Association for Rental Living appoints UnderTheDoormat Group CEO Merilee Karr as Short Stay Rental Special Advisor

Short-term rentals now account for more than 20% of accommodation nights across Europe, and UK short-term rentals took 100.9 million guest nights in 2025, up 11.5% on the year. Demand from the sector has become mainstream and one which Build to Rent operators can take advantage of to maximise occupancy. 

Short-term rentals currently sit at under 5% of most build to rent portfolios - flexi-letting, corporate lets, lease-up short stays, resident hosting etc - but the ability to flex that share up and down is what protects occupancy through lease-up, seasonality and student summer voids. The Renters' Rights Act, with periodic tenancies and faster tenant notice, blurs the line between long and short lets, and higher churn makes flexible tenure part of the answer. 

Through Merilee’s appointment, the professionally managed rental tenure of short-stay and serviced accommodation will now formally be represented within the Association for Rental Living. 

Merilee brings more than a decade of experience and expertise to the role having founded UnderTheDoormat Group in 2014, later merging with Veeve in 2023 and acquiring a portfolio of properties in London and Paris from onefinestay in 2026 to become the largest high-end operator in London and Paris, spanning management, technology (Hospiria) and distribution into government and corporate channels such as the Global Distribution System (TrustedStays), with which the Association for Rental Living holds a partnership venture. 

Prior to founding UnderTheDoormat Group, Merilee spent 13 years at Shell including overseeing maintenance across some 12,000 sites in 43 countries and has a decade of policy and standards work behind her, having founded the UK Short Term Accommodation Association in 2017 and chaired the Association for seven years including registration debates and successive regulatory consultations, working with UK and EU governments throughout. 

Brendan Geraghty, Chief Executive, Association for Rental Living, comments: “Merilee’s appointment reinforces our commitment to building a thriving rental living ecosystem, where all parts can work together for mutual benefit and we welcome her contribution as Special Advisor to the Association for Rental Living.” 

Merilee Karr, Short Stay Rental Special Advisor, comments: “I am delighted to take up this role having worked closely with the Association for Rental Living through the TrustedStays partnership for many years. Many aspects of the short stay and long-term rental living sector are shared, including the policy agenda, and I look forward to working together for the future growth of both.”