In order to promote responsible home sharing and deter commercial operators across Greater London, Airbnb introduced a 90-day limit on all ‘entire home’ listings in early 2017. 

Read on to find out what this means for London Airbnb owners and how Smarthost’s Airbnb Property Management can help. 

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What is the Airbnb 90-day rule?

In January 2017 Airbnb enforced a new ruling whereby all ‘entire home’ listings across Greater London are automatically limited to being rented out for no more than 90 nights per calendar year. This is known as the ‘Airbnb 90-day rule’ and applies to both 90 consecutive days or 90 days spread throughout the year. The 90-day rule does not affect those who rent out individual rooms within their homes.

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What happens when the 90-day limit has been reached? 

Once your limit has been reached, Airbnb will automatically close bookings until the end of the calendar year. This can be monitored by a counter that appears on your ‘Airbnb Manage Listing’ page which states how many nights your listing has been booked for. The counter will refresh at the beginning of each new calendar year. 

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What if I have permission to rent my property for longer than 90 days? 

If you have permission to host beyond the 90-day limit, you are able to request that Airbnb do not apply the 90-day rule to your property and they will remove the limit accordingly. 

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In which cities does the Airbnb 90-day rule apply?

The 90-day Airbnb rule applies to all ‘entire home’ listings in Greater London. No other cities currently have such a limit in place however, there are ongoing discussions of extending the rule to other major cities. Landlords with properties in other areas would benefit from reading Airbnb’s advice on responsible hosting in order to keep up with any future developments. 

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Why does the Airbnb 90-day rule exist?

Prior to the 90-day Airbnb rule being implemented, landlords were required to apply for planning permission in order to change their long-term lets to a short-term rental. 

Due to a global shift in how people travelled and the economic benefits it would bring to homeowners and guests, the Greater London Council introduced the Deregulation Act 2015, which aimed to relax the rules and allow homeowners to rent out their property on a short term basis (up to 90 nights a year), without requiring planning consent from the local council.  

Airbnb supported this by enforcing the rule on their website in early 2017, and are playing a pivotal part in ensuring that home sharing grows responsibly and sustainably across Greater London.

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What are the pros and cons of the 90-day Airbnb rule?

Pros:

• It ensures a responsible and sustainable housing supply for both short and long term lets within London. 
• The economy benefits from extra tourism. 
• Councils and communities gain a sense of control of what’s happening in the area. 
• It allows homeowners to rent out their space with less stress (ie. no planning permission for short lets). 

Cons:

• Homeowners may want to rent their property out for longer than 90 days.  
• A higher turnover of guests or those staying for shorter time periods could result in guests not being compliant with house rules. 
• Guests staying on a short term basis may not be respectful of the local community. 

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What Smarthost thinks…

Although the Airbnb 90-day rule can be restrictive it can bring many benefits to both landlords and tenants. 

Many homeowners tend to be away from their homes longer than 90 days however, they are unable to advertise their property as a long term let as they need to come and go regularly, or they are unable to commit for a set period of time (eg. they are waiting for their property to sell). This is where flexible, short lets can help.

Our London based team of professionals offer landlords the complete package from getting your property guest ready to creating a standout listing, arranging housekeeping and maintenance, sourcing tenants, managing bookings and anything in between. We also guarantee a high-quality service, giving you that extra peace of mind. 

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How can Smarthost help you manage the Airbnb 90-day rule?

As experts in our field, Smarthost recognises the importance of complying with regulations in each and every city that we operate in, including London. We take your London based rental property and promote it across a multitude of short let platforms in order to maximise your rental income and successfully manage the 90-day rule . 

We work with a number of trusted partners to list and advertise your property including Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO, Expedia, Rightmove and more. By doing this we can help you to maximise earnings and enable the property to be filled quickly. 

We also help landlords, with the relevant permissions in place, to rent out homes on a longer term basis, should they wish to do so. 

We understand that each and every property has its own unique characteristics, which is why we use an individual approach to manage and advertise each and every one of our short let properties. 

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How can I avoid or bypass the 90-day Airbnb rule?

How to get around the Airbnb 90-day rule? There is no way to avoid or bypass the 90-day Airbnb rule. By using Smarthost to rent out your property, you have access to  listing on multiple platforms. These will give you ample opportunity to secure higher earnings in peak seasons and fill any longer periods of availability with corporate or longer term bookings - all within the 90-day rule. 

Take a look at our Airbnb Property Management services or email london@smarthost.co.uk  to find out more.

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*Please note that this blog should not be taken as formal advice. If you are unclear on any of the regulations mentioned above, you should always seek professional advice.*

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