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Guide · UK hosts
What’s a good Airbnb occupancy rate in the UK?
Fully booked? Congratulations. You might also be too cheap. There’s no single good occupancy rate, only good for your area, your kind of place and your season. Here’s what UK figures really show, how to work out yours properly, and the number that matters more.
In short
- Published UK figures run from about 35% to 65%, depending on who's counting and which months.
- Airbnb defines occupancy as nights booked ÷ nights available to be booked. Owner stays don't count against you.
- Fully booked isn't the goal. Watch revenue per available night (occupancy × nightly rate).
- Compare yourself with similar listings near you, not a national figure.
- Business rates use a different test: 140 nights available and 70 let in England and Scotland, 252 and 182 in Wales.
What UK occupancy looks like
Two sets of figures are easy to find, and they look like they disagree.
The first is AirDNA, a data vendor. Its market pages put occupancy in the UK's 12 biggest short-let markets between 52% and 65%, over the 12 months to August 2026. These are vendor figures, shown here for scene-setting.
| Market | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Highland | 65% |
| London | 63% |
| North East England | 59% |
| Lake District | 58% |
| Cornwall | 57% |
| Norfolk | 57% |
| West Yorkshire | 57% |
| Dorset | 56% |
| West Wales | 56% |
| Shropshire and Herefordshire | 55% |
| Devon | 54% |
| Kent | 52% |
AirDNA market pages, trailing 12 months to August 2026, updated 29 September 2026 (vendor data).
The second is VisitBritain, which publishes monthly figures from Lighthouse. Those put UK occupancy at 47% in June 2026, and between 35% and 40% in each month from November 2025 to March 2026.
Why the numbers differ
They aren't contradicting each other. They count differently.
- AirDNA leaves out blocked nights, and leaves out listings that haven't had a reservation in the past 28 days. Quiet listings drop out, which pushes the average up.
- Lighthouse counted a "long tail" of low-occupancy properties, which pulled its average down. It changed its method in July 2026, which raised its figures, so its June 2026 number and its winter months aren't on the same basis either.
So there's no single good number. There's only good for your area, your kind of place and your season. You'll see "good occupancy" bands quoted online, such as 65% or 75%. We couldn't find data behind any of them, so we don't use them.
Work out your own rate properly
Airbnb's Help Centre defines occupancy rate as "the number of nights booked divided by total nights available to be booked". The key word is available. Nights you blocked for yourself aren't nights a guest could book, so they come out of the bottom of the sum.
- Pick a period, such as last month or last quarter.
- Count the nights in it, then take off nights you blocked for your own stays or maintenance. That's your nights available.
- Count the nights booked.
- Divide booked by available.
Our maths: a 30-night month with 5 owner nights and 18 nights booked. 18 ÷ 25 = 72%. Counting every night in the month instead, 18 ÷ 30 would give 60%, which understates how well the nights you offered actually sold.
If you've opted in to Airbnb's professional hosting tools, the Insights tab shows your occupancy rate and lets you compare it with similar listings in the area. Airbnb says new data is uploaded within 24 hours.
Check what your own settings block
Airbnb automatically blocks nights to fit your settings, including your minimum nights, preparation time and advance notice. Those are nights you can't sell. If they drop out of "available", a strict setup can make your rate look better while you sell fewer nights. Airbnb doesn't spell out how these nights are counted, so treat this as something to check, not a rule. If your settings block a lot of nights, read our guide to Airbnb minimum stays.
Business rates: a different test
For business rates, the test isn't a percentage of available nights. It's a count of nights available to let and nights actually let, and owner stays count against you, because they're neither.
| Available to let | Actually let | Over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 140 nights | 70 nights | The last 12 months |
| Scotland | 140 nights | 70 nights | A financial year (1 April to 31 March) |
| Wales | 252 nights | 182 nights | A 12-month period |
gov.uk (England and Wales guidance) and mygov.scot, read 9 October 2026.
In England and Scotland, 70 let nights is only about 19% of the year (our maths: 70 ÷ 365). In Wales, 182 is about half the year (our maths: 182 ÷ 365 = 50%). Measured against the minimum 252 available nights, it's 72% (our maths: 182 ÷ 252), higher than every market average in the table above. England and Wales also require you to plan to make the property available for at least the same number of nights in the next 12 months, and in both, lets must be for 28 nights or less to count.
Wales has some extra rules. From 1 April 2026 you can average your let nights over 24 or 36 months, and private use, including discounted lets to friends or family, doesn't count. The Welsh Government is also consulting on easing the 182-night rule. The consultation closes on 23 October 2026, and any change is intended to take effect from 1 April 2027. If you're near a threshold, check with your accountant.
The better number: revenue per available night
Here's why full isn't the goal. Take two ways to run the same place:
| Occupancy | Nightly rate | Earned per available night | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fully booked | 100% | £120 | £120 |
| Three nights in four | 75% | £180 | £135 |
An illustration, adapted from PriceLabs' "The myth of 100% occupancy" (27 September 2026). Our maths: £120 × 100% = £120; £180 × 75% = £135.
Fewer nights, more money. That number, occupancy times your average nightly rate, is called revenue per available night (in the industry, RevPAR). It's the one to watch, because it moves with both your price and your bookings.
You can work it out from the same figures as your occupancy rate: divide what you earned from bookings in the period by your nights available.
What your rate is telling you
A general rule of thumb (not Airbnb's): if you're filling much faster than similar listings, you're probably too cheap. If you're well below them, check your price first, then your listing.
So compare yourself with similar listings near you, not with the national figure. Then:
- Running high? Raise your busiest nights first, a little at a time, and watch whether you still fill.
- Running low? Check your price against theirs, then your photos and title, then your minimum stay.
Not sure what to charge in the first place? Read how to price your Airbnb. To compare yourself with similar listings without doing it by hand, see the box below.
Questions hosts ask
What is a good Airbnb occupancy rate in the UK?
There’s no single figure. One vendor dataset puts the UK’s 12 biggest short-let markets between 52% and 65% over the year to August 2026, while VisitBritain’s published figures were 47% in June 2026 and 35% to 40% over the winter. They count differently. Good means at or above similar listings near you, at a price that earns well per available night.
How do I calculate my Airbnb occupancy rate?
Airbnb defines it as the number of nights booked divided by the nights available to be booked. Take nights you blocked for your own stays out of the available nights first. A 30-night month with 5 owner nights and 18 booked is 18 ÷ 25 = 72% (our maths).
Is 100% occupancy good on Airbnb?
Not always. Fully booked at £120 a night earns £120 per available night, while 75% booked at £180 earns £135 (our maths, an illustration). If you’re filling much faster than similar listings, test a higher price on your busiest nights.
How many nights do I need to let for business rates?
In England, 140 nights available and 70 actually let in the last 12 months. In Scotland, 140 and 70 in a financial year. In Wales, 252 and 182, and the Welsh Government is consulting on easing the 182-night rule until 23 October 2026.
What is revenue per available night?
Your occupancy rate times your average nightly rate, also called RevPAR. It shows how much each night you could sell actually earned, so it captures both your price and your bookings.
Check it against your real competitors
Occupancy only means something next to similar listings near you. You can compare by hand on Airbnb, or let PeakRate track your real competitors’ prices every night.
- Free listing audit (Airbnb listings). Paste your Airbnb listing link and PeakRate compares your price and listing with similar ones nearby.
- PeakRate, for the full picture. You choose the competitors that count, PeakRate tracks their prices night by night, and puts a suggested price next to the typical competitor price. Nothing changes until you approve it.
- Built for UK hosts, priced in pounds. From £49 a month for up to 3 properties, with a 14-day free trial and no card. It sends approved prices through Hospitable today, with more systems coming soon (see the latest).
More guides
- How to price your Airbnb
- Airbnb’s 15.5% host fee
- Airbnb slow season
- Airbnb bookings down?
- Airbnb cleaning fee
- Airbnb minimum stay
- Airbnb conversion rate
- Airbnb Smart Pricing
- PriceLabs vs AirDNA
Sources
- AirDNA market pages (UK): occupancy in the 12 largest UK short-let markets, trailing 12 months to August 2026, updated 29 September 2026 (vendor)
- AirDNA Help, "How does AirDNA calculate occupancy rate?" (20 August 2026): blocked nights and listings with no reservation in the past 28 days are left out
- VisitBritain, UK short-term rental reports (Lighthouse data): June 2026 47%; November 2025 to March 2026 between 35% and 40%; the July 2026 method change and the "long tail" of low-occupancy properties
- Airbnb Help Centre, article 2715: occupancy is "the number of nights booked divided by total nights available to be booked"; compare with similar listings in the area
- Airbnb Help Centre, article 2500: Insights for hosts who opt in to professional hosting tools; new data uploaded within 24 hours
- Airbnb Help Centre, article 3612: the calendar automatically blocks nights to fit minimum nights, preparation time and advance notice
- gov.uk, "Self-catering and holiday let accommodation" (business rates, England): 140 nights available and 70 let in the last 12 months; lets of 28 nights or less
- mygov.scot, "Short-term lets" (non-domestic rates guidance): 140 nights available and 70 let in a financial year
- gov.uk, "Apply for business rates for a self-catering property in Wales" (updated 30 September 2026): 252 and 182 nights; averaging over 24 or 36 months; private use doesn’t count
- Welsh Government, written statement on the classification of self-catering properties for local tax purposes (31 July 2026): consultation closes 23 October 2026; any change intended from 1 April 2027
- PriceLabs, "The myth of 100% occupancy" (27 September 2026): the 100% booked at 120 against 75% booked at 180 illustration, in dollars (we use pounds; vendor)
- AirDNA definitions: RevPAR = occupancy × average daily rate (vendor)
- Our maths: 18 ÷ 25 = 72% and 18 ÷ 30 = 60%; 70 ÷ 365 = 19%, 182 ÷ 365 = 50% and 182 ÷ 252 = 72%; £120 × 100% = £120 and £180 × 75% = £135
PeakRate makes pricing and competitor-benchmarking software for hosts. Where this guide mentions it, we say so; everything else is sourced above.