By the Unity Stays directors, Marcus Chong & Gadir Al-Khatib · Last updated 12 August 2026
In short: Standard landlord and residential policies almost never cover short letting, and the usual consequence is a declined claim. A short let needs buildings and contents cover on a short-let basis with the use disclosed in writing, public liability of at least £1,000,000 per claim, guest-damage and loss-of-income cover; platform guarantees such as Airbnb's supplement a policy but never replace one.
The exclusion most owners find out about too late
A residential buildings and contents policy assumes the property is occupied by you. A standard landlord policy assumes it is occupied by a tenant under a tenancy agreement. Short letting is neither, and most policies in both categories exclude it — sometimes explicitly, sometimes through a clause about the property being let on a commercial or holiday basis, sometimes through an unoccupancy clause that bites between bookings.
The consequence is not a reduced payout. It is usually a declined claim, and the point at which it is discovered is the point at which you need the policy. Insurers are also entitled to treat a change of use that was not disclosed as a reason to void cover from the start, which can affect claims unrelated to the letting.
What a short let actually needs
Cover for this use is available and is not exotic. It is simply a different product from the one most owners already hold.
- Buildings and contents on a short-let basis, with the use disclosed in writing and named on the policy
- Public liability — cover if a guest is injured at the property. Our management agreement requires a minimum of £1,000,000 per claim, and that is a floor rather than a recommendation
- Malicious and accidental damage by paying guests, which standard policies frequently exclude even when the letting itself is permitted
- Loss of income if the property becomes unlettable after an insured event, which matters more here than in a tenancy because the income stops immediately
- Employers' liability, if you directly employ anyone — a cleaner on your payroll rather than a contracted service counts
- Contents at the right value. A furnished short let holds considerably more replaceable contents than an unfurnished tenancy, and the sum insured usually needs revisiting
Platform guarantees are not insurance
Airbnb's host damage protection and the equivalents offered by other platforms are useful and worth having. They are not a substitute for a policy, and the differences matter.
They cover bookings made through that platform only, so a direct booking or a booking through another channel falls outside. They operate to the platform's own process and timescales, and the platform decides. They typically exclude or limit categories that a policy would cover, and they do not provide public liability cover of the kind a guest injury claim requires.
Treat them as a first line for guest-caused damage and a policy as the thing that protects the asset. Relying on the guarantee alone is the most common gap we see.
Telling your insurer, and telling your lender
Disclose the use before the first booking, in writing, and keep the response. This is dull and it is the single most valuable thing in this guide.
The same applies to your mortgage. A residential mortgage almost always prohibits letting; a buy-to-let mortgage usually permits letting on an assured shorthold tenancy specifically, which is not what short letting is. Consent for short-term or holiday letting is a separate permission and lenders vary widely on whether they give it.
If the property is leasehold, the lease is a third permission to check — subletting, business use and short-term occupation are often restricted separately, and a clause prohibiting one does not imply the others are allowed.
What we require, and what we do not provide
We ask every owner we manage for to hold buildings and contents cover suitable for serviced accommodation and short-term letting, with public liability of at least £1,000,000 per claim, and to have told their insurer what the property is being used for. We ask for evidence of it. That is a condition of the management agreement rather than a preference.
We do not insure your property, and no management arrangement does. Our liability under the agreement is capped, as it is with any service provider, so the policy is what stands behind the building. It is worth reading that part of any management contract you are offered, including ours.
General information about types of cover, not insurance advice or a recommendation. Policy terms vary between insurers and only your policy document tells you what you are covered for.