Thinking of Letting Your Cornish Property? Here's What's Actually Involved
We speak to a lot of property owners who are weighing up whether to let their Cornwall home, and almost every conversation starts the same way.
They have heard it can be lucrative, they have seen friends do well out of it, and they want to know what it actually involves before they commit. So here is the honest version, the bit that does not always make it into the glossy brochures.
The paperwork you cannot skip
Letting a property to guests, even part time, comes with genuine legal responsibilities, and getting them right matters both for your guests' safety and for your own protection. At minimum you will need an annual gas safety check from a Gas Safe registered engineer if the property has any gas appliances, a current electrical installation condition report, working smoke alarms on every floor, and carbon monoxide detectors wherever there is a solid fuel appliance or similar risk. A fire risk assessment, fire safe furniture and proper public liability insurance are not optional extras either, they are the basics of running a responsible let.
Worth knowing too, the government has been working towards a mandatory registration scheme for short term lets in England, though as of 2026 it still has not fully come into force, so the detail of exactly what it will require is still settling. It is one of those areas where the rules genuinely are changing, and it pays to have someone keeping an eye on it for you rather than trying to track it all yourself.
The tax picture has changed
If you have owned a Cornish holiday home for a while, you will already know that the old Furnished Holiday Let tax regime was abolished from April 2025, and that shift has real consequences. Mortgage interest is no longer fully deductible against rental income, it is now relieved through a tax credit instead, capital gains relief on sale is calculated at standard rates rather than the more favourable business rates that used to apply, and the capital allowances that many owners used to claim on furniture and equipment are gone. None of this means letting your property is no longer worthwhile, it very often still is, but it does mean the numbers need to be run properly, and we would always encourage owners to speak to an accountant who understands holiday lets specifically before making any decisions.
Council tax or business rates
There is also a distinction worth understanding early. In England, a self catering property needs to be available to let for at least 140 nights a year and actually let for at least 70 of those nights to be assessed for business rates rather than council tax. Many owners find that small business rate relief means they end up paying little or nothing once they cross that threshold, but it is a genuine commitment, not a box you tick once and forget.
What people underestimate
The paperwork is only half the story. The part that catches new owners out is the day to day reality, guest messages that arrive at odd hours, a boiler that decides to play up the night before a changeover, working out which of the various booking channels are actually worth being on, and the simple fact that a five star review depends on a hundred small things going right every single time. It is genuinely rewarding work when it goes well, but it is real work, and it does not stop just because you are not on site.
Where we come in
This is exactly the gap that good, local property management fills. We handle guest communication, changeovers, channel management and the day to day running of your property, so you get the income without the 2am phone calls. If you own a property around St Ives Bay and are wondering whether letting it is the right move, or you already let it yourself and are wondering whether there is an easier way, we would love to have an honest conversation about what that could look like for you.
Get in touch and we can talk through your property, your goals and what working with us would actually mean, no pressure, no obligation.