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The living room in our house near Folkestone Harbour

Airbnb management in Folkestone

A harbour town with a restored Harbour Arm, a clifftop promenade on The Leas and direct trains to St Pancras. The Channel Tunnel terminal is on the edge of the town.

Book a 30-minute callPrefer to talk first? Pick a time that suits you.
Homes we run in FolkestoneIn and around Folkestone
Free home earnings assessmentStep 1 of 6 · About 30 seconds
Welcome back, we saved your answers.
What could your home earn?

Five quick questions. First, what type of property is it?

Free, no obligation. We never sell your details.
How many bedrooms?

Nice. Bedrooms are the biggest driver of nightly rate.

3bedrooms
or pick one
Where is it?

Last question. So we can see exactly which home it is and compare it with similar ones nearby.

Enter the house or flat number and a UK postcode.
Only used for your estimate, never sold.
What's happening with it now?

Nice, that's the basics done. Now a bit about how it's used.

Tap an answer to carry on
What matters most to you?

This shapes the strategy we recommend.

Tap an answer to carry on
Where should we send your report?
Your earnings reportReadyLocked
a month

Plus nightly rate, occupancy and the yearly total.

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When shall we talk, ?

Pick a time that suits you. Your estimate arrives by email within 24 hours.

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Our numbers so farFrom our own booking records
21,000+nights booked
3,600+guests hosted
4.8★guest rating on Airbnb
+38%more than a long let, on average
Your home is listed on
AirbnbBooking.comVrboExpediaTripAdvisorGoogleDirect with usAirbnbBooking.comVrboExpediaTripAdvisorGoogleDirect with us
Folkestone at a glance

Short lets in Folkestone, in brief

On weekdays, Folkestone’s short lets suit people working nearby: crews on the new housing, contractors at the Channel Tunnel terminal and NHS staff. At weekends and in summer, people come for the Harbour Arm, the seafront and the town’s arts and book festivals.

See what my home could earn
Council
Folkestone and Hythe District CouncilCovers Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh
To London
From about 52 minutesFolkestone West to St Pancras, direct
Second homes
100% council tax premiumCharged since 1 April 2025
Short-let planning
No short-let policy foundA new Local Plan is at an early stage
How it works

We manage, you earn.

Four steps from first call to first payout. Your whole part is a 30-minute call, a signature and a set of keys.

Get my free assessmentFree, and takes about 30 seconds
The outside of a home we manage
Forecast in your inbox within 24 hours
Step 1 of 4 · Day 1

Free assessment

Find out what your home could earn before you commit to anything.

  • Answer five quick questionsType, bedrooms, what it does now, your goal and the postcode. About 30 seconds.
  • Get your forecast by emailWithin 24 hours, built from similar homes near yours.
  • Talk it through on a call30 minutes, by phone or video, any questions you like, no obligation.
Your part30 secs + a 30-min call
A guest-ready bedroom in a home we manage
Live within 3 days of signing
Step 2 of 4 · After signing

We get it ready

We turn your home into a listing guests want to book. You don’t need to find anyone.

  • Photos and listingsProfessional photography and a listing written for every platform.
  • Guest-ready suppliesLinen, towels and essentials, plus a key safe or smart lock.
  • Safety checksGas, electrical and fire checks, and a guest guide with house rules.
Your partSign and hand over the keys
A living room in a home we manage
95% of homes get a first booking within 7 days
Step 3 of 4 · Within 3 days

Bookings start

Your home goes live everywhere guests book, and we look after every guest from start to finish.

  • Listed everywhereAirbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia and our own website.
  • Every guest checkedID verified, past reviews checked, no parties or events.
  • Looked after 24/7Guests looked after day or night, and the home inspected after every checkout.
Your partNothing
A lounge in a home we manage
Our fee is a percentage, so we only earn when you do
Step 4 of 4 · Every month

You get paid

Money in your account every month, with a statement that shows exactly where it came from.

  • One monthly payoutPaid straight to your bank account.
  • An itemised statementEvery booking, fee and cost, with receipts for any repairs.
  • Your owner dashboardLog in any time to see bookings and revenue.
Your partNothing
Get my free assessment
Why Folkestone works

Who books a short let in Folkestone

Construction crews

Construction is one of our biggest sources of bookings in Kent. Crews on Folkestone’s Shorncliffe and seafront housing schemes book a whole home for the length of a job, with a kitchen to cook in and one invoice.

Insurance stays

If a burst pipe, fire or flood damages a home in Folkestone or Hythe, the insurer pays for the household to stay nearby while it is repaired. That often takes weeks or months. These stays peak in winter, when heating goes on and pipes burst.

New homes around Folkestone

The council lists up to 1,200 homes at the former Shorncliffe Garrison, where several phases are finished. Another was partly built at the council’s last update in November 2025. It lists up to 1,000 on the harbour and seafront, where the first 84 are finished. Otterpool Park, a planned garden town of up to 8,500 homes in the district, is still at the outline planning stage: the council resolved to grant outline permission in April 2023, and updated plans went to the council in October 2026.

Trains to London and the Channel Tunnel

The fastest direct trains reach St Pancras in about 52 minutes from Folkestone West and 54 from Folkestone Central. LeShuttle runs from its Folkestone terminal to Coquelles, near Calais, in 35 minutes and carries around 1.2 million trucks a year.

Hospitals in Folkestone and Ashford

East Kent Hospitals serves around 700,000 people. Royal Victoria Hospital in Folkestone has outpatient and diagnostic services and an urgent treatment centre open 8am to 8pm. William Harvey Hospital in Ashford has emergency, maternity and trauma services and a specialist cardiology unit. Locums and agency staff need somewhere close for weeks at a time.

The Harbour Arm and the seafront

Since 2015 the restored Harbour Arm has been a promenade out at sea. It has independent kitchens and bars, a champagne bar in the lighthouse, a sauna and free events through the year. In 2026 its festive market opens on 13 November.

Our homes

Homes we run in Folkestone

Real homes we manage in Folkestone today. Staying here? Every one can be booked direct with us, with no booking-site fee.

House in Folkestone
2-Bed near Folkestone HarbourFolkestone · 2 bedrooms · Sleeps 6
Old Lakenham, a large country house with lawns and gardens
Own a larger or high-spec home?

Luxury Airbnb management in Folkestone

Luxury holiday let and short-let management for high-end homes of every kind in Folkestone, from period and country houses to modern family homes and apartments.

  • Guests checked before every booking
  • A price floor you set
  • Your own stays planned in first
See luxury home managementPrivate assessment
Pictured Old Lakenham
Where in Folkestone

The parts of Folkestone we know best

What does well depends on the street. Here is who tends to stay where.

Not on the list? We take on homes across Folkestone. The free assessment tells you straight away. A larger or high-end home? See management for luxury homes.

  • The harbour and the Creative QuarterHouses and flats, including ours, a short walk from the Harbour Arm, the Old High Street and the Creative Quarter. They suit weekend breaks, couples, dog owners and small crews.
  • The Leas and the West EndFlats and houses near the clifftop promenade and Folkestone Central station, for London commuters and contractors on longer stays.
  • Cheriton and ShorncliffePractical houses on the west side of the town, near the Shorncliffe housing, Folkestone West station and the road to the tunnel terminal. They suit site crews and tunnel contractors.
  • SandgateA quieter seafront village at the far end of the Lower Leas Coastal Park, for longer leisure stays, walkers and couples.
  • The East Cliff and Wear BayHomes on the east side of the town, above the harbour and the beaches, for couples, walkers and dog owners in summer.
When guests come

The year in Folkestone

Leisure peaks, and the work stays that fill the weeks in between.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

All yearConstruction, tunnel, insurance and hospital stays through the week, all year

  • Winter insurance stays
  • Easter by the sea
  • Summer on the Harbour Arm
  • The summer holidays and the Lower Leas amphitheatre
  • Folkestone Book Festival and the Harbour Arm festive market
Compare your options

Three ways to let your home in Folkestone. One does both.

More income and less hassle, without having to choose.

The only option that earns more and asks nothing of you.

See what my home could earn
What you get
Long let
Perfect BookingWith us
Doing it yourselfDIY
Earns the most your home can
No work for you
Guests looked after 24/7
Priced every day
Checked after every stay
Paperwork and 2027 register

Yes Partly No

Short lets, explained

How a short let fills the week in Folkestone

A long let pays one rent. A short let is booked by the night or the week, so it can take a work stay in the week and a leisure stay at the weekend, and price each night for the demand.

  • Priced for every night, not once a year
  • Longer stays fill the quieter months
  • One payout and one statement each month

If your home would earn more as a long let, we will tell you.

An example weekAn illustration, not a forecast
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Construction crew on a Folkestone housing siteMon to Fri · 4 nights
Weekend on the Harbour ArmFri to Sun · 2 nights
  • MondayThe work guest checks in with our arrival guide.
  • FridayCleaned, restocked and checked between stays.
  • SundayChecked out, cleaned and ready for next week.
Local rules

The rules in Folkestone, handled

What applies to a home in Folkestone, and what we do about each one. Last checked October 2026.

Council tax in Folkestone

Folkestone and Hythe District Council has charged a 100% premium since 1 April 2025 on homes that are substantially furnished but nobody’s main residence. That doubles the bill. A home that qualifies for business rates pays those instead.

Planning in Folkestone

We found no Article 4 direction aimed at short lets. The council’s Places and Policies Local Plan (2020) supports new tourist accommodation, including self-catering, in and near town centres (Policy E3). It resists the loss of existing hotels, guest houses and self-catering units (Policy E4). Neither covers letting a home as a short let. By September 2026 the council had started work on a new Local Plan. More consultation is planned in 2027, once there is a draft, so this is one to watch.

Rules across England

England's short-let register is due by March 2027, a home let for at least 70 nights a year (and available for 140) pays business rates instead of council tax, and the furnished holiday lettings tax regime ended in April 2025. Read our guide to the rules

FAQs

Landlords in Folkestone ask us

Something else on your mind?

Book a 30-minute call
Yes. Since 1 April 2025, Folkestone and Hythe District Council has charged a 100% premium on homes that are substantially furnished but nobody’s main residence, which doubles the bill. A home that meets the business-rates tests for holiday lets pays business rates instead.
Usually not. England has no general planning requirement for short lets outside London. We found no Article 4 direction or local policy aimed at them in the Folkestone and Hythe district. The council’s tourism policies cover new hotels and self-catering units, not homes let for short stays. The council has just started work on a new Local Plan. We keep an eye on it and tell you if it changes what you need to do.
Construction crews, Channel Tunnel contractors, NHS staff and patients’ families, London commuters, and people on insurance stays while their homes are repaired. At weekends and in summer, visitors come for the Harbour Arm, the seafront and the town’s festivals.
Yes. The Culture Secretary told Parliament in September 2026 that England’s short-let register will be up and running in full “by March”, which has been reported as March 2027. Every host will need to register, and we do it for you.
Homes near the harbour and the Creative Quarter suit weekend breaks, couples and dog owners. Homes near The Leas and the stations suit commuters and contractors, and homes in Cheriton suit crews at Shorncliffe and contractors at the tunnel terminal.
Summer, with the Harbour Arm, the beaches and the school holidays, and the Triennial every three years. November has the Folkestone Book Festival and the Harbour Arm’s festive market. Construction, tunnel and hospital stays keep weekdays going through the year, and insurance stays peak in winter.
A percentage of what each booking pays out: 15% + VAT on bookings from the booking sites, and 5% + VAT more on bookings that come direct to us. There is a one-off setup fee, and photography is priced separately, both agreed with you before anything starts. Guests pay for cleaning.
Yes. Whether you call it Airbnb management, co-hosting, holiday-let or serviced accommodation management, we run the whole thing: listings on Airbnb, Booking.com and other sites, pricing, guests, cleaning and maintenance. We take work and contractor stays as well as holidays.
Where we work

Everywhere we cover

We run homes nationwide, across England and Wales. Pick an area for its homes, local guides and rules.

Local guides near Folkestone: Herne Bay, Ramsgate, Maidstone. All areas and guides

Looking for somewhere to stay? Book a stay with us. Working in Folkestone? Contractor and insurance stays in Folkestone.

Discover your home's value

Every empty night is income you don't get back

Request your free estimate in about 30 seconds. Free, no obligation, and you keep the written assessment whatever you decide.

Takes about 30 seconds
A written report to keep
No pressure, no obligation
We only take on homes we're confident we can grow.
Free home earnings assessmentStep 1 of 6 · About 30 seconds
Welcome back, we saved your answers.
What could your home earn?

Five quick questions. First, what type of property is it?

Free, no obligation. We never sell your details.
How many bedrooms?

Nice. Bedrooms are the biggest driver of nightly rate.

3bedrooms
or pick one
Where is it?

Last question. So we can see exactly which home it is and compare it with similar ones nearby.

Enter the house or flat number and a UK postcode.
Only used for your estimate, never sold.
What's happening with it now?

Nice, that's the basics done. Now a bit about how it's used.

Tap an answer to carry on
What matters most to you?

This shapes the strategy we recommend.

Tap an answer to carry on
Where should we send your report?
Your earnings reportReadyLocked
a month

Plus nightly rate, occupancy and the yearly total.

Check your first and last name, mobile and email.
Sent to your inbox within 24 hours. Free, no obligation. Privacy policy
When shall we talk, ?

Pick a time that suits you. Your estimate arrives by email within 24 hours.

Loading the calendar…

Your details are with us. Rather we got in touch instead?

Sources we checked in October 2026

About this guide. Researched and written by the Perfect Booking team from the official sources above, and checked in October 2026. It is general information, not tax, legal or planning advice: check your own circumstances with your council or an adviser.

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