How Much Can You Make on Airbnb in London? Real Numbers for 2026

The average active Airbnb listing in London earned about £32,800 in the 12 months to August 2026, according to AirDNA, at 63% occupancy and an average nightly rate of around £164. That figure is gross: it comes before Airbnb's 15.5% host fee and before cleaning, utilities or management.

It also isn't what most London landlords can earn from an entire home. The average covers every type of active listing, including private rooms and homes that are allowed to let short-term all year. An entire home without planning permission can only be let short-term for 90 nights a year, and at the citywide average rate those 90 nights bring in roughly £12,500 after Airbnb's fee. Below we break down both numbers and show how to work out a realistic figure for your own property.

What does the average Airbnb in London earn?

AirDNA tracks active London listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com and publishes market averages for free. Its latest figures cover the 12 months to August 2026.

AirDNA reports in US dollars; pounds are converted at $1.34 to £1 (the rate on 21 September 2026) and rounded. Annual revenue includes cleaning and other guest fees. AirDNA refreshes these figures monthly and its count of active London listings has almost halved over the past year, so treat any single month as a snapshot.

In monthly terms, the average works out at around £2,700 gross. RevPAR is the most useful single number in the table, because it shows what an average night on the calendar earns, whether or not it was booked.

Why the average doesn't apply to most entire homes

Divide AirDNA's annual revenue by its nightly rate and the average London listing is booked for roughly 200 nights a year. Cleaning fees sit inside the revenue figure, so the real count is a little lower, but it is still around double what an entire home in London can take on short lets.

Under section 44 of the Deregulation Act 2015, a home in Greater London can be used for short lets without planning permission only if the total stays within 90 nights in a calendar year and the person providing the accommodation is liable for council tax on the property. Any stay of fewer than 90 consecutive nights counts towards that total, so a four-week booking uses 28 of your 90 nights. Airbnb applies the limit automatically to entire-home listings in Greater London.

Private rooms and properties with planning permission for short-let use aren't held to that automatic limit, and they pull the citywide average up. If you own a flat you don't live in and plan to let it on Airbnb, the average isn't your benchmark. Our guide to London's 90-day Airbnb rule covers what happens when a property reaches the limit.

How much does an entire home earn in 90 nights?

At the citywide average rate, an entire home let for the full 90 nights earns about £12,500 after Airbnb's fee and before running costs.

Illustrative only. The citywide rate blends private rooms with entire homes, so a well-located one or two-bedroom flat will usually command more per night and a flat further out may earn less. The calculation assumes all 90 nights are booked. UK hosts who aren't VAT-registered may also be charged 20% VAT on Airbnb's fee, which would bring the figure closer to £12,000; the breakdown on one of your own reservations shows which applies to you.

Cleaning, laundry, utilities, insurance and furnishing all come out of that figure, along with a management fee if you use one. We cover what Airbnb management costs in London in a separate guide.

What happens to the other 275 nights?

The 90-night cap is the reason short-let income in London rarely stands on its own. The remaining 275 nights still carry the mortgage, service charge and council tax, and they need a plan before the first booking goes live.

The main options are a let of 90 consecutive nights or more to the same guest, which falls outside the short-let limit, a standard tenancy, or keeping the property for your own use. A one or two-month stay still counts towards the 90 nights, so a mid-let only frees up the calendar once it reaches 90 consecutive nights. Longer furnished stays suit corporate relocations, contractors and people between homes. Combining short lets in the busiest months with longer stays for the rest of the year is the hybrid model Staymo runs through mid-term rental management. Owners who would rather not manage that mix at all can take guaranteed rent, a fixed monthly payment for the whole year.

How much does Airbnb income vary across London?

No official source publishes Airbnb revenue by borough, but the Office for National Statistics tracks how many nights guests spend in short lets booked through Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia Group. London recorded 21.6 million guest nights in 2025, more than any other region. Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and Camden were among the nine local authorities that together accounted for almost a quarter of all UK guest nights.

The spread inside London is wide. In 2024, Westminster recorded 3,901,890 guest nights, the most of any local authority in the UK. Hammersmith and Fulham recorded 899,610, compared with 154,690 in neighbouring Richmond upon Thames. A guest night counts each guest for each night, so a family of four staying two nights adds eight. The measure reflects demand rather than income, but it shows where guests actually stay.

Central London is also less seasonal than the rest of the UK. Across the country, August had about three and a half times as many guest nights as January in 2024. In Westminster that year, the busiest month had only about twice January's total, and more than four in five guests came from overseas.

For an entire home under the cap, this shifts the question. With average occupancy at 63% of available nights, filling 90 is realistic for a well-presented home in central or inner London, so income depends more on the rate each night achieves and on which 90 nights you choose. Summer weeks and major events command the highest rates. Our guide to Airbnb occupancy rates in London compares occupancy data across sources.

How to work out what your property could earn

Start with the nightly rate that comparable homes near you achieve: the same number of bedrooms, a similar standard and a similar walk to transport. Multiply it by the nights you can realistically book, which for an entire home means 90 at most without planning permission. Deduct Airbnb's host fee, then cleaning, utilities, insurance and any management fee. Add what the property earns for the rest of the year from longer lets or a tenancy, and compare the total with a standard long let over the same twelve months.

Our free Airbnb income calculator gives a starting figure for a specific property.

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Is Airbnb worth it for London landlords?

It can be, though rarely on short lets alone. An entire home in a high-demand area can earn well across its 90 nights, often at nightly rates a monthly rent can't match. Over a full year, the answer depends on what the property earns for the other nine months and on your costs.

Tax has changed too. The Furnished Holiday Lettings regime, which gave short-let landlords full mortgage interest relief and capital gains advantages, was abolished from 6 April 2025. Short-let income is now taxed under the same property income rules as any other rental, so older projections may overstate returns. Our UK Airbnb tax guide explains what changed.

If you're weighing Airbnb against a standard buy-to-let, model both over twelve months with real costs. This article is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice, so speak to an accountant before making investment decisions.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an Airbnb host make per month in London?

The average active London listing earned about £32,800 in the 12 months to August 2026, according to AirDNA, which is roughly £2,700 a month gross before Airbnb's fee and running costs. That average includes private rooms and homes that can let short-term all year. An entire home limited to 90 nights at the citywide average rate earns around £12,500 a year after Airbnb's fee, so the rest of its income depends on how it is let for the remaining nights.

What is the average Airbnb occupancy rate in London?

AirDNA puts average London occupancy at 63% of available nights for the 12 months to August 2026. Occupancy compares booked nights with the nights a listing is open, not with the full year, so a home available for only 90 nights can show high occupancy on a small base. Other trackers use different samples and definitions and report different figures, so compare like with like.

Do mid-term stays count towards the 90-night limit?

Yes, if the stay is shorter than 90 consecutive nights. London's short-let limit covers any stay by the same guest of fewer than 90 consecutive nights, so a one-month booking uses around 30 of your 90 nights. A stay of 90 consecutive nights or more falls outside the limit, which is why longer furnished lets are the usual way to keep a London property earning once its short-let nights run out.

How much does Airbnb take from hosts in the UK?

Airbnb has moved UK hosts to a single host-only service fee, deducted from the payout. Most hosts pay 15.5% of the booking subtotal, which includes the cleaning fee, and the rest typically pay between 14% and 16%. Hosts who aren't VAT-registered may also be charged 20% VAT on the fee, taking the effective cost to around 18.6%. The fee comes off before your own costs, so it should be the first deduction in any income calculation.

Is short-letting more profitable than a long let in London?

Per night, usually yes: a well-located London home can earn more from a week of short lets than from a week of rent. Over a year, the 90-night limit narrows that gap, because the remaining nights have to be covered by longer lets, a tenancy or owner use. Running costs are also higher for short lets. The fair comparison is a full twelve-month model of both options using your own figures.