Want to short-let your home when you’re away, but afraid your landlord will find out?

A risky process

With short-lets becoming more common and more people you know doing it, is it worth Airbnbing your home when you are away? Who would manage it? What if your landlord found out?

If you rent your home you might feel like its an opportunity to cover your rent and bills while you are away, but what are the risks? There is the possibility of doing this ‘under the radar’ in the hope that you won’t get caught, but it’s a risk. A big risk.

If you sublet your London home while you’re away, who knows what condition you’ll find your flat or house when you return – and you’ll be responsible. The consequences of your landlord finding out you have been away and sublet can mean being booted out of your home. You will be in breach of contract and you could even lose your deposit and possibly face other financial penalties. The alternative is to pay rent on a home that often sits empty. What a wasted opportunity!

The solution

If you rent a home in London and you’re tempted to short let while you’re away but feel your hands are tied with your rental contract then UnderTheDoormat has some good news for you…. there is a solution!

UnderTheDoormat has been working with a reputable London law firm to create a ‘best practice rental agreement’. This template has been designed with both landlords and tenants in mind to create flexibility and allow fully managed and insured short letting for tenants if they decide to take a few months out. The limit for short lets in London currently stands at 90 days.

UnderTheDoormat are trusted premium short let experts in London. We help people to rent out their homes while they’re away to our international guests who want an authentic and comfortable place to stay in the Capital. We market the homes across all the leading global booking websites, carry out professional cleaning at the start and end of every stay, provide linens and towels, vet guests and have personal check-ins where guests’ IDs are confirmed.

As you can imagine, given we fully manage the stays, every home is covered by our comprehensive insurance to cover potential damages or loss. Given what we do, day in and day out, we know how to take excellent care of your home.

Speak to your landlord

So, why would your landlord agree? It’s simple, you can share some the benefit with them at no extra risk. What landlord would so no to a low-risk way of earning more from their rental property?

With the ‘best practice rental agreement’ template, the landlord chooses to permit tenants to short let while they’re away, but only through trusted specialists like UnderTheDoormat. There are two keys benefits for the landlord. Firstly, they’ll receive a higher yield with no extra risk on their buy to let investment.

Secondly, using a reliable short let specialist, they’ll know their rental property will be well taken care of and fully insured. Lastly and perhaps less obvious, they’ll maintain a stronger lasting relationship with you as their tenant. The ‘best practice rental agreement’ can be an addition to the agreement if you are currently renting and have one already in place, or a brand new one if you’re looking at renting a new home.

The nitty-gritty

When you do go away, UnderTheDoormat will take care of the short let in your absence so you’ll have the peace of mind you won’t come home to any surprises, and you’ll receive 70% of the income from guest stays. You’ll help to pay your bills when you are away, knowing you’ve done it all in a transparent and legal way. The landlord will receive the remaining 30%, which ensures they will give you permission. They get the monthly rent plus an extra 30%. So everyone wins!

If you’re tempted by this solution, then get in touch with UnderTheDoormat to see how we can rent out your home when you are away and get your landlord’s agreement.

*UnderTheDoormat is a founding member of the Short Term Accommodation Association which aims to promote best practise, behaviour and standards for this growing sector.