Shropshire couple start new independent holiday letting agency

A husband and wife duo have launched an independent boutique-styled holiday let management agency to rival the major players in the industry who operate in the county.

Matthew Huff, 33, and Katherine Parkes, 34, have founded Shropshire Escapes, a new business that aims to “take the hassle off holiday let owners” in the area, and offer an approachable alternative to the traditional agencies.

The married couple, originally from Brighton and Warwickshire respectively, moved to Shropshire in April 2025.

Since then, they have been running their own holiday let business in Much Wenlock - called Wenlock Retreats.

Now the couple have decided to put their contacts and know-how of holiday lets to the test and start a new venture.

“We thought there was a gap in the market for a really local, personal, hands-on service,” said Matthew, explaining his vision for Shropshire Escapes.

Most holiday letting agencies take away many of the core responsibilities of running a property from the owner.

For example, they can deal with taking photos of the property, arranging cleaning services, dealing with maintenance issues, and liaising with guests.

Matthew and Katherine are hoping to do all this, but in their own way.

“For owners across Shropshire who have got amazing places but really do not want the headache of having to speak to a maintenance guy at 6pm because the boiler is broken, we can take that stress off,” said Matthew.

“At the end of the month the owners just get a paycheque.”

He went on to say: “The beauty of being a small agile company like ours is we can really fit around the owners.”

Matthew added that he and Katherine are happy to work alongside holiday let owners, and if they still want to be involved in parts of the operation, but not others, they can.

However, the co-founder said: “The goal really is to take the hassle off holiday let owners and really manage that whole process so they do not have to stress.”

The couple now live in Much Wenlock with their 18-month-old daughter.

Since moving to Shropshire, they said they have fallen hard for the area.

This love for Shropshire is another point they hope will help them in their new business.

“We just really want to sell Shropshire, because honestly we have fallen in love with it,” said Matthew.

“We have been here a year and a half and we wish we had been here earlier.”

Talking about Shropshire Escapes’ future, Matthew said: “We would love Shropshire Escapes to become a collection of brilliant properties across the county and a brand that really sells Shropshire as a destination.”