Airbnb claims its so-called ‘spare room’ landlords earn an a rage of just £2,400 a year - the equivalent of a typical one month’s salary.
The platform has calculated that the average one-night stay in such a room is £55 and that cumulatively this sector contributes over £170m to hosts across the UK. In London specifically, the average one-night stay in a single room was £64.
A typical host in Scotland earned more from sharing a spare room than their counterparts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland - bringing in over £2,800 on average in 2022.
The spare room host sector is growing - in November Airbnb said there had been a 31 per cent rise in single-room listings on its UK website.
The platform cites the Office for National Statistics as saying that 38 per cent of homes in England have two or more spare rooms - the equivalent of 9.4m homes across England with - in Airbnb’s words - “two or more rooms potentially sitting idle.”
Airbnb also uses Office for National Statistics data to show that growth in regular pay fell in real terms in 2022 by 2.9 per cent, and that - according to other surveys - over three quarters of homeowners are thinking about ways to supplement their income to combat increasing costs.
“Homes across the UK have millions of spare rooms potentially sitting idle that could be earning families an extra month’s pay” claims Amanda Cupples, general manager of Northern Europe at Airbnb.
She continues: “As living costs and mortgage payments continue to rise, this is welcome news that could be an economic lifeline for households up and down the country who can utilise space in their own homes to help make ends meet, offering affordable accommodation options to guests from around the world in the process.”
Airbnb’s latest data lists the top 10 UK cities where hosts earn the most, on average, based on 2022 figures:
1. Cambridge: £4,500
2. Oxford: £4,100
3. London: £3,500
4. Belfast: £3,400
5. Edinburgh: £3,300
6. Exeter: £3,200
7. Bath: £3,100
8. Southampton: £3,000
9. Bristol: £2,900
10. Nottingham: £2,800
Want to comment on this story? Our focus is on providing a platform for you to share your insights and views and we welcome contributions.
If any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.
Please help us by reporting comments you consider to be unduly offensive so we can review and take action if necessary. Thank you.
.png)
Join the conversation
Jump to latest comment and add your reply
This can’t be true “Landlords and Air BnB owners are making millions” … not!
The article doesn't indicate how often these resident hosts made their spare rooms available or if they were referring to turnover or profit.
If a room costs £55 a night the profit will be somewhere around £25 by the time you've factored in the extra laundry, heating, water, insurance, platform fees, the odd breakage or thing going missing, etc.
I'm sure they are just looking at turnover.
My problem with renting a room in my house would be about the sharing of the rest of the house. I would have to share the bathroom, toilet, kitchen with all the issues that would entail. Could I ban them from the lounge and watching our TV? What if they wanted to share their room with another person, double the trouble. It would be like having a new family member. Don't forget you would have to trust they wouldn't steal or break anything, they would have the run of the house when you were out.
No thank you
I did it for years both as a host for language students or as standard lodgings. It was OK most of the time, really enjoyable some of the time and only once did I need to physically eject one for theft. When I bought my second home to live in the previous owner asked if I wanted to keep some of her lodgers. She described them as "lovely young men". They were actually young offenders placed there by the Probation Service.
Predominantly they were lovely, except once when I served lasagne for dinner (foreign muck). That incident required the police to attend.
So only 2 unpleasant incidents over a several year period.
Back then I needed the income and lived in a more suitable location. I would still be doing the language student side of it now if the Council hadn't introduced Article 4 restrictions, which pushed me to move house before I got trapped.
My nephew has recently bought his first house. He rents out a room which covers his mortgage payments. He is on his second tenant who seems to be working out, even though my nephew has various pets, 2 dogs, insects, spiders and lizards. All in a 2 bed terrace. So I guess it might work for some people!
John young -"Which" seems to be working out.
Please login to comment