How Much Could I Earn Short-Letting My House? UK Figures
Last updated: May 2026
What you earn short-letting your property depends on four things: your postcode, your property size, the month, and whether you are managing it yourself or using a management company.
This page shows you the honest range — bedroom-by-bedroom figures, real postcode examples across four UK regions, and the January floor that most income comparisons leave out.
Every figure below is net after the 15% + VAT management fee — what you actually receive, not a gross estimate that looks better before the deductions.
Your specific postcode estimate takes two minutes using the income calculator at the bottom of this page.
A typical UK 2-bed property managed by Stayful earns a conservative net average of £1,814 per month — ranging from £1,130 in January to £2,505 in August. A 1-bed earns approximately £1,179/month net; a 3-bed approximately £2,576/month net. The uplift versus a long-let equivalent is 48–66% at the conservative estimate, 91% at the UK median. Postcode-specific figures are in the income calculator below.
Conservative estimate based on enquiry data from 189 comparable UK properties. Net figures reflect management fee. Actual income varies by location, property type and season.
What you could earn by bedroom count — UK conservative averages
The figures below are net after the 15% + VAT management fee at conservative UK occupancy (65–70%).
They include the worst month (January) alongside the annual average — because a single-month figure tells you more about risk than an annual headline does.
| Property size | Monthly average (net) | January floor (net) | August peak (net) | Annual net total | vs long let |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-bedroom | £1,179 | £735 | £1,628 | £14,148 | +48–66% |
| 2-bedroom | £1,814 | £1,130 | £2,505 | £21,768 | +48–66% |
| 3-bedroom | £2,576 | £1,605 | £3,557 | £30,912 | +48–66% |
| 4+ bedroom | £3,356 | £2,091 | £4,634 | £40,272 | +48–66% |
Real income examples across four UK postcodes — net after management fee
The four examples below use verified enquiry data from comparable managed properties in each postcode area.
They are shown net — what the owner receives after the 15% + VAT Stayful management fee has been deducted.
What makes your income higher or lower than the national average
Location drives the demand that fills a property — and demand is what separates a 50% uplift market from a 150% uplift market.
Properties near major employers (hospitals, universities, large offices, distribution hubs), city centres, and transport hubs consistently outperform rural and peripheral suburban properties.
Leeds is an example of high uplift not because of tourism but because of the city’s strong employment base — contractor stays, visiting professionals, and university visitor demand fill properties year-round.
Devon is a lower uplift market not because short-term letting doesn’t work, but because the long-let alternative is strong relative to STR income — the absolute STR income is competitive, but the gap to long-let is smaller.
Airbnb search ranking is partly determined by conversion rate — what percentage of people who view a listing go on to book it.
Professional photography is the single most impactful improvement to conversion rate on any listing.
Stayful includes professional photography for the first shoot within the management arrangement — no additional charge.
A property with good photography, a compelling title, and competitive pricing at launch will build review momentum faster than one that launches with smartphone photos, regardless of quality.
Properties with static pricing underperform dynamic pricing by 15–30% on annual income.
The gap comes from two directions: undercharging during peak demand periods (when static rates are too low and the property books instantly at a rate that leaves money on the table), and failing to fill last-minute gaps with competitive pricing in the week before the date.
Stayful updates rates daily across all managed properties using local demand signals, competitor availability, and booking lead time data — included within the 15% + VAT management fee.
“The income estimate came back at £2,560/month average for a 3-bed. I’d been long-letting for £1,450. I didn’t believe it at first — I thought they were showing me best-case figures. The actual figure in year one was £2,380 average. January was £1,640 — still £190 above my old tenancy. It’s not what I expected.”
What landlords ask before they run their income estimate
Yes — every figure on this page is net after the 15% + VAT Stayful management fee.
The income estimate in the calculator also returns a net figure — what you actually receive after the fee is deducted from each booking payout.
Cleaning is charged separately to guests at cost and does not affect your payout.
Stayful’s onboarding from first call to live listing typically takes 7–14 days — including photography, listing setup, pricing configuration, and access arrangement.
Most properties receive their first booking within the first 7 days of going live, depending on the season and local demand.
First-month income is typically below the long-run average because the listing has no review history yet — review momentum builds over the first 2–3 months and occupancy typically stabilises by month three.
No — the estimate is a conservative range based on comparable properties in your postcode, not a guaranteed income.
We show you the conservative range rather than best-case projections, and we include the floor month (January) rather than just the annual average, because a range you can plan around is more useful than a headline that turns out to be aspirational.
The Stayful contract is rolling monthly — if performance materially undershoots the estimate without a clear seasonal or external explanation, you can exit without penalty beyond the current booking window.
or run the income estimate — net monthly figures for your postcode in 2 minutes
See what your property could earn — your postcode, your bedroom count
Net monthly figures including the January floor. Takes 2 minutes. No obligation to proceed.