Independent Cottages

Independent Cottages: direct-booking holiday homes across the UK

Independent Cottages is a UK holiday lettings platform that lists more than 2,000 verified self-catering properties for rent throughout the country. It was launched in 2006 by Sarah and Steve Jarvis, who have owned cottages themselves since 2002, and in March 2022 the company joined the Snaptrip Group. Its stated purpose is to represent property owners who want to advertise, rent and manage their self-catering accommodation independently.

The site positions itself explicitly as not an agency: it puts travellers in direct contact with the cottage owner or manager so they can ask questions, check that the property suits their needs and complete the booking with the person responsible for the home. According to the company, this direct route offers greater flexibility and can produce savings because no additional booking or service fees are added on top of the owner's rates. The platform states that bookings save an average of £211.

How the listing model works

Independent Cottages does not allow owners to self-register properties. Every owner is known to the company and has passed a verification process, so only bona fide cottages from verified owners appear on the site. Offers are uploaded directly by the owners and, according to the platform, are not shared on other websites that add commission or a booking fee, which means they are not found elsewhere online.

The company also represents a small number of specialist, local or niche agencies in order to widen choice. For those properties, the quoted prices already include the agency's fees, so no extra charge is added on top.

Types of accommodation and destinations

The catalogue spans a broad range of self-catering accommodation, from oast houses and south coast fisherman's cottages to town houses and farm stays. Listings are organised around popular destinations including Cornwall, the Lake District and Wales, and the site groups properties by region across England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Republic of Ireland. County and park-level destinations include the Cotswolds, Devon, Dorset, Exmoor, the New Forest, Norfolk and the Norfolk Broads, Northumberland, the Peak District, Suffolk, Wiltshire, Yorkshire and the Yorkshire Dales, the Cairngorms, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, the Scottish Borders and the Scottish Islands, as well as the Brecon Beacons, Pembrokeshire and Snowdonia.

Holiday ideas and themed collections

Beyond destination browsing, the platform curates collections for particular kinds of trip. These include:

• Luxury and five-star properties
• Dog-friendly cottages accepting one, two, three or more dogs
• Romantic cottages for couples
• Large properties for groups of eight and above, including large celebration homes
• Cottages with a hot tub, a swimming pool or bike storage
• Properties near a beach, near a pub or near a golf course
• Waterside accommodation and farmstays on working farms
• Family-friendly and child-friendly cottages
• Accessible properties with wheelchair access
• Unique and unusual accommodation
• Fishing onsite and last-minute offers

The site also publishes bank holiday dates and suggestions for activities for children.

Featured and recently added properties

The homepage highlights a rotating selection of recently added and featured homes, with weekly prices, sleeping capacity, minimum-night rules and preferred arrival days. Examples shown at the time of writing include Rest Cottage in Stokenham, Devon (sleeps 4, from £600 to £1,200 per week); Ankorya in Millbrook, Cornwall (sleeps 4, £2,765 to £3,465); Dukes Lodge in Bungay, Norfolk (sleeps 16, price on enquiry with the owner); Zippity-Do-Da House in Aviemore, Highland, Cairngorms (sleeps 10, £2,425); Twyn Isaf in Ynyslas, Ceredigion (sleeps 14, £1,660 to £3,850); 91 Howells Mere on the Lower Mills Estate, Gloucestershire, Cotswolds (sleeps 8, £1,725 to £3,150); Old Lanvean Cottage in St Mawgan, Cornwall (sleeps 4, price on enquiry); The Coach House in Monyash, Derbyshire, Peak District (sleeps 4, £579 to £806, four-star); The Old Vicarage in Rosedale Abbey, Yorkshire, North York Moors (sleeps 16, £3,494 to £5,037); Eastfield Farm Holiday Cottages in Thornton, Yorkshire (sleeps 6, £350 to £840); High Greenfield Cottage in Langstrothdale, Yorkshire Dales (sleeps 4, £580 to £805); and Carr Crag Cottage in Ambleside, Cumbria, Lake District (sleeps 8, £4,000).

Seasonal and last-minute availability

The platform maintains a last-minute section for travellers planning a break in the coming weeks, alongside seasonal pages for Christmas 2026 and New Year's Eve 2026. A search tool lets visitors filter by number of nights, number of guests and pets, with options ranging from one dog to three or more, or pet-free properties.

For property owners

Owners can advertise their holiday property through a dedicated section of the site, with separate owner login and listing pages. The company frames its advertising as fair, arguing that holidaymakers dealing directly with owners should not pay agency-style booking fees for their self-catering breaks.