In recent weeks we’ve focused on the seemingly unstoppable growth of Airbnb and its competitors and how women are helping to lead the boom in the short-lets rental market. 

London and Edinburgh are two of the cities where the likes of Airbnb really thrive, something which has been welcomed by consumers looking for flexible, more affordable short-term accommodation, but has also caused a backlash among residents and local authorities regarding the issues it can lead to including anti-social behaviour and a loss of much-needed housing stock. 

But where are London’s most popular Airbnb locations? Airbnb cleaners End of Tenancy London have used Ahrefs.com to find out what the most searched for London boroughs are by those searching for Airbnb homes on Google UK. 

While Kensington and Chelsea is London’s most costly borough for Airbnb users, it’s also the most searched for Airbnb location in the capital, with around 570 people typing ‘airbnb Kensington’, ‘airbnb chelsea’ and other related terms into Google every month.

The borough also has the fourth most listings in London on the popular travel website, but the fact that listings are, on average, £57 more expensive than in Camden and £74 costlier than in Hammersmith and Fulham could deter many people.   

With 400 searches a month, Camden is the second most popular Airbnb hotspot in London, with the lower price point and the similar number of listings available making Camden an attractive prospect.

Hammersmith and Fulham, Greenwich and Islington are all searched for by 340 Brits every month, the research found, but sit at different average price points. Although Greenwich is not as central a location as the other two, it benefits from being £30 cheaper than Islington and £37 more affordable than Fulham. With transport links from Greenwich being well developed, End of Tenancy believes this area could be a hidden gem for Airbnbers.

However, with 1,497 properties available and similar interest levels thanks to the various historical and cultural attractions on offer in Greenwich, people searching for an Airbnb are unlikely to have as much choice as they’d be afforded in the other two boroughs – which hold far more central locations.

Perhaps surprisingly, Croydon is in the top 6 most searched for London Airbnb boroughs, even though it has the third lowest average price overall. It’s also the cheapest borough out of the 10 most popular with British Googlers.

Its popularity may be explained away by the high number of listings available (950) compared to other similarly priced boroughs (Bexley – 206; Barking and Dagenham – 253; Sutton – 237, etc.). It also has excellent transport links to Central London and Brighton, strong links to Gatwick Airport and a rising appeal among young professionals thank to destinations like Boxpark.

The research found that Westminster is not as popular as one might think given its central location and proximity to well-known landmarks. In fact, every month, only 150 Brits search for Airbnb properties in Westminster. The prohibitive price probably has something to do with this lack of interest, with it being the second most expensive London borough for Airbnb users. On the other hand, it offers the widest choice, offering the most listings (7,885) of any London borough.

It’s a similar story for Tower Hamlets, which boasts the second highest number of listings in the capital (7,247), but where demand for a property is very low – only 20 Brits ask Google to find them an Airbnb in this area every month.

However, with an average property price of only £86, Tower Hamlets could prove to be a good area for those looking to Airbnb on a budget.

Richmond upon Thames, despite its riverside location and proximity to some of London’s finest green space, only sees 40 searches per month by people looking to stay in an Airbnb in the area.

While there is a good selection of properties available (1,098), the problem would appear to be the price. It is, on average, £3 more expensive than better located Hammersmith and Fulham, which also has nearly 3,000 more available listings. 

The least popular London boroughs for Airbnb tourists are Bexley, Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Haringey, Havering, Hillingdon, Lambeth, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest, with these areas all witnessing less than 10 searches per month. 

You can see a full table of the findings below:

*The data for average price and number of Airbnb listings per borough is courtesy of Finder.com.