I need some recommendations for companies that rent cottages/homes in the UK and Ireland. We have used RentVillas for rental in Italy in the past and have been very pleased with them. However, their selection of UK homes seems limited. Any suggestions or advice? Thank you in advance

We have used English Country Cottages
http://www.english-country-cottages.co.uk/
for years and have always been satisfied with them.

In many years of renting cottages in England we much prefer renting directly from owners when we can. It may take a bit more searching on the Internet, but it's worth it. We find that the owners rarely hide the property's faults (they usually live close by, so perhaps are more aware of immediate feedback) whereas guidebooks and agencies tend to gloss over problems.

Some sites with owner websites that we'd recommend: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/index.htm
http://www.cottageguide.co.uk/
http://www.holidaylets.net/search/england/1
http://www.vrbo.com/

When we have rented through agencies we've been fairly successful with Helpful Holidays http://www.helpfulholidays.com/ - although their website is text-dense and Classic Cottages - http://www.classic.co.uk/.

We initially had some problems with Freedom holidays in Kent/Sussex http://www.freedomholidayhomes.co.uk/ but they were helpful in resolving them.

Under no circumstance book with Hoseasons - terrible customer service and they are one of the worst offenders for hiding a property's faults.

Two cottages I can recommend, at opposite ends of the country are:
www.lochfyneshore.co.uk in Scotland

and www.cottageguide.co.uk/carriagehouse in Kent.
We were very happy with both and found the first through an ad in the paper and the second by surfing the net. Have a look at the other cottages offered by www.cottageguide.co.uk too.

I have a long list in a Word document, but most are focussed on Scotland. Any use to you?

What part(s) of the UK? Several good agencies specialize in a single region or country. Kent, Wales, Scotland, the Cotswolds, Yorkshire etc . . . . .

Sykes Cottages are good -
www.sykescottages.co.uk
I do agree with the comment about renting direct from the owner. If you are interested in staying in North Yorkshire then this site is excellent.
www.yorkshirenet.co.uk

http://www.interhome.co.uk/ is the best international one!

There is a selection at
http://www.sylviamilne.co.uk/tour.htm#Accommodation

Thank you for the suggestions! It is going to be so much fun to start researching these companies and sites!

We are in the very beginning stages of planning so have not yet settled on a particular part of the country yet. Cotswalds seems nice or a place in or near London, but that might be expensive. However, we also plan to do some traveling in Scotland. So locations at the England/Scottish border, as well as in Scotland itself, would be nice. Right now I am literally a sponge, trying to soak up any information I can. So all suggestions and advice are very, very welcome.

Thank you again!

The best self catering company we have dealt with in the past was this Lake District Cottages company :

http://www.lakelandcottages.co.uk

You need to look at www.slowtrav.com. That was started by a woman who regularly rents cottages in England. The site has expanded now and is especially helpful on Italy. But there's a lot of expertise on staying in Britain. Travellers review rentals and comment on their experiences with the rental companies. For more general questions there's also www.slowtalk.com.

That said, www.ruralretreats.co.uk has the most attractive cottages to rent. Positively mouthwateringly picturesque. The English do cozy so well!

The National Trust also rents cottages. ANd your money goes to a worthy cause.

http://www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk/