Newsletter Summer 2023
Mid Term Results
This year has started off on a gloomy note for most of us. Inflation at a record high, pushing up ground rent, pitch fees and service charges by some 13%. Electricity prices we have never experienced before and this being the first full year free of Covid 19 restrictions, the UK wants to go on holiday anywhere it seems out of the country. Six months down the line into the holiday season and what is happening in reality? Bookings are down compared to last year. JFH & MJL have had to resort to discounting to attract business and for the first time in a number of years, JFH has reported that they haven’t sold out for the peak 6 weeks. The market is apparently price sensitive and even the bigger players have had to resort to heavy discounting and the weather doesn’t help.On the brighter side, advance bookings for next year 2024 are on the plus side. Perhaps holidaymakers will take a different view after experiencing extreme heat conditions in the Mediterranean countries, higher prices and recent air chaos.
The revenue performance which is an important measure to us, is down this year as follows:
Perran View -7%
Tolroy Manor -12%
St. Ives -2%
Kenegie Manor -4.4%
Pets on Holiday
In the Spring edition of the newsletter, attention was drawn to the increase in bookings for people wanting to take their pet on holiday. This trend appears to have continued with owners allowing pets and using the letting scheme having enjoyed a bigger share of the bookings. These bookings have not been as price sensitive and in the main, guests have paid the asking price. Bookings with pets now account for 30% of the total.
Electricity Charges Summer Quarter 2023
Electricity charges are now heading downwards but are unlikely to return to pre 2022 prices.
The latest quarter cost per unit by site is:
St. Ives 24.15 pence
Tolroy Manor 25.76 pence
Perran View 24.16 pence.
Kenegie on fixed price contract circa 19 pence
Members on JFH sites are billed quarterly for electricity consumption, so the meters have to be read for accuracy. Some owners let privately and do not provide an access key to the site.
If they want to have an accurate bill then they must provide a photograph of the meter reading and submit it to JFH accounts when due.
Message from Secretary – Martyn Dale
I think we all knew that this was not going to be a normal year, but just how strange was impossible to predict.
Bookings across the board have been down, especially the first few months of the season. The headlong rush by some people to fly abroad despite airport chaos, huge delays and escalating costs make a short hold up on the M5 seem minor.
Nevertheless economics appears to have had an effect at the other end of the scale with people having short breaks instead of 1 or 2 week stays or even no holiday at all. Throw rail disputes into the mix and it is enough to make your brain ache. I am sure some owners will have been fortunate and had sufficient bookings but there is also a real risk that others will not have made enough to cover their costs.
One bad year does not a disaster make but we can only hope that it is not repeated. If a trend were to develop some deep thinking would be required, I`m sure I don`t need to spell it out.
On a more optimistic note I feel that the planets will re-align and things will return to a more normal level for next season. The CMOA committee will continue to aid and assist its members whenever required. You are not alone (where have I heard that before?). Don`t forget, the website is the place for relevant (and hopefully) up to date information.
This years AGM is on the horizon, Saturday 4th November at Tolroy Manor so remember to mark it on your calendars and I hope to see as many of you as possible there on the day.
Treasurers update – Sam Simpson
Reminder chasers have been sent out to a number of members who had still not paid their subscriptions for this season, and out of the 53 people contacted, 3 have been in touch to say they no longer own properties and 6 people have made their payment.
This now leaves 44 members who are still outstanding on paying their subscriptions. Members know that the Treasurer undertakes the work involved on a voluntary basis and considerable time is spent organising and chasing members for payment.
To make my life easier, and if you have not yet paid for this year, it would be very much appreciated if you would do so without any further reminder.
Thank you.
Valuation Office
As advised to members at the AGM in November 2022 the government’s Valuation Office would be sending out Valuation forms to owners who claim business rates this year.
The Valuation Office requires income information to determine the rateable value of the property to then apply the appropriate business rate levy. All properties on JFH and MJL sites have a rateable value below the threshold of £12,000 and therefore receive 100% relief on single properties and therefore do not pay business rates.
Members are reminded that this process will now be carried out every 3 years instead of every 5 years. The next valuation will be in 2026.
Kenegie Manor
Kenegie management issue a Newsletter by email on a weekly basis to keep owners informed about what’s going on. There are of course other matters of concern to owners that are not addressed by the weekly Newsletter.
EV Charger
The charging unit that was scheduled to be installed this year has now been put on hold to next year.
CMOA does not have information to hand that suggests there is a demand for it and if so how great is it. Members concern in having one is to avoid guests using their expensive electricity supply and having to pick up the bill. If any member does have information about demand, please contact CMOA.
Wi-Fi
Kenegie has been equipped with Wi-Fi for the past 3 years and all of the site is covered excluding the Barns for technical reasons. This year the system has been upgraded to increase capacity to enable more users to stream or download data smoothly.
A couple of members have said they are not getting a good service and are having difficulty with maintaining a good internet connection.
Please contact CMOA if you are experiencing problems or use the forum. This will then be taken up with the service providers.
Recycling and Waste disposal on site.
Most people in our society are keen to support the environment and are used to recycling and waste disposal at home.
It appears that on Kenegie the clock is turned back as waste is dumped in any container available regardless of whether it is glass, recycling or household.
On members behalf CMOA has addressed this with Kenegie management who are also frustrated by the misuse of the waste disposal system.
The company that has the contract for waste collection on site will now re-label/re-sign the containers to clearly identify if it is for recycling, general waste or glass collection. Some members would also like to have a separate food waste disposal system as is used on JFH sites.
Sewage tank
Members have complained about the strong odour from the sewage tank during hot weather and asked what action can be taken to contain the smell.
CMOA has addressed it with Kenegie management who whilst they recognise that it is an issue sometimes and the adjoining farm adds to the smell by using slurry.
Kenegie management has not offered a solution at this point.
Perran View
The 2023 season has been quieter, probably due to the significant national cost of living rises.
JFH has been offering some very cheap deals, including during the main school holiday periods. Owners are waiting to see what impact this will have on their incomes from holiday lets this year.
Perran View was proud to be awarded a TripAdvisor award again this year.
Amanda and the team hosted a ‘fun weekend’ on the weekend of 8th-9th July to celebrate the 70th anniversary of John Fowler Holidays. Owners were offered a free burger/hot dog and a free hot/soft drink. Unfortunately, most owners only received notification of the event just a week before.
In recent months, a number of owners have been required to complete form VO6048 by the Valuation Office Agency. This form must be completed within 56 days of receipt, or the property will be moved to the council tax list.
Owners have been advised to check their bills carefully, as in one case, owners were billed for the cleaning of cladding that they do not have.
Concerns have also been raised about electricity charges this year and most owners now report that they take regular photos of their meters to check usage.
Some owners are considering restricting their holiday lets to April to October only to reduce their electricity costs. An example of a March holiday let evidenced that the owner barely covered costs incurred for the let.
Some owners have considered introducing a separate electricity charge and some owners, who let privately, have increased their nightly rates to cover the increased electricity charge.
Owners have entered into dialogue with head office about exactly what the ‘service charge’ covers. This has been very helpful and has been shared with the WhatsApp group. Thank you to all the owners who have contributed to the discussion.
EV Charger
The Charger is now installed and is scheduled to be commissioned at the beginning of September.
Tolroy Manor
Tolroy Manor has not had an easy season, not that it is alone in that. The economic conditions and increase in cost of just about everything has affected everywhere. The park management has worked hard to maintain the appearance of the park; the groundsmen doing a thoroughly good job. The disruption of last year`s electricity cable failure and repair job is all behind them and made good.
In July the managers, Karinda & Denyse organised a garden party type event to mark 70 years of Tolroy being a John Fowler park. The weather co-operated and the event was well attended & enjoyed by all.
The managers admit that bookings are down this year so far; there seems to be more short breaks as opposed to one and two week stays but we can only hope the latter half of the season improves.
Winter works and improvements are currently roof repairs to the manor house and updating the leisure bar but presumably financial considerations will have an effect, something which also applies to the ongoing (proposed) provision of site-wide wi-fi I expect.
EV Charger
Unfortunately the EV charging points have not yet been installed and we can only hope this will be completed sometime over the winter.
St. Ives
The park is looking fantastic. Clean, well-appointed, and welcoming for guests. The improvements of the last two years are a credit to Christina and her team. There is still some way to go. However, as owners we recognise what has been achieved so far in transforming the park so far into a good holiday experience for guests.
This is being recognised with the improvements in ratings on TripAdvisor. As CMOA reps we would like to thank Christina and the team for their efforts in bringing about this transformation.
WIFI Installation
The installation of WIFI to the lodges (caravans) is almost complete. The WIFI is hoped to go live in September of 2023.
The cabling to the permanent units is taking longer than anticipated, due to tree roots being a difficulty. However, it is hoped the WIFI to the permanent units will go live before the end of 2023.
EV Charging Points
A single EV charging point with two connections has been installed at St Ives Holiday Village. It is situated just beyond the main roundabout on the entrance to St Ives Holiday Village. Therefore, it is clearly visible to guests with electric vehicles as they drive towards reception to check in.
It is worth making CMOA owners aware that plug in hybrid vehicles can be charged from the EV points. However, some plug-in hybrids require a dedicated charging connector cable, which costs circa £200.
These dedicated cables are not usually supplied as standard when the vehicle is purchased. This is because most plug-in hybrids can be charged off a domestic electricity supply, using a 13-amp socket.
From empty to fully charged takes around 4-5 hours. This will obviously lead to an increase of electricity charges if guests use owners domestic supply to charge plugin hybrids.
Owners Conditions of Lease
Owners are reminded that their properties must not be let for more than 28 days to any single occupancy.
Winter Security
Following last year’s successful implementation of better security measures during the closed winter months of December and January, (this is where the entrance gate to the park was closed at night), it is hoped that a lift barrier will be installed. This will make access and egress easier for owners, to have access to their units during the period when the parked is locked. Also, to provide enhanced security for us as owners and the park in general.
Owners Insurance Policy
Just a reminder for those owners who let through the JFH letting scheme.
Whilst it is permitted to let to direct guests outside of the JFH letting scheme, just be aware as owners we could be held responsible for any major damage/theft resulting from direct lettings.
This is because lettings outside the JFH letting scheme may not be covered under the terms and conditions of the owner’s insurance policy.
Building and Contents Insurance
In October the majority of insurances are due for renewal.
If the policy is with Gallaghers, this will largely be dealt with by JFH and MJL respectively.
Owners who use other providers are reminded that the site management must be provided with a valid copy of the insurance policy when due for renewal.
The managers wish to thank all owners who responded to the request in the Spring Newsletter.
On site safety
Members are reminded of the need to advise site management of their presence on site.
An email prior to the date of arrival would be ample. If a member is staying on site alone, please provide next of kin or other personnel’s contact details in the case of an emergency.
Annual General Meeting
Members are reminded that the AGM will be held at Tolroy Manor on Saturday 4th November 2023.
Notices will be sent out towards the end of September or early October.
This is an ideal opportunity to check out your property if it has been let out during the season and a wonderful opportunity to meet up with your fellow owners as well as having your say at the meeting.
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