The Cumberland Building Society has partnered with the Professional Association of Self-Caterers (PASC UK) to help inform the trade body’s lobbying on finance issues affecting short-term and holiday let owners, a partnership that matters to association and institute professionals as trade bodies bring a lender’s experience into their policy work.

PASC UK is the national trade body for self-catering accommodation providers across England and Wales, representing thousands of micro and small businesses. It lobbies in Westminster and the Senedd.

The Cumberland is a Carlisle based mutual building society and specialist lender to the self-catering sector.

PASC UK’s recent work includes opposing proposals to bring short-term lets into the EPC regime, nine years of work with the UK government on a statutory registration scheme and securing a Welsh consultation on the 182-day letting threshold.

Kevin Aitken, senior sales manager at The Cumberland, said, “The great work they do to champion the holiday let industry throughout England and Wales combined with our knowledge and experience in the short-term lending sector makes this an obvious partnership and one that we really look forward to developing for the benefit of our customers and their members.”

The partnership comes as holiday let rules change across the UK, which raises the value of lender insight in lobbying.

England’s mandatory short-term let registration scheme is due to be fully operational by March 2027, with an estimated 257,000 listings active in 2023, according to Fox Davidson. Wales requires registration with the Welsh Revenue Authority from October 2026, while England has no licence or register in force, according to Landlord Resource.

For the sector, a trade body that works with a specialist lender can test its policy positions against lending data and borrower experience before it presents them to ministers. For the sector’s small operators specifically, finance issues are among the practical constraints that regulation and tax changes affect.

Whether the partnership produces evidence that shapes the registration scheme and related rules, rather than a joint statement of support, will indicate how far trade bodies can use commercial partners to strengthen their lobbying across the sector.

Source: Property Reporter / Fox Davidson / Landlord Resource