AirBnb demands mortgage lenders allow owners to short...

Airbnb has gone into battle against mortgage lenders opposed to their customers letting out their homes.

The short let platform is calling on banks to update their mortgage policies on home sharing.

This comes as new research from Airbnb reveals that nearly half of property owners would list their home on a short term letting platform, but 40 per cent of borrowers say their mortgage provider won’t allow them to use Airbnb.

The platform claims that the “vast majority” of UK hosts on Airbnb have just one listing, often their main home, with the typical Host earning over £6,000 a year.

AirBnb says Metro Bank and Barclays are two leading lenders that allow borrowers to share their space on platforms for up to 90 nights a year but other key lenders either forbid home sharing, only allow it for second homes and buy to let properties, or fail to offer clarity about which type of activity is allowed.

Amanda Cupples, general manager for Northern Europe at Airbnb, says: “With mortgage rates and inflation continuing to climb in the UK, families are turning to hosting on Airbnb as a tool to afford rising living costs.

“In normal times, this activity, which for most Hosts would be for no more than a couple days a month, offers flexibility and a source of additional income but in the current climate, it could be a lifeline.

“We want to work with lenders and show them the benefits of home sharing so they can update their policies and let homeowners make their homes work for them.”

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