The importance of setting high-quality standards

According to the Evening Standard, one home in 50 in the capital is now advertised for short-term lets in a boom that is making it harder for permanent London residents to secure a roof over their heads. Critics of Airbnb argue that the popular website, along with Booking.com, HomeAway, HouseTrip, Niumba and TripAdvisor, is distorting the housing market and driving up rents. Moreover, there have also been concerns about the use of these homes as “party houses”.

Some cities like Paris and Barcelona have mandatory registration schemes for short-term lets and heavy fines for rule breaches, whilst London has a 90-day rule to encourage short letting only by owners whose properties would otherwise be sitting empty.
However, this doesn’t stop some homeowners feeling nervous about opening their doors to guests they’ve never met before.

This is where UnderTheDoormat comes in, providing high quality service to homeowners and guests who otherwise, would be afraid to engage with the homestay sector. UnderTheDoormat provides an extra layer of security for homeowners by doing ID checks on all guests staying in their properties prior to, and again upon arrival. On top of that, we protect properties and homeowners with our insurance policy and conduct photo inventories before and after each guest stay.
For guests, UnderTheDoormat provides reassurance that all our premium homes are professionally cleaned, with quality linens, towels and toiletries included – just like a hotel.
Our Founder & CEO Merilee Karr has a vision for the industry to grow responsibly and in her role as Chair of the industry body the UK Short Term Accommodation Association, is working with Westminster council and Manchester City council to implement the Buildings Policy she led the development of. Currently, she’s working with MHCLG to create a national accreditation scheme for the industry, backed by the Housing Minister, and speaks at global conferences on how to roll-out these initiatives and set standards globally. UnderTheDoormat is also the first company in this sector to have received the official Short-Term Accommodation Association (STAA) accreditation - the first of its kind globally.

By choosing UnderTheDoormat, homeowners can effortlessly monetise their property with the peace of mind their most important asset is being looked after, and guests can enjoy the perfect mix between home comforts and hotel quality and service.