Landlord questions, answered.

Unico Suites manages serviced accommodation in Bedford and the surrounding region — Kempston, Milton Keynes, Luton, Cambridge, and parts of Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire. As part of a 1,000+ property group, we have the operational footprint to manage further afield on request; the best way to confirm is to ask us about your specific postcode.

Our standard Full Management fee is 18% + VAT (where applicable) of monthly Net Booking Revenue. That single fee covers our core operation: guest communication, channel management, dynamic pricing, cleaning coordination, maintenance and reporting. A one-off Setup / Takeover Fee of £395 + VAT applies when we onboard or take over a property. There are no hidden per-booking add-ons or annual platform fees. For landlords who prefer a fixed monthly figure instead, we also offer a Guaranteed Rent option on selected properties — see our two models.

Cleaning is handled by our in-house Unico Suites team — the same team, every turnover, so quality stays consistent. We use a hotel-grade laundry service for linen and towels, and consumables (toiletries, kitchen basics, tea and coffee, loo roll) are restocked between every booking. Each turnover is photographed for our internal quality control. Note: in-house cleaning and linen are part of the Full Management model and aren't included if you self-manage with our consultancy support.

Every Unico Suites property is listed on Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo as standard. Where appropriate, we also list on Expedia, TripAdvisor and Hometogo. All channels are synced through a channel manager so availability and pricing stay aligned in real time — no double bookings. We also offer direct booking via our own website at a discount to drive repeat guests off the OTA platforms.

We use professional dynamic pricing software that recalibrates every 24 hours based on local demand signals, historical occupancy, day-of-week patterns, seasonality, and known local events. We layer that with manual oversight from a human revenue manager who knows the Bedford market — automated systems are good at the maths, but a person knows when the Italian Festival is in town.

Every stay is covered — every booking platform we use offers host damage protection (Airbnb's AirCover, Booking.com's damage policy, Vrbo's protection scheme), and where appropriate we collect a security deposit at booking too. On top of that, your buildings & contents insurance should be a short-let policy — we can recommend specialist brokers. In practice, serious damage is extremely rare in well-run serviced accommodation, but the insurance policies are in place if it happens.

Yes — every stay benefits from the platform host-protection schemes (AirCover, Booking.com damage policy, Vrbo protection) and, where collected, a security deposit on top. Your own buildings & contents policy should be upgraded to a short-let policy; we can recommend specialist brokers if you don't already have one. Between platform cover, security deposits and the right insurance policy, your property is protected at every stage.

In England, residential properties used as serviced accommodation typically remain under C3 (dwelling house) use as long as the property is let for fewer than 90 nights a year per stay and the use is "incidental" — but rules differ by council and a planning officer can challenge anything that looks like a commercial use shift to C1 or sui generis. The responsibility to confirm planning permission sits with the property owner. For each property, we'll guide you through the right approach for your council and signpost the documentation you'll need. The Bedford area is one to watch closely as local policy adapts to the demand growth around the Universal Studios development.

From 1 April 2023 England's rules tightened: to qualify for business rates instead of council tax, a property must be let as serviced accommodation for at least 70 nights in the past 12 months and made available for at least 140 nights. The responsibility to confirm which regime applies — and to notify the local authority — sits with the property owner; we provide the booking evidence and signposting you'll need. Most of our properties comfortably exceed both thresholds and qualify for small business rate relief, which often reduces the rates liability to zero. The headline is: this is usually a saving, not an extra cost.

From signed agreement to first booking is typically under seven days for a property that's already furnished and ready. That includes professional photography, listing copy, staging, linen and consumables setup, and channel onboarding. If the property needs minor improvements (new bed linen tier, smart TV, soft furnishings) we'll usually have those sourced and in place within the same window.

Absolutely. Owner stays are part of the agreement: block out dates in advance through the owner dashboard, and we treat them like any other booking — cleaning before and after, linen refreshed, consumables restocked. There's no booking fee on your own stays; you just cover the turnover cost at our standard cleaning rate.

Every owner has access to a live dashboard showing real-time occupancy, nightly rate, booking calendar and revenue to date. On the first working day of each month we issue a full statement: gross revenue, line-by-line operational costs, management fee, net to owner — plus an annual summary in April for your accountant or self-assessment.

Our standard management agreement is usually for 12 months, with a 6-month break clause and 30 days' written notice after that point. We do not want landlords to feel locked in unnecessarily. If your circumstances change — for example, you wish to sell the property, move back to traditional letting, use the property yourself, or change your investment strategy — we will work with you to manage the handover professionally. Any confirmed guest bookings already secured before termination will need to be honoured wherever possible, or dealt with appropriately to protect guests, reviews and the property's reputation. Bookings generated through our marketing, platforms or guest relationships before termination may remain subject to a reduced management fee, as set out in our agreement. Our aim is always to make any exit as smooth, fair and transparent as possible.