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Vive Unique is a free full-service home rental club for London homeowners. The vacation rental business, which is part of the peer-to-peer property rental sector, seeks to help its members to earn extra income while they’re away and enable international visitors to the UK capital live like a local during their holiday.

Founded in 2011 it has nearly 1,000 city centre properties listed within its London portfolio. With an emphasis on spacious, characterful homes, three-quarters of Vive Unique’s homes are located in Zones 1 and 2 and two-thirds of its properties are family-focused.

History
Vive Unique's co-founders Jonny Morris and Claire Whisker, a former lawyer and barrister, met working together as part of the leadership team at internet business TotallyLegal, which they grew for sale to Trinity Mirror Plc.

During the recession Morris and Whisker had the idea of creating a business through which entrepreneurial Londoners could earn extra income for themselves from the sharing of their assets and visitors could experience a more authentic stay in the capital. They co-founded the free home rental club in London in 2011 and Vive Unique opened its first office, in Hoxton, in April 2012 with 200 private home rentals.

Later that year, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games acted as a springboard for the company’s success, with Vive Unique helping 260 visitors enjoy the high-profile event. Sporting events, such as Wimbledon and the Rugby World Cup 2015, continue to prove an added incentive for homeowners to rent their home on a short-term basis.

In May 2014 Vive Unique secured backing worth £3.5 million from sharing economy specialists Smedvig Capital, the team behind the Streetcar and Zipcar success stories, and in June 2014 the company opened its second London office, in Battersea.

The company has grown rapidly since and in summer 2014 the company confirmed that, as demand for London holiday lets has rocketed, the number of homeowners signing up to Vive Unique’s service had increased fourfold.

Homeowner membership:
Vive Unique offers a fully managed service with its property team organising everything on the homeowner’s behalf from start to finish. The company’s service covers all aspects of the process, from finding the right guests and professionally cleaning a property before and after every stay to supplying all linen and providing bespoke, fully comprehensive insurance cover. Once guests have checked in, the Home Service team are then on call 24/7 during their stay for added peace of mind.

Vive Unique works with homeowners to agree a fixed weekly rate which takes into account factors such as location, quality, availability and how many the property can sleep. This flexible service allows homeowners to earn 20% more than the equivalent long-let price of their property. On average its members earn between £6,000 and £12,000 per year for renting out their home, rising to over £40,000 for its most active members.

Once signed up, members either advise their account manager of their upcoming holiday dates or update their availability via the company’s website. Approximately 70% of the homes promoted by Vive Unique are used as the owner’s primary residence.

Guest stays:
Vive Unique caters to the growing demand for visitors to the UK to for self-catering short lets that allow them to stay in real homes in prime urban locations. While holidaymakers account for the majority of Vive Unique's bookings, business traveller numbers are growing.

On arrival, guests are met by a Vive Unique representative and presented with personal recommendations for the local area. Whilst Vive Unique positions itself as offering visitors an alternative to a hotel stay, the company also offers concierge services such as babysitting, airport pick-up and restaurant deliveries to help its affluent guests get the most from their time in London.