Airbnb enforces 90-day annual limit on London hosts – are you affected?

From 1 January Airbnb's system started automatically limiting Greater London's 'entire home' listings – where a whole property is rented out as one unit, rather than as individual bedrooms – to accepting no more than 90 nights of bookings per calendar year. 

London homeowners wishing to let out entire properties for more than three months a year are likely to need "material change of use" planning permission from their local authority, and will then need to provide Airbnb with evidence of this permission before the limit is relaxed.

It is already against the law for Londoners to let out their homes on short-term lets for more than 90 days a year without permission, but until now Airbnb's system did not automatically enforce the rule.

The company's decision to take action comes amid concerns that it was fuelling a housing crisis in the capital by driving up rents and removing properties from the longer-term rental market relied on by the city's permanent residents.

Airbnb properties are typically rented by holidaymakers for short periods of time. However the new rules are likely to hit those using them as a longer stopgap, such as those on short-term work contracts, or in the process of buying or selling their homes.

Airbnb's London hosts can read its full FAQs for details of how the changes apply to them. And if you're thinking of letting out your home temporarily, check out our 21 Airbnb Tips.