Medium-term lets in London: earning beyond the 90-night rule

If you want your London home to earn all year, short stays alone will not do it. The 90-night rule stops you at 90 nights. Owners who earn well combine short stays on the best dates with longer stays for the rest of the year, and each type of stay follows different rules.

Here is how medium-term lets fit around the cap, and where the risks are.

Why is 90 consecutive nights the line?

London's 90-night rule applies to "temporary sleeping accommodation". The law defines this as a home occupied by the same person for fewer than 90 consecutive nights, in return for payment.

That definition works both ways. A stay of 89 nights counts towards your 90. A stay of 90 nights or more by the same person is not temporary sleeping accommodation at all, so it does not use up your allowance.

We explain the full rule, including the council tax condition, in London's 90-night rule for Airbnb, explained.

Do the stays in between still count?

Many owners assume a "monthly" stay sits outside the rule. It does not. A 30-night stay uses 30 of your 90 nights. A 60-night stay uses 60. Two monthly stays and a few weekends can use up your whole allowance by the spring.

Airbnb closes an entire home listing once it reaches 90 booked nights in the year, so long stays booked there eat into the same count.

Can longer stays become tenancies?

This is the part that needs care. A stay of 90 nights or more gets you past the planning cap, but a long stay can turn into a tenancy, depending on how the guest uses the home.

The new rules under the Renters' Rights Act apply to assured tenancies. Since 1 May 2026, most private tenancies are rolling tenancies with no end date, and you need a legal reason and a court order to get your home back. We explain what that means in Section 21 is gone: what landlords in England can do now, and cover the wider changes in the Renters' Rights Act explained.

The NRLA explains that arrangements where the home is not the occupier's main home are not assured tenancies, so those rules do not apply to them. The question is whether the guest has a home elsewhere and is staying for a set purpose, or whether your property has become their home. The label on your agreement does not decide this. The real facts do. Take advice before you agree a long stay.

Who books longer stays?

Longer stays tend to suit people who need a furnished home for a set period while their main home is somewhere else. Common examples include contractors working on a project, staff on a temporary posting, and families living elsewhere while their own house is being renovated.

These guests usually want a proper kitchen, a washing machine, a desk and reliable Wi-Fi more than a central location. Longer stays also mean fewer changeovers, lower cleaning costs and less wear on your home.

What does a mixed year look like?

Here is one way a London home could work within the rules. It is an example, not a plan for every home:

• 90 nights of short stays, focused on the highest-value weeks, such as the London Marathon weekend, Wimbledon fortnight and summer.
• One or two stays of 90 nights or more for guests with a home elsewhere.
• The remaining nights for your own use, maintenance, or gaps between guests.

The short stays earn the highest nightly rates. The long stays give steady income through the quieter months.

What should a long-stay price include?

Guests on longer stays compare your price with renting a flat and paying the bills themselves. Make the comparison easy. Quote a monthly price that includes energy, water, council tax, Wi-Fi and a regular clean with fresh linen, and say so clearly in the listing. A simple, all-in price wins more long stays than a lower headline figure with extras added later.

What paperwork do longer stays need?

• Record every stay: dates, guest, and the purpose of the stay.
• For long stays, record where the guest's main home is and why they need yours.
• Keep a running total of short-stay nights across every platform.
• Check your lease, mortgage and insurance allow both short and longer stays.

What does this mean for you?

• Stays under 90 nights in a row all count towards your 90, including monthly stays.
• Stays of 90 nights or more do not count, but can become tenancies if the guest makes your home their main home.
• A mix of short stays on peak dates and a few longer stays is the simplest way to earn all year inside the rules.

Let us plan the mix

Our London short-let management team plans short and longer stays together, with the checks each one needs. Get your free valuation to see what the right mix could earn for your home.

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This is general information, not legal or tax advice. It is our own interpretation of the rules and figures as they stand on the date shown above, and they can change. Speak to a qualified solicitor or accountant before you act on anything here.