Property owners are potentially seeking to avoid the legal responsibilities of renting out property by advertising it as a holiday let on sites such as Airbnb according to research by the Residential Landlords Association (RLA).

Nearly two thirds of all listings on Airbnb in London are for lets of 90 days or more which could be contravening the law which says that lets on a short term basis can be for no longer than 90 days per calendar year.

The analysis shows that 65% of all listings on Airbnb in London are available for more than 90 days per year. 64% of entire homes and apartments listed in London are available for more than 90 days per year.

Nearly 7,000 entire homes or flats are multi-listings where hosts have more than one listing and of these, 78% are available for more than 90 days per year.

Through advertising longer lets, property owners could be avoiding having to give tenants secure tenancy agreements, a protected deposit and meeting safety and many other regulations governing rented housing.

A further potential abuse of holiday letting sites is for existing tenants to advertise rooms for sub-letting without the consent or knowledge of their landlord. A survey of members of the RLA found that 15% of landlords have experienced tenants advertising a property or room on lettings sites without asking for permission.