Airbnb Your Home While Selling
You may be considering whether to Airbnb your home while selling because you are relocating for work, have found your next home or are moving out to simplify the chain. Whatever your reason for moving, selling your current home may take longer than expected, leaving you covering its ongoing costs while you wait for a buyer. Hosting paying guests can help offset those costs while supporting property staging through regular cleaning, preparation and careful presentation between bookings. This helps showcase your home at its best when potential buyers visit for arranged viewings.
Zoopla analysis reported by the Financial Times in August 2026 found that 74% of freehold homes listed in England and Wales in the final quarter of 2025 had not found a buyer within six months, rising to 87% for leasehold flats over the same period. For homeowners who have already moved out, short term letting could help cover ongoing costs during those prolonged selling periods.
Choosing to Airbnb your home while selling could turn that waiting period into a source of income. With the right approach, you can welcome paying guests while continuing to market your home, and Domistay’s Airbnb management service takes care of the hosting responsibilities so you can focus on your move.
Is It Suitable to Airbnb Your Home While Selling?
An already furnished home in good condition can be a useful starting point, particularly if you have moved out and expect it to remain available for several months. Whether you are waiting for the right offer or a previous sale has fallen through, short term letting could help offset the costs of keeping it.
Whether it makes sense to Airbnb your home while selling depends on your location, available dates and selling timetable. Domistay assesses the home’s earning potential and practical requirements, helping you understand whether hosting makes sense before investing in preparation. Our guide to what Airbnb management includes explains how professional support brings pricing, bookings and home care together.
Getting Your Home Ready for Guests
Getting ready to Airbnb your home while selling does not necessarily mean a major refurbishment. A comfortable, well presented home with suitable furnishings, reliable essentials and the necessary safety arrangements provides a strong foundation, while professional photography and a clear listing help guests understand what it offers.
Before you Airbnb your home while selling, relevant permissions, insurance and safety checks still need to be in place, including any restrictions affecting how your home can be used. For London homes, the usual planning exemption allows up to 90 nights of qualifying short letting per calendar year when its conditions are met, so the booking plan needs to reflect the remaining allowance.
Airbnb also includes AirCover for eligible stays, offering guest damage protection and host liability insurance subject to its terms. It provides useful reassurance alongside suitable home insurance, although damage protection is not itself an insurance policy and does not cover every risk. Our AirCover explained guide sets out the protection and how Domistay supports home care and damage reporting.
How Much Could You Earn While Selling?
Based on Domistay’s own figures, hosting throughout a full year can generate around 50% more income than a traditional rental after running expenses such as council tax, utilities, insurance, supplies, platform charges and management fees. This annual comparison provides a useful guide, although returns during your selling period will vary with the season and how long your home is available.
If you Airbnb your home while selling, earning potential depends on its location, presentation and the dates you can offer. Our guide to how much you can earn on Airbnb in London explores these factors, while our Airbnb platform fees explained guide outlines the platform’s charges. Domistay’s management fees range from 12% to 18% plus VAT, depending on the management arrangement.
When you Airbnb your home while selling, how commission is calculated matters just as much as the percentage. Domistay charges commission on net booking revenue after platform charges, excluding cleaning fees, so you do not pay management commission on those amounts. Our gross versus net management fees guide explains why this offers a fairer basis than applying the same percentage to gross booking revenue.
How Do Viewings Work Around Guest Bookings?
If you Airbnb your home while selling, hosting and viewings work best when the calendar is planned around both from the outset. A clean is completed directly after each checkout, keeping your home well presented between stays, while unoccupied periods provide opportunities for viewings, surveys and valuations.
Share your estate agent’s access requirements with Domistay when discussing the booking plan. Keeping everyone informed helps balance earning opportunities with the sale, while any proposed access during an occupied stay should be agreed with the guest in advance.
What Changes When You Accept an Offer?
If you plan to Airbnb your home while selling, let the Domistay team know your objectives from the outset, particularly if selling your home takes priority over maximising rental income. We can plan availability around that goal and adjust future booking dates as your sale progresses. Leaving more time for viewings, surveys and preparing for completion may reduce overall rental income, but it allows the hosting plan to support your priority.
Once you accept an offer, keep Domistay, your estate agent and your conveyancer informed so existing bookings can be considered before you agree a completion date. Allow enough time after the final guest leaves for cleaning and checks, ensuring your home is ready for handover.
Let Domistay Take Care of Hosting
Choosing to Airbnb your home while selling adds hosting responsibilities to the decisions, appointments and paperwork already involved in a sale. Professional management can take those hosting tasks off your list. Domistay handles listing preparation, pricing, guest communication, cleaning and maintenance coordination, giving you professional support while you concentrate on the sale. If you are weighing up the value of that support, our guide to whether Airbnb management is worth it explains what to consider beyond the management fee.
Domistay generally requires a minimum of 90 days of availability per year, and we can discuss how your expected selling timetable fits before you commit. For homeowners considering Airbnb management London, that discussion also takes account of the home’s permitted availability and any existing bookings.
If you would like to Airbnb your home while selling, complete our revenue estimator for an initial indication of its earning potential, and our team will be in touch. Or feel free to book a free consultation to discuss your home, your moving plans and how hosting could work alongside the sale.
FAQs
How Do I Choose Between the Best Airbnb Management Companies in London?
How Does Domistay Calculate Its Management Fee?
Domistay calculates its management commission on net booking revenue after platform fees, excluding Domistay cleaning fees. VAT is added to the management fee, and commission adjusts when cancellations or refunds reduce the booking revenue received.
Can Domistay Manage Just One London Home?
Yes, you do not need a portfolio of homes to work with Domistay. We assess the location, condition and availability of your home, alongside your expectations, to establish whether our service is a suitable fit.
What Does Domistay Handle on My Behalf?
Domistay coordinates listing management, pricing, bookings, guest communication, cleaning and maintenance, alongside owner reporting. We explain the agreed responsibilities and any separately charged services before management begins, so you understand how your home will be looked after.
How Does Domistay Help Improve My Rental Revenue?
We bring together listing presentation, distribution and a pricing strategy that responds to demand and availability. The aim is to balance nightly rates, bookings and operating costs to support the overall performance of your home.
Can I Switch to Domistay From Another Management Company?
Yes, we can review your current setup and discuss what you would like to change. Before arranging a handover, we consider your existing notice period, future reservations, listing access and practical arrangements to help make the transition orderly.
Can I Still Use My Home When Domistay Manages It?
Yes, personal use can form part of your management arrangement, with dates agreed in advance around existing bookings. We generally require at least 90 days of availability each year and will discuss how this fits with your plans before you commit.
