London Airbnb statistics: growth rate, average occupancy + more | 2020
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London Airbnb statistics

How has Airbnb grown in the UK’s capital?

Georgia-Rose Johnson
Georgia-Rose Johnson

Updated . What changed?

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Founded in 2008, Airbnb has become a very popular accommodation option for travellers all over the world. The platform also allows homeowners to make some extra cash by renting out a room or property to visitors, and this is certainly the case in London where the amount of properties has dramatically increased. In December 2018, there were 18,436 in total, whereas in July 2020, there were 87,235 – five times the amount!

The growth of Airbnb in London

The number of Airbnb listings in London has grown significantly in the past few years. On 6 April 2015, there were 18,436 in total. On 7 July 2020, there were 87,235, more than four times the amount.

Number of Airbnb listings in London 2015–2020

Month and year Listings
April 2015 18,436
February 2016 33,715
March 2017 53,904
April 2018 70,533
July 2020 87,235

Number of Airbnbs by London borough July 2020

Area Number of listings
Kensington and Chelsea 6,129
Westminster 9,925
City of London 462
Camden 6,220
Richmond upon Thames 1,221
Hammersmith and Fulham 4,281
Wandsworth 4,373
Islington 5,179
Merton 1,394
Southwark 4,972
Hounslow 1088
Lambeth 4,963
Hackney 6,391
Tower Hamlets 8,545
Brent 2,601
Barnet 1,698
Kingston upon Thames 541
Ealing 1,815
Greenwich 1,736
Newham 2,053
Haringey 2,247
Havering 255
Waltham Forest 1,493
Lewisham 2,325
Redbridge 732
Enfield 709
Harrow 478
Bromley 677
Hillingdon 659
Barking and Dagenham 378
Croydon 1118
Sutton 317
Bexley 255

By room type

  • Private room: 36,797
  • Entire home: 48,872
  • Shared room: 667
  • All: 87,235

Listings for an entire home are the most common on Airbnb, accounting for more than half (57%) of all listings. Private rooms are next, with 36,797 listings, 42% of the whole. Shared rooms lag very far behind, with a measly 1% of listings, at 667.

Airbnb’s growth in every London borough

Some neighbourhoods in London have seen more changes than others. The table below shows the number of listings each borough had in October 2018 and in July 2020. The borough that’s seen the biggest change is Barking and Dagenham, going from 253 Airbnbs in October 2018 to 378 in July 2020, an increase of 49%. The City of London has seen the least, a mere increase of 5%. Sutton and Havering have each gone from having no listings at all in 2015 to 317 and 255 respectively.

BoroughOctober 2018July 2020% increase
Bexley20625516,21%
Barking and Dagenham25337849,41%
Harrow39847820,10%
Barnet1,3541,69825,41%
Redbridge58673224.91%
Hillingdon47165939,92%
Bromley56567719,82%
Waltham Forest1,2061,49323,80%
Croydon950111817,68%
Brent2,1302,60122,11%
Hounslow915108818,91%
Greenwich1,4971,7365,97%
Enfield51270938,48%
Kingston upon Thames43454124,65%
Merton1,2471,39411,79%
Richmond upon Thames1,0981,22111,20%
Newham1,7982,05314,80%
Haringey1,9412,24715,77%
Ealing1,5271,81518,86%
Southwark4,4644,97211.38%
Wandsworth3,7784,37315,75%
City of London4414624,76%
Camden5,1246,22021.39%
Hammersmith and Fulham3,7324,28114,71%
Kensington and Chelsea5,2746,12916,21%
Lewisham2,0282,32514,64%
Westminster7,8859,92525,87%
Tower Hamlets7,2478,54517,91%
Lambeth4,4094,96312,57%
Islington4,5905,17912,83%
Hackney5,6536,39113,06%
Sutton23731733,76%
Havering20325525,62%

87,235

Airbnbs in London as of 7 July 2020.

Average occupancy of London Airbnbs

The average Airbnb in London is occupied approximately 11% of the year, which is roughly 40 days. The borough with the highest occupancy rate is Hillingdon, where the average Airbnb listing is taken around 17% of the year, probably as a result of its closeness to Heathrow airport. The borough with the lowest occupancy rate is Bexley, at 7%.

Top 5 boroughs for Airbnb occupancy

5 boroughs with the lowest occupancy rate

Average listing costs

The typical London Airbnb listing charges £125 a night. This average changes depending on the type of listing, such as whether it’s a shared or private room, as well as what area of London it’s in.

By listing type

  • Private room: £60
  • Entire home: £176
  • Shared room: £73
  • All: £125

By borough

BoroughAverage pricePrivate roomShared roomEntire home
Kensington and Chelsea£221£86£223£248
Westminster£219£99£50£257
City of London£188£128£122£196
Camden£149£76£52£190
Richmond upon Thames£130£65£100£180
Hammersmith and Fulham£142£71£110£179
Wandsworth£127£61£107£175
Islington£117£58£41£151
Merton£113£61£59£179
Southwark£111£64£43£150
Hounslow£103£65£35£146
Lambeth£97£51£136£139
Hackney£95£52£58£131
Tower Hamlets£94£52£34£139
Brent£97£58£25£141
Barnet£91£58£121£131
Kingston upon Thames£81£52£40£121
Ealing£89£57£36£122
Greenwich£88£47£55£136
Newham£82£50£33£133
Haringey£95£57£55£142
Havering£68£41£15£116
Waltham Forest£71£43£48£105
Lewisham£71£44£39£107
Redbridge£70£50£63£115
Enfield£67£43£178£105
Harrow£82£45£44£152
Bromley£64£45£105£93
Hillingdon£68£48£49£110
Barking and Dagenham£60£42£46£103
Croydon£70£56£32£94
Sutton£84£81£48£91
Bexley£58£42£41£95

Sources

Inside Airbnb
Airbnb

Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact:

Matt Mckenna
UK Communications Manager
T: +44 20 8191 8806
matt.mckenna@finder.com@MichHutchison/in/matthewmckenna2

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