Full Management
Hands-off, end-to-end: marketing, bookings, guest comms, key holding, changeover cleaning, maintenance coordination, year-end statements. Typical commission 15–25% of bookings.
15–25% commissionFull management, key holding, changeover cleaning, guest communications or letting-only for a holiday let in St Ives? An independent guide to holiday let management in St Ives and across TR26: what each service involves, what agencies typically charge, and how to find and check one. We’re not a letting or management agency.
We’re still launching in Cornwall and may not have a local holiday let management agency for you yet. Tell us what you need; your confirmation email says straight away what happens next.
St Ives (TR26) is the single most intense holiday-let market in Cornwall — and the most contested for second-home premiums (Cornwall Council second-home Council Tax premium policy hit St Ives parishes especially hard). For owners trading here, the fundamentals remain very strong: typical 2-bed gross £25,000–£40,000, 3-bed £30,000–£50,000, and 4-bed cliff-top properties £45,000–£65,000+ at the right end of the market. This guide covers St Ives, Carbis Bay, Lelant, Halsetown, Towednack and Zennor.
Operational reality in St Ives is brutal access: the Down-along and Up-along streets are unreachable by anything larger than a van, the Saturday changeover bottleneck is genuinely unsolvable some peak weekends, and parking permits are a meaningful cost the agency must budget for. The best St Ives agencies have their own micro-shuttle operation moving linens by hand-trolley to the harder-to-reach properties. Owners should factor in the 100% Council Tax premium for second-home properties trading fewer than 70 let days/year — this changed the maths significantly post-2025.
St Ives commands some of the strongest nightly rates in the county, driven by the beaches, the Tate and the arts scene. Demand is intense in summer and remains reasonable through spring and autumn, which makes it one of the better places in Cornwall for annual yield.
The flip side is access. Narrow streets, steep hills and very limited parking are the most common source of guest complaints here, and the fix is accurate description rather than hoping people won't mind. A property with parking should say so loudly; one without should be equally clear.
Getting cleaners, linen and maintenance into the old town on a peak-season Saturday is genuinely difficult. Management arrangements here live or die on whether the changeover operation actually works in August — worth asking pointed questions about before signing anything.
We’re an independent guide, not a letting or management agency. These are the honest options; pick whichever suits you.
Propertymark’s Find an Expert directory lists member letting agents, and PASC UK is the trade body for self-catering holiday lets, with agency members. Neighbours and local property offices are good sources too.
Ask for Public Liability cover, Client Money Protection if they hold your rental income, redress scheme membership (The Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme), who owns the listings, the full fee schedule including VAT and any maintenance markup, and the exit terms.
Leave your details and tell us what you need. We’re still looking for Cornish agencies to work with, so we may not have one for you yet; your confirmation email says straight away what happens next. We’ll tell you who before sharing anything, and agencies may pay us for introductions.
Full management, key holding, changeover cleaning, guest communications, or letting-only. Whatever you need looking after in St Ives, here’s what each service involves and what it typically costs.
Hands-off, end-to-end: marketing, bookings, guest comms, key holding, changeover cleaning, maintenance coordination, year-end statements. Typical commission 15–25% of bookings.
15–25% commissionLocal key holder for changeovers, emergencies, contractor access, late arrivals and lost-key callouts. Ideal for owners self-managing bookings but needing on-the-ground cover.
From £30/moSame-day Saturday turnovers, linen change, hot-tub sanitising, deep-cleans between seasons. Cornwall cleaners who know the holiday-let standard, not just domestic.
From £60/turn24/7 enquiry handling, booking confirmations, pre-stay info, mid-stay problem-solving, post-stay review chasing. Outsource the inbox without losing the bookings.
From £30/moProfessional photography, OTA listings (Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo), pricing optimisation, calendar sync. You handle the rest. Flat setup fee or low commission.
5–10% commissionFees depend on property size, service level, and whether you're commission-based or flat-fee. Always get a written proposal before you commit.
Marketing-only: photography, listings, pricing strategy, calendar sync. You handle keys, cleaning and guests.
End-to-end. Marketing, bookings, cleaning, key holding, maintenance coordination, guest comms, statements.
Monthly retainer plus £30–£60 per call-out. For owners self-managing but needing local key cover.
Per turnover. 2-bed cottage typically £60–£90; 3-bed £80–£140; 4-bed £130–£200. Linen extra.
Property not in St Ives? Pick your nearest town guide below.
Full-management commission, part-management, changeover-only rates, key-holding retainers, setup fees and the VAT wrinkle — our fees guide sets out what Cornwall agencies actually charge in 2026, tier by tier.
Read the full fees guide →Fire risk assessment, gas safety, EICR, the 140-day business-rates rule, the second-home council tax premium — run the free 10-point checklist every Cornwall holiday-let owner should tick off before peak season.
Run the compliance checklist →Common questions about appointing a holiday let agency in St Ives and the surrounding area.
Full management in Cornwall typically runs 15–25% of gross bookings, occasionally higher for boutique services with photography, marketing extras and concierge add-ons. Letting-only (marketing + OTA listings, you handle everything else) is usually 5–10% commission or a flat setup fee of £400–£900. Key holding is £30–£80/month per property plus £30–£60 per call-out. Always get a written proposal before signing any contract.
For full management trading from peak season, allow 3–4 months ahead so photography, listings, OTA sync and calendar are ready before the Easter rush. For changeover-cleaning-only or key-holding-only, 4–6 weeks is usually enough — though the best Cornwall cleaners book Saturday slots out from January for the year ahead.
Ask for evidence of Public Liability cover (typically £2–£5m) and, if they hold your rental income, Client Money Protection. Check whether they’re registered with The Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme, whether they belong to Propertymark or PASC UK, and whether they’re accredited via Quality in Tourism / VisitEngland. A good agency will show you the certificates before you sign.
The good agencies operate in your name and on your channels: your Airbnb, Booking.com and direct-booking website all remain owned by you, the agency simply gains login access. Block-out for owner use is always honoured. The contract should set out cancellation fees, exit terms and review periods — read it carefully before signing. See our DIY vs management company guide.
The Furnished Holiday Lettings (FHL) tax regime was abolished from 6 April 2025 — your let is now treated as standard residential rental income. Most management agencies do not provide tax advice; they generate the income statements, you (or your accountant) handle the return. The better agencies will flag relevant changes and signpost specialist FHL accountants in Cornwall. See our FHL changes guide.
This guide covers St Ives and the surrounding villages across TR26, including Carbis Bay, Lelant, Halsetown, Towednack, Zennor, Nancledra and Hayle. We’re an independent guide, so we don’t manage anything ourselves; use the Propertymark directory or PASC UK to find an agency that works your patch, or get a quote from a local holiday let management agency.
Volume plus geography. St Ives has one of the densest holiday-let concentrations in Britain, the summer traffic and parking are brutal, and most bookings still run Saturday to Saturday — so hundreds of properties turn over in the same four-hour window. Agencies with dedicated in-town teams (and parking arrangements) keep standards up; ones running cleaners in from Camborne struggle. It's the first thing to probe in any St Ives proposal.
They're among the strongest in Cornwall, supported by the beaches and the Tate. Demand also holds up reasonably through spring and autumn, which makes annual yield here better than the summer figures alone suggest. Competition and guest expectations are correspondingly high.
Parking and access, consistently. Narrow streets, steep hills and very limited parking surprise guests who haven't been before. The fix is accurate, prominent description rather than hoping it won't matter — expectations set properly rarely generate complaints.