Who is responsible when you book a holiday let?
When something goes wrong with holiday accommodation, working out who to complain to can be confusing. You might have booked a cottage or villa through a website or agency, but the property itself belongs to someone you have never spoken to. So who holds legal responsibility?
Determining responsibility often hinges on identifying the party with whom you contracted at the time of booking.
Describe what went wrong with your holiday and find out what you can do about it.
Try our Holiday Rights Checker free, here on this site →How contract law applies to holiday bookings
In most cases, your contract is with whoever took your payment. If you book a hotel directly and pay the hotel, your contract is likely with them, though it is worth checking the terms as exceptions can apply. The accommodation provider must ensure the property matches its description, deliver services with reasonable care and skill, and meet basic standards of quality.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 sets out these protections for services in the UK. Under this law, any service you pay for must be carried out with reasonable care and skill. If the property or service falls short, you can seek a remedy from whoever you contracted with.
The situation becomes less straightforward when a booking agent sits between you and the property owner. The key factor is whether the agent acts on behalf of the owner, or whether they are selling the accommodation as their own product.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
When you book through an agent
Many holiday lets are advertised through online platforms or agencies. How these businesses operate affects who you can hold accountable.
Some agents act purely as intermediaries. They connect you with property owners, but the contract forms directly between you and the owner. In this arrangement, the owner is responsible if something goes wrong with the property itself. The agent may only be liable for their own actions, such as providing misleading information in a listing they created.
Other agents operate differently. They may buy up availability from owners and resell it under their own brand, or they may take full responsibility for the booking as part of their service. In these cases, your contract is with the agent, and they bear responsibility for problems with the accommodation.
Platforms such as Airbnb and similar online marketplaces often have their own approach to contracting. Their terms typically specify whether you are contracting with the host directly or with the platform itself, so reviewing these carefully before booking is essential.
When reviewing your booking confirmation and terms and conditions, look for language that indicates the agent's role. Phrases such as "acting on behalf of the owner" or "as agent for" suggest an intermediary arrangement, while terms stating the agent "provides" or "supplies" the accommodation may indicate they are acting as principal. The name of the company taking payment can also help clarify who bears responsibility.
What to do if something goes wrong
Start by identifying who you paid. Your bank statement or payment confirmation will often show this, though some platforms process payments on behalf of another party, so cross reference with your booking documents. Then review your booking paperwork to confirm whether you contracted with an owner, an agent acting as principal, or an agent acting as intermediary.
Once you know who your contract is with, raise your complaint directly with them in writing. Set out clearly what went wrong and what you want them to do about it. It is important to retain copies of all correspondence, take photographs of any issues encountered, and maintain records of any additional expenses incurred.
If you booked a package combining at least two different travel services, such as transport and accommodation, car rental, or other tourist services, different rules may apply. The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 give additional protections and place responsibility on the organiser of the package.
For disputes that you cannot resolve directly, you may be able to use an alternative dispute resolution scheme. Some travel businesses belong to trade bodies such as ABTA, which offer dispute resolution services, though membership is more common among package holiday providers than agents handling accommodation only. If the business refuses to engage, you can consider taking action through the small claims court for amounts up to £10,000 in England and Wales.
Citizens Advice can provide free guidance on consumer disputes. For more detail on your rights when buying services, GOV.UK has information on the Consumer Rights Act and how it applies.
Accurately identifying whether your contract is with the owner or the agent enhances your ability to pursue any complaint effectively.
The wooden conservatory's windows were blown and cracked with internal and external damage to the wood.
The ground floor bedroom had no wardrobe, being replaced with a rail hanging from the ceiling, out of reach. A double height step from this room down to a hole in the floor covered with a piece of wood.
Bedroom window wouldn't close leading to conservatory and cafe to rear of property.
Stated Private parking but shared with cafe and customers. Cafe staff constantly walking through cars to gain access to supply shed.
Owner walked into property unannounced and was rude, informing us she would be bringing cleaners in and why hadn't we left at 10am???? We had no idea this clean would take place. People were still in bed. She walked straight in. She was rude and told some of our guests they should have gone already. We asked her to leave in the end.
Where do we stand on getting a refund and from whom please
Sykes don’t want to pursue this with the owner. Asked for money back to no avail.
Advertised off road parking. According to Sykes this means don’t expect any.!! There wasn’t any.!!!
The access to the property was also blocked with workman’s cars and vans and made it difficult to load our car at the end of the stay.
Accepting we lose the deposit already paid we cannot understand why we are being asked for the balance when we are not taking the holiday and there is time to re-let the cottage
The holiday cannot now be taken because of the movement restrictions imposed by the Government as a response to the coronavirus.
Is the owner of the holiday let obliged to return the cost of the hire?
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