When starting a holiday rental for the first time, it can be hard to know where on earth to start.
It’s likely that you’ve thought about creating an amazing experience for your guests and become excited about the additional income, but now you’re nearly ready to open the doors, you have no idea what to do next.
And you have a couple of options…
You can either find an agency to list your property with, or do it yourself.
“Should I list my holiday rental with an agency?”
Let’s outline the pros and cons of using an agency to market your holiday rental…
An agency does have its benefits and for some owners they can work really well. They have an established presence and database of guests, which can potentially get the ball rolling faster in terms of bookings. They may also offer a fully managed package, so could potentially do the changeovers and laundry for you too – so you really don’t have to do much.
However, they also take a hefty cut (between 16% – 25% of every booking) and your property will often sit amongst thousands on their database. And ultimately, you’re still responsible for the compliance side of the business and if there’s any problems with the guests, they’ll often want approval before they spend £100 on changing a lightbulb). They may also restrict when you can use the property yourself, which is never ideal – especially if you’ve purchased it for that reason.
If you do ever decide to go solo after listing from an agency, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to use your photos that they took.
“Should I market my holiday rental myself?” Let’s outline the pros and cons of marketing your holiday rental yourself…
Personally, I think you’ll get more bookings if you decide to market your holiday rental yourself. You understand what makes your property special. You know why the area is so beautiful. You have the best understanding of all the components that will mean that guests have a great stay.
You’ll keep more of your profits and have more control. If you’re not local, you have free reign over when you use the property and can block out dates that suit you with no penalty.
And no, once you have a plan, it doesn’t need to take up loads of your time. After all, you’re probably running another business on the side, or looking after family.
Let me share a story of a real host who had her holiday let listed with an agency…
In March 2025, Claire launched her holiday rental. A cosy 2-bedroom studio with a woodburner, hot tub and lovely outdoor terrace… it was gorgeous!
Because she was new to the industry and was also running two other businesses, she decided to list her property with an agency.
In six months from March to September, she had zero bookings. Nothing. Even during the peak summer weeks, her gorgeous property that she had poured her heart and soul into was sat empty.
Her account manager told her that she needed to accept pets (which she didn’t want to)…
And she was also encouraged to drop her prices… twice…
Her property was absolutely beautiful and deserved to be jam-packed with bookings!
She was doubting everything and seriously needed to make some of her investment back.
So in September, she joined the Host Marketing Academy.
I created her a personalised plan that walked her through everything that she needed to do in order to take bookings and market her property so that she could fill her calendar.
During the 8 weeks, she worked hard on setting everything up from scratch (alongside running two other businesses and busy family life) and she soon welcomed her first ever guests!
When I checked in at the beginning of 2026, she was fully booked until the end of April.
And in August 2026 when I checked in again (12 months after our first conversation), her property has been consistently running at an amazing 90% occupancy…
Yet 12 months prior, whilst being listed with an agency, she had zero bookings.
And I truly believe that you can achieve this too for YOUR property!
If you want some help to get your calendar full of bookings? Check out the Host Marketing Academy or click here to book a FREE strategy call with me.
