Leisure & diversification

Here to help you buy and sell country cottages, holiday complexes and leisure businesses across the UK

Holiday Lodge Complex on Hill in Countryside

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Rural leisure services

Carter Jonas concentrate in the buying and selling of holiday cottages, holiday let businesses and leisure businesses in the South West and across the UK. With over 20 years’ experience in the sector, our dedicated leisure department focuses in the valuation and selling of country cottages, lodge parks, campsites, caravan parks and glamping businesses. The Leisure property market is a specialist sector, requiring experience and knowledge.

Carter Jonas Leisure has a nationally recognised reputation with a proven track record for the valuation, sales and professional advice to leisure operators ranging from individuals through to corporate organisations. Carter Jonas major in the sale of holiday cottage complexes, guest accommodation, B&Bs, holiday villages, lodge parks, glamping businesses and boutique hotels.

If you have a commercial leisure property, please click here to find out about our services.

How can Carter Jonas help you buy/sell your holiday letting business?

If you are starting the process of searching for a suitable holiday letting business to buy, Carter Jonas can help you with your search, give advice to help you understand the letting market, and identify suitable properties. This could be a bed and breakfast for sale, a guest house or barn that can be converted into holiday cottages, and can range from land with potential for leisure development, through to established trading businesses.

Traditional farms that have been converted into holiday cottage complexes and are being run as successful leisure businesses can provide attractive returns to purchasers. Many of the properties that Carter Jonas handle are sold with complementary businesses which enhance the holiday letting trade, such as fishing lakes, equestrian facilities or a working farm. If you are looking to sell a holiday park, caravan site or guest house, or are looking to expand or diversify your business, the best place to start is getting an up-to-date valuation.

At Carter Jonas we have Chartered Surveyors specialising in the leisure property sector. They can either provide an accurate market appraisal for the business, advise on current market conditions, or provide a red book valuation for secured lending and taxation purposes. If you decide to sell a guest house or self-catering business, we have a national database of purchasers including leisure operators, charities, trusts and owner occupiers looking for suitable opportunities. The potential sale can affect the trade of the business in the interim, so sympathetic marketing is key for businesses of this type, and our experience ensures that impact on business is minimised, without affecting the interest levels of the property sale.

Why invest in leisure business?

The returns for investors are attractive and the holiday letting industry has seen an increase in trade over the last 3 years as people decide to holiday at home. The holiday letting season has been extended, with many people looking for winter weekend breaks. The internet has increased the trade of many leisure businesses, with last minute bookings contributing to bumper years over the last decade. Most investors see these leisure businesses as valuable property assets and analyse their returns carefully before looking for a campsite for sale or look to add a bed & breakfast to their property portfolio.

Operators are keen to increase profits and to make sure that the occupational rates of the holiday letting properties are maximised, most holiday villages, campsites and caravan sites offer a range of facilities including tennis courts, games rooms, indoor swimming pools and recently the affordability of hot tubs have been added to many self-catering units. Most of the properties within this sector come with land and acreage which has the potential for glamping businesses such as yurts, pods and shepherd huts.

Looking to invest in town-centre, out-of-town or edge-of-town leisure property? Click here to find out more about our expertise in commercial leisure.

Why choose Carter Jonas to help buy or sell your leisure property?

Experience is key when selling a hotel, holiday village or glamping business. The specialist experience and knowledge along with the contact database of the Carter Jonas leisure team will give you the best chance of the finding the right buyer and the right price for your leisure property. Many purchasers want to understand how the businesses are being operated and want to forensically analyse the accounts to see where there is potential to increase the profitability and extend the holiday letting season. Clients buying holiday cottages are always keen to understand if they can develop further holiday lodges on site, to increase the trade and understand how likely the conversion of a derelict barn into an additional holiday cottage or adding further lodges on site will be allowed by the local planning authority.

The glamping business market has increased hugely in recent years, and the addition of yurts, shepherd huts, pods and safari tents to established holiday letting businesses gives a quick additional income and can increase profitability. Many purchasers are looking for a change in lifestyle and are keen to gain advice on where to buy a campsite, caravan park, or other leisure business. Location is an important factor, along with proximity to the coast or other holiday attractions. Good views of the sea or the countryside is often key to making a holiday letting business work. The key requirement of the purchaser is always the profitability of the business.

Carter Jonas is well placed to advise purchasers who will hopefully become long-term clients in due course as we offer a full range of services to existing leisure businesses including valuations for secured lending, taxation (capital gains and inheritance) and give planning advice on further development potential.

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My thanks to all at Carter Jonas for assisting in a smooth and professional service from the commencement of marketing through to the completion of the sale. This site was ancillary to the core Estate landholding and the sale achieved by Carter Jonas has resulted in a satisfied vendor and purchaser – so a positive result for all parties.

Bantham Estate

We were very pleased with the support we received from the team at Carter Jonas in our search for an operator for the Beinglas Campsite. Their approach, including site visits to review the property, preparation of particulars and securing candidate operators was professional, diligent and timely. We had a wide choice of credible operators to consider and we believe we achieved wide coverage of the potential candidates through Carter Jonas’s network.

Glenfalloch Estate

Dealing with Stephen and Felicity has been great. It's always stressful buying and selling property, especially a holiday letting business, however, they were always contactable and responded to queries, to make the process as painless as possible. They were proactive and helpful. I can highly recommend them and Carter Jonas.

Mrs B – Westholme Lodge, Minehead

The service that we have received from Carter Jonas has done exactly what we hoped for. We asked them to sell our property which they have, even though there were many complications and difficulties along the way. Stephen and Felicity were ever patient and always helpful. Thank you very much.

Mr and Mrs L, Wheelhouse Gallery

Thank you very much for all your work achieving the sale. I know that bringing about the sale was not an easy task, and I am extremely grateful for all the tireless work you and your team did to achieve the sale and me a very happy client!

Ms K, Denbighshire

Stephen Richards and Felicity were an invaluable team to work with through a very difficult and complex sale. We met quite a few hurdles on the way, but Stephen was on the case in his usual Professional manner. Stephen’s knowledge in his role as Agent was incredibly helpful. Felicity kept us up to date with potential viewings, enquiries and feedback. After many months of uncertainty, a sale was eventually secured. Once Again, thank you Stephen and Felicity.

Mr & Mrs K, Sunbrae Holiday Cottages, Worcester

We are so pleased we chose Carter Jonas. They did a great job for us from start to finish. Stephen really understood our business and how best to present it for sale leading to good viewings and an early offer. He supported us all the way through to exchange, ensuring we knew what was happening throughout and making sure everything went through. He was always on hand if we needed any information. We would thoroughly recommend Stephen and Carter Jonas.

Mr & Mrs R, Home Place Farm Holiday Cottages

Stephen Richards has been the most kind, considerate, courteous and thoughtful person that we have ever worked with. Nothing, absolutely nothing has ever been too much trouble for him. Whatever we have asked he has always done, without hesitation and he has always tirelessly encouraged and helped us in every way possible. Stephen and Felicity are always kind and courteous and we would recommend anyone to work with them, as they are a real credit to Carter Jonas.

Mr and Mrs B-P, Walland Farm & Cottages

We found the service we received from Carter Jonas to be very professional. Stephen Richards delivers an excellent service and was helpful and knowledgeable throughout the process.

Mr & Mrs Flood, Purchasers

Carter Jonas did excellent client vetting so we saw potential buyers, not time wasters. Stephen Richards is a professional who gets as involved as you require, no more and no less, and will assist in bringing your sale to conclusion. A genuine pleasure to deal with, very pleased with our choice of Stephen and Carter Jonas and would thoroughly recommend.

Mr and Mrs B, Broomhill Manor and Cottages

The experience, detailed market knowledge and client contacts shown by Stephen Richards has been second to none. The support and communication received from all at Carter Jonas has been excellent. We thoroughly recommend their services in the leisure complexes sector.

Mr and Mrs S, Tremaine Green Country Cottages

I’d like to thank Stephen Richards and Felicity Watts of Carter Jonas for their help and support in selling my holiday letting business. They have always been very efficient, courteous, supportive and knowledgeable. Stephen was always very proactive keeping me updated on how things were going without me having to chase. He pushed things along at the right level and was always approachable and encouraging. Stephen was great at following up leads and encouraging people to view the property and this was reflected in the amount of viewings I had.

Ms A, Higher Shorston Lakes and Lodges

There were times during the marathon process of the sale ( not unusual it seems these days) when it seemed that you and Stephen were the only ones totally on our side . Communication was always speedy and to the point and in the last fraught weeks before exchange I am sure it was Stephen 's dogged determination and professionalism that got us over the line. So a big thank you from Cheryl and myself. You were the perfect team to sell this very special property. We only wish we had chosen you from the beginning......not the cheapest but certainly the best!

Mr and Mrs H, Heddon Valley Mill

It makes good sense to use a specialist agent when selling a holiday complex and Carter Jonas, with their in-depth knowledge of the market in the South West, provided us with prospective buyers from all over the country. Good advice and excellent communications were included in the sales package and we would whole-heartedly recommend Stephen and Felicity to you Nothing was too much trouble.

MR & MRS B, HOPE FARM COTTAGES. SOMERSET