62% of London Airbnb listings are now from ‘multi-listers’
Figures from Colliers International reveal extent to which professional landlords are switching from traditional lettings in the capital.
Landlords are increasingly switching from traditional long-term lettings to Airbnb and using specialist management companies to manage their bookings, research from Colliers International suggests.
It says 62% of all properties listed in London are offered by ‘multi-listers’ who have more than one property available via Airbnb, the highest ratio among all the cities in which Airbnb operates.
“These hosts are often intermediary companies that manage the listing on behalf of the actual owner,” says Colliers International.
Whole home bookings
The agent also says that 69% of all bookings in London were ‘whole home’ stays rather than those renting single or shared rooms.
This switch by landlords to Airbnb is helping such multi-lister property management firms expand fast and attract high-profile backers, the latest being The Air Agents.
Earlier this week it received a substantial cash injection from Dragon’s Den star Tej Lalvani which, the company says, will be used to more than double its portfolio size by the end of this year.
Airbnb listings
The Air Agents was set up three years ago by Fran Milsom and Mark Hudsom who, despite neither of them possessing a track record in property management or tech, now manage 650 properties.
“I am thrilled to be involved in a project as exciting as The Air Agents,” says Tej Lalvani (pictured), who made his fortune from vitamins firm Vitabiotics.
“The business model is exceptionally clever to support a company like Airbnb during its boom, and I see only great things for the future of the brand.”
The Air Agents claims it will increase its portfolio to 1,500 properties by the end of the year, helped by both the Lalvani investment, and also an earlier cash injection from another Dragon’s Den star, Touker Suleyman.
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