A Scottish family-run holiday let business is continuing to expand its portfolio thanks to ongoing support from specialist hospitality lenders, The Cumberland.
Ben Jones and his brother Ollie set up Juniper Rentals in 2019 after successfully renting out their apartment in Edinburgh over the summer months whilst they were away travelling.
In the last four years, The Cumberland has invested more than £800k and helped to finance six holiday let properties for Ben and Ollie.
Ben said: “We were both away quite a lot and our apartment, which is located in Edinburgh city centre, was sat empty, so renting via Airbnb just made sense.
“There is a real demand for holiday lets in Scotland, so we decided to use any money above and beyond our overheads to reinvest into purchasing additional properties in Edinburgh and Stirling.
“We have a great relationship with The Cumberland, especially our relationship manager, Steven, who has taken the time to get to know us and understand our ambition, which is to find good homes and build ties with the communities in areas that are ideal for people who are working away from home, or for tourists travelling in Scotland.
“Having a relationship manager that is on the other end of the phone, or that you can meet up with for a coffee to talk about ideas, plans, or challenges, is so beneficial. Steven is based in Edinburgh, so he totally understands the Scottish holiday let and financial environment. I’ve called him up before with some ideas and he will always give an honest opinion about whether it will work or not and suggest other ideas to make it even better.”
Steven Ret, Commercial Relationship Manager at The Cumberland, said: “It has been a pleasure working with Ben and Ollie over the years. They are serious, full-time holiday let investors who are incredibly good at what they do. Their hands-on approach and dedication to providing the highest level of hospitality to their guests is inspiring to see.”
Ben pinpoints his success on attracting what he calls “high quality guests” and taking the time to get to know the communities where the holiday lets are located. One property is based in the small village of Deanston on the outskirts of Stirling where Ben has engaged with the local Deanston Distillery to offer his guests a free sample dram of whisky within the property.
He said: “We’ve had guests stay at our Deanston property and the neighbours came over to have a beer with them in the garden, so they genuinely feel like they know and exist in the local community – that’s what we’re trying to achieve.
“My one piece of advice for people who are serious about starting a holiday let business would be to speak to the neighbours and engage with local businesses. This is their community, and you need to take the time to get under the skin of what makes them tick and how your holiday let can benefit them as well as your guests.”
For more information on how The Cumberland can support your holiday let business, visit our holiday let page.