Coronavirus (COVID-19): Latest Guidance from UnderTheDoormat

Last updated: March 25th, 2020.

Dear Guests and Homeowners,

As a company in the travel industry, we are very conscious of the impact of coronavirus on people around the world.

Whether you are a guest visiting London or a homeowner welcoming guests to your home, we want to offer you clear and concise information so you can feel confident in the best steps to take.

The situation is evolving at different paces in different countries. We encourage you to check this page for updates on a regular basis for the latest news.

At present, the UK Government is advising against any travel unless it is essential until at least April 15th.

For Guests

We have introduced a special COVID-19 cancellation policy to take into account the changing restrictions that have been placed on travelling.

Our team are handling a very large number of enquiries about upcoming bookings and we request that you contact us only if your stay begins before the end of April 2020.

For guests who are due to be checking in before the end of April or who have non-refundable bookings, and if formal government travel restrictions or quarantine laws impact either the guest ability to leave their country or to enter a country:

Guests will be issued with a voucher for the value of the booking, valid for 12 months from the original check-in date for any home in our portfolio.

For guests who are due to be checking in before the end of April or who have non-refundable bookings, where no formal travel restrictions are in place:

We will provide documentation to help you claim a refund via your travel insurance OR a credit note for 100% of the booking value, valid in any home in our portfolio, to be used for a stay starting before December 31st 2020.

For guests who are checking-in from 1st May 2020 onwards:

With the current government advice, we are proceeding with check ins for NHS workers and guests with no other possible residences only. We recommend waiting until closer to the time before making a final decision as you may benefit from changes to our policy.

If you are keen to change your plans immediately, we can provide a credit note for 100% of the booking value, valid in any home in our portfolio, to be used for a stay starting before December 31st 2020.

For Homeowners

If a guest stay was due to begin before the end of April 2020, our COVID-19 cancellation policy above will apply to bookings. Many platforms have issued similar policies, and guests will be able to rebook at a future date with no penalties. In cases where a guest chooses to postpone their stay and accept a credit note, the homeowner will not receive a payment for the original stay dates. We will as far as possible rebook the guest into the same home in future.

If a homeowner has any restrictions that limit the availability of the home for a stay due to check-in before April 20th , please get in touch and we will guide you on the next steps. We may be able to host the guests or the homeowner in another suitable property.

If you have guests due to check in after April 20th, we recommend waiting until closer to the time before contacting us as the situation may change in the meantime.

For homeowners keen to increase occupancy during this challenging time, we recommend a a temporary reduction of 30% in homeowner rates for all stays between now and May 31st 2020. UnderTheDoormat will pass all of this reduction on to guests and this will encourage the smaller number of current essential travellers to book a stay in your home. If you would like us to do this, then contact us.

The current situation has impacted on all our Homeowners and over the next few weeks your thoughts will no doubt turn to the future and how best to manage your property as the situation eases. We are always here to offer any help we can and if you feel a longer term let is the way forward, we are offering an additional service outside of our standard short-lets. If would like to discuss this or other options, please get in touch.

The steps we are taking with our team

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have implemented a series of preventive measures throughout our team and field operations, in accordance with recommendations from the World Health Organisation and local health authorities.

Our entire team, including housekeeping staff, are trained to the highest hospitality standards and although we already undertake rigorous cleaning in our homes, we have now strengthened this to include further deep cleaning and wider use of antibacterial products on all surfaces for the protection of our guests. Our linens partner, Laundry Heap professionally cleans all our linen using temperatures and products that clean to the highest standards.

Please check this page regularly for further updates.