Buying a glamping site?

A glamping site with strong seasonal occupancy, a well-maintained and diverse accommodation offering, and an established online booking presence is a genuinely fundable acquisition. The glamping sector has grown significantly over the past decade — driven by consumer demand for distinctive, nature-based short breaks that offer comfort alongside the outdoor experience. A well-positioned glamping site with a loyal repeat guest base, strong review scores, and freehold land is a more fundable proposition than many buyers expect.

What lenders look at

Occupancy and seasonal revenue are the foundation. Lenders will examine the annual occupancy rate across all accommodation units — shepherd's huts, yurts, treehouses, bell tents, pods, or cabins — the average nightly rate per unit, and the total annual revenue. Glamping sites typically have a pronounced seasonal trading pattern — peak summer and school holiday occupancy generates the majority of annual revenue, with spring and autumn shoulder seasons and limited winter trading. Lenders familiar with the sector assess annual income on a full-year basis rather than extrapolating from peak season figures. A site with strong summer occupancy supplemented by year-round bookings for couples' breaks, birthday celebrations, and off-season events is a more fundable profile than one entirely dependent on a short summer peak.

Planning consent is central to the underwriting. Glamping sites operate on agricultural or rural land that typically needs specific planning permission for the siting of accommodation units and the use of land for tourism purposes. Lenders will check that each accommodation unit has appropriate planning consent — either full planning permission or a lawful development certificate — and that there are no outstanding enforcement notices or planning conditions that could affect the site's ability to operate. Seasonal planning conditions — limiting occupation to specific months of the year — directly affect the annual revenue potential and lenders will factor any such conditions into their income assessment. A site with full, unconditional planning consent for year-round use is a significantly more fundable proposition than one operating under seasonal or temporary permissions.

The land and infrastructure are assessed as the primary security components. Most glamping site acquisitions involve freehold land — the site itself, the accommodation units, and any ancillary facilities such as toilet and shower blocks, communal areas, car parking, and any glamping structures permanently affixed to the land. The land provides the primary security and lenders will commission an independent valuation on both a trading and a vacant possession basis. The condition of the accommodation units, the quality of the site infrastructure, and the environmental credentials of the operation — off-grid power, composting toilets, or eco-friendly credentials — are all assessed as part of the overall asset picture.

Online reputation and booking platform presence are reviewed as indicators of brand strength and future revenue. A glamping site with consistently strong reviews on Google, Airbnb, Glamping Hub, and Pitchup — four-point-five stars or above across a substantial number of bookings — demonstrates the guest experience quality that drives repeat bookings and word-of-mouth referral. Lenders assess the online reputation alongside the trading figures as a forward-looking indicator of occupancy sustainability. A site with a strong direct booking presence — where a significant proportion of bookings come through the site's own website rather than through third-party platforms — is a more profitable and more fundable proposition than one entirely dependent on platform commission income.

How we help

We are acquisition finance and loans brokers, not lenders. We package your application, present it to the funders with genuine rural property and hospitality appetite, and manage the process from first conversation through to completion.

We also arrange government-backed facilities for glamping site acquisitions — helping buyers access up to £2 million toward their purchase where the criteria are met.

Every glamping site acquisition is different. Tell us about the business. We will take it from there.