The difference nobody explains

How we work

Put the terms in writing first

Short-stay accommodation is almost always granted as a licence to occupy rather than a tenancy, and most occupiers never have that explained. It matters: the deposit protection rules and the statutory notice and court procedure for possession attach to assured shorthold tenancies, not to licences, so an occupier's position is genuinely different.

The honest response is not to hide the distinction but to write the terms down — what is included, what notice applies on each side, and what happens if a date moves. An occupier who understood the arrangement before booking has no reason to feel misled afterwards.

The other thing worth asking any provider for is paperwork. A current gas safety record, an electrical condition report and, in a shared house, a fire risk assessment. They are inexpensive to maintain and they are the clearest signal of whether a property is being run properly or informally.