This post was written by Marc Figueras, CEO of KeyNest.
This morning Airbnb sent an email to its hosts to make them aware of a piece of regulation passed in 2015 that allows short term lets without planning permission to operate for up to 90 nights per calendar year.
Below is the email in full:
Airbnb empowers local hosts to share their homes and make communities stronger. Policymakers around the world are changing their rules to support home sharing, and we want to work with them to help hosts understand the rules and share their homes responsibly.
Following a change in the law last year, homes listed on Airbnb and other platforms can be short-term let for up to 90 days a year without planning permission. The government refers to this as temporary sleeping accommodation and you can read more details here.
Our automated system indicates that you are approaching or have completed 90 days of hosting in this calendar year.
If you wish to host on a short-term rental basis for more than 90 days per calendar year, you require planning permission from your local council. Failure to follow local planning rules could result in enforcement action against you, including financial penalties.
While it is your responsibility to understand and follow local rules, we want to help make this easier for you. To get you started, you can read more about home sharing rules in London here.
The vast majority of hosts follow the rules and provide great experiences for guests. We also understand that there are different types of accommodation on Airbnb in London, such as boutique hotels and traditional B&Bs, that are subject to different rules and regulations.
We will continue to work with policymakers in London and across the world to help hosts understand the rules and to promote responsible home sharing.
Together we can build a home sharing community that makes London stronger.
Thank you,
The Airbnb Team
The 90-day rule was introduced by the Government in 2015 to allow landlords to temporarily rent out their properties on sites such as Airbnb, without being subject to a planning permission. It was a victory for many homesharers who had been fighting for their right to share their homes.
“Most Airbnb hosts had no idea about this until now” says Marc Figueras, founder of KeyNest. “The government says it’s up to the local councils to enforce it – but we haven’t yet heard of anyone being found in breach of the rule. I suspect the entire homesharing community will be up in arms if councils start using the 90-day rule to take away their right to share their homes.”
How does this affect you? Leave a comment below.
