From Long-term lets to Short-term lets: Is Airbnb becoming the new buy-to-let?

Homes are no longer being used for long term accommodation. With the rise of the sharing economy, increasing world-wide tourism and technological revolution, people are using homes to provide accommodation to millions of tourists globally every year. In London alone, the number of listings on Airbnb has grown by 60% in just over 12 months to over 53,000 listings. This research builds upon our previous research reports and seeks to examine how the sharing economy has changed over the past 12 months. This report discusses the findings from a survey of 1,463 landlords, which examines firstly, tenant sub-letting on online platforms without permission, and secondly, investigates landlords changing their letting strategy from long term lets to short term lets. This report then analyses the latest secondary data available on Airbnb listings in London from InsideAirbnb. This enables key trends in short term lets to be mapped out and empower wider discussion on the issues arising from the growth in the sharing economy.