The UK's short-term rental market hit a record 100 million+ nights in 2025, sparking fears over the impact on housing availability. The staggering figure, revealed by new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), marks an 11.5% surge compared to the previous year.
Every region of England and all four countries within the UK saw growth, with Wales leading the charge – a whopping 17.4% increase in guest nights, up from 6.2 million to over 7.3 million. England's short-let sector grew by 11.1%, Scotland by 10.9%, and Northern Ireland by 10.8%.
August proved the busiest month for short-term stays, accounting for nearly 14 million guest nights – a 10.6% rise from the previous year. Meanwhile, January remained the quietest month but still saw a 19% increase in guest nights compared to 2024. Interestingly, March witnessed a decline in stays, while April experienced the largest monthly surge at 29.3%, likely influenced by Easter holidays.
The North East region showed the most significant percentage growth, climbing 22.2% to over 2.7 million guest nights. London continued to dominate in terms of sheer volume, despite having the smallest regional increase at 6.3%. The local authority with the largest numerical rise was North Yorkshire, adding 453,000 guest nights – a 20.5% increase.
Experts warn that the growth of short-term lets is exacerbating housing availability issues and affordability pressures in popular tourist areas. Nathan Emerson, Chief Executive of Propertymark, stressed the need for better data and powers to manage these imbalances, ensuring communities can benefit from tourism without compromising access to homes for local residents.
A significant majority of these stays – 67.2% – were by visitors from within the UK. Internationally, the United States remained the primary source of visitors, contributing 6.2 million guest nights, followed by Germany with 3 million and France with 2.6 million.