to the policies of the booking site? Under what circumstances would you book directly with the cottage owners (I have been able to find some of my preferred accommodations off the accommodation aggregator sites, trading independently)

user1977

mike_302 said:

Under what circumstances would you book directly with the cottage owners (I have been able to find some of my preferred accommodations off the accommodation aggregator sites, trading independently)

If I was concerned about the solvency of a booking company. I would have thought Mr & Mrs Bloggs the Cottage Owners are far less likely to go bankrupt.

Not sure what you mean by "properly registered companies" unless you just mean avoiding outright fraudsters?

visidigi

Pay by credit card - ONLY.
Try to find & book full refundable agreements.

If you do those two things I don't see you'd be at any more risk than buying anything else...

mike_302

Not sure what you mean by "properly registered companies" unless you just mean avoiding outright fraudsters?

Yea, that -- it's got a company registration and all -- not a sketchy listing of properties.

Pay by credit card - ONLY.
Try to find & book full refundable agreements.
If you do those two things I don't see you'd be at any more risk than buying anything else...

OK, Credit Card! That's useful. Presumably because the consumer rights (Section 75?) will be my best ally in the event of a booking company muck-up / failure / bankruptcy.

I guess, unless the house owner themselves has a means for me to pay by Credit Card, it's not going to be any safer to go direct through the homeowner.

visidigi

I would argue there is far more risk of going direct to the homeowner than there is through a company providing the service of introducing you to properties.

If you go through a company and something falls through with your property, then they may find you another. Going direct to the owner means all eggs are in whatever that owner has in that basket.

Yes credit card for protection - no NOT just bank transfer, make sure at least £1 is on a credit card (even if the rest is, if you must, a bank transfer).

Keep_pedalling

I don’t know what makes you think companies dealing in UK holidays are likely to go bust, for any that have survived up to now business is booming. We have been using  the Original Cottages group (mainly Suffolk Secrets and Norfolk Cottages) for a good few years now, and have two more bookings coming up this year and I have no worries about them.

Apart from using a credit card surely you have holiday insurance to cover you from loosing your holiday whether that is because of an issue with the holiday company or if you have any serious issues that mean you need to cancel.

mike_302

Keep_pedalling said:

I don’t know what makes you think companies dealing in UK holidays are likely to go bust, for any that have survived up to now business is booming. We have been using  the Original Cottages group (mainly Suffolk Secrets and Norfolk Cottages) for a good few years now, and have two more bookings coming up this year and I have no worries about them.

Apart from using a credit card surely you have holiday insurance to cover you from loosing your holiday whether that is because of an issue with the holiday company or if you have any serious issues that mean you need to cancel.

Fair point... Business should be booming.

Some individual property owners have suggested in response to my question about payment security, that I should just get holiday insurance to cover it. But I guess it'd be a pretty bespoke policy to cover bank transfer downpayments to property owners that aren't a registered company?

[Deleted User]

mike_302 said:

Keep_pedalling said:

I don’t know what makes you think companies dealing in UK holidays are likely to go bust, for any that have survived up to now business is booming. We have been using  the Original Cottages group (mainly Suffolk Secrets and Norfolk Cottages) for a good few years now, and have two more bookings coming up this year and I have no worries about them.

Apart from using a credit card surely you have holiday insurance to cover you from loosing your holiday whether that is because of an issue with the holiday company or if you have any serious issues that mean you need to cancel.

 But I guess it'd be a pretty bespoke policy to cover bank transfer downpayments to property owners that aren't a registered company?

It doesn't have to work at that level. It will cover you for the inability of the provider to supply. 

That could be for a bank transfer to an unregistered property that runs off with your money or an invasion from Mars. It makes no difference.

sheramber

if things went poorly. In particular, mot of the guests joining my booking group will be travelling internationally, and I'm worried there could be a travel restriction for them, but not for me, so the booking would be pointless / unchangeable!


Credit card will not cover you if  guests are unable to travel due to travel restrictions. 

user1977

mike_302 said:

I guess it'd be a pretty bespoke policy to cover bank transfer downpayments to property owners that aren't a registered company?

Why do you think it would make a difference whether the accommodation provider is a company or not? It'll be covered by a standard travel policy.

born_again

visidigi said:

Pay by credit card - ONLY.
Try to find & book full refundable agreements.

If you do those two things I don't see you'd be at any more risk than buying anything else...

Take not of what the OP said..

>>>I am looking at a UK-based large group accommodation for 11 months from now,<<< S75 may not cover it. It may cover the OP, but if there others people are not part of the immediate family then they will not be covered.

OP would be best to describe just what this group is?

Far better if it is a group of families to each book their own. If it is something like a school/club trip then they need to speak to their card provider and get the correct advice. Chargeback would cover deposit if they went bust and is not effected by not being family.

Add in using CC makes it OP's debt and should anything happen they will have to refund people. As any refund would go to credit card. So Op would have to ensure they have funds in another place to refund people.