If you let a home on Airbnb, run serviced accommodation, or operate a rent-to-rent short-let business, there are two easy assumptions to make. One is that the platform's host protection does the job of insurance. The other is that your existing home or landlord policy stretches to paying guests. Usually neither is true, and the gap tends to show up only after a claim.
This guide is for three kinds of operator: hosts letting their own home now and then, owners running a second property as a short let, and serviced accommodation (SA) and rent-to-rent operators who take on other people's properties and let them by the night. It covers what platform protection actually is, the permissions you need before the first booking (mortgage, lease, owner, planning, licensing and registration), what a short-let policy needs to include, guest liability, loss of income, and what to send an insurer or broker so the cover matches the way you let.
If you run a classic cottage or seaside holiday let, our holiday let insurance guide covers fire risk assessments, the end of the furnished holiday let tax regime, seasonal unoccupancy and lost bookings in more depth. This page focuses on city and platform-led short lets, and the extra layers that SA and rent-to-rent add.
It's general information, not legal advice. Rules differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and policy wordings differ between insurers.
If you already have cover, send us your current policy or renewal and we'll check it against the insurers on our panel. See compare landlord insurance quotes.
Which kind of host are you?
The right cover depends less on the platform and more on who you are in relation to the property. Insurers ask this first, because it decides who has an insurable interest in the building, who is liable to guests, and whose income stops if the property can't be let.
Your set-up | Typical example | What usually needs insuring | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
Occasional host, own home | You let your flat on Airbnb while you're away for a few weeks a year | Your home policy, with the insurer's written agreement to paying guests, or a policy built for home-sharing | Assuming home insurance covers guests without telling the insurer |
Second-property short let | A city flat you own and let by the night all year | Short-let or holiday-let buildings and contents, public liability, loss of income | Keeping a standard buy-to-let policy written for a tenancy |
Serviced accommodation operator | A company running several furnished apartments for business travellers and contractors | Buildings and contents for owned units, operator public liability, contents in managed units, business interruption, employers' liability if you employ staff | Insuring each flat separately with no operator-level liability cover |
Rent-to-rent operator | You lease a house from an owner and let it on platforms | Your own liability, contents you supply, loss of income; the owner keeps buildings cover that knows about the arrangement | Neither party telling the owner's insurer that the property is short-let |
Many operators sit in more than one row: an owner who also manages two rent-to-rent units, for example. Tell your insurer about every arrangement, not just the property you're asking about.
Platform protection is not insurance
This is the most searched question, and the answer matters more than any other part of this page.
Airbnb's AirCover for Hosts has two main parts. Airbnb describes them on its UK help centre, and the difference between them is the key point.
Host damage protection. Airbnb says it reimburses hosts up to USD 3 million for certain damage caused by guests to the home and belongings, if the guest doesn't pay. Airbnb states plainly that host damage protection "is not insurance or a financial service". It's a contractual promise from the platform, under its own terms. It excludes things like normal wear and tear, loss of currency and acts of nature. You need to start a reimbursement request within 14 days of the guest's checkout, and any payment is reduced by amounts you've received from other sources, such as an insurance policy or a security deposit.
Host liability insurance. This one is insurance. Airbnb's programme summary says it covers hosts for legal liability to a guest or third party for bodily injury or property damage from an accident during an Airbnb stay, with a total limit of USD 1 million per stay. It does not cover damage to your own property, and it has a long list of exclusions, including assault, communicable disease, contractual liability and employers' liability.
The figures above are Airbnb's own and can change, so check the current terms on Airbnb's site before you rely on them.
What this means in practice:
It only applies to stays booked through that platform. If you also take direct bookings, corporate stays or bookings through other sites, those stays sit outside it.
Host damage protection is a reimbursement process, not a policy you control. The decision and the terms are the platform's. There's no insurance policy wording to rely on.
It doesn't cover the building itself for fire, flood, escape of water or storm where no guest is responsible. That's what buildings insurance is for.
It doesn't replace lost income when the property can't be let after an insured event.
Liability cover is per stay, and tied to the platform. If you have liability exposure outside platform stays, such as common parts, a contractor on site, or the property between bookings, you need your own public liability.
Some councils and licensing schemes require insurance. In Scotland, for example, the licence conditions require buildings and public liability insurance (more below). A platform guarantee isn't insurance, so it can't meet a condition that says insurance.
The sensible approach is to treat platform protection as a backstop for guest damage, and to build your own insurance around the building, your liability and your income.
Permissions to sort before the first booking
Insurers will ask whether you have permission to short-let. Even where they don't, a policy can be put at risk if letting breaks a mortgage condition, a lease, or the law. Work through these in order.
1. Your mortgage lender
Residential mortgages are usually granted on the basis that you live in the property. Buy-to-let mortgages are usually granted for letting on a tenancy. Short letting to paying guests can fall outside both. Check your mortgage offer and terms, and ask your lender for written consent before you start. Don't assume consent to let on a tenancy covers nightly lets. If you're switching a property to short letting, some lenders will want you on a different product.
2. Your lease, if the property is leasehold
Many flat leases restrict use to a "private residence" or a single household, or ban business use or subletting without consent. In Nemcova v Fairfield Rents Ltd [2016] UKUT 303 (LC), the Upper Tribunal held that a leaseholder who advertised and granted short-term lets had broken a covenant not to use her flat other than as a private residence. Every lease is worded differently, so read yours, and if in doubt get advice before you list it. Our guide to landlord insurance for leasehold flats explains how to read the lease and the block policy, and why the block policy usually won't protect you from a breach.
The block insurer matters too. The freeholder's buildings policy may have been arranged on the basis that the flats are occupied by owners and tenants. Short letting can be something that insurer needs to know about, so ask the managing agent.
3. The owner, if you're a rent-to-rent or SA operator
If you don't own the property, you need the owner's informed agreement to short letting, in writing, and the owner needs their own lender's and insurer's agreement too. A rent-to-rent arrangement where the owner's buildings policy still describes a single family on a tenancy is a common way for a fire or escape-of-water claim to go wrong.
Agree in the contract:
who insures the buildings, and that the policy notes the short-let use
who insures the contents (each party usually insures what they own)
that you hold public liability cover as the operator, at a stated limit
who pays the excess on each kind of claim
who handles safety certificates, fire risk assessments and repairs
what happens to the rent you pay the owner if the property can't be let after damage
4. Planning
London. In Greater London, using a residential property as temporary sleeping accommodation counts as a material change of use that needs planning permission. There's an exception, added by the Deregulation Act 2015. You don't need permission if the total nights of short letting in the calendar year don't exceed 90, counting any short letting by anyone else that year, and the person providing the accommodation is liable for council tax on the property. The council, or the Secretary of State, can direct that the exception doesn't apply to particular properties or areas.
Two points catch operators out. The 90 nights are per property per calendar year, not per host or per listing. And the council-tax condition means the exception is designed for people letting a home they're responsible for. An operator running a London flat as year-round serviced accommodation would generally need planning permission. Check with the borough before you sign a lease on that basis.
Rest of England. There's no national night limit outside London. GOV.UK guidance (updated October 2026) says your local planning authority decides whether you need planning permission, based on how the property is used and its impact on neighbours and the area. Proposals for a dedicated planning use class for short lets have been put forward. Until something is in force, ask your council.
Scotland and Wales have their own planning systems. In Scotland, some councils have designated short-term let control areas, where using a whole property that isn't your main home as a short let needs planning permission. Check with the council.
5. Licensing and registration
Nation | What applies | Insurance link |
|---|---|---|
England | A mandatory national register for short-term lets is not yet in force. GOV.UK says it is expected to begin in March 2027. Planning and safety rules apply now | GOV.UK guidance says short lets should have dedicated holiday let insurance, public liability cover, and buildings and contents cover suitable for short-term letting |
Scotland | A licence from the council is needed before you take bookings or receive guests. Operating without one is a criminal offence, with a fine of up to £2,500 | Mandatory licence conditions require valid buildings insurance for the duration of the licence, and valid public liability insurance for each let |
Wales | If you take bookings for overnight stays in Wales, you must register with the Welsh Revenue Authority by 31 March 2027. Registration is free | No insurance condition in the register itself, but you still need cover that fits short letting |
For Scotland specifically, the licence conditions go well beyond insurance. They also cover fire and carbon monoxide detection, records for upholstered furniture, annual gas safety checks, electrical safety, and occupancy limits. Our landlord insurance Scotland guide covers the wider Scottish rules for long-term lets.
A practical point for operators with properties in more than one nation: keep the licence or registration number with each policy schedule. Some insurers ask for it, and having it on file makes a claim simpler.
What a short-let policy needs to do
Short letting is a commercial activity in a residential building, with a stream of different occupiers. A policy has to be written for that. When you compare cover, check these parts.
Buildings
The structure and permanent fixtures, on a rebuild cost basis, with cover that applies while guests are in occupation. Key checks:
The property description. The schedule should say short let, holiday let or serviced accommodation, not owner-occupied or let on a tenancy.
Escape of water and fire. These are often the biggest claims in flats. Check the excess and any conditions, such as leak detection or heating left on between bookings.
Unoccupancy. Gaps between bookings are normal. Long empty periods may trigger conditions or reduced cover. Check what counts as unoccupied, and for how many days.
Malicious damage by guests. Some policies exclude damage by people lawfully on the premises unless you've bought an extension. This matters more with nightly guests than with long-term tenants.
If the property is leasehold, buildings cover is often arranged by the freeholder. Your own policy then focuses on contents, improvements and liability.
Contents
What you supply: furniture, beds, linen, kitchen equipment, TVs, smart locks, key safes and, for SA, everything that makes a flat ready for business guests. Short lets often carry more contents than a furnished tenancy, and they wear out faster. Build your sum insured from an inventory at new replacement cost, and check single-item limits and accidental damage. Our landlord contents insurance guide explains how fixtures, fittings and contents split.
Theft by guests is a particular point. Some policies exclude theft without forced entry, which is how most guest theft happens. Ask how the policy treats theft or damage by a paying guest.
Public liability
This pays compensation and legal costs if a guest, visitor or member of the public is injured, or their property is damaged, and you're legally liable. Typical short-let examples include a fall on stairs, a scald from a hot-water system, a glass shower screen that shatters, or a ceiling leak into the flat below.
Things to check:
The limit. Choose a limit that reflects your risk and any contract or licence requirement. If a rent-to-rent agreement, a corporate client or a managing agent specifies a minimum, match it.
Who is insured. For rent-to-rent, make sure the policy covers you as the operator, not just the owner.
Activities. Hot tubs, saunas, bikes, rooftop access and parking can all be excluded or need declaring.
Products and food. If you leave food, run a breakfast offer or sell extras, mention it.
Platform liability insurance only applies to stays booked on that platform and has its own exclusions. Your own public liability covers you across bookings and between them.
Employers' liability
If you employ cleaners, housekeepers or maintenance staff directly, employers' liability insurance is a legal requirement in most cases, with a minimum limit of £5 million. If you use an agency or independent contractors, check their status and ask for evidence of their own cover. Employment status depends on the facts, not just the label in the contract.
Loss of income
If a fire or flood stops you letting the property, you lose bookings, and if you're a rent-to-rent operator you still owe rent to the owner. Check:
What triggers the cover. It's usually damage insured under the policy, not a fall in demand, a licensing refusal or a platform suspending your listing.
How the loss is worked out. Some policies pay from actual bookings lost, others from an agreed estimate or past trading records. Keep your booking history and occupancy records.
The indemnity period. This is how long the policy pays while the property is repaired. Major fire repairs in a flat can take months.
Rent you owe the owner. For rent-to-rent, ask whether your business interruption cover can include your continuing rent and fixed costs, not just lost profit.
The holiday let guide covers lost bookings and cancellations in more detail.
Legal expenses and other extras
Some short-let policies include or offer legal expenses cover, for example for disputes with guests, neighbours or contractors. Check what's included, and whether disputes with a freeholder or owner are excluded.
Safety duties that insurers will ask about
Insurers want to know that you meet the legal safety duties for paying guests. A failure here can mean a claim is reduced, and it may also be a criminal matter.
Area | What applies | What to keep on file |
|---|---|---|
Fire safety (England and Wales) | The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to paying guest accommodation. The responsible person must carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and record the findings. GOV.UK publishes a guide for small paying guest accommodation | Your written fire risk assessment, alarm and detector test records, escape route plan |
Gas | The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 put landlord duties on properties occupied for money under a lease or a licence, which can include short stays | Current gas safety record from a Gas Safe registered engineer |
Carbon monoxide | The small paying guest guide says CO detectors should be provided where there's a gas or solid fuel appliance. In Scotland it's a licence condition | Detector locations and test log |
Electrical | GOV.UK points short-let hosts to HSE electrical safety guidance and the rented-sector electrical standards. Scotland has electrical safety licence conditions | Electrical installation condition report and portable appliance checks |
Furniture | Upholstered furniture you supply must meet the furniture fire safety regulations. Scotland requires records as a licence condition | Labels or purchase records |
The small paying guest guide covers houses of up to ground and first floor, and flats, with up to 10 guests. For larger or more complex properties, GOV.UK points to the national sleeping accommodation fire safety guidance. A multi-unit SA operator may need a professional fire risk assessment. For the full list of certificates, see our landlord safety certificates checklist. Note that certificate rules written for tenancies don't always map neatly to short lets, so check which apply.
Serviced accommodation and rent-to-rent: the extra layer
SA and rent-to-rent operators are running a business, and insurers look at the operator as much as the property.
One policy or many? If you run several units, a single operator policy covering all of them, plus liability and business interruption at business level, is often cleaner than a separate household-style policy for each flat. It also means one renewal date and one set of declarations to keep accurate. It does depend on whether you own the units or manage them for owners. Owned units need buildings cover. Managed units usually only need your contents and liability.
Company lets and corporate guests. If you let to companies for contractors or staff, the client contract may set out insurance requirements, such as a minimum public liability limit or naming the client on certificates. Read those clauses before you sign, and check that your policy can meet them.
Management agreements. If you manage short lets for owners on a commission basis, your exposure includes looking after other people's property and money. Talk to us about whether you also need professional indemnity cover for the management service.
Property you don't control. In a block, you may have no control over the communal fire doors, the roof or the shared water tanks. Make sure your policy responds to damage to your contents and income caused by problems in the common parts, and know who to contact under the block policy.
Growth. Insurers price and accept risks partly on the number of units, locations and occupancy. Tell your insurer when you add a property, rather than at renewal. Our portfolio guide covers the questions for landlords with several properties, including holding them in a limited company.
Switching between short lets and long-term lets
Many owners move a property between short lets and tenancies depending on demand, regulation or tax. Each switch is a change your insurer needs to know about, because the risk, the occupiers and sometimes the legal duties change.
Moving from short let to a tenancy: switch to a landlord policy built for tenancies. See landlord insurance and the tenancy rules in our Renters' Rights Act guide.
Moving from a tenancy to short let: get lender, lease and planning permission first, then change the cover before the first booking.
Letting your own home occasionally: speak to your home insurer first. If you let it to a tenant instead, see renting out your home.
What to send for a review
Having the details ready makes it easier to check cover and to compare. Send:
your current policy schedule and wording, or your renewal invitation
each property's address, type (house or flat, leasehold or freehold) and rebuild cost if you insure the buildings
how you let it: platforms, direct bookings, corporate clients, and nights booked over the last year
your role: owner, rent-to-rent operator or manager for owners
consents you hold: lender, freeholder, owner, planning, and licence or registration numbers
safety documents: fire risk assessment, gas and electrical certificates
staff: whether you employ cleaners or other staff directly
claims history for the last five years
contract requirements: minimum liability limits from owners, agents or corporate clients
Frequently asked questions
Do I need insurance to host on Airbnb in the UK?
There isn't one UK-wide law requiring every host to buy insurance. But in Scotland, the short-term let licence conditions require buildings and public liability insurance. In England, GOV.UK guidance says short lets should have dedicated cover, public liability, and buildings and contents cover suitable for short-term letting. Lenders, freeholders and owners often require it too.
Is AirCover enough?
Not on its own. Airbnb says host damage protection isn't insurance. It's a reimbursement promise for certain guest damage, under Airbnb's terms. Host liability insurance is insurance, but it only covers liability during Airbnb stays. Neither covers the building for fire, flood or storm, or your lost income.
Does my home insurance cover Airbnb guests?
Usually not unless your insurer has agreed to it. Home policies are generally written for you and your family living there. Tell your insurer before you host. Some will agree in writing for occasional letting, some offer a home-sharing add-on, and some won't cover it at all.
Can I use my buy-to-let policy for a short let?
Usually not. Buy-to-let policies are written for a tenancy. Nightly guests are a different risk, and if the insurer doesn't know, a claim could be refused or reduced. Ask for a policy written for short letting.
What's the difference between holiday let and serviced accommodation insurance?
They overlap. Holiday let cover is often built around leisure lets of a cottage or apartment, with seasonal gaps. Serviced accommodation cover is usually built around year-round lets, often to business guests, and sometimes across many units run by one operator. The same parts apply: buildings, contents, liability and loss of income. See our holiday let insurance guide.
Who insures a rent-to-rent property?
Usually both parties. The owner insures the buildings, on a policy that knows about the short letting. The operator insures their own contents, liability and loss of income. Put it in the contract.
Does the London 90-night rule apply to me?
If the property is in Greater London and you're using it as temporary sleeping accommodation, yes. Without planning permission, you can short-let for no more than 90 nights in a calendar year, and only if the person providing the accommodation pays council tax on it. Above that, you need planning permission. The council can also remove the exception for specific properties or areas.
Will the England short-term let register affect my insurance?
The register isn't in force yet. GOV.UK says it's expected to begin in March 2027. Insurers may in time ask for registration details, as many already do for Scottish licence numbers. Keep your records in order now.
Does insurance cover fines for breaking planning or licensing rules?
Generally not. Fines and penalties are usually uninsurable or excluded. And letting in breach of the law, a lease or your mortgage terms can put the policy itself at risk.
Get your short-let cover checked
Send us your current policy or renewal and tell us how you let: platforms, direct bookings, corporate clients, owned or rent-to-rent. We'll check whether your buildings, contents, liability and loss of income cover fit the way you actually operate, flag gaps against the permissions and safety rules above, and check it against the insurers on our panel. Start your landlord quote review.
Meshed is a trading name of Mesh'd Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 1033248). We charge a flat 10% broker fee. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Vincent Liu
Co-founder & CTO
