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Guests · 5 min read
Naming your own price on a holiday home is a bit like making an offer on anything else: pitch it right and both sides walk away happy; pitch it wrong and you get nowhere. The good news is that you don't need to be a hardened negotiator. Hosts are people with homes to fill, and a fair, clear offer with a little context goes a long way. Here's how to make one they'll want to accept.
By Offer2Stay · Updated October 2026
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GuestsGuests · 18 October 2026 · 7 min readHow 'Name Your Price' Holidays Work in the UKInstead of scrolling listings and hoping for a discount, you tell hosts your dates and budget and they come to you. Here's how it works, step by step.Read →Post your dates and budget once. UK hosts send private offers — free to post, 0% guest fees, and your card is only charged when a host says yes.
Get offers — freeEvery host sets the lowest price they'll accept for their home, based on their own costs and how they want to run it. If your offer is at or above that price, you're booked instantly. If it's below, you'll know straight away and nothing is charged.
Behind that number, the host is thinking about a few things: how likely those nights are to sell anyway, how much work your stay involves, and whether you sound like guests who'll look after the place. Understanding that helps you make an offer that lands.
Before you name a figure, look at what similar homes nearby cost for your dates — the same size, the same sort of location, similar features. That gives you a realistic starting point.
An offer that's in the right ballpark shows you're serious. One that's a fraction of what everything else costs is likely to be declined, and wastes your time as much as the host's.
Tip: Always compare totals for the whole stay, including cleaning and fees, rather than nightly rates. It's what you'll actually pay.
The same offer can be accepted for one set of dates and declined for another. A Saturday night in August is almost certain to sell at full price; a Tuesday night in November might not. If you're flexible, quieter dates give you far more room.
If you're posting a request, a sentence or two about your trip can make a real difference. Hosts like knowing who's coming: a couple celebrating an anniversary, a family visiting relatives nearby, a quiet group of walkers. It helps them picture the stay and feel confident saying yes.
Keep it short and genuine. You don't need a sob story — just enough for the host to know you'll treat their home well.
Run through this quick list to make sure your offer is as strong as it can be.
Checklist · 0/6
Don't worry — nothing is charged if your offer is below the host's lowest price. You've lost nothing and learned something. You could raise your offer a little, try different dates when the host may be quieter, or look at a similar home nearby.
Or step back and post a request with your dates and budget. Instead of guessing what one host will accept, you let several hosts tell you what they can offer, and compare the results.
Making an offer on a specific home is ideal when you've found the place you want. You get an instant answer: booked, or not accepted with nothing charged. It's quick and simple.
Posting a request is better when you're open to a few different homes. Instead of guessing one host's lowest price, you let hosts with suitable homes send you offers, and you compare them side by side. You'll often see a range of options you wouldn't have found by searching.
Many guests do both: offer on their favourite, and post a request as a backup. There's no cost to either — your card is only charged when a host says yes.
A few things can make a host less keen, even at a good price. Guest numbers that don't match the home, unexpected pets, or a group that doesn't fit the house rules are the main ones. Being clear and honest up front avoids all of these, and makes it much easier for a host to say yes with confidence.
If you're planning a longer stay — a week or more — hosts often look at it differently. A single longer booking means fewer changeovers and less cleaning between guests, and a guaranteed run of nights can be worth more to a host than the chance of filling them in pieces.
So if your plans are flexible, it's worth considering whether a longer stay suits you. Mention the full length of your trip in your request, and offer a total for the whole stay. It gives hosts the full picture and often leads to a stronger offer.
Once your offer is accepted, the relationship is just beginning. Reply to messages, arrive when you said you would, follow the house rules and leave the place as you found it. Hosts remember good guests — and a good guest is someone a host is happy to welcome back next time.
Hosts set their own lowest price. Offers at or above it book instantly; below it, you'll know straight away and nothing is charged.
No. Your card is only charged when a host says yes to a price.
Yes. You can adjust your offer, try different dates or post a request to other hosts.
No. Offers are private between you and each host.
If you have a question about the home, yes — you can message hosts on Offer2Stay.
Find your stay. Let hosts make the offer.
Name your price for UK stays. Guests post what they need; hosts send private offers around the calendars they already run on Airbnb and Booking.com.