Sykes will categorically take your money (as with a housekeeping bond) without warning, or at least on the day its stolen from your account without giving you recourse, or chance to defend yourself or disagree. Our rich cottage land owner decided to blame a number of things already wrong in the cottage on us and then charge us £141 for them. Did Sykes defend us? No. There was me being kind about all the dirt i already found in the cottage, the filthy windows, the stove that didnt work, the broken blinds and bad lighting, and not mentioing it because the landowner was old, and seemingly 'nice' and this is what i got in return from both Sykes and landowner. Thievery basically. Congratulations to both of you. You just made an already difficult world that bit more cut-throat. Don't trust Sykes and don't trust the cottage owners. Take pictures of everything that is wrong in the cottage when you get there and prepare for your money to be stolen from your card details without warning for issues that you are never given a right to defend yourself for. This was the 1st time i have ever booked with Sykes. Poor poor poor and while many of you might never come across a problem, because your cottage owners are decent unlike mine was, remember they will not defend you or give you a chance to defend yourself if something goes wrong. So i would say they aren't a holiday cottage company worth taking the risk with. I will never use them again.