Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

HOLIDAYLETTINGS.CO.UK PARTNERS WITH UK’S NUMBER ONE PROPERTY WEBSITE

Holiday Lettings has engaged in a new partnership with the UK’s Number One property website Rightmove, taking over its existing holiday lettings business. The deal gives holiday homeowners the opportunity to advertise their property on holidaylettings.co.uk whilst also benefiting from access to the 3 to 4 million visitors to Rightmove.co.uk each month.

Ross Elder, MD of www.holidaylettings.co.uk comments: “The partnership with Rightmove will enable our customers to benefit from unrivalled exposure of their properties. They will benefit from our own strong position in the holiday market as well as Rightmove’s position as the leading property website and as one of the UK’s top 10 websites.”

Holiday Lettings Ltd has seen huge growth in its business driven by a 45% increase in the number of British households owning a second home abroad since 2004 . Rightmove, with around 80% of all properties for sale in the UK, had been focusing its own holiday lettings service on UK holiday homes.

In addition to offering users a wider choice of properties with better coverage, the deal will increase visitors to holidaylettings.co.uk, helping it attract more of the 17 million Britons expected to book part of their holiday online this year .

Ed Williams, Group MD of Rightmove says: “There is a natural fit between our two holiday lettings businesses. Holiday Lettings will continue to focus on the holiday industry, while Rightmove provides access to the best possible showcase for home buyers in the UK. A high proportion of home buyers using the Rightmove website to buy one of our 40,000 homes overseas will want to let out their new home, so this partnership improves the service we offer.”

As part of the deal, Holiday Lettings will have access to Rightmove customer’s, technology expertise and the use of the Rightmove brand and its recognition. Rightmove has also made a significant investment in the Holiday Lettings business.

“Having competed against the Holiday Lettings business we came to respect the focus on and understanding of the market they operate in. This is a credit to Ross Elder, Andy Firth and the team at Holiday Lettings,” adds Ed Williams.

Ross Elder, commenting on the benefits, says: “Rightmove’s resources, coupled with our long-term commitment to grow the business, position us as the winning proposition for those looking to let their holiday home. The Internet is the natural way to find a holiday home. Holiday Lettings is the leading destination. We aim to make Holiday Lettings the natural choice for holiday home owners and renters, in the same way that Rightmove has become the obvious choice for home buyers and sellers.”
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About Holiday Lettings Ltd
www.holidaylettings.co.uk is the UK’s fastest growing holiday home rental website, where holidaymakers book direct with owners. The site offers effective online advertising for holiday homeowners and attracts over 30,000 holidaymakers a day.
Based in Oxford, Holiday Lettings was established in 1999 by business partners Ross Elder and Andy Firth. The site presents in-depth information on over 12,000 properties in more than 80 countries worldwide.

About Rightmove plc
www.rightmove.co.uk is the UK’s Number One property website, displaying details of homes for sale or rent to the largest online audience. It has around 80% of all properties for sale and at any time displays a stock of over 850,000 properties to buy or rent, worth around £170 billion. The Rightmove.co.uk site receives over 16 million visits every month and has been ranked as high as 7th in terms of most viewed UK website (source: Hitwise). Covering all of the UK, Rightmove is also UK’s leading overseas property website, advertising 44,000 properties in over 70 countries.

www.rightmove.co.uk was launched in 2000 and has offices in London and Milton Keynes. Publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2006, Rightmove is now a FTSE 250 company.

Press Contacts
Holiday Lettings Ltd.
Emily Millward/Kate Stinchcombe
+44 (0)1865 204738
+44 (0)7881 658533
kate@holidaylettings.co.uk

Ross Elder
MD
+44 (0)1865 204738

Rightmove plc
Maud Rousseau
+44 (0)207 318 9095
+44 (0)7713 116602
press@rightmove.co.uk

Ed Williams
Group MD
+44 (0)207 318 9095