Tourist hotspots where one home in four is on Airbnb

An explosion in short-term lets has seen some areas in the UK saddled with one holiday listing in every four homes.

Airbnb has taken over tourist hotspots in the past decade, with pressure groups accusing the £30billion tech firm of depriving communities of much-needed housing. 

Airbnb allows homeowners to rent rooms or whole houses for as little as one night. 

Devon has the three areas with the highest rate of Airbnb lets in England. In Woolacombe, Georgeham and Croyde 23 in 100 properties are listed on the site.

In London, Fitzrovia West, Soho and Brick Lane North had 15 in 100 homes available on Airbnb, an investigation by The Guardian found. 

In Windermere North, Ambleside and Langdales in the Lake District there was 19 listings per 100 properties.

Former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, a local MP, said the growth of short-term lets was a ‘really disturbing issue’ in an area where second home owners already dominate.

In Scotland, Edinburgh Old Town is host to 29 active Airbnb listings for every 100 properties, while Skye had the second-highest concentration with 25 listings per 100 homes.

Airbnb disputed the accuracy of the data, claiming listings such as large manor houses, used for events, and caravans would not affect the local housing market. 

It added some listings may only be booked for a few nights a year.

Edinburgh’s city centre is pictured above. In Scotland, Edinburgh Old Town is host to 29 active Airbnb listings for every 100 properties, while Skye had the second-highest concentration with 25 listings per 100 homes

Dan Wilson Craw, the director of housing pressure group Generation Rent, said the rise in Airbnb lets deprives communities of the chance to buy a home in the area.

He said: ‘In rural areas and cities alike, the story is the same: Young adults can’t afford to settle down in the areas they grew up in.’

The research found that in 2014, 30 per cent of homes in the Lake District were second homes and according to research by a local school, 70 per cent of houses in the village of Chapel Stile were not regularly occupied.

Map showing Airbnb listings per 100 properties across Great Britain with Edinburgh having 29 listings for every 100 properties while Isle of Skye had the second-highest concentration of Airbnb properties

A two-bed terrace house in the village sells for £325,000 – far out of reach of locals earning an average of £345 per week.

Such properties are listed for around £130 a night on Airbnb, often more during the peak of its tourism season.

The investigation cross-referenced a database of more than 250,000 Airbnb listings with Government housing stock figures to find the ratio of short-term rentals in 8,000 areas across England, Wales and Scotland.

There were 0.8 Airbnb listings for every 100 homes.

Airbnb has taken over tourist hotspots in the past decade, with pressure groups accusing the £30billion tech firm of depriving communities of much-needed housing. Airbnb allows homeowners to rent rooms or whole houses for as little as one night

This comes as it was revealed earlier this month that homes which benefited from a £400,000 Government initiative to tackle the housing shortage in Scotland are being advertised on Airbnb.

Meanwhile, an investigation by Wired magazine unveiled a scam in London that uses fake Airbnb listings and accounts to trick people into staying in dirty and damaged accommodation they did not book.

New-build apartment blocks were found to have been turned into make-shift hotels designed specifically for the short-term market, with scammers outsourcing property management to call centres in the Philippines.