Short term rentals body seeks Budget assistance

The UK Short Term Accommodation Association is urging the Chancellor to give parity to short term accommodation providers so they are on ‘the same footing’ as other providers such as hotels.

As such, short-term rentals businesses should be included in the proposed £5bn restart scheme.

In a statement, Merilee Karr, Chair of the UK Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA) and CEO of UnderTheDoormat, called for rentals businesses to be eligible for grant funding, and extended furlough for all hospitality companies.

"The Prime Minister’s roadmap, announced last week, was a very welcome sign that the self-catering accommodation sector can start its journey back to a new normality from 12 April. But we have to recognise that this in itself will not mean the end to the financial impact Covid-19 has had on the industry," Karr said.

"International travel restrictions remain in place and are having a disproportionate impact on urban destinations and business travel is unlikely to return to its pre-Covid levels for some time. Ensuring measures are in place to allow businesses to fully recover is crucial."   

STAA is urging the Chancellor to provide two specific things in the Budget::

New £5bn restart grant scheme – To makes sure that all businesses in the hospitality industry, and specifically the self-catering accommodation sector, are included in this measure. We would like him to make sure that all short-term rentals businesses are supported financially through the proposed £5bn restart scheme.

This means they must be eligible for grant funding and treated on the same footing as other accommodation providers such as hotels, and not omitted based on hospitality and retail business rates classifications.

Extended furlough for all hospitality companies – not just until they can fully reopen, but until all restrictions are removed – this includes international travel restrictions.  For companies in popular staycation destinations this may not be required, and they can get their staff back to work quickly, but for destinations where international travel restrictions and suppressed business travel demand it is crucial for all restrictions to be lifted before this critical support is removed.

The UK Short Term Accommodation Association was founded in March 2017 with a mission to tackle common industry challenges and seize shared opportunities in the growing holiday and short term rentals sector.