Temporarily living in AirBnBs instead of a standard rental - any pitfalls? 9 October 2022 at 2:44PM edited 9 October 2022 at 2:46PM in House buying, renting & selling 27 replies 1.9K views

DullGreyGuy

Suitcasesparks said:

I've been doing this since I sold my house in August. Ended up working well as the host in the second Airbnb I stayed in has let me stay for over 3 months, after the first month he marked the flat unavailable on airbnb and I pay him direct which saves us both money as we don't pay the airbnb fees. It works out cheaper than renting a flat and includes utilities, broadband etc. Most airbnb hosts prefer long term guests as they dont have to pay for cleaning every few days, and if you don't cause them any stress and look after the place it's less risk than multiple random guests every few days.

But it is a breach of the T&Cs you both agreed to with AirBnB so in theory if they discovered it they could pursue either of you for their lost monies. Not saying dont do it, have done it too, but be aware of the risks you are running. 

SuseOrm said:

I came very close to doing this and we had absolutely no trouble securing an Airbnb for the same price as a two bedroom flat as luck would have it.  

I'm surprised, given the fees the property owner has to pay to the company it'd mean they are getting less than if it were an AST.

We did it outside of the UK but the rental charges via the website were double the cost of long term renting locally. We did the same as Suitcasesparks and initially stayed in the system and the extended for another 5 months out of it at a much reduced rate. 

Niv

DullGreyGuy said:

Suitcasesparks said:

I've been doing this since I sold my house in August. Ended up working well as the host in the second Airbnb I stayed in has let me stay for over 3 months, after the first month he marked the flat unavailable on airbnb and I pay him direct which saves us both money as we don't pay the airbnb fees. It works out cheaper than renting a flat and includes utilities, broadband etc. Most airbnb hosts prefer long term guests as they dont have to pay for cleaning every few days, and if you don't cause them any stress and look after the place it's less risk than multiple random guests every few days.

But it is a breach of the T&Cs you both agreed to with AirBnB so in theory if they discovered it they could pursue either of you for their lost monies. Not saying dont do it, have done it too, but be aware of the risks you are running. 

SuseOrm said:

I came very close to doing this and we had absolutely no trouble securing an Airbnb for the same price as a two bedroom flat as luck would have it.  

I'm surprised, given the fees the property owner has to pay to the company it'd mean they are getting less than if it were an AST.

We did it outside of the UK but the rental charges via the website were double the cost of long term renting locally. We did the same as Suitcasesparks and initially stayed in the system and the extended for another 5 months out of it at a much reduced rate. 

AirBnB charges for hosts are inexpensive. The guest pays more to them than the host.

DullGreyGuy

Niv said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Suitcasesparks said:

I've been doing this since I sold my house in August. Ended up working well as the host in the second Airbnb I stayed in has let me stay for over 3 months, after the first month he marked the flat unavailable on airbnb and I pay him direct which saves us both money as we don't pay the airbnb fees. It works out cheaper than renting a flat and includes utilities, broadband etc. Most airbnb hosts prefer long term guests as they dont have to pay for cleaning every few days, and if you don't cause them any stress and look after the place it's less risk than multiple random guests every few days.

But it is a breach of the T&Cs you both agreed to with AirBnB so in theory if they discovered it they could pursue either of you for their lost monies. Not saying dont do it, have done it too, but be aware of the risks you are running. 

SuseOrm said:

I came very close to doing this and we had absolutely no trouble securing an Airbnb for the same price as a two bedroom flat as luck would have it.  

I'm surprised, given the fees the property owner has to pay to the company it'd mean they are getting less than if it were an AST.

We did it outside of the UK but the rental charges via the website were double the cost of long term renting locally. We did the same as Suitcasesparks and initially stayed in the system and the extended for another 5 months out of it at a much reduced rate. 

AirBnB charges for hosts are inexpensive. The guest pays more to them than the host.

Not sure which point that is supposed to be in reference to?

If its about total airbnb being same as AST rates then it doesnt matter who's paying them if it costs £1,000 a month total cost via airbnb or £1,000 AST the landlord is getting less via airbnb as that £1,000 has to cover both buyer and seller fees

If its about breach of contract, airbnb would be entitled to claim for their losses as a result of the breach which wouldnt have to be apportioned between the two parties in the same way the fees would have been had the breach not occured. 

Eldi_Dos

If you opt for using a PO box for mail, which would be my preference, would DVLA, Passport Office,send documents to a PO box.

DullGreyGuy

Eldi_Dos said:

If you opt for using a PO box for mail, which would be my preference, would DVLA, Passport Office,send documents to a PO box.

DVLA state they dont. 

Outside of the royal mail PO box there are plenty of third party companies offering various mail services in addition to what RM does. Probably much less likely to be caught as a mail forwarder but clearly you have to trust the firm with having access to your personal information. 

user1977

DVLA won't, as the point of the address is ultimately so the cops can turn up at your door. And given the passport office often courier stuff, I doubt they can work with a PO box either. Though I don't think anybody's mentioned passports so far.

Niv

DullGreyGuy said:

Niv said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Suitcasesparks said:

I've been doing this since I sold my house in August. Ended up working well as the host in the second Airbnb I stayed in has let me stay for over 3 months, after the first month he marked the flat unavailable on airbnb and I pay him direct which saves us both money as we don't pay the airbnb fees. It works out cheaper than renting a flat and includes utilities, broadband etc. Most airbnb hosts prefer long term guests as they dont have to pay for cleaning every few days, and if you don't cause them any stress and look after the place it's less risk than multiple random guests every few days.

But it is a breach of the T&Cs you both agreed to with AirBnB so in theory if they discovered it they could pursue either of you for their lost monies. Not saying dont do it, have done it too, but be aware of the risks you are running. 

SuseOrm said:

I came very close to doing this and we had absolutely no trouble securing an Airbnb for the same price as a two bedroom flat as luck would have it.  

I'm surprised, given the fees the property owner has to pay to the company it'd mean they are getting less than if it were an AST.

We did it outside of the UK but the rental charges via the website were double the cost of long term renting locally. We did the same as Suitcasesparks and initially stayed in the system and the extended for another 5 months out of it at a much reduced rate. 

AirBnB charges for hosts are inexpensive. The guest pays more to them than the host.

Not sure which point that is supposed to be in reference to?

If its about total airbnb being same as AST rates then it doesnt matter who's paying them if it costs £1,000 a month total cost via airbnb or £1,000 AST the landlord is getting less via airbnb as that £1,000 has to cover both buyer and seller fees

If its about breach of contract, airbnb would be entitled to claim for their losses as a result of the breach which wouldnt have to be apportioned between the two parties in the same way the fees would have been had the breach not occured. 

Apologies. I have bolded the bit I was referring to. Obviously if you are not using an agent that has some savings but the airBnB rate for hosts is significantly cheaper than the figures I have seen for letting agents.

DullGreyGuy

Niv said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Niv said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Suitcasesparks said:

I've been doing this since I sold my house in August. Ended up working well as the host in the second Airbnb I stayed in has let me stay for over 3 months, after the first month he marked the flat unavailable on airbnb and I pay him direct which saves us both money as we don't pay the airbnb fees. It works out cheaper than renting a flat and includes utilities, broadband etc. Most airbnb hosts prefer long term guests as they dont have to pay for cleaning every few days, and if you don't cause them any stress and look after the place it's less risk than multiple random guests every few days.

But it is a breach of the T&Cs you both agreed to with AirBnB so in theory if they discovered it they could pursue either of you for their lost monies. Not saying dont do it, have done it too, but be aware of the risks you are running. 

SuseOrm said:

I came very close to doing this and we had absolutely no trouble securing an Airbnb for the same price as a two bedroom flat as luck would have it.  

I'm surprised, given the fees the property owner has to pay to the company it'd mean they are getting less than if it were an AST.

We did it outside of the UK but the rental charges via the website were double the cost of long term renting locally. We did the same as Suitcasesparks and initially stayed in the system and the extended for another 5 months out of it at a much reduced rate. 

AirBnB charges for hosts are inexpensive. The guest pays more to them than the host.

Not sure which point that is supposed to be in reference to?

If its about total airbnb being same as AST rates then it doesnt matter who's paying them if it costs £1,000 a month total cost via airbnb or £1,000 AST the landlord is getting less via airbnb as that £1,000 has to cover both buyer and seller fees

If its about breach of contract, airbnb would be entitled to claim for their losses as a result of the breach which wouldnt have to be apportioned between the two parties in the same way the fees would have been had the breach not occured. 

Apologies. I have bolded the bit I was referring to. Obviously if you are not using an agent that has some savings but the airBnB rate for hosts is significantly cheaper than the figures I have seen for letting agents.

But for the delta you have to also consider the buyers/renters fees as otherwise the statement that the cost was the same on Airbnb and an AST isnt true from a renter's perspective. When considering letting agents fees -v- total fees from Airbnb you need to ensure you are comparing like for like... airbnb dont offer the owners a fully managed service and so probably closest to a let only service which is often a fixed fee (or is with agents around this way)

Niv

DullGreyGuy said:

Niv said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Niv said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Suitcasesparks said:

I've been doing this since I sold my house in August. Ended up working well as the host in the second Airbnb I stayed in has let me stay for over 3 months, after the first month he marked the flat unavailable on airbnb and I pay him direct which saves us both money as we don't pay the airbnb fees. It works out cheaper than renting a flat and includes utilities, broadband etc. Most airbnb hosts prefer long term guests as they dont have to pay for cleaning every few days, and if you don't cause them any stress and look after the place it's less risk than multiple random guests every few days.

But it is a breach of the T&Cs you both agreed to with AirBnB so in theory if they discovered it they could pursue either of you for their lost monies. Not saying dont do it, have done it too, but be aware of the risks you are running. 

SuseOrm said:

I came very close to doing this and we had absolutely no trouble securing an Airbnb for the same price as a two bedroom flat as luck would have it.  

I'm surprised, given the fees the property owner has to pay to the company it'd mean they are getting less than if it were an AST.

We did it outside of the UK but the rental charges via the website were double the cost of long term renting locally. We did the same as Suitcasesparks and initially stayed in the system and the extended for another 5 months out of it at a much reduced rate. 

AirBnB charges for hosts are inexpensive. The guest pays more to them than the host.

Not sure which point that is supposed to be in reference to?

If its about total airbnb being same as AST rates then it doesnt matter who's paying them if it costs £1,000 a month total cost via airbnb or £1,000 AST the landlord is getting less via airbnb as that £1,000 has to cover both buyer and seller fees

If its about breach of contract, airbnb would be entitled to claim for their losses as a result of the breach which wouldnt have to be apportioned between the two parties in the same way the fees would have been had the breach not occured. 

Apologies. I have bolded the bit I was referring to. Obviously if you are not using an agent that has some savings but the airBnB rate for hosts is significantly cheaper than the figures I have seen for letting agents.

But for the delta you have to also consider the buyers/renters fees as otherwise the statement that the cost was the same on Airbnb and an AST isnt true from a renter's perspective. When considering letting agents fees -v- total fees from Airbnb you need to ensure you are comparing like for like... airbnb dont offer the owners a fully managed service and so probably closest to a let only service which is often a fixed fee (or is with agents around this way)

I think I may have read your statement differently to how you intended. 

You said ' I'm surprised, given the fees the property owner has to pay to the company it'd mean they are getting less than if it were an AST.' in relation to a statement from another poster saying they could find an airbnb at the same price as a two bed flat. I interpreted your statement to mean that you were surprised that a host would do this as it would not be as profitable as an AST. I agree that from a renters perspective the total cost per month needs to be calculated regardless whom they are paying. 

jj_43

Expense is the main issue. You seem happy with the cost, why not contact local letting agent say your looking and will offer an extra 40% to get a rental? Airbnb must be 100% higher rentals?