Airbnb ‘spare room’ landlords earn just £2,400 a year

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

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