Beware the AI holiday let
AI is increasingly being used to manipulate adverts for holiday lets. It’s not just horrible for holidaymakers, it could get landlords in trouble with the law, says Alex Poplawska
With the summer holidays upon us, many will be heading out on staycations and weekend getaways, but some landlords are taking ‘dream holiday’ too far by using AI to over-enhance their properties. Arriving at your home for the week and finding it to be unlike what was advertised is a crushing disappointment and may also land the landlord in legal hot water.
Listing photos are advertisements and as such are regulated. However, as AI remains a nascent technology, the rules surrounding its use for ‘spring cleaning’ are vague. Nonetheless, there is best practice, and certain uses which cross the threshold into misrepresentation.
The legal risks: misled holidaymakers
AI is widely used to correct lighting, blur, bad weather and add furniture in property photography. These uses generally do not cross legal boundaries, but certain higher risk ones do. Adding non-existent features, enlarging rooms, and changing the view constitute false advertising as they give the impression that the product is materially better than it is in reality.
Under consumer law, businesses must not mislead customers through omission or actions; if a guest gains an overly favourable impression of a property through doctored images, then they are within their rights to argue that they have been misled. If this is the case, then they are protected by both the Advertising Standards Agency and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act and can seek refunds and leave negative reviews.
This reputational damage and financial hit is not worth the extra money for the ‘luxury’ property.
Platform rules
Airbnb, one of the most popular holiday let booking platforms, has rules which explicitly ban the use of AI to over-enhance photos, and reserve the right to remove listings which they find to be in breach of them. Having your property taken offline during the busiest period of the year is a disaster for landlords and can be avoided simply by presenting an honest representation of the home.
For guests, however, it is important to know these rules aren’t always being followed. The sad reality is that, in 2026, a degree of amateur detective work is needed when booking a holiday: cross reference the advertised view with google maps, for instance. If in photos there is an unobstructed panorama of the sea, but the property is in fact not on the beach at all, you may be about to fall victim to a dupe.
The future of AI-rbnb
Stronger rules for ‘virtual staging’ and the use of AI in property photography are likely, however for now there are simple steps to follow to keep your holiday or business on track.
For landlords, be honest: look at the photos and ask yourself, ‘does this really look like my property?’ For guests, save the photos from the original listing when booking in case it is removed by the time you travel, and remember, if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is.
Alex Poplawska is an associate at Moore Barlow