WHY ARE BRATHAY COTTAGES MY BEST OPTION?
We will take care of your property as passionately as we take care of our own. Quite simply - we put our owners first. Rest assured that not only will we increase your return, we will make sure your experience is hassle free.
After being disillusioned by the service we were receiving from the large agencies, we set up Brathay Cottages, our own agency by Owners, for Owners.
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Owner Guarantee
We pride ourselves on our openness, as well as the excellent service that we provide both our owners and guests. If you are not happy, you can just walk away. Our contracts have no tie-ins.
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Clear and Simple Costs
15% commission (+VAT)
Laundry and Cleaning at cost
No hidden handling fees
Clear and Simple contracts -
Independent & Local
We are a passionate local team who live and work in The Lake District, we are not owned by a national agency and we will stay that way.
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Unlimited Owner Bookings
Unlimited owner bookings (we cant believe this isn't standard practise) This is your property and you should be able to use it whenever you want, come rain or shine!
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Owner Portal
You will have access to a secure site which shows you all your latest bookings, occupancy statistics, upcoming guests and other important information.
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Price & Listing Optimisation
Your dedicated owner managers are constantly in touch with the market, to ensure that you get the highest possible sales for your property. We have access to industry leading software to ensure you get the most out of you bookings.
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High Quality Cleaning, Linen and Toiletries
Your home will have professionally laundered, hotel quality linen and luxury toiletries and will be cleaned by our team of hardworking and reliable cleaners.
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24/7 Guest Support
From the initial enquiry through to check in and departure, there is always someone on hand to answer any queries your guests may have.
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Management & Maintenance
Our inhouse maintenance team will sort out any small issues that might arise with your home. Our team will also manage your annual safety inspections, fire assessments etc so that you are legally compliant, and this is all included in our commission rate.
LET'S TALK NUMBERS
We are extremely successful at increasing the number of weeks booked and overall turnover. Here are a few examples of the sales increase in the first year of management.
Not only have we increased the sales, but we have also decreased commission costs, maintenance and management costs, and eliminated hidden fees that are all too common in our industry.
- Ambleside 5 Bedroom Cottage:
Increased Sales from £58,000 to £80,600 (39% increase in sales) - Ambleside 3 Bedroom Cottage:
Increased Sales from £21,000 to £30,500 (45% increase in sales) - Skelwith Bridge 3 Bedroom Cottage:
Increased Sales from £31,500 to £57,750 (83% increase in sales)
We make the most of your holiday cottage, for you!
If you’re keen to make better sales and profit, we are here to help. We make the most of the availability you have and want to provide. We really do maximising occupancy, sales and most importantly profit.
Average occupancy for holiday lets in Ambleside, Windermere and Bowness, for 2025 is 48%. Brathay Cottages portfolio is currently sitting at 74.5%. Data from Pricelabs as of December 2025.
Please scroll through to find our average sales per holiday let.
Reasons to move to Brathay Cottages
We offer fair, transparent commission rates with no hidden fees, so you will keep far more of what you earn. We do not charge for small jobs like changing lightbulbs or dropping off a new saucepan.
The holiday market in the Lakes is constantly changing. It is no longer about seven-day bookings starting on specific changeover days and bookings are becoming more and more last minute.
We stay extremely close to the market, constantly reviewing how we are marketing each property to ensure that the pricing and availability are set for maximum sales.
We also have a highly adaptable team, able to step into action at short notice which lets us take advantage of very last-minute bookings, which are happening more and more and go towards higher overall occupancy.
As a result, EVERY cottage that we have taken on has seen a significant increase in their sales compared to their sales with their previous agent.
Our team is small, and you will be in direct contact with the member of our team who specifically manages your property. They will know your property inside and out. Have a specific request? They will personally ensure it is actioned and keep you in the loop. We have an extremely low staff turnover.
We reply promptly. Always.
We will work with you, not over you. We have no restrictions on owner bookings and are happy to work to any criteria you want to set, for instance minimum pricing or minimum number of nights.
We maintain our high standards by never using agency staff and ensuring our cleaners and tradesmen are an integral part of our team. We have an extremely low turnover amongst our cleaning and trades’ teams.
We understand the importance of reviews and how one bad one can effect future bookings. That is why we are straight onto the case with any issues, pulling in the help of our network of trusted local suppliers to ensure problems are sorted quickly and with the minimum of fuss. This results in happy guests.
Even with a good number of bookings, income can feel underwhelming due to poor pricing strategies or high deductions from hidden costs. That is why we constantly stay on top of pricing, adjusting prices both up and down to reflect the market and this ensures that we get the maximum income for each cottage. We have no hidden costs and pride ourselves on our transparency.
All you need to do is give written notice to your current agent (we can provide a template to help you do this). Once this is done hand it over to us and we will do the rest.
We are way ahead of the market with our use of technology. We are using the latest owner software which will allow you to easily track bookings, manage availability, add owner bookings and see planned owner payouts. All from an app and our online portal.
We believe in complete transparency, and we will personally tell you thorough any aspect of your statement that is unclear, as often as you like, until you completely understand the figures.
We understand the value of repeat guests, particularly as they tend to book directly with us and so there are no booking platform fees to pay. So, we make sure our repeat guests feel special, and we have many guests returning time and time again.
We only work within the Lake District market, and in particular we focus on Ambleside and Bowness. We know these two markets inside and out.
Our pricing strategy does include some last-minute deals, but this is just part of our pricing strategy. We also focus on high value bookings.
Some owner’s like to know of maintenance problems, others would rather we just sorted it out. If you would like to know we will tell you. Straight away.
We will regularly talk to you and offer strategic support, discussing longer term planning and how we can jointly improve the performance of your property.
We will always let you know if we think that something needs replacing
We understand exactly what is required to remain compliant (from DAC7 to fire regulations to holiday home insurance) and we will work closely with you to ensure that you are doing everything right.
FANCY A CHAT? COME AND FIND US
Proudly based in the Lakes, and right in the centre of Ambleside! Pop in for a chat, or even better we can take you out for a coffee, we have a great selection just a stone's throw from the office.
Address: The Office, 1869, Lake Road, Ambleside, LA22 0AD
Phone: 015394 33412
Email: info@brathaycottages.co.uk
What Our Owners Say
With the support of Brathay Cottages, occupancy levels have improved considerably. I attribute this to many factors which have resulted in a better customer experience. Principally the apartment is professionally presented, booking flexibility is greatly enhanced and any issues are resolved promptly and without fuss. The whole team at Brathay Cottages, led by George, have a real can-do attitude and genuinely care.
“You look after me as well as my property. Thank you for an amazing year!”
“I had so many issues before moving to Brathay Cottages. Now everything runs smoothly, the team know me personally and answer any queries quickly”
“I am delighted with BC. The team are super friendly and efficient, I feel I know where I am with my costs, and I have loads more bookings. What’s not to like?”