14 June 2026 · 6 min read
The Best UK Areas for Short-Let ROI in 2026
Where UK landlords are seeing the strongest short-let yields right now — and the emerging cities to watch next.
Short-let returns vary widely across the UK, but the pattern is consistent: cities with strong year-round demand — a mix of tourism, business travel and events — outperform pure holiday markets over 12 months.
London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bath and Brighton continue to lead on gross yield per bedroom. But secondary cities like Liverpool, Bristol and Newcastle are catching up fast, driven by cultural investment, sports tourism and stronger midweek corporate demand.
Coastal and rural markets — Cornwall, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales — deliver the biggest peak-season nightly rates, but require careful shoulder-season pricing to keep annual occupancy competitive.
The takeaway for landlords: don't chase the highest headline nightly rate. Chase the highest realistic annual net yield after cleaning, platform fees and management. That's usually a well-located 1 or 2-bed in a city with balanced weekday and weekend demand.
