Accommodation booking sites urged to crack down on holiday home owners after a Observer survey revealed that half of Airbnb the owners were open to welcoming guests for trips this month, including mid-term.
Despite a nationwide lockdown with ‘stay at home’ messaging and strict government guidelines allowing people to only book accommodation in exceptional circumstances – such as moving house, for work or to flee domestic violence – our research found that 50% of Airbnb hosts we messaged to book travel outside of these reasons, in places such as London, Margate, Birmingham and Whitstable, were happy to proceed with the booking.
When asked if it was possible to stay bringing a child mid term, an Airbnb owner in Birmingham replied: “Yes, you are welcome. A three minute walk away is a lovely boating lake/reservoir. Lots of ducks and wild animals. Another replied, “Yes, you can stay with your son… I can’t wait to be your host.”
When booking, Airbnb asks guests to tick a box confirming they are staying for a valid reason, but our research and reviews on the platform show that guests are flouting these rules and owners continue to host guests even if they know it is illegal to do so.
Other travel accommodation sites such as Booking.com have also been found to allow people to book trips on their platforms. While some accommodation owners on Booking.com make it clear that you will need to provide evidence to support your stay, others did not stipulate any additional measures and it appeared that a holidaymaker could book travel without any rigorous controls in place.
Karen Buck, Labor MP for Westminster North, who has previously spoken about Airbnb, said: “Short-term accommodation platforms need to take their responsibilities very seriously and make it clear to hosts that they will not be allowed to break the rules.
“It simply cannot be left to local councils or the struggling national government to monitor and enforce, while platforms and hosts benefit from the revenue. This seems to demonstrate why the “sharing economy” should not escape regulation entirely. »
An Airbnb host in Margate, who asked not to be named, told the Observer“‘We were asked if it was possible for a group of four friends to come to our Airbnb, which of course legally and morally we had to refuse,” she said. “Although we are aware that people are in desperate need of a bit of a break, this is a national lockdown. It’s very frustrating that some people think the rules don’t apply to them.
An Airbnb spokesperson said: “We take this information very seriously and are investigating any cases that have come to our attention. With lockdowns in place across the UK, stays on Airbnb are only available only in limited circumstances, in line with government guidelines.The vast majority of hosts are following the rules and our website is limiting bookings to guests with legal exemptions.
A Booking.com spokesperson said: “During this rapidly changing period, Booking.com is committed to presenting information on its site reiterating to customers that there are currently travel restrictions to consider. in many destinations. We have also put in place tools to make it easier for accommodations to provide clear information to guests about what national and local measures mean, and indicate any conditions that may apply, including the requirement to proof of essential travel where applicable.
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