You rewrite rule is quite board and it will, for sure, generates a lot of conflicts.
add_action('init', 'dcc_rewrite_tags');
function dcc_rewrite_tags() {
add_rewrite_tag('%propref%', '([^&]+)');
}
add_action('init', 'dcc_rewrite_rules');
function dcc_rewrite_rules() {
add_rewrite_rule('^cottage-details/(.+)/?$','index.php?page_id=2&propref=$matches[1]','top');
}
Then you can access to propref
query var like:
$propref = get_query_var( 'propref' );
And remember to flush the rewrite rules; you can do it by going to Settings -> Permalinks and clicking on save button.