Short-term Rental Websites

Several property news sites have been reporting on the positive and negative effects of short-term rental websites like airbnb, flipkey and HomeAway.

A couple of weeks ago a court in London ruled that homeowners whose lease states that their property can be used as “private residence only” cannot rent out their homes short-term if they don’t live there with “a degree of permanence going beyond being there for a weekend or a few nights in the week.” In this case action was taken against designer Iveta Nemcova whose neighbours brought the action because of the number of different people coming to her apartment. Although Ms Nemcova claimed that she stayed at the property three or four nights a week the judge didn’t agree that made it a permanent residence and declared that she was in breech of her lease.

Some landlords are reporting success at renting rooms out through short-term rental sites but the rules can be complex and do vary in different regions. If you are considering renting rooms in this way it is important that you investigate the rules and thoroughly consider the pros and cons as getting it wrong can result in expensive consequences. It is a good idea to chat your plans through with a letting agent who will be able to offer guidance about how best to prepare your property for short-term rental.