Can you let your house while it's for sale?

Yes, as long as you choose the right kind of let. A normal tenancy and a house sale get in each other's way. A short let works around viewings and ends before completion. With the average home taking 216 days from listing to completion, according to Rightmove's July 2026 analysis, that is over seven months of bills on a house you may have already moved out of.

Why does a normal tenancy make selling harder?

Since 1 May 2026, most new private tenancies in England roll on with no end date. To get the house back, a landlord needs a legal reason, the right notice and, if the tenant stays, a court order. Government guidance on the new grounds for possession explains that the ground for selling cannot be used in the first 12 months of a tenancy, and needs four months' notice.

For someone selling, that is a serious problem. Buyers expect the house empty on completion day. A tenant in the house means viewings on the tenant's terms, a chain that has to wait, and a real risk the house is not empty when your buyer needs it. Read more in our guide to the Renters' Rights Act.

How is a short let different?

Short-let guests stay for a few nights or weeks and have a home somewhere else. That matters, because tenancy rules protect people who live in a property as their home. The NRLA explains that arrangements where the property is not the occupier's only or main home are not assured tenancies. A guest on a short stay is not your tenant.

One important exception. If you got the house back from a tenant using the selling or moving-in ground (Ground 1 or Ground 1A), the Renters' Rights Act bans you from letting it for a restricted period, and that includes short lets and holiday lets. Read the Renters' Rights Act letting ban explained. The options below are for homes that were empty, or that you lived in yourself.

That gives you three things a tenancy can't:

• Viewings come first. You block the dates and times you need, and guests book around them.
• You stop when you choose. Once you know your completion date, you stop taking bookings before it.
• The house is lived in and cared for. It is cleaned after every stay, heated and checked, rather than sitting cold and empty.

What should you sort out before your first guest?

Your mortgage. Check your mortgage terms. Many residential mortgages need the lender's consent before you let the property to anyone. Ask your lender in writing.

Your insurance. Standard home insurance usually only covers an empty home for a limited time. Admiral says the limit is generally around 30 to 60 days, and the AA says that past that point insurers introduce conditions, and increase excesses and the premium. You will need cover that allows paying guests, so tell your insurer before you start.

Council tax. An empty, furnished home that nobody lives in can be charged as a second home, and many councils now charge double. There is an important exception for sellers: GOV.UK says you may not have to pay the premium for up to 12 months if the home is being marketed for sale. A short let that is let often enough can also move onto business rates instead, if it is available to let for 140 days or more and actually let for 70 days in the year.

Local rules. Some areas have their own rules for short lets, such as London's 90-night limit or planning checks in some cities. See our city guides, such as Airbnb rules in Brighton.

How do viewings and completion day work?

Tell your estate agent that the house will be let on short stays, and agree how you will share viewing times. A simple rule works: the agent sends the time, the time gets blocked, and no guest is ever booked over it.

Tell your conveyancer too. Once you exchange contracts and have a completion date, stop taking bookings in the days before it, so the house can be cleaned, emptied of guests and handed over with vacant possession.

Is letting while selling worth it?

That depends on your house, where it is and how long it is likely to be on the market. A house that would otherwise sit empty for months, with the bills still going out, is the strongest case. A house you are still living in, or one likely to sell within weeks, is a weaker one.

Our free valuation shows what your house could earn from short stays, based on real bookings near you. If the numbers don't work, we'll tell you.

If you are an estate agent with a vendor in this position, see our agent referral scheme and ideas for winning instructions in a slow market. For the other options, read 8 options for an empty house while it's on the market, and if the house isn't getting offers, why isn't my house selling?

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This is general information, not legal, financial, tax or insurance advice. Market figures are averages as of the date shown above and change every month. Speak to a qualified professional before you act on anything here.