Simon and Becca

13th September 2022

Simon and Becca have operated a self catering property in Fife for 32 years.

We have worked all over Europe in the self catering sector and in 2001 arrived in Fife when Simon was working for a large international short term let agency. We started the move from managing other peoples properties to running our own in 2009 when we acquired our first property, a derelict cottage in Fife’s East Neuk. A lot of blood sweat and tears went into renovating and bringing back to life this first cottage and we learnt a lot along the way. We did as much of the work as we could whilst still holding down full time jobs and it has now become our passion. Since then we have purchased 3 more derelicts that no one else wanted at the time and renovated them bringing them back to life. This has allowed Simon to step away from full time employment and he now manages the properties part time and spends the rest of his week working part time for the Homelands Trust which provides short term let holiday and respite accommodation for people with disabilities and life limiting conditions where he is currently managing the Trusts expansion from 4 properties to 9 properties with 5 new properties due to come on line at the end of 2022.

Our model has always been to purchase properties no one else wanted and breath new life into them. We have always tried to use local tradesmen and suppliers wherever we can and have often been praised by locals for bringing properties that were once derelict eyesores back in to use.

We have great concerns that the hostile new planning and licencing legislations coming into force at a time when the cost of living crisis will have a profound effect on the short term letting industry will force us out of the business in Scotland.