1. Do it properly

In London, a residential landlord can only let out their property for a total of 90 consecutive nights consisting of separate short stays that are less than 90 nights each time. This covers most of the bookings through booking sites that promote nightly and weekly rentals. Rentals of more than 90 days are unlimited and permissible and do not count toward the 90 day very short stay rules. Read more details here.

2. Vet your tenant

We always qualify a tenant before asking our clients to sign anything. It is important that the number of people and profile of tenant is carefully checked to ensure that only the allowed number of people occupy a property.

3. Get all rent upfront

The primary residence for nearly all short-let tenants is outside of the UK, meaning that the financial risk for a landlord is far greater unless all rent is paid in advance. At Draker we insist on all tenant paying upfront along with a four-week security deposit.

4. Do not "book blind"

Short let tenants should be vetted in a similar way that long term tenants are referenced before final acceptance. There needs to be a transparent presentation of the tenant and profile to ensure that the you only accept a tenant that will fit within the size of your home and more importantly within your building (if in a block). Most booking sites do not give you the option of choosing your short let tenant. At Draker we present a tenant and their offer to a client and only upon acceptance do we proceed with the booking.

5. Be respectful of building rules

Be careful not to start short letting a property in a building that prohibits rentals that are less than 6 months. Every building in London has differing rules and each property owner is entirely responsible for following their headlease or building regulations. Read your headlease/building rules carefully and if you are in doubt contact your managing agents or superior landlord.