At Stay Local, we’re all about shining a light on the heart of our communities.
Our blog brings you news, insights, and practical advice on the UK holiday rental market, high street updates, and real-world tips to help small businesses and holiday home owners grow.
Whether you run a holiday let, a café, a shop, or a local group, this is your space.
Clips of wrecked cottages do the rounds in host chats. The useful part is not the body count. It is the pattern: Instant Book, unmatched IDs, events dressed up as family stays, and protection that is not buildings insurance. Read more
UK owners contract with Booking.com B.V. in Amsterdam. Here is the good, the bad and the bits that cost money: commission, Genius, parity, overbookings, guest data and who pays when something goes wrong. Read more
UK hosts do not sit on the US contract. Here is the good, the bad and the bits that cost money: fees, cancellations, off-platform rules, AirCover and who you are really contracting with. Read more
Guests know there is a booking fee. They often miss that it goes to a foreign company making huge profits, offering little when something goes wrong, and paying little UK tax on British stays. Read more
Airbnb is testing cheaper host fees if you share your own link. The stay still books on Airbnb, the off-platform rules have not changed, and the pilot is not a confirmed UK programme. Read more
Guests already pay a cleaning fee, then some hosts add chore lists, extra invoices and review pressure. This article looks at what Airbnb itself called unreasonable, the UK evidence on both sides, and what a fair checkout actually looks like. Read more
Checkout charity prompts are common and widely disliked. This article explains how the money actually moves, why the tax write-off claim is wrong in the UK, what retailers do get from the ask, and whether it is only virtue signalling. Read more
Public concern about Turkish-style barbers and vape shops on high streets is widespread. This article examines the evidence from the National Crime Agency, recent operations, convictions, alternative explanations, and how cash-business money laundering actually works. Read more
Why every holiday home website needs a clear privacy policy, what it must cover for direct bookings, guest data and CCTV, and how we help you keep it simple. Read more
Why a solid terms page protects you from disputes, charge-backs and legal headaches, and how we help you keep it current with practical examples. Read more
Chosen not to require a deposit? This is what is actually at risk when a booking is unpaid, and the low-effort steps that cut no-shows without collecting a penny upfront. Read more
A plain-English guide to rate parity clauses for UK holiday home owners: what Airbnb allows, what Booking.com restricts, and how to run a book-direct discount without breaching either. Read more
Owners don't need to leave Airbnb or Booking.com to stop paying commission on every booking. Here's how a direct booking site fits in without touching your reviews or ranking. Read more
A simple onboarding sequence for holiday home owners to turn a first-time direct booking into a loyal, repeat guest. Read more
You have escaped the platforms. Your own website is live, enquiries are landing in your inbox, and guests are excited to book direct. Then comes the question every owner eventually asks: how do I actually take the money? Read more
Platform rules for holiday lets shift often and hit your wallet hard. Learn how a simple holiday let website gives UK owners stability and more direct bookings without the uncertainty. Read more
