Buying an AirBnb as our home - where do we stand?

[BunnyWilliams]

We're in the process of buying a property which is currently let out as an Air Bnb/holiday cottage.

I'm suddenly wondering where we stand in terms of them honouring or taking bookings? We've just found out that our survey is having to be bumped back over a week because they've now just taken a booking for the whole of next week.

When will they have to stop doing this? Will they still be able to take bookings after we exchange? I'm now having thoughts of them delaying things down the line and push back dates for exchange or completion due to taking bookings.

Surely its no different to buying from someone who’s living in the property full time, it needs to be vacant on the day you’re due to complete and move in.

Whether the people staying in the house had been living there permanently or renting by the day/week etc is irrelevant.

I think it's OK for them to take bookings while it is still technically theirs. After all, you would be within your rights to re-schedule a survey from your buyers at a time to suit you.

If you're worried, you could stipulate with the solicitors - 'once exchanged, no bookings please'. After all, I am sure they want to sell, so it would not be in their interests to piss you off!

Definitely delay until you know the status. Ask them via the solicitor if they have any bookings planned and at what point they will cancel all future bookings so you have vacant possession. Of course you should not have to honour AirB&B bookings once you’ve exchanged contracts and you should stipulate that as a requirement before you do exchange. It’s their responsibility to cancel the bookings well in advance and refund any deposits. Sounds like they are trying to have their cake and eat it by spinning out bookings as long as possible.

Have you checked the listing to see if future dates are blocked out after, say, 4.weeks from now?

Make sure your solicitor checks the lawful use of the property - if the current owners applied to change the use of the property and has planning permission for it to be used as an AirBnB or short term let, you may well need to get planning permission to change the lawful use back to residential.

If they want to sell you the property they should be facilitating access for your surveyor, the fact that at this early stage they are prioritising their business over the sale to you is, IMHO, worrying.
Talk to your solicitor and see what their view is.

I'd be asking to see written confirmation that all bookings post exchange date have been properly cancelled. I wouldn't want to have to deal with people turning up thinking they've booked it where the previous owners just haven't bothered to tell them. At this stage I'd definitely be looking for a provisional date when you expect to exchange by and seeing from there onwards the property showing as unavailable on booking sites. I would also check with your solicitor about the mortgage company having any requirements on this. If you are buying a normal rental, the mortgage company won't agree to exchange before the property is confirmed vacant, so they might have similar intervention here.

I see what you're saying. What I'm nervous about is them changing their minds on a completion date at the last minute because they suddenly get a booking and don't want to turn down an extra few grand.

On my list!

I would want to do a pre exchange and pre completion visit to check the state of the place.

I've just had a look and the house has large amounts of time blocked out until the end of September 😳

I've just sent a message to the agent. Not happy about that at all!

That might be because they have marked it as unavailable as it is sstc ... might not be as bad as you fear ... they might only be releasing the dates when they know it isn't sold. Frustrating about the survey.

I've just spoken to the agent. They do indeed have bookings until Jan 2026!! However, they said they will cancel them in time when 'they know everything is going ahead', which I suppose is fair enough.

He did mention about honouring bookings up until completion. I will speak to my solicitor about that as I won't be happy for them to have bookings beyond exchange as we'll be holding the house insurance from then on...

He also said, "They've agreed to pay any liability for bookings that have to be cancelled. You won't be liable." He said it like they were doing us a favour! 😂

He did mention about honouring bookings up until completion. I will speak to my solicitor about that as I won't be happy for them to have bookings beyond exchange as we'll be holding the house insurance from then on...

Absolutely re exchange.

Moving a survey date happens in a normal process because eg someone is sick. But it would be perfectly fine to say that the survey needs to happen by 28th Feb (or whatever) or you will pull out.

They’re likely selling as the tax rules around furnished holiday lets are changing in April and it’s less attractive as a business. I myself have one & id be trying to keep the money coming until it was sold that said they’ll have to balance that with not losing a buyer. So at some point they’ll have to close their calendar. Often if selling an Airbnb you could close you calendar to new bookings further than say a month away & only open for last min bookings. They’ll have to pay a fee if they cancel bookings they can’t honour to Airbnb or booking.com so won’t want to encourage bookings far in the future they can’t keep. All you can do is keep lines of comms open about their intentions.

Once you have exchanged contracts and a completion date is set it cannot be changed.

Yeah this isn't your issue it's theirs, an air bnb listing is attached to a person, so any issues with cancelled bookings or whatever will be aligned to their personal air bnb account. Air bnb have a process for managing house sales and will cancel them all. Until you complete its their home, so you might need to speak to solicitors once you're in between exchange and complete. You might find they push dates back to get bookings but once you've exchanged its fixed. This is the same with any house purchase though, people push back for holidays, or a chosen removal service or the chain isn't ready - you just need to be firm with them and threaten to pull out if they start to take the mickey. Presumably they do actually want to sell too, so if you set a deadline then they won't want to lose you as buyers.

No different to any other purchase really. It’s up to the vendor to give you vacant possession. It’s their responsibility to do whatever they need to do achieve that or face the legal consequences.

My concern would be how serious are they about actually selling it, if they are still taking air b&b bookings 11 months ahead.

About 10 years ago a friend purchased a house that was ran as a b&b in the cotswolds. Months after she moved in she had a family turn up early evening one day that had driven from Scotland (to cotswolds) that had made a repeat booking from the year before.
Even though she explained, they argued and insisted on staying the week. She had to call police and they were escorted off the property.

Wow!!