Airbnb and short-let management in Somerset
Somerset has a summer, a festival week, a cathedral city, a seaside and a power station being built, and a quiet season in between. We run long lets and short lets here from the same team, so we can tell you what your Bath flat or Cheddar cottage nets as a short let and as a tenancy, after every cost, using local occupancy by month. Full SA Management is 18% of net booking revenue.
- 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
Martin Howard
Local Partner for Somerset
Martin founded Hello New Home in Swansea and lives in Somerset, where he also runs the sister brand Somerset Lettings. He handles viewings, inspections and landlord calls across the county himself, with contracts, compliance and rent collection run from head office.
WhatsApp 07510 243096 · Head office 01792 807 051
What drives short stays in Somerset
Exmoor National Park recorded 1.6 million tourism visits in 2024. Cheddar Gorge and the Mendips draw visitors all year. Glastonbury Festival's licence allows up to 210,000 people on site at Worthy Farm, three miles from Shepton Mallet, in late June. Bath has 21,685 students at the University of Bath alone, plus Bath Spa, and visitors all year. Weston-super-Mare, Burnham-on-Sea and Minehead have a summer season and a quiet winter.
About 12,000 people were on the Hinkley Point C site at peak construction in May 2025, and many of them rent nearby, so a Bridgwater house let by the month to a contractor earns in January as well as July. Musgrove Park and Leonardo in Yeovil bring relocation stays of a month or more.
A flat in Chard or a village house on the Levels will not book like one in Bath. If your address is in the wrong place for short stays, the appraisal says so and quotes the long let.
What we charge
Full SA Management is 18% of net booking revenue, with cleaning passed through at cost. It covers pricing by season, guest vetting and messaging around the clock, cleaning and linen, restocking, repairs, reviews, a monthly owner statement and the night-count tracker. SA Co-Host is 12% for owners who run their own cleaner and want pricing, listing and guest messages handled. 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.
Business rates, council tax and the register
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 12 months. Below that it pays council tax, and since 1 April 2025 Somerset Council has charged a 100% premium on furnished homes that are no one's main residence: double council tax for a short let that misses the test. Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset set their own; we confirm the position for your address.
The register. The government says 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, three ways to let
A Bath flat can take short stays through the summer and a tenancy from September. A Bridgwater house can go to a Hinkley contractor for three months, then to a family. Flex Switch moves a property between short stays, contractor and relocation lets of a month or more, and tenancies, 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 Martin 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 rates test and council tax position in writing. If the long let wins, the figure is the one the free rent review gives, and we manage it at 12%.
Nearby and also covered
- TA
- BA
- BS20
- BS21
- BS22
- BS23
- BS24
- BS25
- BS26
- BS27
- BS28
- BS29
- BS39
- BS40
- BS41
- BS48
- BS49
Somerset landlords ask
Will my Somerset 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 12 months. Otherwise council tax applies, and Somerset Council has charged a 100% premium on second homes since 1 April 2025. Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset decide their own. Our tracker reports your night count monthly.
How much do you charge to manage a short let in Somerset?
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 Somerset suit short stays?
Bath first, for the universities and visitors all year. Cheddar, Exmoor and the coast in the summer season. Bridgwater and Taunton for contractor stays by the month. Most villages and the smaller towns earn more as long lets, and the appraisal will say so if that is true of yours.
Can you let my house to Hinkley Point C contractors?
Yes. Contractor and relocation lets of a month or more are part of Flex Switch, priced by season and by demand on the site. We vet the company and the occupiers, and when the contract ends the house can go to a tenancy with the same agent. We quote both figures before you decide.
Can I switch between short let and long let?
Yes. Flex Switch is included: a property can move between short stays, monthly lets and a tenancy with us and no re-onboarding. A tenancy is managed under the long-let fee, and the owner statement stays the same.
Start with a free short-let appraisal in Somerset
An honest figure, a compliance check for your address, and a recommendation, within one working day. Martin will bring it to you in person if you'd like.
Also: Hello New Home Swansea · Hello New Home Durham · Hello New Home Andover · Hello New Home London