Planning and Determining the Appropriate Use Class of your Serviced Accommodation

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date.     Welcome to another episode of The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast! If you’re still deciding whether your humble abode should be turned into something that holiday-makers could use for short or long lets, then make sure to tune in. Let Kevin help you decide! In today’s episode, he discusses how to determine the appropriate use class of your SA, when to apply for ‘material change of use’, how to source more than 90-day bookings, and so much more! KEY TAKEAWAYS C3 is the appropriate use class for serviced accommodations; unless you’re letting out SA by the room with a shared facility, then that would be C1. The 90-day rule in London with Service Accommodation. This is also known as the Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1973. Because of the London Olympics, it was decided that there wasn’t enough accommodation. People were ignoring the 90-day rule. Then, the Deregulation Act of 2015 came to play which states that short stays up to 90 days are not subject to planning. Material changes of use. Notify the council if you’re going to do this. Are you significantly changing the parking since you turned the property into an SA? Patterns of arrival and departure. What time do your customers arrive? Numbers of People. Don’t overcrowd. The frequency of party-type activity. You can be taking deposits or limit stays. Reuse and recycling. Make sure your cleaners know what to do with the rubbish. BEST MOMENTS “You can have short stays of up to 90 days in London without the requirement to change the planning.” “Longer stays mean more money, less cleaning, less laundry, etc." “Get around the 90-day [rule]. How do you get around the 90-day rule? You don’ t need to go around the 90-day rule.” VALUABLE RESOURCES Airbnb ABOUT THE HOST Kevin Poneskis, also known as the Property Soldier, has been a full-time property investor and mentor since 2011. This happened after he served the army for 24 years. He spent the majority of these years in the 29 Commando Regiment RA and finished his time in the army as a Regimental Sergeant Major. Even during his time in the army, Kevin was already building his property portfolio and educating himself everything about real estate investments. Right now, he is writing his book Property Soldier, in which 100% of the profit from the book will go to homeless veterans, and hosting The Serviced Accommodation Podcast which educates people who want to explore and earn from serviced accommodation property investing. CONTACT METHOD Kevin’s Facebook Kevin’s LinkedIn