Tenants are increasing sub-letting properties without their landlord’s permission, an insurer has claimed.

Total Landlord Insurance has revealed a 14% increase in the number of malicious and accidental damage claims received this year as a direct result of illegal subletting, through holiday rental sites such as Airbnb.

The insurer claims both tenants and landlords are now running whole businesses around Airbnb.

Eddie Hooker, chief executive of Total Landlord Insurance, is warning owners to look out for tenants sub-letting over the holiday period.

He said: “Whilst off on vacation themselves, tenants may consider sub-letting to earn extra easy income, but according to findings from the National Landlords Association, almost half of tenants who sub-let their property do so without their landlord’s permission.

“Sub-letting can breach a landlord’s mortgage terms and also invalidate their existing insurance policy – so it’s vital for them to be aware of the problems it can present.

“An increasing number of landlords are suffering accidental and malicious damage to their properties, generating a rise in claims, because tenants have sub-let to another tenant.”