26th February 2019
Q: Am I allowed to short let my BTL?
A: First, check if your mortgage terms will allow you to short let the property, some will not, others may only allow it for a short period of time i.e. one month.
Second, check your lease, as the majority of leases will not allow you to sublet or short let; or there may be a clause within the lease that says you must seek consent in order to do this.
Another point you need to be aware of, even if you do have consent from your mortgage provider and the freeholder, is that there is an actual law that governs how long you can short let your property for, before you have to apply for change of use from residential home to guesthouse.
A property can be short let for a total of 90 nights in any 12 month period. For example, if you rent your property out for 1 month in January, 1 month in March and then another month in October, you then cannot let out your property until January the following year.
The council takes any breach very seriously. For example, if a neighbour reports just a suspicion to the council, the council will investigate.
If you need any other lettings guidance, please do get in touch.
Richard Bond
