Airbnb Business in London

Build an Airbnb Business in London with Houst

Start an Airbnb business in London without building a management company from scratch. Whether you plan to co-host for owners, run a rent to rent model, or take on full short let management, Houst gives you the brand, technology and property pipeline to operate from day one.

Operating Partner launching their Airbnb business in London with Houst's partnership program. Streamlined operations include automated guest messaging, cleaning requests, and payment tracking to support business growth.
Image of Houst property management software dashboard notification for a new clean request in London for Airbnb business owners.
Operating Partner launching their Airbnb business in London with Houst's partnership program. Streamlined operations include automated guest messaging, cleaning requests, and payment tracking to support business growth.
Image of Houst property management software dashboard notification for a receipt of new payment in London for Airbnb business owners.
Operating Partner launching their Airbnb business in London with Houst's partnership program. Streamlined operations include automated guest messaging, cleaning requests, and payment tracking to support business growth.
Our partnership track-record:

24 homes

Average portfolio after year one

1-2 months

Time to first earnings

50/50

Revenue split on every booking

24 homes

The average amount of properties after 1 year in business.

20%

The average commission on each guest booking

1-2 months

The average time it takes our partners to start earning.

Who can become a partner?

London operators come to Houst from every route in. Solo co-hosts taking on their first owner, rent to rent landlords moving into short lets, small agencies adding a short let arm, and franchise operators scaling across boroughs.

Start co-hosting in London without owning property

You want to run short lets for other people but do not own property yourself. Co-hosting is the lowest cost way into the London market, and it is how most of our partners start. We train you on pricing, listings and guest management, then pass you owner leads in your area so your first properties come from us rather than cold outreach.

Already hosting or running rent to rent

You already host, or you rent property to sublet as short lets. Rent to rent works in London but the ninety night cap makes it harder than most operators expect, and margins get thin once voids and cleaning are counted. Partnering gives you management income on other people's properties without taking on lease risk, alongside whatever you already run.

Add short let management to your agency

You run a lettings agency or a small management business and short lets are the obvious next line. You keep your clients and your local relationships. We handle guest communication, pricing, cleaning coordination and the technology, so you can add short let management in London without hiring an operations team.

Build a short let franchise across London

You want to build a short let franchise across several London boroughs rather than manage a handful of properties. Partners at this level operate with their own staff and a growing owner pipeline, backed by our brand, systems and lead generation. Most reach twenty five properties in year one and continue from there.

Airbnb business in London: Illustration of upcoming booking notifications and Airbnb revenue on Houst's partner platform interface, demonstrating streamlined short-let property management.
Airbnb business in London: Illustration of upcoming booking notifications and Airbnb revenue on Houst's partner platform interface, demonstrating streamlined short-let property management.
A dashboard screenshot image of an Airbnb business in London showcasing upcoming booking details, including check-in dates, booking revenue, and guest profiles to optimize short-let property management and running an Airbnb business in London.

Who finds the properties

Houst does. Our in-house sales and marketing teams generate owner leads and source properties in your area, so you are not starting with an empty pipeline or cold calling landlords.

You can grow faster in two ways. Fund additional marketing spend in your patch to increase lead flow, or run your own business development alongside ours on a 50/50 basis. Most partners do both once their first properties are live.

Running short lets in London

London is the largest short let market in the UK and the most regulated. Entire home lets are capped at 90 nights a year under the Greater London Council Act unless the property has planning permission for short term use, so most London operators build portfolios that mix short lets with medium stays to work within the cap.

Demand holds up year round rather than peaking in summer, driven by business travel, events and international visitors. Central boroughs command the highest nightly rates, while outer London offers lower acquisition costs and less competition for owner instructions.

Houst has managed London properties since 2015 and our partners operate across every zone. You get local market data, the regulatory position and an owner pipeline in your area from the start.

Airbnb business in London: Get started with Houst's property management platform to supercharge your property business, featuring an intuitive booking calendar for streamlined Airbnb operations.

We only get rewarded when you do well

Total entry cost is £10,000 plus VAT. You pay a £2,500 deposit at signing and a £2,500 set-up fee, then £500 a month across your first ten months. Bookings split 50/50 from day one. Systems, sales, growth, marketing and full guest support are included.

£10,000 + VAT
Total investment
50/50
Revenue split per booking
£2,500
Joining fee upfront
10 months
Payment spread over
Airbnb business in London: Maximise your profits with Houst's expertise in managing short-let properties, featuring insights into bookings, total properties, activity logs, and upcoming cleans.
Airbnb business in London: Maximise your profits with Houst's expertise in managing short-let properties, featuring insights into bookings, total properties, activity logs, and upcoming cleans.
Airbnb business in London: Maximise your profits with Houst's expertise in managing short-let properties, featuring insights into bookings, total properties, activity logs, and upcoming cleans.
Airbnb business in London: Maximise your profits with Houst's expertise in managing short-let properties, featuring insights into bookings, total properties, activity logs, and upcoming cleans.
Insight into running an Airbnb business in London with real-time data on total properties and scheduled cleanings, ensuring smooth operations and guest satisfaction.

What a London portfolio earns

These figures use current London short let data, including average daily rate and occupancy across the properties we manage. Move the slider to see what a portfolio of that size would generate before costs.

Actual earnings vary by property type, borough and season. Book a call for a forecast built around the properties you plan to take on.

GET A MORE ACCURATE ESTIMATE

Properties in your portfolio

25 properties Typical year 1

Average daily rate

£237

Occupancy

76%

Annual booking revenue managed

Your share, per year

Estimates based on current average daily rates and occupancy in your market. Actual earnings vary by property, area and season.

From rent to rent to 25 properties in six months

Alex came from a rent to rent background and took on his first property with Houst in January. By July he was managing 25. He says it sounded too good to be true at first, and that he could not have scaled at that pace on his own.

FAQ

How much does it cost to start an Airbnb business in London?
Starting independently in London costs roughly £3,000 to £8,000 per property once you have covered a deposit, furnishing, safety certificates and insurance. Buying a property to let takes that past £70,000. The Houst partnership is £10,000 plus VAT, spread over your first ten months with no joining fee upfront, and it covers technology, training and brand activation across your whole area rather than a single flat.
How much does it cost to start an Airbnb business in London?
How much do Airbnb co-hosts earn in London?
Independent co-hosts in London typically charge 10 to 30 percent of booking revenue, with around 20 percent common for full service management. As a Houst partner you take a 50/50 share of the management fee on every booking across your portfolio, and there is no cap on how many properties you take on.
How much do Airbnb co-hosts earn in London?
Do I need to own property to start an Airbnb business in London?
No. Most Houst partners in London own no property at all. You manage short lets for owners who do, which means no mortgage, no deposit and no rent liability. Houst generates the owner leads in your area, so you are not sourcing properties from a standing start.
Do I need to own property to start an Airbnb business in London?
Is rent to rent legal in London?
Rent to rent is legal in the UK when the owner gives written permission to sublet, the mortgage lender and freeholder approve, and the property meets licensing and safety rules. In London the ninety night cap on entire home lets applies unless the property has planning permission for short term use. Managing on an owner's behalf avoids the rent liability and void risk that come with taking a lease yourself.
Is rent to rent legal in London?
How long does it take to start earning as a Houst partner?
Most partners take on their first properties within one to two months of signing. Our London partners typically reach around twenty four properties by the end of their first year. One partner came from a rent to rent background, took his first property in January and was managing twenty five by July.
How long does it take to start earning as a Houst partner?