Managing an Airbnb in London can be a good way to make use of a property, but it isn't necessarily a hands-off source of income.
The right approach depends on your property, how much time you have and how involved you want to be. For some owners, managing an Airbnb themselves makes sense. For others, professional Airbnb management in London can take away much of the day-to-day responsibility.
So, how do you know which approach is right for you?
Where you live can make a big difference to how practical self-management is.
If you're close to your property, dealing with an occasional problem may be relatively straightforward. You might already have a cleaner nearby, know local tradespeople and be able to visit the property when necessary.
If you're based outside London, things can become more complicated.
A guest might have an issue with access. A cleaner might discover a problem between stays. A repair might need arranging before the next booking arrives.
None of these situations is necessarily difficult to resolve. The challenge is being available to resolve them when you're not nearby.
If you don't live locally, having someone who can manage the practical side of the property may be particularly useful.
Managing one Airbnb is very different from managing a portfolio.
With one property, you may be able to keep on top of bookings and guest communication relatively easily. As the number of properties increases, however, so does the amount of coordination involved.
You could have multiple check-ins on the same day, cleaners working across different properties, maintenance issues happening simultaneously and guests asking questions at different times.
If you're building a short-let portfolio, it's worth considering how much of that operational workload you want to take on yourself.
Professional management can provide another option for owners who want to grow their portfolio without managing every property personally.
This is perhaps the simplest question to ask yourself.
Running an Airbnb doesn't necessarily require hours every day. But it does require you to be available when something needs attention.
You may need to respond to a guest before work, deal with a question during the evening or arrange maintenance at short notice.
If you have plenty of spare time and enjoy being involved, this may not be an issue.
If you already have a demanding job, family commitments or other properties to manage, the time involved can become more significant.
The question isn't just whether you can find the time.
It's whether managing your Airbnb is how you want to spend it.
Not every property owner wants the same experience from short-letting.
Some people enjoy communicating with guests, preparing their property and keeping an eye on reviews. They like knowing exactly what's happening and prefer to stay closely involved.
Others would rather own the property without having to think about who is checking in tonight.
Neither approach is necessarily better. It comes down to how you want to operate your property.
If you enjoy hosting, self-management could be a natural fit.
If the operational side is something you'd rather hand over, Airbnb management gives you another option.
This is one of the less obvious parts of self-managing an Airbnb.
Guests don't necessarily need help between 9am and 5pm.
An issue with a lock might happen late in the evening. A guest might have a question when you're at work. Something could stop working just before a new arrival.
You don't have to be physically present for every problem, but you do need to decide how those problems will be handled.
If you're happy to be the point of contact, self-management may work well.
If you don't want your Airbnb to create an expectation that you're always available, professional support may be worth considering.
Another question is how much of the operation you already have in place.
You may already have:
If you have these things covered, managing your property yourself may be relatively straightforward.
If you would need to build all of those relationships from scratch, professional management could remove some of the organisation involved.
There isn't just one way to manage a short-let.
You can be completely hands-on, outsource individual tasks or use a fully managed service.
Think about where you want to sit on that spectrum.
Hands-on: You manage bookings, guests, pricing and property operations yourself.
Partly outsourced: You manage the property but use cleaners, maintenance providers or other services to handle specific tasks.
Fully managed: A property management company takes responsibility for the day-to-day operation, while you remain the owner.
The right level of involvement can change over time, too. You might start by managing your property yourself and decide later that you would rather have more support.
It can help to look at your situation more simply.
You live locally, have time available and enjoy communicating with guests.
Self-management could give you the level of control you're looking for.
You have a full-time job, family commitments or other responsibilities and don't want your Airbnb competing for your attention.
Professional management could reduce the amount of day-to-day involvement required from you.
You don't live in London and can't easily visit the property when something needs attention.
Having local support can make the practical side of short-letting easier to manage.
You have several properties or are planning to expand.
As the number of bookings and properties increases, you may want to outsource some or all of the operational workload.
You only plan to let your property at certain times of the year.
Depending on how frequently you host, managing it yourself may still be practical. It's worth considering how much support you actually need rather than assuming a fully managed service is necessary.
The main disadvantage of professional management is straightforward: it costs money.
If you manage your Airbnb yourself, you don't pay a management fee for the service. In return, you take responsibility for the time and work involved in running the property.
If you use a management company, you pay for professional support and give up some responsibility for the day-to-day operation.
The useful comparison isn't simply:
"How much is the management fee?"
It's:
"How much are my time and involvement worth to me?"
For one owner, saving the management fee may be the priority.
For another, paying for support could be worthwhile if it means they don't have to spend their evenings answering guest messages or arranging repairs.
There is another factor to consider before deciding how you want to operate an Airbnb in London: the rules around short-term letting.
London has specific restrictions on short-term letting, including the commonly known 90-night limit for entire homes without the relevant planning permission. The rules and requirements that apply can depend on the property and how it is being used.
It's therefore important to understand the requirements that apply to your property before starting or changing your short-let operation.
For detailed information, see our guide to London's short-term rental rules