City Relay is London's largest Airbnb management company, with 92 of the city's 29,100 active listings in the 12 months to September 2026. MoreThanStays' homes out-earn similar owner-run ones by the most (+100% across 19 homes), and Sure Stay London's are the best rated (4.94 over 836 reviews).
A good manager can pay for itself in London. Of the 28 companies with 10 or more year-round homes to compare, 17 out-earn similar homes by enough to cover a 20% fee, not counting 2 with exceptionally large leads, counted separately.
In the 12 months to September 2026, London's largest Airbnb and short-let management company was City Relay, with 92 of the city's 29,100 active Airbnb listings; Phoenix Luxury Stays was next with 58. In all, 97 companies ran five or more London listings, and management companies and other business accounts ran 8% of the city's listings.
"Similar owner-run homes" are homes whose owner runs only that one London listing, with no co-host, the same bedrooms
and room type, listed all year and open on 240+ nights, booked on 60+ of them, with 5+ reviews. Revenue is what each home earned on Airbnb, estimated from booked
nights and rates; stays sold on other sites or direct aren't counted.
Companies are ranked by the active London listings they run, as host or as co-host on an owner's account. "Lead vs similar" shows how much more a company's homes earned than owner-run London homes with the same number of bedrooms and room type, where they earned more, so a company of big houses isn't flattered by their size.
Of the 9 largest companies that host mainly on their own accounts, 2 grew over the past year.
Largest management companies in London
Ranked by active London listings run as host or co-host in the 12 months to September 2026.
Maykenbel PropertiesKensington and Chelsea · Knightsbridge★ 4.74 · +46% vs similar homes
+46%
17
4.74
9
Excel Apartmentsalso Capital Stay · Newham · Wandsworth★ 4.54 · +41% vs similar homes
+41%
18
4.54
10
London HousekeepingCo-hosts · Southwark · Camden★ 4.57 · +33% vs similar homes
+33%
18
4.57
11
JoivyMillbank · Kensington and Chelsea★ 4.69 · +31% vs similar homes
+31%
27
4.69
12
Thames ResidencesCo-hosts · Pimlico · Paddington★ 4.77 · +175%† vs similar homes
+175%†
33
4.77
How to read this table
Shortlist
The Best Airbnb Management Companies in London, by Home Size
A company that runs studios well may not suit a four-bedroom house. For each size, these are the London companies whose homes of that size out-earn owner-run homes of the same size by enough to cover a 20% fee (25% or more), on at least five year-round homes of that size, rated 4.7 or higher over 100 or more reviews. Leads of 150% or more are left out: that's more than management usually explains.
No company yet has enough highly rated year-round 4+ bedroom homes with a 25% lead to list here; the ranking above covers every company.
Each figure is revenue against owner-run homes with the same bedrooms and room type, on the company's year-round homes of that size only. "Small sample" marks a figure on five to nine homes: a lead to follow
up, not a result. It says what the company's homes earned, not what yours will.
Fees
What an Airbnb Manager Costs in London
Few management companies publish their fees. Of the 180 companies AirROI checked in 11 major Airbnb markets in September 2026, 17 publish a rate, from 10% to 30% of booking revenue with a median starting rate of 17%, and 102 quote only on request. Expect to ask each London company you shortlist for a quote.
Get the rate in writing along with what it's charged on: some companies take their share of the nightly rate only, others of everything the guest pays, cleaning fee included. With the company-run median London cleaning fee of £123, a 20% rate that also applies to cleaning takes another £25 from every stay. Ask too what's billed on top (linen, repairs, a setup fee) and how much notice ends the contract.
At the median starting rate, rounded to 15%, a manager has to lift revenue by 18% to leave an owner where they started, and 59% of company-run London homes earned at least that much more than the owner-run median for their size, against 40% of owner-run homes with no manager at all.
What a fee costs a year on a median London home
What a fee costs a year on a median London home
Home
Median revenue
15% fee
20% fee
25% fee
30% fee
1 bedroom
£16,700
£2,505
£3,340
£4,175
£5,010
2 bedrooms
£25,400
£3,810
£5,080
£6,350
£7,620
3 bedrooms
£31,300
£4,695
£6,260
£7,825
£9,390
4 bedrooms
£37,000
£5,550
£7,400
£9,250
£11,100
5+ bedrooms
£41,200
£6,180
£8,240
£10,300
£12,360
The fee on the median booking revenue of entire homes listed all 12 months, at common rates. A company's quote for your home can differ; ask for the full rate card in writing.
The numbers
Is an Airbnb Manager Worth It in London?
At the median, company-run London listings earned 104% more than owner-run ones over the 12 months to September 2026. Much of that is the homes: companies run bigger places. Matched by bedroom count and room type, company-run listings earned 39% more than owner-run ones, with nightly rates 38% higher.
A company charging a share of revenue pays for itself on revenue alone when it lifts income by more than the share: a 20% fee needs a 25% lift, and 17 of the 28 London companies with enough homes to compare clear it. The table shows how many company-run homes clear each bar:
Company-run homes that earn enough to cover each fee
Company-run
Owner-run
15% fee needs +18% 59%
20% fee needs +25% 56%
25% fee needs +33% 54%
30% fee needs +43% 47%
35% fee needs +54% 43%
A home "earns it" when its revenue over the 12 months to September 2026 beat the owner-run median for homes of the same room type and bedroom count by at least the lift shown. Homes listed all year only.
How we compared
Read the 20% row. 56% of company-run London homes earned at least 25% more than the owner-run median for their size, enough to pay that fee and still leave the owner ahead. 37% of owner-run homes cleared the same mark with no manager at all, so a company-run home is 19 percentage points more likely to clear the bar, beyond the ±5 points that chance alone could produce on these numbers. Ask any manager to show you homes of its own that clear it.
Company-run homes out-earn similar owner-run ones whichever account they sit on: those a company co-hosts on the owner's own Airbnb account earned 60% more than similar owner-run homes, and those on a company's own account 33% more. Of all 612 year-round company-run London homes, 147 stay on the owner's own account, with the company as co-host. Owners who keep the listing on their own account keep its reviews if they change manager.
Results vary by company, and the ranking shows the companies whose homes lead similar ones. Managers also choose the homes they take on, so part of any lead reflects the homes, and the comparison matches homes by room type and bedrooms only, not by street or finish. It counts Airbnb bookings only.
London's rules cap whole-home short lets at 90 nights a year unless a home has permission for more. Homes with that permission, such as serviced apartments, can sell nights a capped home can't, so part of any difference comes from the rules rather than the management.
Profiles
The Largest and Best-Performing Companies, Profiled
The six largest companies; the one beyond them whose homes most out-earn similar ones (by the 25% or more a 20% fee needs, across 15 or more year-round homes, rated 4.7 or higher over 100 or more reviews); and the next three largest with enough homes to compare: what each runs, where, and how its homes compare with similar owner-run London homes. Each card's revenue, per-night and nights figures are medians across its homes, so the last two don't multiply to the first.
The six largest
City Relay
#1 by listings
Kensington and Chelsea, Tower Hamlets
Largest in London Earns more per booked night than similar homes
City Relay is London's largest Airbnb management company, with 92 active listings.
Active listings
92
Nightly rate
£250
median
Year-round homes
25
listed all 12 months
Instant book
71%
of its listings
What it runs
Mostly 1- and 2-bedroom apartments and condos in Kensington and Chelsea, Tower Hamlets and Camden.
Results
Its 25 year-round homes earn 51% more per booked night than similar owner-run London homes.
Before You Sign: Seven Things to Check with a London Manager
Benchmarks
What London Airbnbs Earn: Benchmarks to Test a Manager's Pitch
A manager's projection is only as good as the homes it is compared with. These are the typical results for London entire homes listed for all 12 months, by bedroom count, over the 12 months to September 2026, in pounds.
What London entire homes earned a year, by bedroom count
What London Airbnbs Earn: Benchmarks to Test a Manager's Pitch
Home
Bottom quarter under
Median
Top quarter over
To net the median after 20%
1 bedroom7,510 homes
£6,900
£16,700
£31,100
£20,880
2 bedrooms5,590 homes
£10,500
£25,400
£50,600
£31,750
3 bedrooms2,120 homes
£11,900
£31,300
£64,900
£39,130
4 bedrooms804 homes
£14,300
£37,000
£69,300
£46,250
5+ bedrooms333 homes
£15,400
£41,200
£87,100
£51,500
Booking revenue of entire homes listed all 12 months. A quarter of homes earned less than the bottom-quarter figure and a quarter more than the top-quarter one. The last column is what a home has to earn for a 20% fee to leave its owner the median.
A projection above the top-quarter line for your size of home (£50,600 for a two-bedroom) should come with the comparable homes the company already runs. The fee changes the sum: on a two-bedroom earning the median £25,400, a 20% fee comes to £5,080 a year and leaves its owner £20,320, so to leave you with the median a manager has to bring in £31,750.
Before comparing managers' fees, see what the home itself could earn: the Airbnb revenue calculator gives a revenue range for one London address from comparable listings.
Hosts with a single listing run 40% of London's Airbnbs. Accounts with 20 or more listings, companies, individuals and hotels alike, run 14%. These bands count Airbnb accounts, not brands, so a company with several accounts can sit in more than one. That's more than management companies and other business accounts run in all (8%), because some individuals run many homes under a personal name: they count in these figures but aren't named. The share Airbnb flags as professionally managed rose from 6% to 9% over the year.
Who runs London's Airbnb listings
Share of London's 29,100 active listings, by how many listings their operator runs in the city
Hosts with one listing40%· 11,600 operators
2–4 listings24%· 2,900 operators
5–19 listings22%· 832 operators
20–99 listings14%· 139 operators
100 or more<1%· 1 operators
24% of London's listings name at least one co-host. Many management companies work that way: the listing, its reviews and its payouts stay on the owner's account, and the company runs it as co-host. The profiles above show how much of each company's portfolio runs on owners' accounts. Airbnb's own "professional host" flag covers 9% of listings; it marks hosts who run several homes, companies or not, so it isn't the same measure as the company share.
Where they work
Where London's Management Companies Operate
The share of each neighborhood's active listings run by management companies and other business accounts.
Where London's Management Companies Operate
Neighborhood
Active listings
Share run by companies
Kensington and Chelsea
2,460
14%
Camden
2,420
7%
Tower Hamlets
2,090
12%
Hackney
1,780
4%
Southwark
1,650
4%
Lambeth
1,590
4%
Islington
1,550
9%
Wandsworth
1,450
9%
Hammersmith and Fulham
1,390
6%
Brent
955
5%
Neighborhood · active listings · share run by management companies and other businesses
Rules
Rules a London Manager Has to Follow
The rules follow the property, whoever runs it. Short-term renting in London is allowed without a permit or licence, but a London home can only be let short-term for up to 90 nights per calendar year unless you have planning permission, and you must be liable for council tax on it.
The London Airbnb regulations page covers the limits and taxes, each linked to its official source. A manager that takes on your home should track those limits for you and handle the tax filings, and the contract should say who does what.
London Airbnb Management: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the largest Airbnb management company in London?
City Relay runs 92 active London Airbnb listings, more than any other company in AirROI's data for the 12 months to September 2026, ahead of Phoenix Luxury Stays (58) and Joivy (55).
How many Airbnb management companies operate in London?
In the 12 months to September 2026, 43 management companies ran 10 or more active London listings, and 97 ran 5 or more. Many smaller managers work as co-hosts on owners' accounts; they are counted on every listing they co-host.
What share of London Airbnbs are professionally managed?
Management companies and other business accounts run 8% of London's 29,100 active listings. Airbnb's own "professional host" flag, which also covers individuals who run several homes, is on 9%, against 6% a year earlier. 24% list at least one co-host.
Do professionally managed Airbnbs earn more in London?
Yes, on average. In the 12 months to September 2026, London homes run by companies with 10 or more listings earned 39% more than owner-run homes with the same number of bedrooms and room type (569 company-run and 2,717 owner-run year-round homes), according to AirROI. Company by company, 21 of the 28 with 10 or more year-round homes to compare out-earned similar homes, and 17 by the 25% or more that a 20% fee needs, not counting 2 whose lead of 150% or more is more than management usually explains. Company-run homes also charge 38% more a night than owner-run homes of the same size. Managers also choose which homes they take on, so part of any gap reflects the homes themselves.
Is it worth hiring an Airbnb manager in London?
Often: the typical company-run London home earned 39% more than a similar owner-run one in the 12 months to September 2026, enough to cover a fee of up to about 28%. 17 of the 28 London companies with 10 or more year-round homes out-earn similar owner-run homes by the 25% or more a 20% fee needs, led by MoreThanStays (+100%) and Maykenbel Properties (+46%). 56% of company-run London homes earned 25% or more above the owner-run median for their size, enough to cover a 20% fee, against 37% of owner-run homes with no manager. A manager also buys back the time hosting takes: guest messages, cleaning, pricing and upkeep.
How much do Airbnb management companies charge in London?
Few management companies publish their fees. Of the 180 companies AirROI checked in 11 major Airbnb markets in September 2026, 17 publish a rate, from 10% to 30% of booking revenue with a median starting rate of 17%, and 102 quote only on request. So ask each London company for its rate in writing, and whether it's a share of nightly revenue only or of cleaning fees too. What a fee has to earn is fixed: a 20% fee needs a 25% lift in revenue to leave you where you started, and a 30% fee needs 43%. In London, the typical company-run home's lead over similar owner-run ones would cover a fee of up to about 28%.
What are the best Airbnb management companies in London?
On AirROI's data for the 12 months to September 2026, the London companies whose homes most out-earn similar owner-run homes are MoreThanStays (+100% across 19 homes, rated 4.78) and Maykenbel Properties (+46% across 17 homes, rated 4.74). That counts companies with 15 or more year-round homes, an average guest rating of 4.7 or higher over 100 or more reviews, and a lead of at least 25%, enough to cover a 20% fee. Thames Residences shows an even larger lead, 150% or more, which also reflects the homes it runs: their size, finish and location count alongside the management. No single measure makes a company best for your home: check that it runs homes like yours, in your area, before you sign.
How much does a 2-bedroom Airbnb make in London?
The median 2-bedroom entire home in London earned £25,400 in the 12 months to September 2026, and the top quarter earned £50,600 or more, at a median 45% occupancy.
Which London Airbnb management companies have the best guest ratings?
Among London management companies with at least 10 rated listings and 100 reviews, Sure Stay London (4.94), Great Place To Stay (4.91) and London City Stays (4.89) had the highest average guest ratings in the 12 months to September 2026.
What is an Airbnb co-host, and how common are they in London?
A co-host helps run a listing that stays on the owner's Airbnb account, from messaging guests to pricing and cleaning, so the listing, its reviews and its payouts stay with the owner if the manager changes. A listing on a company's own account belongs to the company, and its reviews usually don't move with the home. 24% of London's active listings name at least one co-host, and several of the companies above run most of their homes that way.
Do I need a permit if a company manages my London Airbnb?
Not a London-wide one, but the rules still apply to the property whoever runs it. Short-term renting in London is allowed without a permit or licence, but a London home can only be let short-term for up to 90 nights per calendar year unless you have planning permission, and you must be liable for council tax on it. The London Airbnb regulations page has the limits and taxes.
How are these London management companies ranked?
By the number of active London Airbnb listings each company runs, as host or co-host, in the 12 months to September 2026. Individual hosts who don't trade as a business are not named.
Method
How This Ranking Works
The ranking counts active Airbnb listings in London over the 12 months to September 2026, on the same definition as AirROI's London market report, so the totals match. A listing counts toward its host account and toward every co-host named on it, because many companies run homes on the owner's own account. A company that runs several Airbnb accounts under one brand appears once, with the accounts combined.
The full method: classification, comparisons and fees
Accounts are classified from their names, and the London accounts with the most listings were checked by hand. Only property-management businesses are ranked, under the name they trade as; individual hosts who don't trade as a business count in every market figure but are never named, and neither are accounts with a generic name, such as "Property" or "Concierge", that can't be tied to a company. Hotels and serviced-apartment operators that list their own rooms are left out, and so are companies that mostly take stays of a month or more, because they compete with rentals rather than holiday lets.
"Lead vs similar" compares each of a company's homes with the median owner-run London home of the same bedroom count and room type, and reports the median of those comparisons. The figure is shown where a company's homes earn more than similar ones. A lower figure isn't shown: on Airbnb data alone it mostly reflects listings that are new or re-listed and still building reviews, or homes that differ in ways a bedroom count misses, rather than the management. Only homes listed for the whole 12 months and open to bookings on at least 240 nights, booked on 60 or more, with 5 or more reviews count, on both sides, so a company that added homes mid-year isn't marked down for their short first year, a listing that sits idle or is too new to have reviews doesn't stand for its company, and an owner who rents out their own home a few weekends a year doesn't set the benchmark. Companies with fewer than five such homes show a dash, and those with fewer than ten show "few": too few to compare fairly, so their figures are never quoted. The ranking by revenue needs at least 15. The shortlist by home size needs five homes of a size and marks a figure on fewer than ten as a small sample. The ± bands treat homes as independent; homes run by one company resemble each other, so the true uncertainty is somewhat wider. The profiles split revenue into revenue per booked night and nights booked, on the same homes, each against the owner-run median for that measure. A home's revenue is the one times the other, but the three medians don't multiply: among owner-run homes, the ones that charge more tend to book fewer nights, so the median rate times the median nights isn't the median revenue. A company's rating averages its listings' overall Airbnb ratings, weighted by their reviews. Revenue is gross Airbnb booking revenue, estimated from booked nights and rates, before any management fee. Stays a company or owner sells on other sites or direct aren't counted, so a company that sells much of its calendar elsewhere can look weaker here than it is; that applies to owner-run homes too. A home counts toward the company named on it now, so a home that changed manager during the year brings months run by its previous one.
The fee figures pool the rates management companies publish on their own websites, checked by hand in September 2026 in the 11 markets AirROI researched. No company's rate is shown on its own: most quote each home on request, so the page gives the spread of the published rates instead.
Growth counts the listings a company hosts on its own Airbnb accounts now against 12 months earlier. Companies that mostly co-host on owners' accounts show no growth figure, because Airbnb's co-host records from a year ago are incomplete, and accounts with no listings a year ago are marked new rather than ranked for growth.
The page is rebuilt each quarter from the latest listing data. A company that thinks its figures are wrong can write to AirROI, and corrections are checked against the listing data.