Airbnb and short-let management in Durham
Durham has a real short-stay market and a real quiet season, and an honest appraisal shows both. We run long lets and short lets in the county from the same team, so we can tell you what your flat near the cathedral nets as a short let and what it nets as a tenancy, after every cost, using Durham occupancy rather than a national average. Full SA Management is 18% of net booking revenue. There is no 90-night cap outside London.
- Full management 12%, capped at £150 a month
- No lock-in, 30 days' notice
- No VAT on any fee
- Redress scheme and client money protected
The head office team
Head office for Durham
Head office is looking after this area while the local team is appointed: contracts, compliance and rent collection all run from Swansea, on the same capped fee.
WhatsApp 0751 355 2133 · Head office 01792 807 051
Opening soon in Durham: head office is taking enquiries now. Your property is looked after from Swansea until the local team is in place, on the same capped fee.
Call 01792 807 051 or WhatsApp 0751 355 2133
What drives short stays in Durham
County Durham recorded 21.98 million visits in 2025, with 1.67 million of them staying visitors, and Durham Cathedral alone had 393,090 visitors in 2024 and reported record numbers in 2025. Add the university's open days, graduations and term-start weekends, hospital and contractor stays, and the Lumiere weekends, and Durham City has demand most northern cities would envy.
It also has a thin January, and a flat in Newton Aycliffe or Consett will not book like one on the peninsula. Our appraisal is built on Durham City occupancy by month, and if your address is in the wrong part of the county for short stays we tell you and quote the long let instead.
What we charge
Full SA Management is 18% of net booking revenue, with cleaning passed through at cost. It covers dynamic pricing, guest vetting and messaging around the clock, cleaning and linen coordination, restocking, repairs, review management, a monthly owner statement and the night-count tracker. SA Co-Host is 12% for owners who want pricing, the listing and guest messages handled but will run their own cleaner. SA Launch is £495 for photography, listings on Airbnb, Booking.com and a direct-booking page, pricing rules, a house manual and the compliance pack, and is waived with 12 months of Full SA Management. No VAT is added, and you can leave on 30 days' notice.
The rules for a short let in County Durham
Planning. There is no 90-night limit outside Greater London. A proposed short-let use class for England has been announced but not legislated, so for now a change of use is judged case by case. We note the position for your address in the appraisal.
Business rates or council tax. In England a self-catering property is rated as a business only if it was available to let for 140 nights and actually let for 70 nights in the past year. Below that it pays council tax, and since 1 April 2025 Durham County Council charges a 100% premium on second homes, which means double council tax for a short let that misses the test. The tracker shows you the count each month.
The register. The government has said a national short-let register for England will be running by March 2027. We will register your property when it opens.
Safety. Fire risk assessment, gas and electrical certificates, PAT testing and an insurance check are in the SA Launch compliance pack. This is the list we work to, not legal advice.
One team, both models
If a short let in Durham City should become a tenancy in September, or a long let in Gilesgate should try the summer as short stays, Flex Switch moves it with the same agent, the same owner statement and no re-onboarding. A national co-host cannot take a property back as a long let; a high-street agent will not run it as a short let. We do both, and our Local Partner is the one who meets the cleaner, checks the changeover and answers the door.
Next step: the free short-let appraisal
Request the free short-let appraisal with your address. You get the long-let figure and the short-let figure side by side, net of platform fees, cleaning, utilities, voids and management, plus the planning, night-test and council tax position for the property in writing. If the long let wins, the figure is the same one you would get from the free rent review, and we manage it at 12%.
Nearby and also covered
- DH1
- DH2
- DH3
- DH4
- DH5
- DH6
- DH7
- DH8
- DH9
- DL4
- DL5
- DL12
- DL13
- DL14
- DL15
- DL16
- DL17
Durham landlords ask
Is there a 90-night limit on short lets in Durham?
No. The 90-night rule applies only in Greater London. Outside London there is no fixed night limit, and whether a short let is a change of use is judged case by case. We note the planning position for your address in the free appraisal.
Will my Durham short let pay business rates or council tax?
Business rates only if it was available for 140 nights and actually let for 70 in the past year. Otherwise council tax applies, and Durham County Council has charged a 100% premium on second homes since 1 April 2025. Our tracker reports your night count monthly.
How much do you charge to manage a short let in Durham?
Full SA Management is 18% of net booking revenue, cleaning at cost. SA Co-Host is 12%. SA Launch is £495, waived with 12 months of Full SA Management. No VAT is added and there is no 12-month minimum.
Which parts of County Durham suit short stays?
Durham City first, for the cathedral, the university and the hospital. Chester-le-Street and Bishop Auckland can work for contractor stays. Most of the county's towns and villages earn more as long lets, and the appraisal will say so if that is true of yours.
Can I switch between short let and long let?
Yes. Flex Switch is included: a property can move between short let and tenancy with us and no re-onboarding. A 90-night-plus let or a tenancy is managed under the long-let fee, and the owner statement stays the same.
Start with a free short-let appraisal in Durham
An honest figure, a compliance check for your address, and a recommendation, within one working day. The head office team will bring it to you in person if you'd like.
Also: Hello New Home Swansea · Hello New Home Andover · Hello New Home London · Hello New Home Somerset