Covid UK: Ban on meeting in houses in UK ???

[Ruth890]

Hello,

I am very confused.... does the new ban on meeting in houses rule apply to people who rent a room in their own home? I have reservations over the next few

weeks and have no idea whether I need to cancel them?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Ruth890 I'm not fully up to speed with the devolved laws but if meeting in houses is illegal then it would surely be illegal to Airbnb a room in your house. It would be different if it were a long time lodger as they would be part of your household.

As to who would be breaking the law I am not sure if it is the guest, the host or both!

Anyway the contract between you and the guest has been 'frustrated' by the new law so a full refund is due to the guest and a penalty free cancellation should be allowed by Airbnb for the host.

Search frustrated contracts if you need more ammunition but I hope Airbnb will have got the hang of the law by now.

[Anonymous]

@Ruth890  There is no interpretation of the current rules that I can think of, in which renting a room short-term in a shared house does not constitute a meeting of 2 households. If you're not renting out a fully self-contained unit, your best solution would be to cancel the bookings as quickly as possible so your guests have time to revise their plans. 

I don't know if there has yet been an update to the law specifically concerning lodging providers, though. If it's possible to fulfill the bookings without being present in the household (say, you're blessed with a second home you can isolate in) I suppose that's still allowed.