An affordable alternative to purchasing a holiday home

Overseas property investment has long been popular with serving and retired police officers. There’s every chance you know a colleague with a holiday home, perhaps you have rented it from them on good terms and even considered purchasing one yourself.

If you enjoy travel and are looking forward to clocking up the airmiles after leaving the job, The Holiday Property Bond (HPB) is a popular alternative to purchasing a holiday home and also bridges a gap for anyone seeking an alternative to their usual holiday experience.

The membership structure is different to Timeshare. Members become Bondholders enabling access to over 1,500 sites in 32 locations across the UK and Europe. There are currently over 40,000 Bondholders in HPB which was established in 1983 by two Suffolk based families.

There’s a destination for everyone including sun-drenched Mediterranean sites through to rural locations. For readers who are missing walking the beat, many HPB sites are situated close to excellent walking trails. History lovers won’t be disappointed either and can choose from many locations strategically located with some magnificent sites. Palazzo Stigliano set in the Tuscan countryside and not far from Siena is a favourite of TV presenter Sue Barker who has been a Bondholder since 2001.

Other popular destinations include Madeira, Turkey, France, Portugal and closer to home Scotland and Wales. Most properties have a range of excellent facilities on site, including heated swimming pools, gym equipment, games rooms and libraries etc.

Affordability

There’s an initial payment from £5,000 and a quarterly fee of just under £38 linked to RPIX. This will provide access to all HPB’s holiday homes. For each HPB holiday, Bondholders pay a no-profit user charge covering only property running and maintenance costs and use of on-site facilities. There are no high season premiums. For a studio the charge averages about £360 a week.
2-bedroom properties are approximately £540 per week. Larger properties are available.

After an initial charge of 25%, your money is invested in a fund of holiday properties and securities. The fund itself meets annual charges of 2.5%. Your investment return is purely in the form of holidays and, as with most investments, your capital is at risk. You can surrender your investment to the company after two years or more (subject to deferral in exceptional circumstances) but you will get back less than you invested because of the charges referred to above, as well as other overheads and changes in the value of the fund’s properties and securities.

• If you would like to know more about HPB visit:
www.hpb.co.uk or Tel 0800 665490