Sharing a holiday home: 10 things to agree on

Whether you are siblings who inherited your parents’ cottage or friends buying a cabin together, the challenges are the same: who gets to be there when? Who pays for the new roof? And what happens if someone wants out?

1. Ownership shares

Who owns how much? Equal shares are simplest, but if one family has put in more money, shares can differ. The ownership share is often used to split fixed costs and any sale proceeds.

2. A written co-ownership agreement

The agreement is your holiday home’s constitution. It covers shares, money, use, decisions and what happens on a sale, death or divorce. Get a lawyer to help – it costs far less than a dispute later.

3. Bookings – especially in peak season

Summer holidays, Easter and half-term are where things usually go wrong. Agree on a fixed rule, for example:

• Rotation: families take turns choosing their weeks first each year.
• Fixed weeks that rotate from year to year.
• First come, first served outside peak season.

What matters most is that everyone sees the same calendar. In Hyttio you book arrival and departure in two taps, and each family has its own colour.

4. Fixed costs

Property tax, insurance, standing charges for electricity and water, waste collection and chimney sweeping. Most families split these by ownership share. Read more in How to split the costs.

5. Usage

Electricity, firewood and water depend on who uses the house. Some split them equally, others by nights stayed, and some read the meters before and after each stay.

6. Upkeep and bigger decisions

Who decides that you need a new roof, deck or kitchen? Agree on a spending limit: below it you can just go ahead, above it everyone has to agree. Keep a shared list of chores so nobody feels they are always the one mowing the lawn.

7. House rules

Cleaning when you leave, bed linen, guests, pets, smoking and what should be left in the cupboards. Small things that cause big friction when they’re not agreed. Use our free house rules template.

8. Renting it out

Can the house be let when none of you are using it? Who handles it, and how is the income shared? Letting can have tax consequences, so talk to an adviser first.

9. If someone wants to sell

Agree in advance whether the others have a right of first refusal, how the price is set (for example by a valuation) and how long they have to raise the money.

10. Death, inheritance and divorce

What happens to a share if an owner dies or divorces? Can it pass to their children, or should the others be able to buy it? These conversations are easiest before they become urgent.

Keeping it running day to day

The paperwork is the foundation. Day to day, it’s the small things that cause friction: double bookings, forgotten bills and “who bought firewood last time?”. Hyttio keeps the calendar, costs, chores, shopping list and house guide in one place – free for the whole family.

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This guide is general inspiration, not legal advice. Get a lawyer to help with your co-ownership agreement.