Booking accommodation for a contractor isn’t the same job as booking your own holiday. You need somewhere with parking sorted, a proper invoice, dates that can move without a penalty, and ideally one point of contact rather than a different app for every site visit. Here’s what to check before you book.
Most short-let listings are written for leisure guests, which means the details that actually matter to you as the person booking — can a van park outside, will accounts get a VAT invoice, what happens if the job overruns — are the things least likely to be answered on the listing page. This is what to ask, and what a decent provider should already have sorted.
Parking: the question that gets missed most often
If your contractor is bringing a van or tools, parking isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s the difference between a workable stay and a daily headache. Brighton & Hove runs controlled parking zones across most of the city, and what’s allowed depends entirely on which zone the property sits in.
- Light-touch zones only restrict parking during specific windows — often just an hour or two on weekdays — and are unrestricted the rest of the time. Visitor permits in these zones run around £3.50.
- Full scheme zones control parking across the whole day, seven days a week, typically 9am to 8pm. Visitor permits here run around £5.
- High-demand zones are the most restrictive and the most expensive to permit, around £7 a visit.
Ask before you book, not after arrival. “Parking available” on a listing can mean anything from a private driveway to a residents’ permit zone where a visitor permit still needs sorting separately. Ask specifically whether a van will fit, whether a permit is included, and which zone the property sits in.
What to actually ask before confirming a booking
- Can a van or work vehicle park at or near the property? Get a straight answer, not “there’s usually space nearby.”
- Is Wi-Fi reliable enough for video calls and uploading site photos or reports? Not every furnished flat has business-grade broadband, and a contractor filing daily reports needs it to actually work.
- Can the dates change if the job runs over or finishes early? Contractor timelines shift. A booking with a rigid cancellation policy and no flexibility is the wrong fit for site work.
- Will I get a proper VAT invoice, addressed to the business? Not just a payment confirmation email — an invoice your accounts team can actually process.
- Is there one point of contact for the whole stay? If something needs sorting — a broken appliance, an early check-in — you want a phone number, not a support ticket queue.
- Is the property genuinely set up to work from? A desk and a chair that isn’t the bed, not just a kitchen table pushed against a wall.
The invoicing detail that trips people up
UK accommodation is subject to standard-rate VAT at 20%, whether it’s a hotel or serviced accommodation. If your contractor’s stay is a business expense, you’ll usually want a VAT invoice addressed to the company, not a personal booking confirmation, so it can go through expenses cleanly. This is worth confirming before you book rather than chasing it afterwards — not every short-let host is VAT registered or set up to issue one, and platform bookings in particular can make this harder to get sorted after the fact.
The point: ask for the invoice format before you pay, not after the stay. “Can you send a VAT invoice addressed to [company name]” is a one-line question that saves a back-and-forth with your accounts team later.
Why booking direct tends to work better for repeat contractor stays
If you’re booking accommodation for contractors more than once — the same trade coming back for follow-up visits, or different people rotating through the same project — a direct relationship with a local provider is usually easier to manage than booking through a platform each time. You get consistent pricing, one contact who already knows what your bookings need, and an invoicing setup that doesn’t need re-explaining every time.
It’s also easier to solve problems fast with someone you can call directly. If a contractor needs to extend by two nights or swap properties mid-project, a direct provider can usually sort that with a phone call, where a platform booking often means cancelling one listing and starting again.
What a proper contractor stay looks like
| Need | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Parking | Confirmed van-sized space or included permit, not “nearby parking available” |
| Wi-Fi | Reliable enough for calls and uploads, not just browsing |
| Flexibility | Dates that can shift without a cancellation penalty |
| Invoicing | A proper VAT invoice addressed to the business, on request |
| Support | One direct contact for the whole stay, not a ticket queue |
| Workspace | A desk or table separate from the bed |
We book accommodation for contractors and their employers across Brighton & Hove regularly, and we set the whole thing up around exactly what you need as the booker: confirmed parking, proper invoicing, and flexible dates that don’t penalise a job running long. You can see our current availability on our short-term stays page.
Booking accommodation for a contractor or team?
Tell us the dates, the parking needs, and what your accounts team needs on the invoice, and we’ll sort the rest.
Get a quote for your teamParking permit costs and zone rules from Brighton & Hove City Council, current as of September 2026 and subject to change — confirm the exact zone for any specific property before relying on these figures. VAT information from GOV.UK Notice 709/3. This is general information and not tax advice — please check your specific VAT and expense requirements with your accounts team or a tax professional.