20 | Bed & Breakfast News | Summer 2019
10 most expensive types of business disruption for B&Bs
Rank
Issue
Total cost
to fix Days of
disruption % of
B&Bs
affected
£28,040 70 8%
1 Water damage from flooding 2 Leaking roof £9,192 66 18%
3 Water damage from burst pipes £5,704 17 24%
4 Other roofing issues £4,652 1 8%
5 Broken or damaged boiler £4,266 3 24%
6 Blocked drains £1,570 3 22%
7 Guest damaging room (uninhabitable) £477 3 4%
8 Guest damaging room (still habitable) £379 2 45%
9 Insect or animal infestation £377 2 10%
10 Access to the property blocked meaning
guests couldn’t get to the property £102 1 1%
Source: Direct Line for Business 2018
A large proportion (48%) of B&B
businesses affected by these issues had
to shut their doors completely until the
repairs were completed. As a result,
nearly two fifths (38%) lost bookings,
while a fifth (19%) suspected that they
lost return business. One in seven (14%)
received complaints from existing
customers, while the same number
received negative reviews online.
These issues have hit B&Bs hard; more
than two fifths (43%) had to use up cash
reserves to fix the problems, while 37
per cent had to put personal money into
the business. As a result, a third (33%)
saw a reduction in profit, while a quarter
(23%) saw a reduction in revenue. One
in five (20%) B&B owners believes that
customers affected by the issues did not
rebook.
David Weston, Chairman of the Bed &
Breakfast Association said: “B&B owners
work tirelessly to provide an outstanding
service to their guests, but unfortunately
all it takes is flood damage or a leaking
roof for them to have to close their
doors to guests, significantly affecting
them financially. It is important owners
look at insurance cover to guard their
business in the event of disruption and,
ideally, they should choose a provider
that will help them get back on track