FAQ’s – Property Owners
Q: What does Time Away do?
A: Time Away was set up by Alex and Ilmarie Braun who have nearly 20 years experience of owning and running a holiday let. They are also in the unique position of having a child with severe complex needs.
Our goal at Time Away is to offer a wide variety of self-catering holidays to families who care for a sick or disabled child – with not cost to the family. We felt that it would be wonderful for families being donated a break, the chance to choose. We want them to have a similar experience to anyone who books a holiday.
We rely on times and properties being donated by owners. We don’t request certain dates, locations or types of properties. We’re extremely grateful that owners want to engage with us in any way.
Q: How does a Time Away break help?
A: Like many of the holidays your guests will experience, the memories Time Away families make whilst staying in your property will last a life time. However, there is something far greater we aim to achieve by providing whole family respite breaks to families. We hope to make them feel cared for and supported. We hope to give them time together to talk and to come to terms with their challenging situation. In doing this we hope to give them strength to continue, as a strong cohesive family unit, to provide the care their child needs long into the future. This in turn will reduce the need for support from medical and social services in the future.
Following the breaks we offered last year, 75% of the families stated that they felt better able to deal with their child’s medical needs going forward. This is an incredible achievement and entirely impossible without donations by generous owners like you.
Q: How does Time Away choose suitable families to be offered a break?
A: Time Away aim to support those with the greatest need. We stipulate that all applicants should be in receipt of higher rate DLA (disability living allowance), PIP (personal independence payment or CDP (child disability payment) in Scotland, for their child.
In order to manage the large demand we have, we prioritise children under the age of 5. We then open out our offering to children of all ages if we receive short notice donations (within 6-8 weeks) or last minute cancellations. This ensures that all of the breaks we offer will always benefit a family.
Q: My property isn’t very accessible – can I still donate time in it?
A: Yes! We’re grateful of all donations we receive. Not all disabilities impact on mobility and we can usually find a suitable family for any property.
Q: How many nights should I donate?
A: Obviously this depends on many factors but we request that the minimum donation is 2 nights with the maximum being 7.
Q: What time of year should I donate?
A: We will happily accept donations of breaks at any time throughout the year. Unsurprisingly, we see the greatest demand during typical holiday periods but we recognise that this is when owners can charge more so whilst we hugely appreciate donations during holiday periods we recognise that this isn’t affordable for all owners.
Q: By choosing to donate what am I agreeing to?
A: You will be required to sign an owner statement which helps us to ensure that all of our properties meet minimum basic standards of safety. You will also agree to provide your property exclusive of any charges except in the event of a damage claim.
Q: I donated some time in my property but it still hasn’t booked. Why might this be and should I recall the dates?
A: There are many factors which impact when a property is booked.
Time Away sometimes allow donations to build up before they are released onto our property portal. We then email all of our registered users to inform them when we have a new batch of donations. This is to ensure that there is always a selection of breaks available for families to choose from. This means that there can be sometime between you making a donation and it becoming live to our users.
Subsequently it then comes down to compatibility between the size and type of the property, the dates and the location. Sometimes we need to allow a little more time for the right family to visit out site for whom that property is the right fit. We have also modified our qualification criteria for families which means they are only permitted one break every 2 years. This means that families are leaving it a little later giving them the best chance to find the most suitable break for their circumstances.
Once the arrival date of a break is within 6 weeks we will then open up the availability of that break to a wider user base. This is when we list it available as a ‘last minute’ break where families with an older child or young adult can book. This ensures that all donations are used by a family who will really benefit from your generous donation.
Q: What happens in the event of a cancellation?
A: We do experience cancellations from time to time although we always work to reallocate the break before informing you.
The most common reason for cancellations is due to a medical emergency. Many of our families are in precarious situations relating to the health of their child. Often a sudden seizure can lead to hospitalisation or even a late opportunity for some much needed surgery.
In these situations we will endeavour ensure a family benefits from the break by listing it through our Last Minute Breaks scheme. However, there may be times when there is simply too little notice to reallocate the donation.
If your property is not used for this reason then we sincerely apologise. We completely understand that there will be financial loss incurred and it may feel deeply frustrating. However it’s important to recognise that for many of our families, the experience of being awarded a break, choosing one and having something to look forward to, is in itself, incredibly valuable.
Q: Can I enquire about the child’s condition to enable me to prepare for their arrival?
A: We understand that some property donors may wish to contact guests directly to offer additional support or to make their break even more special and we welcome this.
At Time Away we have a protocol agreed by the trustees which enables us to verify the validity of any application, without the need to request detailed medical information. Communication with guests should be sensitive to everyone’s right to medical confidentiality. Guests should not be asked to disclose details about their child’s condition.
Q: How can I be sure that my property will be treated respectfully?
A: Time Away guests are booked onto holidays in exactly the same way as any paying guest would be. We have a set of terms and conditions that all families are require to agree to. As an existing holiday let owner you will obviously have suitable accidental damage insurance in place and of course if there is minor damage, this should be brought to the guests attention immediately. If you are not able to resolve it with them then please feel free to contact us.
Time Away are clear with all applicants about what is required from them when taking a self-catering holiday. If we discover that there has been a serious lack of respect shown to a property, we can take action to prevent that family from accessing our service in the future.