London Airbnb landlord makes £12m a year from 881 rental properties
It's a long way from the site's original mission
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An Airbnb landlord in London made £12m in a single year - thanks to income from almost 900 rental properties across the capital.
New research says the unnamed individual or management company pulled in £11.9m revenue from a portfolio of 881 properties.
The figures were calculated by Airbnb analysis site AirDNA, which claims the individual is the highest-earning Airbnb landlord in the world.
Airbnb is a portal through which people list their entire home or rooms within their home for short-term rent, typically to tourists.
A landlord in Bali was a close second, banking £11.8m through 504 properties in Bali.
Landlords in Cape Town, Paris and Barcelona also featured among the most lucrative places for Airbnb property owners.
The analysis raises questions about Airbnb’s business model - what started as a very personal way to share your apartment appears to be turning into a portal through which big companies are basing entire property management businesses.
AirDNA chief executive Scott Shatford told the Telegraph: “Airbnb is no longer a community just for individuals renting out their space or properties on their own.”
But Airbnb says the typical host earns £3,000 a month and typically hosts for 36 nights per year.
The site scrapes data from the Airbnb site to come up with its calculations.
The split between individual and management companies is still around 65 per cent to 35 per cent, according to AirDNA, but it says the ratio is shifting towards the latter.
In contrast, Airbnb insists 80 per cent of its UK hosts are sharing space in their primary home.
A spokesperson said: “The vast majority of Airbnb hosts are regular people who share their homes - typically their greatest expense - to boost their income and support their families.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments