Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Mortgage Strategy. Read the original article for full details.

ONS: UK Short-Term Let Market Grew by 12% in 2025

The UK short-term let market expanded by almost 12% in 2025, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Travellers booked 101 million nights in Airbnb-type holiday rentals across the UK, up from 91 million in 2024.

The ONS figures show that all UK regions experienced growth in guest nights between January and December 2025 compared to the previous year. Wales recorded the steepest increase, with guest nights rising by 17.4% from 6,282,250 in 2024 to 7,374,780 in 2025. The North East saw the largest regional increase at 22.2%, from 2,253,220 to 2,753,800 guest nights.

England's bookings rose by 11.1%, Scotland by 10.9%, and Northern Ireland by 10.8%. London, while having the highest number of guest nights overall, saw the lowest increase among regions at 6.3%, with bookings rising from 20,270,590 to 21,557,480.

Nearly a quarter (24.4%) of all guest nights in 2025 were concentrated in just nine of the UK's 361 local authorities. Seven of these are in England—Westminster, Cornwall, North Yorkshire, Kensington and Chelsea, Camden, Westmorland and Furness, and Liverpool—while two are in Scotland: City of Edinburgh and Highland.

Among local authorities, North Yorkshire had the largest increase in guest nights booked, up by 452,960 (20.5%), followed by Cornwall, which rose by 449,450 (13%). Brighton and Hove experienced the largest fall, with guest nights decreasing by 35,900 (3.7%).

For letting agents and inventory clerks, these trends highlight ongoing shifts in property use, with a significant number of homes being used for short-term lets, particularly in high-demand areas. The data may be relevant for those monitoring changes in local housing supply and demand.