Frequently Asked Questions

Read our FAQs about our Owner Donated Stays initiative and partnership with Time Away.

Which charities do you work with?

Sykes Cottages currently has one charity partnership in place for the Owner Donated Stays initiative – we work closely with the team at Time Away, who help families facing the challenges of a life-changing diagnosis for their child.

To read more about the impact Time Away makes, see their website here.

“At Time Away we know that coming to terms with a life changing, long term diagnosis in a young child can be very difficult for families. We understand the many different pressures a family unit can experience, and how hard daily life can be. We source vacant time in self-catering holiday accommodation and gift it to those who need a break. Through providing the opportunity for a break away from the home environment we can help families to enjoy time together away from it all.”

Is my property suitable to host those with additional or mobility needs?

When it comes to deciding whether a property is suitable, we let the family decide. They alone will know whether a property will suit their needs, and as with any other booking they will be able to ask questions and view the full property listing to gauge whether it is appropriate for them.

If your property does have facilities for disabled customers such as walk-in showers, handrails and ramps up to the front and back doors, these will be highlighted by the charity on their Property Portal. However, the families supported by Time Away have a range of different needs and while some properties may be unsuitable for those with children in wheelchairs, for example, they may be perfect for others.

Did you know?
If a property really isn’t suitable for a family, with the owner’s permission we can offer the stay as a respite break for parents or legal guardians of children with additional needs, to enjoy a relaxing break away from the stresses of their day-to-day life.

How does a property get assigned to a family?

At Sykes Cottages we pride ourselves on the fabulous choice of properties we offer our customers, and for the benefactors of the Owner Donated Stay initiative it is no different. We want the families booking a break with Time Away to get that same thrill of finding the perfect property for their holiday. Therefore, they are free to browse any of the available properties listed on Time Away’s Property Portal and apply for the break once they have passed the eligibility criteria set out by the charity.

How do you decide which families are eligible for a donated break?

Time Away hold the responsibility for finding the families for the donated breaks, and they also set out the criteria for eligibility.

For a family to be eligible for the break, both points below must apply:

They are a parent or legal guardian of a child under the age of 5 with a life-changing diagnosis
That child is in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (higher rate award of the care component) – or Children’s Disability Payment in Scotland.

The high costs of caring for a child with specific needs can have devastating effect on families from all walks of life, regardless of income or lifestyle. It adds additional strain to those already dealing with the physical and emotional uncertainty caused by such a diagnosis. Therefore, Time Away do not means-test the families that come to them in need of support.

What is the process for donating a break?

If you are happy to donate some time in your property, free of charge, we would ask that you fill out our Donation Form

As soon as we receive the dates you wish to donate, we will block out your calendar by placing the dates on an extended hold. We will then pass the details of the available dates to the charity, so that they may begin the process of finding a family in need of a break.

What is the minimum donation the charity can accept?

The minimum duration they can accept is a 2-night stay and the maximum would be 7 nights.
Whether you can offer mid-week, weekends or full weeks they will find a family that will suit the dates.

Do I have to offer a break at peak times or during the school holidays?

The charity is happy to receive any dates that you can offer, at any time of the year. While school holiday breaks are naturally preferable, as former Sykes owners they appreciate they are in the peak holiday season.

What happens once you have found an eligible family for the break?

Once a family has been chosen, we will cancel the extended hold on the dates and create a new booking with all the customer’s details and party size – as per the standard booking process.

Please note, dates further in the future may take a little longer to book and the dates may be on extended hold for some time. This is due to several factors but primarily, families who have children with additional needs are often unable to commit too far in advance, and so prefer to book a property with dates at a shorter notice. Therefore, if you were to donate dates in December for example, that are due to start in September, you may not see a family booked in until around June or July.

I want to leave something special as a gift/welcome for the family's arrival, am I able to find out a little more about them and their needs?

Just as with any other customer, we are unable to offer any further information regarding the family coming to stay, other than the lead bookers name, email address, telephone number and postcode, along with the party size and number of children, and if they are bringing any pets (if allowed) - all of which is provided as standard at the time of booking. Please feel welcome to give them a call with the customer contact details provided or be there to welcome them to your property, if you would normally do so.
Please do not feel obligated to leave anything above and beyond what you may usually offer to your guests.

Just to note:
If you offer additional accessibility items at your property, like access ramps or mobility aids, or travel cots and highchairs, these will be requested through the normal process.

What happens in the event of a last-minute cancellation by the family?

Due to the circumstances surrounding the families supported by Time Away, last-minute cancellations can happen. This can be due to medical appointments or hospital visits, or several other factors. We have a process in place with Time Away where they will list the property as a “last-minute break” to their networks and on their social media accounts, and they work quickly to try and find a replacement family to fill the dates. Unfortunately, in some instances, the notice period is just too short for the families, and we must cancel the booking – please note, this happens very rarely.

What happens if you cannot find a family for the Donated Stay?

While it is a very rare occurrence, from time-to-time a property may not be suitable for one of numerous reasons. In these instances, we will allow a 6-week grace period, so that if we cannot find a family for the break in the lead up to the start date, we will free up the dates on the website to allow time for a paid booking to be made. We will also communicate the cancellation to you by email.

Do I have to cover the cost of cleaning? And what about other fees I usually charge customers?

We are currently asking that owner’s make a full contribution to cover cleaning and fuel costs and waive any other charges to the customer such as Good Housekeeping Bonds and pet fees, so that the break is completely free of charge to the family.

Will the property be covered in the event of any damage?

Sykes Cottages offer complimentary Damage Protection insurance to all the families eligible for an Owner Donated Stay, this will cover them for any damage that may occur, as with any other booking.

As an owner of property in Wales, does a donated stay count towards my holiday-let occupancy quota?

Our Head of Regulation & Policy offers the below advice:

The guidance is silent on charitable stays. It requires a stay to be commercial to count and that means with a view to the realisation of profits.

I brought this up with the Welsh Government and they responded:

“The legislation does not specifically cover the treatment of charitable donations of stays. However, the commerciality condition requires that the property must be let on a commercial basis with a view to making a profit. Any non-commercial lettings, for example lettings to family and friends for nominal amounts, are not likely to count towards commercial lettings considered by the VOA. The Welsh Government cannot comment in individual scenarios or cases of assessment.”

I then wrote to the VOA (valuation office agency) who do the assessments of properties to decide whether they should be on business rates. Their response is, "they would need to have a receipt for the week as being let, but zero payment, due to charitable donation", but we can't take that as meaning the VOA will count the week.

It isn’t completely clear but hints that they may be sympathetic and count it. All we can say is it’s possible that the week may be counted based on the attached, but it’s not certain. It is up to the owner whether they want to take the risk on it or not but we’ve tried to get them something to use in this regard.

Donate a stay