Beach huts are as much a part of the British seaside as fish and chips. But after one sold for an incredible £480,000, are they worth the sky-high prices? Should YOU rent one?

It’s almost impossible to imagine the British coastline without imagining a neat row of beach huts hugging the coast.

Colorful huts are as much a part of Britain’s beaches as fish and chips, striped sun loungers and donkeys.

Beach huts, once popular with Victorian tourists, fell out of favor from the 1970s onwards, until demand for staycations after the pandemic lockdown was lifted caused prices to soar.

A beach cottage in luxury Mudeford Sandbank, Dorset, was put on the market last year for a staggering £480,000, well above the price of a typical family home, which fetched £343,947 this month, according to the property portal. online Rightmove.

And now owners are advertising their beloved beach huts as holiday lets on the Airbnb website for almost £500 a night – even though they have no running water or electricity.

Spend the night under the stars at Mudeford Sandbank

A charming blue and white beach hut on rugged Mudeford Sandbank may have been used by several generations of the same family, but it can now be rented for £2,974 per week, or £11,896 per month, on Airbnb.

By comparison, residents of the nearby town of Christchurch spend around £1,233 a month on rent, according to property website Zoopla.

On top of the incredible price of £464 per night, there’s also a £40 cleaning charge and £150 tax to pay for a week’s stay.

The property has a mezzanine that sleeps four people and has everything you need for a day at the beach, including a kayak, beach towels and an umbrella, but no bathroom.

When nature calls, the toilet block is 50 meters away and there are plenty of cold showers available (or a dip in the sea).

A few doors down, a whitewashed beach hut with four single beds and uninterrupted views of the Isle of Wight is available for £1,579 a week, including a £229 ‘Airbnb service fee’ which the website says pays for customer service and the operation of the platform. fee.

For that price, guests receive bed linen, towels and a small barbecue.

But despite costing £263 a night, the cottage has a seven-night minimum stay, making it almost as expensive as a typical family holiday, which cost £1,944 last year according to insurer Legal & General.

There are just 346 beach huts at Mudeford Sandbank and prices have skyrocketed over the past two decades as demand far outstrips supply.

In 2002, a cottage on the peninsula sold for £73,000, but a decade later one nearby sold for more than double that, at £170,000.

By comparison, a typical beach hut in the UK is worth £42,999, according to Rightmove.

Andy Denison, of Denisons estate agency in Christchurch, Dorset, says beach huts in Mudeford are very expensive due to local council regulations, which allow overnight stays between March 1 and October 31.

“In Mudeford you can sleep in a beach hut, but in other areas they can only be used as day huts,” he says.

‘The demand is very high. I’ve heard stories of people making around £300 a night renting out their beach huts.

There are more than 20,000 beach huts in the UK, but most councils prohibit overnight stays, including the New Forest in Hampshire, Swanage in Dorset and Abersoch in Wales.

Each council also has its own rules about the appearance of beach huts in their area and may prohibit activities such as barbecues and loud music.

But while guests can’t sleep in beach huts in these areas, they can still expect to pay more than £100 a day to rent one through Airbnb.

This glorious cottage in Whitstable, Kent can be yours between 9.30am and 5.30pm for £140. From the covered balcony you can enjoy a stunning view of the coast, as shown below.

Spend the day in Whitstable

A vintage-inspired beach hut on the outskirts of picturesque Whitstable in Kent can be rented between 9.30am and 5.30pm for £140, including a £20 Airbnb service fee.

For a six-day break, this would add up to £840 for a family of four without taking into account the cost of overnight accommodation.

For that sum, guests can make use of the gas stove, kitschy crockery, a kettle and shelves full of books.

Sunbathe in Southwold

Meanwhile, a striped cottage in the village of Southwold, near the mouth of the River Blyth on the Suffolk coast, can be booked for £81 a day, which includes a £16 cleaning fee and a valet fee. £12.

Although the interior decoration is minimal, there are plenty of beach toys for children, including the essential bucket and spades.

Kathryn Ferry of the Seaside Heritage Network says the rising price of beach huts is a microcosm of what’s happening in coastal towns generally.

Painted in a light shade of blue, this charming beach hut in Southwold on the Suffolk coast costs just £81 per day and is equipped with a small cooktop, as shown below. But beware of the hefty £16 cleaning charge.

“Many beach huts have been passed down from generation to generation, but the rise of Airbnb puts this in jeopardy,” he says.

“As more homes become Airbnbs, the soul and community disappears from these areas, as the existing community is pushed out.”

An Airbnb spokesperson says: ‘Beachfront cabins are an example of extraordinary Airbnb stays that have captivated travelers around the world for more than a decade.

‘Airbnb allows guests to book a wide range of unique and magical homes that go beyond a traditional hotel room, at all price points.

“We empower everyday people to become hosts, offering unique stays that boost tourism in destinations that depend on it.”