Holiday let income calculator UK — estimate holiday cottage income & profit
Use our free holiday let calculator to estimate nightly rate, occupancy, gross revenue and net profit — then compare the outcome to standard letting. Works for UK holiday lets and holiday cottages listed on Airbnb, Booking.com and direct bookings.
Calculate holiday let income & profit
Enter your property details to generate a projection for holiday let income and holiday let profit. You’ll also see a side-by-side comparison to standard letting, so you can judge the uplift clearly.
What is a holiday let income calculator?
A holiday let income calculator estimates how much a UK property could earn as a short-term holiday rental. It models likely nightly rate and occupancy from your property details, then calculates gross revenue and an estimated net profit after key costs.
How we calculate your holiday let income projections
Your projection is built from the same drivers most UK “holiday home income calculators” use — just presented in a clearer way for landlords comparing short-term letting versus standard letting.
- Inputs: your property details (type, size, sleeps, location and availability).
- Outputs: an estimated nightly rate and occupancy, then gross revenue and net profit.
- Costs included in net: cleaning, booking platform fees and management fees (as shown in your results).
- Long-let comparison: a baseline standard letting estimate to show the difference in £ per month/year.
Examples & benchmarks (illustrative UK scenarios)
These examples are here to help you sanity-check your calculator output. They’re not promises — your actual result depends on location, availability, listing quality and how well the operation is run. If you want a deeper breakdown of costs, use the running-cost guides linked above.
Scenario A: 1–2 bed (city / commuter demand)
| Assumption | Conservative | Expected |
|---|---|---|
| Nightly rate (ADR) | £85–£120 | £120–£165 |
| Occupancy | 45%–55% | 55%–70% |
| Typical drivers | Weekend breaks + midweek work stays; minimum stays and check-in ease matter. | |
| How to validate | Compare similar sleeps/bedrooms, then check cleaning/fee sensitivity on net profit. | |
Scenario B: 3–4 bed (family / groups)
| Assumption | Conservative | Expected |
|---|---|---|
| Nightly rate (ADR) | £140–£210 | £210–£320 |
| Occupancy | 40%–55% | 55%–68% |
| Typical drivers | School holiday peaks, weekend breaks, events; photos and sleeps count matter. | |
| How to validate | Check peak vs off-peak pricing, then confirm how minimum stays impact occupancy. | |
Scenario C: holiday cottage (countryside / coastal breaks)
| Assumption | Conservative | Expected |
|---|---|---|
| Nightly rate (ADR) | £110–£170 | £170–£260 |
| Occupancy | 35%–50% | 50%–65% |
| Typical drivers | School holidays + weekends; amenities (parking, pets, outdoor space) shift demand. | |
| How to validate | Model shoulder-season pricing, then check net profit sensitivity to cleaning frequency and fees. | |
UK-wide: explore holiday let markets (for deal analysis)
If you’re estimating income before buying, it helps to compare a few markets and property types rather than relying on one postcode. Use the calculator first, then explore local pages to understand what typically drives bookings in each area.
Start here if you want UK-wide coverage and quick comparisons between markets.
UK-wide service overview — ideal if you’re planning a hands-off setup.
Example location page structure (useful for understanding local demand drivers).
Higher weekday demand patterns often change occupancy/ADR assumptions.
City-break + work-stay mix: useful for landlords testing non-coastal models.
Use this to understand what “profit” should include beyond headline revenue.
Recommended pages to validate your projection
If your result looks promising, these pages help you confirm assumptions and plan the real-world costs behind “holiday let profit calculator” searches.
Holiday let profit calculator UK — FAQs
How do I estimate holiday let income?
Start with the two drivers that matter most: nightly rate and booked nights. A simple estimate is nightly rate × booked nights for gross revenue, then subtract key costs (cleaning, platform fees and management) to estimate net profit. The calculator does this for you using your property details.
What does this holiday let profit calculator include?
Your results show a projection for gross revenue and net profit. Net profit includes cleaning, booking platform fees and management fees (as shown in your result breakdown), plus a comparison to standard letting so you can judge the uplift.
How accurate is a holiday rental income calculator?
It’s most accurate when you enter realistic property details and availability. The biggest reasons results change are seasonality, minimum stays, guest capacity, and positioning (family breaks vs worker stays). Use the examples and cost guides above to sanity-check whether your ADR and occupancy assumptions feel realistic.
What is a good occupancy rate for a UK holiday let?
There’s no single “good” number — occupancy depends on location, seasonality, property quality, and pricing strategy. A useful approach is to model a conservative and an expected range, then see how sensitive net profit is to small changes in occupancy.
How do I estimate income from a holiday cottage specifically?
Cottage income is usually more seasonal than city demand. Estimate peak weeks and shoulder-season separately, then blend into a year-wide view. Amenities such as parking, pet-friendliness, outdoor space and family suitability can materially change ADR and booked nights.
Is gross revenue the same as profit?
No. Gross revenue is booking income before costs. Net profit subtracts key operating costs (like cleaning, platform fees and management fees) to show a more realistic “what you keep” estimate.
How do I compare short-term letting to standard letting properly?
Compare like-for-like over the same time period: monthly/annual gross and net, plus the operational trade-offs. Short-term lets can outperform because rates flex with demand, but cleaning frequency, fees and seasonality can change the net outcome. The calculator’s side-by-side view is designed to make that comparison simple.
Does the calculator work for portfolio landlords?
Yes — it’s useful for quickly comparing properties and markets. For best results, run each property using realistic availability and keep notes on which variables drive profit most (ADR, occupancy, and turnover/cleaning frequency).
What should I do if my projection looks “too good to be true”?
Reduce availability, lower occupancy, and test a lower ADR — then re-run. Also sanity-check cleaning frequency and fees, because net profit can change materially when turnover increases. Use the cost pages linked above to validate each input.