Tagged in: Summer

This is a brief summary of how HPB delivers its holiday benefits. To understand it fully, including how its over 1,400 properties cater for all types of holidaymaker and the extra Holiday Points free holiday opportunities and other offers available, you should find out more so that we can explain just how HPB can provide wonderful holidays for life.

• An initial payment of as little as £5,000 gives you units in the HPB fund which holds the entire portfolio of villas, cottages and apartments, as well as a securities portfolio, the returns from which go towards management costs. The HPB fund has an initial charge of 25% and pays annual charges of around 2.5% as well as overheads.
• Every £1 of your initial payment gives you one Holiday Point every year. You can use these Holiday Points to book the HPB property of your choice. The number of Holiday Points required for a property depends on its location and size and the time of year you want to go.
• HPB's holiday benefits continue every year as long as you or your heirs hold the investment.
• When you book a holiday you pay a no-profit user charge to cover the actual costs of running and maintaining the properties rather than a commercial rental charge.
• The only additional payment is a modest quarterly charge of around £30, that is around £120 a year, which can be increased by no more than RPIX.
• As the Holiday Property Bond is a financial product, technically a life assurance bond, its marketing and promotion requires that we are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. You will be given everything you need to understand HPB and in particular the risks as well as the benefits, including restrictions on when you can cash in your HPB investment. As it is a financial product your capital is at risk and you should not expect to get back the full amount you have paid.
• All new investors benefit from a unique "Money Back Promise". If you take a first HPB holiday within three years of investing and are not for any reason entirely happy, you can apply to cash in your HPB investment within fourteen days of your return. Whatever the cash in value the parent company of the issuer of HPB will make up any difference so that you get back the full amount of your original payment.
• HPB has no borrowings and all its assets, being the holiday properties, securities and cash, are controlled by HSBC Trustee (C.I.) Limited.

How much should I invest?

How much you should invest depends on your circumstances – in particular your holiday requirements and preferences. HPB's Holiday Points system is designed to be highly flexible and one of our representatives can explain it fully. Each £1 of your initial payment adds one Holiday Point to the allocation of Holiday Points that you receive every year for as long as you hold your bond.

The minimum initial payment to become a Bondholder is just £5,000. This is considered suitable by a number of new investors who pay this amount to try out the Bond and then go on to "top up" to increase their holiday benefits. Others choose to make a higher payment initially with the average in 2018 being around £14,500.

To understand fully how HPB works and to decide on an appropriate level of investment, please join us at an Open Day at an HPB holiday location or an Exhibition at a hotel near you. Or call free on 0800 230 0391 to arrange for a representative to meet you at a place of your choosing.

As we have already said this is a brief summary. To understand HPB fully and all its potential advantages, please contact us.

The no-profit user charge is all you pay when you book your holiday. It covers the actual costs of servicing the properties, including housekeeping, laundry and maintenance of the many free-to-use-onsite facilities. It is charged per property - NOT per person. And it does not vary with the season: instead, the user-charge remains constant all year round.

For example:

A week for two in the Scottish Highlands could cost around £406 user charge, including VAT*, even at the height of the season.

A week for a party of eight in a four bedroom villa at Physkos, Turkey, in August could cost around £418 in user charge*

*Prices for 2020 and for Turkey based on exchange rate of £1 = 8 Turkish Lira (may vary)

If you do not use our "Money Back Promise" offer explained in "How HPB works", you may cash in after two years at a value linked to that of the properties and securities but you should not expect to get back the full amount you paid because of charges and changes in the value of HPB’s properties and securities. In exceptional circumstances cashing in may be deferred for up to twelve months.

HPB's holiday benefits are provided through a Holiday Points system. Each £1 you invest adds one Holiday Point to the allocation of Holiday Points that you receive every year for as long as you hold your bond. Each time you book a holiday, you exchange Holiday Points for the accommodation you want, with the number of Holiday Points required depending on the location, size of property and season.

Here are some examples of how it works in practice (2020 rates):

For two people, holidaying out of season:
A week in Stigliano, Tuscany from 1,510 points
A week in The Trossachs, Scotland from 2,390 points
A week in St Brides Castle, Pembrokeshire from 2,220 points

And in the height of summer:
A week in Rocha Brava, Portgual from 8,030 points
A week in the Lake District from 9,570 points
A week in Le Mont de St Siméon, France from 13,190 points

If you have a minimum qualifying investment you can also book Short Notice Points Free holidays, subject to availability. Bookings can be made up to 28 days in advance for UK holidays and up to 56 days in advance for overseas. Even if you do not have a qualifying investment, you can still book Short Notice Points Free holidays up to 21 days ahead in the UK and up to 42 days ahead overseas.

Inflation protection: Your Holiday Points allocation is re-valued every year in line with the cost of providing additional holiday accommodation for new investors. This means your holiday accommodation booking power is fixed and protected against inflation. So you can look forward to top quality holidays for life.