Winter lets in Southbourne
A Southbourne holiday home that fills with families in August can earn from November to March: Christmas families, dog walkers, people renovating nearby and remote workers, booked through the Flexiestays platform.
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- Since 2018 letting in Bournemouth
Winter lets in Southbourne keep a holiday home earning between the October half term and Easter. The house that carries families in August can carry Christmas families, dog walkers, renovators and remote workers through the winter, as long as it is warm, booked by the week or the month, and cleared in time for the summer. The service as a whole is on our winter lets page.
Southbourne's winter guests
- Christmas families. Grandparents in BH6 and adult children coming home look for a whole house with beds for everyone from mid December to New Year.
- Dog owners. From 1 October the whole beach and the clifftop path to Hengistbury Head are open to dogs, and the stretch east of Fisherman's Walk never closes to them.
- Renovators and movers. Southbourne and Tuckton see a steady run of extensions and refurbishments, and their owners want somewhere close for a month or two. Buyers waiting for a completion want the same.
- Remote workers, choosing the Grove's cafes and a sea walk at lunch over a city winter.
- Hospital staff, a short drive from the Royal Bournemouth on Castle Lane East.
How a holiday home keeps earning
We price the winter in three parts. Christmas and New Year carry a nightly rate and a minimum stay and open early. November and early December take weekly bookings from walkers and visitors. January to March is sold by the month, with heating and bills included. A house that is heated and lived in through the winter also suffers less from damp, which matters on clifftop roads that catch the weather.
Before winter we check the heating, the windows, condensation in the bedrooms and whether the conservatory is usable in January, and arrange any repairs through local contractors.
The 28-night and 140/70-night lines
At the time of writing, BCP Council charges a 100% council tax premium on furnished second homes. A self-catering property available to let for 140 nights in the year and actually let for 70 can be assessed for business rates instead, and only stays of 28 nights or fewer count towards those 70. A winter of month-long stays earns but does not add to the count, so we balance them with Christmas and November bookings. A long stay can also become a tenancy if the guest makes the house their only home, so each stay gets the agreement that fits it. Our guides to winter lets explained and council tax and second homes in BCP go further.
Through the Flexiestays platform
Families between homes and people renovating often search the Flexiestays platform first. It is Bournemouth's number one for winter and long stays and charges only 8% on the bookings it brings to managed properties. Owners who want the whole year run, summer included, can use Sea Breeze Property Services, the group's holiday let management arm.
For stays of a month or more at any time of year, see long term lets in Southbourne. For a tenancy, see letting agents in Southbourne and property management in Southbourne. If the winter question is really whether to sell, start with property valuation in Southbourne and selling your property in Southbourne. The town-wide page is winter lets in Bournemouth, and the neighbourhood is on the Southbourne area page.
The Southbourne property market
Southbourne is Bournemouth's family suburb by the sea: Edwardian and interwar houses either side of an independent high street, with flats along the Overcliff and a long beach below. Tenants stay for years, houses with gardens and parking are scarce, and buyers come for the schools, the Grove and a beach that dogs can use all year.
A family house near the Southbourne clifftop earns most of its year in the school holidays, then faces five months when nobody books a week by the sea. The winter guests are different people with the same tastes: a quiet base, the Grove's shops on foot and the beach nearby.
They come in four groups. Christmas families, with grandparents in BH6 and adult children coming home, want a whole house with beds for everyone. Dog owners arrive once BCP Council's summer beach restrictions end on 30 September, when the whole beach and the clifftop path to Hengistbury Head are theirs. Homeowners renovating in Southbourne and Tuckton need somewhere close for a month or two. Remote workers trade a city flat for a winter with a sea walk at lunch.
The lines to watch are 28 nights and 140/70 nights. At the time of writing, a self-catering property available for 140 nights and let for 70 can be rated as a business, avoiding BCP's 100% second homes premium, but stays over 28 nights do not count towards the 70.
Who rents and buys in Southbourne
- Families who want space and schools. Three-bedroom houses with gardens and parking near the Grove let to families who stay for years and sell to families moving up or relocating to the coast. Tenants here rarely want a short let; they want a home near a school.
- Dog owners. The beach east of Fisherman's Walk is open to dogs when BCP Council's main beaches exclude them from 1 May to 30 September. Tenants and buyers with dogs look at Southbourne first, and an enclosed garden makes a house stand out.
- Downsizers and second-home buyers. Overcliff flats with a lift and a view across Poole Bay to the Isle of Wight sell to retirees and to buyers from London and the Home Counties, who want the quiet end of the bay rather than the town centre.
- Hospital staff and people between homes. The Royal Bournemouth Hospital is a short drive north, so clinical staff on longer contracts rent here, and local households between a sale and a purchase, or rebuilding a house nearby, take furnished homes for a few months.
Let furnished, from 28 nights, all year round.
A furnished flat in Southbourne does not have to sit on a twelve-month tenancy or empty from November. Through the group's platform, Flexiestays, it can be let to contractors, relocations, hospital staff and visiting families for a month or more at a time.
- Stays of a month to several months
- Guests looking for somewhere to live, not a holiday
- Fills the gaps between tenancies and summers
Letting your property in Southbourne, step by step
A free valuation
We visit, read the lease and the certificates, and give you a rent range for the property in Southbourne with the reasons, plus our fees in writing.
Marketing and referencing
Photographs, a floor plan and the listing go out to the portals and our registered tenants. We show the property and reference every adult before you accept anyone.
Move in, then managed
Tenancy agreement, deposit protection, certificates and a photographed inventory on the day. With management, we collect the rent, inspect and arrange repairs.
Winter lets in Southbourne: questions
Who books a Southbourne house between November and March?
Families at Christmas and New Year, dog owners once the summer beach restrictions end, homeowners renovating nearby, buyers waiting on a completion, remote workers and some hospital staff, since the Royal Bournemouth Hospital is a short drive north. Few book for one night; most stay a week to a few months.
Can winter guests take dogs on Southbourne beach?
Yes. BCP Council's restrictions on its main beaches run from 1 May to 30 September, and the stretch east of Fisherman's Walk is open to dogs all year. From October the whole beach and the clifftop path are open to dog walkers, a strong reason to accept pets in winter.
Will a winter let get in the way of my summer family weeks?
Not if the end date comes first. We agree the leaving date before accepting a stay, usually before the Easter holidays, and open the spring and summer weeks to holiday guests early. Families book July and August months ahead, so those weeks stay protected.
How is a Southbourne house priced for the winter?
In three parts: Christmas and New Year as a short peak with a minimum stay, November and early December by the week, and January to March by the month, with the cost of heating a whole house built into the rate.
What is the 28-night line for a Southbourne winter let?
Stays of more than 28 nights do not count towards the 70 let nights a self-catering property needs in a year for business rates. They can also become a tenancy if the guest makes the house their main home. We balance long and short stays and use the right agreement; this is not legal advice.
What does a Southbourne house need for a winter guest?
Heating that warms the whole house quickly, a conservatory that is usable or closed off, broadband for calls, a desk away from the television, a washing machine with somewhere to dry clothes, a driveway, and for dog owners an enclosed garden and somewhere to leave muddy boots.
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I've had a really positive experience with the Airbnb building services, and I'd especially like to recognise Nat, Jack, and Reece for how helpful, friendly, and professional they are. They're always approachable, responsive, and willing to go the extra mile to help resolve any issues or answer questions. Their attitude makes a real difference and creates a welcoming experience for residents and guests. A special mention has to go to Natalie, who has been exceptionally helpful. She is consistently kind, attentive, and proactive, and always makes sure things are dealt with properly. Her dedication and willingness to help really stand out and are very much appreciated. Thank you to the whole team for all your hard work, it definitely doesn't go unnoticed!
Great accommodation and location
Ease of booking. Great communication with the team. Moved to the area and stayed while purchasing property. Very flexible regarding duration of stay. 2 months. We stayed in 2 different apartments. Both lovely. Quiet. No hassle. Also location awesome. A few minutes walk to the beach and town. Thanks again everyone at Flexistays Bournemouth. Highly recommend
Lovely and cosy apartment in the centre
Lovely and cosy apartment in the centre of Bournemouth, and managing to still be quiet. Close to the train station (and buses), big Asda superstore, town centre, park and the beach. I have stayed so far in 2 different apartments in the same building on 2 separate occasions. Both, lovely decorated, with everything one may need for a short or longer stay. A kind of apartment you just want to stay in the whole day! I would definitely recommend.
Residents and guests of the furnished apartments we let and manage, in their own words, quoted as published. Each rating is the platform's own, read on the date shown. See every review
Winter lets nearby
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- Poole
- Westbourne
- Winton
- Charminster
- Alum Chine
- Moordown
- Kinson
- Tuckton
- Winter lets: every area
Other services here: Letting agents in Southbourne, Long term lets in Southbourne, Property management in Southbourne, Property valuation in Southbourne, Selling your property in Southbourne
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