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

Niv

jj_43 said:

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? 

They are definitely not always more expensive especially at this time of year. You cant look at the nightly rate and assume its that x the number of nights in the month as many give sizable discounts for 'long stays' so if you stay a month you could be talking a 50% discount especially at this time of year.

movilogo

There is nothing wrong in staying in AirBnB for a long term basis. In fact, once you know the landlord, you can directly deal with them which would work out better on either side. Be aware that this kind of agreements are often verbal and have no legal basis. It entirely depends on lodger and landlord meeting each others' expectations. What may work for one may not be so good for other.

DullGreyGuy

Niv said:

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. 

Very possibly... I seem to be wording things badly these days.

I was trying to say if the total cost to a renter is £1,000 PCM and the total cost to an Airbnb stayer is £1,000 a month then my understanding of a typical fee structure of a "let only" tennancy -v- total costs on both sides for Airbnb that the landlord would get less under Airbnb so could raise questions as to why they'd do this rather than the AST especially if others are correct in saying that tenant rights may be received despite the contract if its over a certain duration. If they are wrong then there are benefits around moving people on.

Niv

DullGreyGuy said:

Niv said:

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. 

Very possibly... I seem to be wording things badly these days.

I was trying to say if the total cost to a renter is £1,000 PCM and the total cost to an Airbnb stayer is £1,000 a month then my understanding of a typical fee structure of a "let only" tennancy -v- total costs on both sides for Airbnb that the landlord would get less under Airbnb so could raise questions as to why they'd do this rather than the AST especially if others are correct in saying that tenant rights may be received despite the contract if its over a certain duration. If they are wrong then there are benefits around moving people on.

Ah yes, I think we are in the same ballpark. So for clarity host fees are 3%, no idea what a letting agent would charge but I know when I enquired a number of years ago it was around 8% but cannot recall if that was a full service or a let only type service. So yes, its a factor for a host/LL to determine too.

I currently host on AirBnB and do occasionally have people stay due to house moves with stays ranging from 1 to 3 months. I think the flexibility suits the renter and for me I like having greater control of the space so for example I can block it out for when family wish to stay etc. Even if staying three months it is arranged a month at a time, there is no option for someone to book the space for longer in one hit so not really sure how someone could claim to be a tenant in that situation. 

Bradden

There is another benefit to the property owner.. they can avoid the usual legal aspect of tenancies.. deposits, right to rent etc etc

DullGreyGuy

Niv said:
I currently host on AirBnB and do occasionally have people stay due to house moves with stays ranging from 1 to 3 months. I think the flexibility suits the renter and for me I like having greater control of the space so for example I can block it out for when family wish to stay etc. Even if staying three months it is arranged a month at a time, there is no option for someone to book the space for longer in one hit so not really sure how someone could claim to be a tenant in that situation. 

For 1-3 months it totally makes sense, most properties arent offered on such a short term and normally require a minimum of 6 months before a breakclause allows notice to be served. 

Not sure how AirBnB works behind the scenes but as a renter I can book a property for more than a month (have done in the past) but they do bill you on a month by month basis... as I get confirmation for the full 9 weeks up front I'd hope that it is fully booked out automatically!

Niv

DullGreyGuy said:

Niv said:
I currently host on AirBnB and do occasionally have people stay due to house moves with stays ranging from 1 to 3 months. I think the flexibility suits the renter and for me I like having greater control of the space so for example I can block it out for when family wish to stay etc. Even if staying three months it is arranged a month at a time, there is no option for someone to book the space for longer in one hit so not really sure how someone could claim to be a tenant in that situation. 

For 1-3 months it totally makes sense, most properties arent offered on such a short term and normally require a minimum of 6 months before a breakclause allows notice to be served. 

Not sure how AirBnB works behind the scenes but as a renter I can book a property for more than a month (have done in the past) but they do bill you on a month by month basis... as I get confirmation for the full 9 weeks up front I'd hope that it is fully booked out automatically!

Point 1 -  which is why its useful for people between moves where 6 months isn't desired. But yes longer term I can see peoples concerns about people trying to avoid LL responsibilities.

Point 2 - Its up to the host. I can change my settings to allow people to book for longer but i choose not to as it is not my aim to have a full time tenant. So if you looked at my place for example, you would not be able to book it longer than a month (well 31 days in my case). If you wanted longer you would have to send a message to discuss.