Holiday let management in the New Forest
Holiday let management for New Forest cottages, village houses and lodges, from Lyndhurst and Burley to Sway and the coast: 20+ booking channels, daily pricing and 24/7 guest support for 16% commission.
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- 16% commission
The New Forest is a National Park of open heath, old woodland and grazed lawns, where commoners' ponies, cattle and donkeys walk the village streets. For an owner it is one of the most dependable holiday markets in the south: families, walkers, cyclists and dog owners come back year after year, and planning rules keep new competition scarce. Sea Breeze offers holiday let management across the Forest from our Bournemouth office: listings on Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and 20+ channels, prices reviewed daily, guest support 24 hours a day, and cleaning and linen through recommended local companies that you pay directly.
What lets well in the New Forest
The Forest has a lot of different stock, and each type finds its own guest.
- Thatched and brick cottages in the villages and around the greens. Couples and small families book them for short breaks and the winter, especially with a wood burner and a pub within walking distance.
- Village houses with gardens in Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst, Sway and Burley. These carry the summer weeks for families, and an enclosed garden opens the market to dog owners.
- Forest-edge houses and converted barns. Space, parking and a view of the heath. Larger groups and multi-generation families book these well ahead.
- Lodges and annexes. Popular with couples, but check the planning history: new ones are hard to get permission for inside the Park.
- Coastal edge houses at Milford on Sea, Barton on Sea and New Milton, where guests mix the Forest with the beach.
Guests here pay for practical things: parking, secure bike storage, a boot room or outside tap for muddy dogs and boots, and a garden the ponies cannot get into.
Village by village
We have more detail on the places owners ask about most:
- Inside the National Park: Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst, Burley and Sway.
- The coast and the Forest's southern edge: Lymington, Milford on Sea, New Milton and Barton on Sea.
- The western edge, closest to Bournemouth: Ringwood and Bransgore.
How the Forest year runs
Easter opens the season. The spring is for walkers, cyclists and birdwatchers, and from 1 March to 31 July ground-nesting birds mean dog owners are asked to keep dogs close and sometimes on a lead. The summer holidays are the peak, and the New Forest and Hampshire County Show at New Park, near Brockenhurst, fills beds across the Forest for three days at the end of July.
Autumn is the Forest's second season. The woods turn, the pigs go out for pannage in some years, and the agisters round up the ponies in drifts between August and November. October half term is busy. Winter is quieter, but cottages sell for Christmas, New Year and weekends by the fire, and we price midweek winter dates for longer stays to keep the calendar working.
Who books a New Forest holiday let
- Families in the school holidays, who want the ponies, a garden and room to spread out.
- Walkers and cyclists, who come for the 100+ miles of waymarked cycle routes, much of them on traffic-free gravel tracks. Cycling is only allowed on the waymarked routes, which the house guide should say.
- Dog owners, all year.
- Riders, and people visiting friends and family in the villages.
- Guests arriving by train at Brockenhurst, Sway or Ashurst New Forest, who hire bikes rather than drive.
Rules and costs for a Forest owner
New Forest District Council collects council tax and business rates, and has charged a 100% second homes premium since 1 April 2025. A property available to let for 140 nights and actually let for 70 in the previous 12 months moves to business rates instead. Planning inside the Park sits with the New Forest National Park Authority, which is cautious about new holiday accommodation. The furnished holiday lettings tax regime was abolished from April 2025; our guide to holiday let tax after FHL explains what replaced it. Safety duties are the same as anywhere: a fire risk assessment, a gas safety certificate where there is gas, electrical checks and insurance that covers paying guests.
How we run a New Forest holiday let
We set up the listings and the photography, price every night against the Forest calendar, answer every guest message and give guests 24/7 support. Check-ins, inventory checks and regular inspections are ours. Cleaning, linen and repairs are done by recommended local companies you pay directly, or by your own cleaner and contractors if you already have people you trust. The New Forest is further from our office than the BCP area, so we agree the cleaning partner for your village before the first booking.
You keep your own weeks through the owner portal and are paid monthly. Commission is 16% of booking revenue with no retainer; the full terms are on our pricing page, and the steps from first call to first guest are on how it works.
Full in summer. Earning in winter too.
Most holiday lets in the New Forest go quiet from November. Ours do not have to. Alongside Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo, every property we manage goes out on Flexiestays, Bournemouth's number one platform for winter and long stays, where contractors, relocations, visiting families and remote workers book for weeks and months at a time.
- Flexiestays charges only 8% on the bookings it brings
- Winter stays of a week to several months
- Long stays fill the gaps between summer seasons
8% The the New Forest letting market
A National Park of open heath, ancient woodland and grazed lawns where commoners' ponies and cattle roam free. Thatched cottages, village houses, converted barns and lodges let to families, walkers, cyclists, riders and dog owners from Easter to the end of October, with Christmas and winter weekends for couples. Planning rules keep new holiday accommodation scarce.
The New Forest lets on the Forest itself: ponies on the lawns, heath and woodland to walk and cycle, and village pubs and tea rooms at the end of the day. Families fill the school holidays, walkers, cyclists and dog owners take the spring and autumn, and couples book cottages with a wood burner for winter weekends and Christmas. Properties that take dogs, have an enclosed garden, parking and somewhere to lock bikes have the widest market.
Three local facts shape the return.
Supply is held down by planning. The New Forest National Park Authority, not the district council, decides planning applications inside the National Park. Its Local Plan supports new visitor accommodation in the four defined villages and, outside them, mainly the re-use of existing buildings for farm diversification. An existing house that is already let keeps its place; a new annexe or lodge may be refused.
Second homes pay double council tax. New Forest District Council has charged a 100% premium on furnished homes that are nobody's main residence since 1 April 2025. A property available to let for 140 nights and actually let for 70 in the previous 12 months is assessed for business rates instead.
The animals come first. Guests share the roads and the verges with commoners' livestock, and the house rules have to say so.
More in our guide to holiday let regulations in England.
What brings guests to the New Forest
- Free-roaming ponies, cattle and donkeys. Commoners turn their animals out on the Open Forest, which is fenced from the farmland around it by stock fences and cattle grids. Seeing ponies on the lawns and in the village streets is the reason many families book.
- Waymarked cycle routes. More than 100 miles of waymarked routes, much of them on traffic-free gravel tracks, link the villages and the stations at Ashurst, Brockenhurst and Sway. Cyclists book short breaks and want secure bike storage.
- Dog walking country. Dogs are welcome on the Open Forest if kept close and under control, with extra care in the ground-nesting season from 1 March to 31 July. Pet-friendly cottages with enclosed gardens are in steady demand.
- New Forest and Hampshire County Show. A three-day agricultural show at New Park near Brockenhurst at the end of July (28 to 30 July in 2026). It fills accommodation across the Forest in the busiest week of the summer.
- Main line railway. Brockenhurst, Sway and Ashurst New Forest stations are on the South Western Railway line between Bournemouth, Southampton and London Waterloo, so guests can arrive without a car and hire bikes.
From first call to first guest in the New Forest
Tell us about the property
Send the address and a few details, or run the income calculator first. We come back with a realistic income range for the property in the New Forest, what it needs before the first guest and our terms.
We set it up
A set-up visit, professional photography and listings written for Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and 20+ channels. The one-off onboarding fee is not paid up front: it comes out of the first month’s income.
Guests arrive, you get paid
We price every night, answer every message and arrange the changeovers with recommended local cleaning and linen companies (or your own), which you pay directly. You are paid monthly and can block dates for your own use in the owner portal.
One commission. No retainer.
Holiday let management 16% commission on booking revenue - No retainer, no monthly fee
- We only earn when you do
- 45 days' notice to leave
What the 16% covers
- Listings on 20+ channelsAirbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and Flexiestays, written and optimised.
- Daily dynamic pricingRates reviewed every day for season, events and demand.
- 24/7 guest supportEvery message answered, day and night.
- Check-ins and inventoryArrivals handled and inventory checked.
- Regular inspectionsThe property checked between stays.
- Monthly payoutsPaid monthly, with an owner portal.
Paid separately
- Cleaning
- Linen and laundry
- Maintenance and repairs
We recommend trusted local companies and can arrange them for you; you pay them directly. Already have your own cleaner or contractor? Keep them.
A one-off onboarding fee covers the photography, the listings and the set-up visit. It comes out of your first month's income, never up front.
Full pricing and what is extraHoliday let management in the New Forest: questions
Do I need planning permission to holiday let a house in the New Forest National Park?
Letting an existing house as a holiday home does not usually need permission on its own, but a change that amounts to a material change of use can, and the New Forest National Park Authority is the planning authority inside the Park, not the district council. Its Local Plan limits new holiday accommodation, so converting a garage, building a lodge or adding an annexe to let is often refused outside the four defined villages. Ask the Authority before you spend money.
Does New Forest District Council charge a second homes premium?
Yes. Since 1 April 2025 New Forest District Council has charged a 100% premium on furnished properties that are not anyone's main residence, which doubles the council tax bill. If the property is available to let for at least 140 nights a year and was actually let for at least 70 nights in the previous 12 months, it is assessed for business rates instead. Check your letting record with the council and your accountant.
How do you handle guests and the free-roaming ponies?
We tell guests before they arrive and again in the house guide. The ponies, cattle and donkeys belong to commoners and are not to be fed or petted, a rule backed by a local order that carries a fixed penalty. We ask guests to drive slowly on unfenced roads, which have a 40mph limit, to keep garden gates shut, and never to tip grass cuttings or food over the fence, because they can kill a pony.
Should my New Forest holiday let take dogs?
Usually, yes. The Forest is one of the best dog walking areas in the south, and many guests will only book where the dog can come. An enclosed garden matters more here than almost anywhere, because ponies and cattle can be on the other side of the fence. We set a clear dog policy and pet fee with you, tell guests about the ground-nesting season from 1 March to 31 July, and brief the cleaning company.
When is the New Forest busiest for holiday lets?
The school summer holidays, Easter and the half terms are the peaks, and the New Forest and Hampshire County Show near Brockenhurst at the end of July fills the whole Forest for three days. Spring and autumn weekends are strong for walkers and cyclists, and autumn brings the colour and the pony drifts. Christmas and New Year sell well for cottages. January and February are the quietest weeks.
Which parts of the New Forest do you cover?
We manage from our office in Bournemouth and work across the western and southern Forest: Ringwood, Burley, Bransgore, Sway, Brockenhurst, Lyndhurst, Lymington, Milford on Sea, New Milton and Barton on Sea. We confirm coverage at the first conversation once we know where the property is, and we arrange cleaning and linen through a recommended local company that can reach it reliably between guests.
Can I still stay in my New Forest cottage myself?
Yes. You block your own dates in the owner portal and we let the rest. The clean after your stay is paid to the cleaning company like any other. The summer holidays and the show week are when the property earns most, so keeping those weeks has a cost, but autumn and winter weekends are often a good time to use it yourself.
What does holiday let management in the New Forest cost?
Commission is 16% of booking revenue, with no retainer and no monthly fee. A one-off onboarding fee covers the photo shoot, the listings and a set-up visit, and it is deducted from the first month's income rather than charged up front. Cleaning, linen and maintenance are paid directly to recommended local companies, or to your own. Notice is 45 days.
Guests on the properties we run
Excellent service from the team at sea breeze. The apartment is very well maintained and the team is available to assist whenever you need them.
Great apartment at a perfect location. Jack and the team were so easy to deal with. This is our second time at this apartment block and will definitely be returning in the not to distant future.
Lovely apartment in very close proximity to Bournemouth town centre and beach. The apartment was modern, very clean and well equipped. Onsite parking was a big bonus and once parked we didn't really need the car. We would definitely return.
Reviews are quoted word for word as guests published them about properties we manage.
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- All of holiday let management
Other services here: Airbnb management in the New Forest, Winter let management in the New Forest
Ready to hand over the keys?
Tell us about the property and we will come back with a realistic income estimate, what it needs before the first guest and the terms. 16% commission, no retainer.