Airbnb has announced that it is temporarily restricting all booking across the UK to coronavirus key workers, such as NHS and social care staff, and transport and food retail employees.
The company said the measure would last until at least 18 April.
The decision comes in response to government criticism aimed at letting customers who were describing their properties as being "Covid-19 retreats" and "perfect for isolating with family" on the website.
Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston described this as being "irresponsible and dangerous".
Airbnb has now responded by launching a Frontline Stays programme, designed to provide up to 100,000 healthcare staff and first-responders with accommodation close to their patients and a safe distance away from their own families.
Government rules state that tourism-related accommodation should only be provided to key workers needing to self-isolate during the pandemic.
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Is Airbnb really responding? At a time where travel is at a virtual zero isn't this something in the fake news category? Is Airbnb actually paying the rent for key workers? The article isn't clear, I suspect not.
I checked what this is about, Airbnb "hosts' offer their accommodation for free to key workers, which is amazingly generous in all regards, and ALL Airbnb do is use their platform to introduce. A good use of a networking platform that is redundant in the current climate and a good PR coup for a business coping with the anti-short let back lash. Good luck to them, but more importantly good luck to us in such a dangerous time.
When will AirBnB require hosts to confirm on their ads that they have
Freeholder permission
Insurance permission
Lender permission
Council permission
Planning permission
The answer is AirBnB will NEVER require this as it knows that most hosts are operating FRAUDULENTLY!!
Why is it that nobody will say anything about the mass fraud that most of the short-term lettings market is!?
Don't worry Paul, rent control is round the corner. I expect it will become unavoidable.
@mark wilson
Yep I do consider your sentiment will eventually occur.
It will be very popular with the mostly economically illiterate tenant demographic.
That is why I am desperate to get out of AST lettings.
I wouldn't go anywhere near short-term lettings as I cannot achieve so unless fraudulently.
Just one residential property with LODGERS who AREN'T subject to rent controls is all I want.
Ireland has a homelessness problem all caused by rent controls and their softer version of S24.
LL would do well to substantially deleverage to the point where LHA would be sufficient to cover a mortgage if DSS tenants were the last resort.
It makes little business sense to have 10 properties all mortgaged at 75% LTV.
Far better to reduce to say 2 properties very lightly mortgaged or even unencumbered to better absorb the inevitable increased taxes along with the nuclear weapon of rent control.
After all rent control was introduced as an emergency measure in the First World War!!!
It lasted effectively until the AST introduction.
Govt could as you intimate ascribe this CV19 issue as a similar emergency to introduce rent control.
That would bankrupt many LL.
It is beyond living memory how LL managed when rent controls were first introduced.
Certainly this CV19 has removed all the previous business certainties of the PRS.
Many LL will be seriously reviewing their risk profile.
They will find they need to de-risk substantially to reach a level at which they feel comfortable with maintaining.
This inevitably means there will be far fewer rental properties NONE of which will be bought by tenants.
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