• About Simply Owners
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About Simply Owners

The direct holiday rental site with no booking fees. Book directly with the property owner. The price you see is the price you pay.

1987
Destinations
£0
Booking fees
4.8
Trustpilot rating
2016
Founded

For holidaymakers

Why find your next holiday rental with Simply Owners?

Simply Owners is a direct-booking holiday rental website. You deal directly with the property owner, pay no booking or service fees, and every booking can be covered by free payment protection.

No booking fees, ever!

Other sites add service fees of 10–20% or more at checkout. Here, the owner's price is the final price - we never add a penny on top.

Book direct with the real owner

You can speak to the owner before you book. Ask them anything, no filtered messaging, no call centre in between.

Free payment protection

Every property can offer payment protection at no cost to you, so you can book direct with confidence. How payment protection works.

No pressure tactics

No fake countdown timers, no "3 people are looking at this", no prices that climb because you looked twice. Take your time.

No upsells

We'll never push insurance, car hire or add-ons at checkout, because there is no checkout. You arrange everything directly with the owner.

Real humans

We are a small UK-based team you can actually contact. Get in touch.

The same property, three prices

Booking direct, saves you money. In 2016 our founder listed his own villa at £49 a night. Here's what holidaymakers were actually asked to pay (2016 prices, historical):

Booked direct with the owner £49.00 the owner's price
Owners Direct (now Vrbo) £54.64 +11%
Holiday Lettings (now Tripadvisor) £81.40 +66%

Prices as listed in 2016 (the difference that led Tim to start Simply Owners).

Best Price Guarantee

Our Best Price Guarantee is a promise made by participating owners, that you won't find their property cheaper anywhere else, not on other booking sites, not even direct. You can use Simply Owners with confidence knowing you're always getting the best rate. Look for properties marked with the 'Best Price' badge, or View All Best Price Guarantee Properties

How booking direct works

Step 1

Find your perfect holiday home

Browse thousands of properties handpicked by their owners.

Step 2

Contact owners directly

Ask the owner anything, the cot, the dog, the parking, the nearest pub. No middleman, no filtered messages. Arrange your stay on your terms..

Step 3

Save £100s by avoiding booking fees

No platform markups, keep more money for the things that matter.

Being upfront about how we work: we're the introduction service. Your booking contract is directly with the owner. We verify every owner's identity and property ownership before any property goes live on Simply Owners. Many of our properties have been with us many years and have welcomed hundreds of holidaymakers.

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Why we created Simply Owners

"Simply Owners was established in 2016 because of the changes the large monopoly websites were forcing onto both holiday homeowners and holidaymakers. The market was controlled by just a few companies, and owners and holidaymakers alike were being squeezed. There was a need for a sensible provider that dealt solely with real owners and didn't try to rip anyone off."
Avatar of Tim Parkes
Tim Parkes, Founder, Simply Owners

We looked hard at the holiday rental market from both sides, and built Simply Owners to fix what we saw:

  • Owners keep control of their holiday let, and their prices
  • Holidaymakers pay the owner's price, never a booking fee on top
  • Payments go straight to the owner, no site holding your money
  • No dark patterns, demand pricing or pressure to "buy now"
  • A real human to talk to.

Our journey so far

June 2016

Simply Owners founded by Tim

March 2022

Joined PASC

November 2022

Joined ASSC

October 2024

Becky appointed as CEO

January 2025

Partnered with Supercontrol

March 2026

Becky wins Rising Star at Shortyz

June 2026

Simply Owners celebrates 10 year anniversary

For owners

Own a holiday home?

List it where you stay in charge. Simply Owners was started by an owner, for owners:

One flat annual fee

No commission on your bookings. You know exactly what advertising costs before the year starts.

Keep full control

Your prices, your calendar, your house rules. Run your holiday let the way you want to.

Your guests are yours

Enquiries come straight to you. Build a direct relationship, and repeat bookings, with every guest.

Fees pegged for 3 years

Your standard listing fee won't rise for three years from the date you subscribe. Any joining discount applies to your first year only.

Our Owner Values & Promise

Six commitments, to owners and holidaymakers alike. This is our Owner Promise, that hasn't changed since 2016.

Flat, fair pricing

Owners pay one flat annual fee. No commission, no variable rates, no hidden costs. Your standard fee won't rise for 3 years from subscription; any joining discount applies to your first year only.

Direct contact, always

Holidaymakers and owners talk to each other directly. We'll never sit in the middle or filter your messages.

No third-party ads

No third-party sales or adverts on our website, and no cross-selling of insurance, car hire or add-ons.

No booking fees

We will never charge holidaymakers any form of booking fee or surcharge.

No selling out

We will never sell out to the online travel agencies that control the holiday rental market.

You have control

You have the ultimate flexibility in how you run your holiday property.

Read the full Owner Promise

We will never

  • Charge any form of booking fee or surcharge to holidaymakers
  • Change our sole objective: finding holiday homes for holidaymakers, and holidaymakers for owners
  • Attempt to cross-sell insurance, car hire or other add-ons
  • Allow any third-party sales or adverts on our website
  • Incorporate variable rates, percentage commissions or hidden costs
  • Sell out to any of the online travel agencies (OTAs) controlling the holiday rental market
  • Over-populate areas just to take listing fees, or let agents bulk-load thousands of properties

We will always

  • Be the most cost-effective solution among comparable sites in this sector
  • Give holidaymakers the confidence to book direct, with free payment protection
  • Remain focused on providing the service owners want from us
  • Secure the optimum exposure for your holiday rental property
  • Peg our standard fees for 3 years from the date of subscription

Why you can trust us

Independently reviewed

Don't take our word for it, read what holidaymakers and owners say about us on Trustpilot, Google and more. Also view our customer success stories.

Read all our reviews and success stories →

Simply Owners Is Rated Excellent 4.8 out of 5

Who we are, on the record

Simply Owners Ltd — Registered in England and Wales No. 10215052
Birch House, Ransom Wood Business Park, Mansfield NG21 0HJ
Simply Owners® is a registered trademark
NHS & social care workers get discounts on selected properties: see our NHS discount scheme

We support the self-catering holiday lets sector

We are proud members of the Association of Scotland's Self-Caterers (ASSC), the Professional Association of Self-Caterers UK (PASC UK), and the Irish Self-Catering Federation (ISCF). These organisations campaign on behalf of self-catering owners across the UK and Ireland, representing the sector's interests on issues from regulation and licensing to tourism policy. Our membership reflects our commitment to the wider industry, not just our own platform. We believe a healthy, well-represented self-catering sector benefits owners and holidaymakers alike.

Professional Association of Self-Caterers Association of Scotland's Self-Caterers Irish Self-Catering Federation

As featured in

Forbes
The Telegraph
The Mirror
LBC News
Closer Magazine
The i Paper
The Scottish Sun

Frequently asked questions

Is Simply Owners legitimate?

Yes. Simply Owners Ltd was founded in 2016 and is registered in England and Wales (company no. 10215052). We verify every owner's identity before their property goes live, and you can read independent reviews of us on Trustpilot.

How does Simply Owners make money?

Owners pay a flat annual fee to list their property - that's it. We take no commission on bookings and holidaymakers pay us nothing. There are no hidden charges on either side.

Are there really no booking fees?

Really. You book and pay the owner directly, so the owner's price is the final price. We never add service fees, card surcharges or any other charge on top.

Is my payment protected?

Yes, every property on Simply Owners can offer free payment protection, at no cost to you. See how payment protection works for what's covered.

How is Simply Owners different from Airbnb or Vrbo?

You deal directly with the real owner, not through filtered messaging, and pay no service fees. Every listing is placed by the owner or manager themselves; we're not an agency and we don't take a commission.

Do you inspect the properties?

We don't physically inspect properties, we're an introduction service, not an agency. We verify every owner's identity and property documents before listing, and you can question the owner directly and read guest reviews before you book. Many of our properties have been with us many years and have welcomed hundreds of holidaymakers.

That's enough about us, where would you like to go?

Thousands of holiday homes, with direct owner contact, none with a booking fee.

Own a holiday home? List your property