A leading letting agent has warned that a new Airbnb initiative allowing tenants to rent out their homes could put landlords at risk.

The Airbnb-friendly Apartments scheme – which has just launched in London but with plans to go national - links potential renters with landlords who are willing to allow tenants to act as hosts for a limited time when they are not using their property.

However, Gary Hall (main image), head of lettings at Knight Frank, believes that without verification measures in place, the initiative could leave landlords at risk from tenants who list their properties without approval, reports The Telegraph.

“We currently have the issue of tenants who Airbnb their properties across London without permission,” says Hall. “Airbnb needs to do more to make sure it is done with the permission of the landlord. At the moment there is abuse, and we don’t want the problem to get worse.”

Most tenancy agreements ban sub-letting by the tenant, however an investigation by The Telegraph found that council tenants were illegally letting homes on Airbnb for £9,000 a month.

New scheme

Under Airbnb’s new scheme, tenants will have to sign a contract with their landlord that puts in place rules including a limit on the amount of time the property can be sub-let on Airbnb and how much of the revenue the landlord receives from the platform – likely to be between 10% and 25%.

Airbnb insists that its initiatve enables landlords and renters to “mutually benefit from clear and permitted part-time home sharing in accordance with their rental agreement”.

A spokesman adds: “With rental prices remaining elevated, 79% of UK renters are seeking ways to supplement their income, and 55% would consider home-sharing to earn extra money. Airbnb-Friendly Apartments offers a solution, providing landlords with oversight to help them share in the benefits of responsible home-sharing while empowering renters to earn extra income.”