Minutes of Annual General Meeting
Saturday 6th November 2021
Perran View Cornwall
Present Martyn Dale Secretary
David Lappin Membership secretary
Arthur Saunders Treasurer
Site Representatives: Nick Muller
John Harris
Attendance 50 Members
Apologies 46
The Membership secretary opened the meeting in the absence of the Chairman who was unwell.
The Membership secretary welcomed members present and thanked them for supporting this first meeting since Covid-19 lockdown and for attending the 30th anniversary of the inauguration of CMOA.
Minutes of the last meeting 3rd November 2019
The Secretary called for a proposer and seconder of the last minutes to verify that they represented a true a proper record. Linda Dolata proposed the minutes and was seconded by Nick Muller.
Matters arising
The Secretary reported to the members on a meeting held with Martyn Fowler at Barnstaple head office of JFH on the 4th November. This was the first face to face meeting since February 2019 and was attended by both the Secretary and Membership secretary. Subsequent meetings have taken place via Zoom. A meeting was also held with Ed Newbold at Kenegie Manor on Friday 4th November attended by the Membership secretary.
Review of 2021 season
Martyn Fowler stated that the company had encountered staffing problems in line with the hospitality industry and this had presented many challenges. Bookings were at an all-time high
and thanks to the endeavours of JFH staff the financial outcome was positive for the company and owners alike.
Ed Newbold expressed his thanks to his core staff for successfully navigating a busy and trying season as the site experienced supply problems and cleaning staff shortages. He said that some visitors new to UK self-catering accommodation were disappointed to discover the lack of a concierge and night porter service on site!
Plans for 2022
Perran View
Installation of Lodges, as reported in the November edition of CMOA Newsletter, will commence over the winter period of 2022/23. The Lodges will be installed in phases over the next 3 years. The company hope that the additional revenue will enable Perran View to be viable and enable investments in site improvements and amenities.
St. Ives
St. Ives has had a very busy and difficult year with the loss of Darren during the season and Kim stepping in to take over the reins at short notice. Christina Heffron has now been appointed manager and brings with her a wealth of experience in running large holiday parks such as St Ives.
Plans are still on the table to demolish and rebuild the entertainment and leisure facilities building. JFH hope, subject to planning approval and engaging contractors, to carry out the work over the winter period of 2022 or 2023.
Tolroy Manor
The main expenditure will be refurbishment of the swimming pool, similar to that of Perran View.
Kenegie Manor
Owners Booking Portal
The calendar based bookings for owners has not been a resounding success. Bookings made or changed have not always been updated on the owners calendar correctly. Other owners have been unable to link into the system. As the information available related to dates, it did not provide booking names, which meant a request to the office to forward copies as bookings progressed through the season.
A new and more user friendly booking portal has been developed and will be launched in the new year. The portal will be accessed via ICat and will provide the following data:
- Booking date and period of stay
- Booking name
- Price charged
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Pressure Washing
Pressure washing of the paved and patio areas has not been carried out as promised for two years. ICat listed this as work in progress; sadly the work did not progress last year. A new commitment has been made to undertake the work this coming season. CMOA has suggested using a specialised contractor instead of site staff, whose time is at a premium.
Outdoor furniture
- Kenegie management would prefer owners to use table benches for their outdoor furniture instead of an assortment of tables and chairs that end up being blown around the site and damaged, particularly in the winter. Lack of patio area on a number properties prevents their use. CMOA has suggested using aluminium furniture with flip table tops for ease of storage indoors or outdoors when not in use. The furniture is similar outdoor furniture as used by cafés and restaurants. The furniture is of good quality, but slightly more expensive. CMOA suggested they are bulk purchased by Kenegie Manor and sold to owners who require them. Ed Newbold agreed to investigate further.
Sub-letting
There is evidence that some owners are sub-letting on a long term basis in contravention of their lease and planning restrictions. MJL is aware and endeavouring to have the owners remove their tenants.
Electricity and energy costs
As the cost of energy is on the increase, both JFH and MJL were asked about anticipated rises for next year. Both companies negotiate 3 – 4 year fixed price contracts with energy suppliers and unfortunately they are all coming up for renewal. Currently the cost per unit is circa 12p and varies slightly for each site. As the number of energy suppliers reduces, so does the negotiating power of JFH and MJL. Therefore the anticipated increase at this stage is unknown but could rise by as much as 50%. Unlike consumer prices there is no price cap for industry. Lodge owners have already experienced bottle gas price rises, which has increased by £10 per bottle recently.
Electric Vehicles
As the ownership of electric vehicles increases both JFH and MJL were asked what plans they had to provide charging points. CMOA considered this important as reports of visitors charging vehicles using owners electricity supply has come to its attention. An overnight charge of a vehicle would add circa £20 to the owners account and if that was carried out by each visitor, then £600 + could be added to an owners bill over the course of the season.
Both companies have plans in place to install 2 electric charging points per site for Perran View, St. Ives and Tolroy Manor with the potential to add further points at a later date. Kenegie Manor will have one or maybe two installed during the summer of 2022.
The timing for JFH sites will be dependent on the availability of a 3 phase electricity supply.
Chairman’s report
As the Chairman was unable to attend in person to make his report, it has now been attached to the minutes.
Treasurers report
The accounts show a profit for the year of £1,266.00. The reasons for the large profit for the year are as follows:
- The increase in subscription from £15.00 to £20.00 to reduce annual losses has had an effect on income.
- The number of members has stayed around the same at 150 although it is disappointing that we had over 30 members on our list of members who did not pay during the year. This number varies on an annual basis and I am sure in part is made up of members who have sold up and not informed us.
- The Spring Meeting in Swindon this year was cancelled once again due to Covid 19; this resulted in a saving of approximately £500.00
The current bank balances are as follows:
National Westminster Current Account £2,584.32
National Westminster Savings Account £18,448.00
Total £21,032.32
There are still some members who have not paid for the current year, which is due on the 1st April each year in accordance with CMOA constitution. If you are paying by bank transfer please make certain that your name and membership number is clearly shown so that I can send you your receipt and window sticker. If you are in the process of selling your property, or have sold, please contact CMOA via website or let someone on the committee know, so that you can be removed from the distribution list and if possible please provide contact details of the new owner so that they can hopefully be recruited.
I would like to thank Jana Britton-Scotting once again for her kind help in checking the accounts of the Association. If there is anyone willing to check the accounts of the Association at the end of the financial year could they please contact me or one of the members of the committee. I am sure Jana would not object.
Election of Officers
In accordance with CMOA constitution each member of the committee is required to stand down at each AGM and be re-elected if willing to do so.
Covid-19 has prevented the conditions of the constitution being followed and some of the original committee have sold or decided not to stand for re-election.
Committee of 2019 willing to be re-elected:
Chairman Ted Hand
Secretary Martyn Dale
Membership secretary David Lappin
Treasurer Arthur Saunders
Site reps Jana Britton – Tolroy Manor
John Harrison – Tolroy Manor
Standing down Nick Muller – Perran View. Nick is in the process of selling and will no longer be eligible to be a member.
Nick is thanked for looking after Perran View members over the years and we wish Nick and Linda every happiness in their new life after Perran View.
The Secretary asked for volunteers and was pleased to announce that Claire Hensby and Debbie Croucher were willing to represent St Ives and Kenegie Manor respectively.
Katheryn Hewitt kindly stepped forward to represent Perran View.
New committee 2021
Chairman Ted Hand Secretary Martyn Dale Membership secretary David Lappin Treasurer Arthur Saunders Site reps Jana Britton – Tolroy Manor John Harrison – Tolroy Manor
Claire Hensby – St. Ives
Debbie Croucher – Kenegie Manor
Katheryn Hewitt – Perran View
If any member would like to and is willing to represent other members, please contact the Membership secretary.
The above committee members were then voted by acclaim by members present.
VAT changes
At the onset of the first lockdown in March 2020 and the closure of the hospitality industry, the Chancellor reduced VAT for the industry to help it get back on its feet, which included holiday parks. The VAT was reduced from 20% to 5% as from 12th July 2020.
- Inform site manager – letter will be sent to owner advising of the contravention of the lease.
- Failure to comply – owner will be sent another from JFH head office.
- Failure to comply – will be followed by a solicitors letter and possible legal action.With a little persuasion, CMOA convinced JFH and MJL to pass this reduction on to owners. Initially it was agreed that Ground Rent, Annual Service charge and Water was to be charged at 5%.
Facilities/Management charge was later added to the list and owners accounts were credited accordingly.
As from 1st October 2021 VAT has been raised to 12.5% and will return to the full 20% on 1st April 2022.
Smoke & Heat detectors
In 2007 members who were owners at the time will recall that a change in fire and safety regulations required hard wired smoke and heat detectors, as well as emergency lighting to be installed in all self-catering accommodation.
The regulation requires that they are tested annually and certified by an authorised electrician. 15 years on and the detectors have reached the end of their life and need to be replaced. Most properties that were let through JFH at the time (and this included Kenegie Manor as it was still owned by JFH) would have had the work carried out. Properties that had the detectors installed in 2007 will need to replace them next year, 2022.
On each detector there is a “renew by” label. In most cases the smoke detector can easily be changed as the unit is a plug in. The smoke detector units cost between £15 & £20. The heat detector is a little more expensive.
Wi-Fi – JFH sites
The company’s aim and intention is to provide all properties with full and reliable Wi-Fi facilities. At present there are a number of technical issues delaying the implementation of Wi-Fi.
St. Ives
The site has BT/OpenReach fibre-optic cables installed, but the problem encountered is achieving 100% coverage, which is not possible by conventional means due to the density of trees.
Various surveys have been carried out and the solution is to supply each property via underground cables. As reported in previous minutes St. Ives is going to be redeveloped and it is envisaged the installation of a full Wi-Fi service will be undertaken at that time.
Perran View
The site does not have broadband fibre cables installed as yet and BT/OpenReach are unable to advise on a timetable.
Once fibre cables are available, there are no envisaged problems with distribution. Satellite internet is a possibility, but present technology is not yet available for large scale distribution and to ensure good enough internet speed for streaming etc.
Tolroy Manor
As with Perran View, the site does not have broadband fibre even though Tolroy Manor is close to the main road in Hayle. JFH will press BT/OpenReach for planned provision of the service.
When available, Tolroy will have similar distribution problems to St. Ives due to the trees and will probably employ a mix of distribution pods and underground cables.
Alternative solutions
Provision of Wi-Fi is possible for individual owners, who wish to provide the facility for guests.
A few owners on Perran and Tolroy have installed a mobile box at a cost of around £360 per annum.
Mobile phones companies can provide a dongle for laptops and other devices. At present this is likely to be 4G, as the 5G service is not available in most rural areas. Internet speed is unlikely to be fast enough to ensure smooth streaming.
Internet satellite is also a possible solution providing trees and other obstacles do not impede the line of sight path to the satellite.
There is of course a cost for both and could amount to a few hundred pounds per annum plus set up costs.
Kenegie Manor
The site now enjoys a full Wi-Fi service and nearly 100% coverage with the exception of some technical difficulties on some of the Barns.
Visitors now expect to have the same access to the internet as they have at home and probably watch TV programmes on catch-up as well as using Netflix services on their smart TV.
Most TV’s on the market are now smart TV’s and members who are intending to replace their TV in the near future, may wish to provide this facility for their guests adding to the visitor experience and hopefully repeat bookings.
Stamp duty
Stamp duty on second homes was brought in by George Osborne on 1st April 2016 in an effort to deter buyers reducing the housing stock in the local area, forcing the locals to buy elsewhere or being forced off the housing ladder.
Questions were raised in the House of Commons at the time to clarify the status of holiday self-catering properties that did not have residential status and therefore cannot be used as a permanent residence and should not be subject to stamp duty, as they do not deprive the local population. After clarification, this type of property is considered as commercial and subject to commercial property stamp duty.
Commercial property stamp duty is charged on properties valued at £150,000 or more.
There are no properties above this value, to the best of CMOA knowledge, on any of the sites except perhaps one or two of the Barns on Kenegie Manor.
CMOA Spring Newsletter asked members who have purchased in the last few years and paid stamp duty to make contact. At least 10 members did so and endeavoured to make a claim through their conveyancing solicitor. This was in most cases met with obstacles in that the solicitor was not aware of the exemption and needed proof, also they did not have the time due to their workload.
Thanks to our Chairman, who was also a victim, doing the research, members are reporting that they have been successful in obtaining a refund. One member reported that the solicitor paid the refund out of the practices’ own fund.
Proving Non-residential status
- Refer to Property Lease
- Planning permission & conditions of use
- Property does not have its own postal address
- Property does not have a letter box
In July 2020 as part of the Covid effort, there has been a stamp duty holiday which ended on 30th June 2021. During this period new buyers were exempt. Stamp Duty is now back and most solicitors will automatically charge the duty. New owners from then will only find out that they have been incorrectly charged if they join CMOA.
If members are selling or intend to sell, it would help to inform the new buyer, if they can.
Business Rates and HMRC
Members who claim business rates and let their properties through agents other than JFH or MJL or manage their or own bookings, may not have had sufficient lettings in 2020 to qualify for business rate relief.
To qualify the property must be available for 210 days and let for at least 105 days. Due to the various lockdowns this may have proved difficult to achieve and non-compliance would deprive the owner of business rate relief and other tax benefits.
If your property did not qualify, then HMRC is offering a period of grace, if there was a genuine intent to comply. The claim can be made via your tax return or writing to HMRC.
Tax return
Those owners claiming business rates may have benefited through the government’s business interruption grant scheme.
Any monies you have received are subject to tax and treated as income, which must be declared on your tax return. HRMC has warned that anybody declaring the incorrect amount will have the tax return rejected and may be fined for late submission. Be warned.
Rates Valuation Office
Every 5 years the Rates Valuation Office requires owners to complete a valuation form to determine the rateable value of the property for business rate charge.
The last one was 2017 and new valuation forms were due this year, but like most things Covid-19 has got in the way.
The Valuation Office intends to get the forms out in 2022 or 23. The government has just announced in the budget that a valuation review will now be every 3 years instead of 5.
Some owners who purchased prior to 2017 are now receiving valuation forms for the first time and concerned that they will have to pay business rates on receiving their valuation.
The threshold for paying business rates is if the property has a rateable value of £12,000.
All properties on CMOA sites are valued individually for rates at less than £12,000 and therefore receive 100% rate relief and pay nothing.
To check your rateable value online go to:
www.gov.uk/correct–your–business–rates
Follow the steps and enter site post code. Your holiday property will be listed.
Comparison figures 2020/2021
Site Owner Income
(Gross)
Number of Owners Lettings Average Per Owner (Gross)
% Variance Perran 2021 395,295 35 11,294 2020 233,143 35 6,661 69.55% St Ives 2021 855,556 63 13,580 2020 493,613 64 7,713 76.06% Tolroy 2021 622,718 53 11,749 2020 406,341 60 6,772 73.49% Kenegie 2021 517,508 47 11,010 2020 341,184 42 7,495 46.89% Last year 2020 was subject to lockdowns caused by Covid-19. No sooner had the season started it was interrupted and didn’t get going again until 4th July. Bookings for the rest of the season proved to be strong and although 25% down on 2019, it wasn’t a disaster for most owners.
This year 2020 has seen demand exceeding supply in Cornwall and all providers of accommodation have benefited. As can be seen from the comparison figures each site has exceeded previous year income by some margin. St. Ives despite all the problems encountered has performed well for owners with a 76% increase in gross income.
Property Sales/Recruitment
As reported in the Spring Newsletter, sales of holiday properties on the CMOA sites have been buoyant during last two years and a number of members have taken advantage of the rising market and have sold or are selling up.
Staycation, lockdown and stamp duty holiday have all helped.
Recruitment
In order to maintain the status quo in membership numbers, for every member who sells a new member has to be recruited.
GDPR regulations make that very difficult and this year CMOA has lost more members than it has been able to recruit. On each site there is a whole raft of new owners, who are probably unaware of CMOA and what it achieves and stands for on behalf of owners.
As Membership secretary, my plea is asking every member when on their site to make an effort to talk to other owners to establish if they are members and if not why not. Please encourage them to become a member and join via the CMOA website – www.cornishmanor.co.uk.
Window stickers
Self-adhesive window stickers are issued to all members and updated each year to identify the property as a member of CMOA.
It is a proven awareness tool, but is only effective if displayed, so CMOA wishes to remind members to display it in a prominent place at the earliest opportunity when you receive it and of course remember to update it.
Most people are nosey and will want to know about CMOA, if they keep coming across the window stickers.
Side Meetings
Due to the lack of members attending and the availability of committee members, side meeting did not take place, however Amanda, Paul and new manager Christina were on hand to answer owner’s specific questions.
Before the meeting resumed, members present were entertained by Buster, a comedian provided courtesy of JFH. Buster helped CMOA to celebrate its 30th anniversary and at the same time brought a much needed smile to member’s faces.
General discussion
Sub-letting
Members questioned about this problem on JFH sites. Members were reminded than an established procedure was in place, which is follows:
Recruitment
Perran View members pointed out that Camel Estate agents handled most of the property sales on Perran and suggested CMOA should ask them to inform a new buyer of the existence of the association. This will be followed up.
Action – David Lappin
CMOA -Website
The Membership secretary informed the meeting concerning CMOA website. Full details are attached as an addendum to the minutes.
As there was no further business the Membership secretary on behalf of the Chairman once again thanked members for attending and their contribution including members who volunteered to become site reps.
The site managers were also thanked and in particular Amanda and Tony including their staff in providing catering and facilities.
Next meeting
CMOA hope resume normal meetings and hold the spring meeting at the Village Hotel, Swindon. Date to be confirmed.
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