Frequently Asked Questions
Navigating the short-term let market in 2026 requires more than just a listing; it requires a strategy. Below, we answer the most frequent questions prospective clients ask us about compliance, earnings, and our Airbnb management London process. From the 90-day rule to our seamless onboarding, find out how we maximise your property’s potential.
The Essentials
Domistay helps property owners increase their rental income by offering a fully managed short-term letting service. We take care of every aspect, including creating listings, professional photography, pricing strategy, guest communication, housekeeping, laundry, toiletries, and check-in support.
Our primary base of operations is in including London and the South East of England. AIrbnb management London is our core market.
Your property will be featured on platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com and its partner sites, Domistay’s own direct booking portal, Vrbo, HomeAway, TripAdvisor, The Plum Guide and and many more.
We select platforms based on your property’s location, price point and features to ensure it reaches the most suitable audience.
Yes. If your property is not already listed, we will handle the entire setup process and manage the account on your behalf. While the property is under our care, we maintain full control of the listing to ensure consistency and quality. You will still have full visibility through your Domistay Owner Dashboard.
Payments and Pricing
Our revenue management team uses industry-leading dynamic pricing tools that respond to market trends, local events, seasonal changes, and competitor rates. This allows us to set optimal nightly rates and maximise your income in real-time.
Our management fee is commission-based, typically ranging from 12% to 18% of the net booking revenue. This ensures our interests are aligned—we only earn more when you do. In some areas, we may also offer a fixed rent model.
Yes. We charge a one-off onboarding fee of £150 which covers professional photography, listing creation, and a property visit. This is usually deducted from your first month’s earnings.
The Domistay Owner Dashboard gives you 24/7 access to your property’s performance. You can monitor earnings, view bookings and manage availability in real time.
Payments are consolidated for the month and paid on the 10th of the following month. You can monitor earnings, view bookings, and download full reports 24/7 via the Domistay Owner Dashboard.
Management and Operations
We manage the entire operations side for you. We use local cleaning teams, professional laundry services, and trusted local tradesmen for all maintenance and restocking of essentials, so you never have to visit the property yourself.
You can block out dates at any time through your dashboard or by contacting your account manager. Full-time hosts typically have a personal allowance of 30 days per year. We will arrange professional cleaning before and after your stay (standard cleaning fees apply).
While rare, we manage the entire claims process for you. Most stays are protected by platform guarantees like AirCover, and we provide additional specialist insurance options to ensure total peace of mind for every booking.
After an initial onboarding meeting, we can have your listing live within 7 days. This includes photography, home staging, and the setup of our pricing software.
Compliance and Strategy
To host safely and legally in 2026, you must have a valid annual Gas Safety Certificate, an EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) every five years, and a written Fire Risk Assessment. Your property must also have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Greater London has a citywide limit for “entire home” short-term listings. Under this rule, a property can only be let out for an aggregate of 90 nights per calendar year. Once this quota is reached, platforms like Airbnb automatically block the calendar for further bookings. To ensure your property continues to earn legally for the full 12 months, our strategy pivots to mid-term lets (91+ days), which are exempt from this cap.
As of April 2026, a new “C5” use class has been introduced for properties used exclusively for short-term lets. While homeowners letting their primary residence for under 90 nights generally do not need it, dedicated investment properties may require this specific planning classification to operate year-round. Our team can guide you through the reclassification process to ensure your property remains fully compliant with your local council’s regulations.
Standard home insurance rarely covers commercial stays. Every booking we manage on Airbnb is protected by AirCover, which provides $3M in damage protection and $1M in liability insurance. We ensure your property is always hosted under these comprehensive safeguards.
In most cases, yes. By combining high-yield short stays with stable mid-term lets during quieter months (our hybrid model), we maximise annual revenue while avoiding the restrictive terms of traditional tenancies.