Long Term Lets

[Allie173]

Good afternoon.
I hope you don’t mind me contacting you but I am having trouble finding a suitable place in the Morar area for a Long Term Let.
I am currently waiting to hear if I have been successful in a job application for a position in Mallaig and I am trying to lay some groundwork for accommodation for me and my two well behaved Labrador Retrievers.
Do you consider Long term lets at all? I would be looking for minimum of 18 months, possibly 36 months and I just wondered if this would be something you would consider at all. I think it would approximately be from the beginning of March.
My apologies if not, but I just thought it was worth asking.
I am 52, divorced, mum of two young adults who are now making their own way in the world and it is now my turn to try and achieve my dream of relocating to the Arisaig/Morar area. I have referees ready to be contacted for references if I am successful in my job application.
Thank you for taking the time to read my email.

Alison 

[Helen350]

Hi @Allie173  Greetings from 38 miles down the road from you!

- It is unlikely that any host in remote rural Scotland will ever see this! - This is a forum for Airbnb users, primarily hosts, to support each other over hosting issues, have a moan, ask advice, & connect with fellow hosts across the world. The vast majority of hosts don't bother posting, tho' who knows how many others pop by without posting, or 'thumbs-upping?!

Have you tried messaging hosts directly in the Arisaig/Morar/Mallaig area?

Have you tried 'Spare Room'? (UK lodger/tenant site.) I just had a look and nothing in immediate area... -A cheaper option than Airbnb for long-term lets, as there is no commission/booking fees, which make Airbnb expensive for more than a few days...

I guess in your situation the dogs will be a problem for many landlords ....

Good luck!

[Allie173]

Hi Helen. Thanks ever so much for your message. I had been advised to leave a message on here by a Host up in the Highlands. I realise I’m going to have an uphill battle on my hands really. I will try SpareRoom (completely forgot about that site)

Many thanks again for taking the time to reply to my post.

Allie

[Sarah977]

@Allie173  18 to 36 months isn't a length of time you are likely to find via Airbnb. Anything over a month puts guests in the tenant category and Airbnb's policies don't offer enough protection for hosts for anything that long-term. As Helen said, you're best off looking through other channels.

One thing for you to be cautious about when doing that, though, is that there are a lot of scammers out there these days who set up fake Airbnb websites that look almost like the real thing. They'll advertise via other channels, then send anyone who responds lengthy emails with some song and dance story about how they bought the apartment, but had to go work overseas and are looking for a long-term tenant. They say they want to book through Airbnb, that an agent will meet you with keys and show you the place, ask for all your personal information, and tell you to wire money to some bank account, none of which is how Airbnb works. So just be aware of that and if you find something you have doubts about, you can post hre on the forum and others can advise you whether it's fake or not.

Good luck finding the perfect place and on following your dream.

[Helen3]

Hello @Allie173 

I agree Airbnb is not suitable for such a long term let. And you are better finding somewhere that will give you tenancy rights and protections which you won't have with an Airbnb booking.

Have you done any research to see if there are local lettings agencies in the area you are looking for.

I agree Sparerooms is a good option for you to look at.

Perhaps you could look for an Airbnb for a short period say a month, while you look for a more suitable longer term let.