For landlords moving on from a long tenancy
Short-let and holiday let management in Manchester.
Thinking of moving your Manchester property off a long tenancy? We're Matt and Steph, and we've hosted short lets in Manchester since May 2017. We handle the pricing, guests, cleaning and compliance for a flat 15% + VAT per booking, so the switch doesn't turn into a second job.
80+ active listings · 74% occupancy, year to Sept 2026 · Rated 9.2/10 from 8,700+ guest reviews
A managed Manchester short let
Listed, priced and hosted by us
9+
Years hosting
60,043+
Nights hosted
£10.6M+
Booking value
£6.88M+
Paid to owners
8,700+
Guest reviews
74%
Occupancy
80+
Active listings
Where these figures come from
Portfolio figures as of October 2026 · Rated 9.2/10 from 8,700+ guest reviews on Airbnb and Booking.com · 4.7 on Google · 4.9 on Trustpilot
Occupancy: the 54 homes we managed for the whole 12 months to September 2026 were booked 74% of the nights they were open to guests (owner and maintenance nights excluded). See our Manchester short-let data
Short let or long-term tenancy?
The honest comparison
A long-term tenancy gives you one monthly rent, one set of keys handed over with no set end date, and no way back in until the tenancy ends. A short let works the property harder: many guests, nightly pricing that climbs for events and peaks, and a calendar you can block whenever you need the place yourself.
For a sense of scale, across the 54 homes we managed for the whole 12 months to September 2026, the typical (median) home earned £31,500 in accommodation revenue, middle half £25,000 to £46,500. That is accommodation income before our management fee and without cleaning fees, so compare it with your rent after running costs, and ask us for the figure for your own property. See our Manchester short-let data.
The trade-off is that a short let is a job: pricing, cleaning, linen, guest messages at all hours and compliance, every single week. That is the part we take off your hands. And it is not right for every property, which is why our Airbnb vs long-term letting comparison includes the cases where a tenancy is the smarter call.
Higher income potential
A managed short let in Manchester often out-earns a long-term tenancy once voids, fees and arrears are accounted for. Not everywhere, and we will tell you if yours is the exception.
Use it when you want
Block the calendar for your own visits, family or a sale. A tenancy hands the property over with no set end date.
No problem tenants
Every guest is ID-checked, agreement-signed and covered by a damage waiver, and they leave on the date they booked.
Property kept in shape
Cleaned and checked by our cleaning team after every stay, so wear is caught early instead of discovered at the end of a tenancy.
From tenancy to short let
Switching from a tenancy, step by step
The order we would do it in, so nothing gets furnished before it has been checked.
Step 1
Run the numbers first
Get a figure for your property before you plan around the tenancy ending. If the short-let number does not beat your rent by enough to justify the upheaval, we will say so.
Step 2
Check the four vetoes
Your lease, your mortgage, your insurance and the planning position. Most properties clear all four, but each one is a veto, so we check them before anything else happens.
Step 3
Let the tenancy end properly
Since 1 May 2026 you can no longer give a no-fault (section 21) notice in England, and wanting to short-let is not a ground for possession. So in practice the switch starts when your tenant chooses to leave, or agrees with you to end the tenancy. The selling and moving-in grounds bar you from re-letting or marketing the property for 12 months, so take advice before relying on them.
Step 4
Furnish and gather the paperwork
Proper beds, a sofa built for nightly use, fast Wi-Fi, a real kitchen and self check-in. Alongside it, your gas certificate, EICR, alarms and short-let insurance.
Step 5
Photos, listing and go live
Once it is guest-ready, we photograph it, build your listing and get it live, usually within a fortnight of your call. Budget for a gap month between the tenancy and the first guests.
The full version, with the gap month and what to furnish: switching your Manchester buy-to-let, step by step. Inherited a property or can't sell yet? Accidental landlord options, compared.
Holiday lets and second homes
Earn from the weeks you're not there
Not every short let starts as a buy-to-let. Some of the homes we look after are second homes that used to sit empty between their owners' visits. Run as a holiday let, the home earns while you are away and is yours when you want it: you block your dates in the owner app, owner stays carry no commission, and you just pay the cleaning fee.
The only rule is to block your dates before guests book them, because we won't cancel a guest to free a weekend up. Short-letting your second home covers personal belongings, furnishing for guests and yourself, and the tax change since April 2025. If your second home is in Hale, Bowdon or Wilmslow, see Airbnb management in Cheshire.
The rules, in brief
Short-let rules in Manchester
What actually applies here, checked for your property before you commit, not after.
No licence, no 90-day cap
England has no short-let licence, and the 90-night limit applies to Greater London only. Manchester has no night cap at all.
Planning depends on use
Running a home full-time as a short let can be a material change of use. Manchester’s Article 4 directions cover HMOs and office conversions, not short lets. We check your address before you commit.
A register in March 2027
England’s short-term let register is expected to open in March 2027. It is registration, not a licence, and we track it for every home we manage.
Safety and insurance
Gas and electrical certificates, smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms and specialist short-let insurance, checked before your property goes live.
The full reference: Airbnb and short-let rules in Manchester →
What it costs
One fee, and it moves with your income
A tenancy pays you a fixed rent; a short let pays you per booking, and so do we. Our fee is a flat 15% of each booking + VAT, with a one-off £400 + VAT onboarding fee for professional photography, your listing build and setup. No monthly minimums, and a rolling agreement with one month's notice either way, so if a tenancy turns out to suit you better after all, you are not locked in.
That fee covers running the whole job, from pricing and guest vetting to organising the cleaning and maintenance and keeping on top of compliance. Here is everything full management includes, our full pricing with the costs that stay with you, and what Airbnb management costs in Manchester if you want to compare us with other managers.
Instant estimate
What could your property earn?
Pick the area and size and your range updates instantly. It's free, and you don't need to give us any details to see it.
Northern Quarter · 1 bedroom
£21,000–£39,500
indicative gross revenue per year · ≈£2,500/month · nightly £105–£145
Northern Quarter, 1 bedroom: estimated £21,000 to £39,500 a year, about £2,500 a month.
Want the exact figure for your home?
Leave your details and Matt will benchmark it against similar homes we manage, free.
Or book a 15-minute Zoom call. You can also WhatsApp us the postcode.
Indicative gross annual revenue before fees and running costs, from 2026 Greater Manchester and Cheshire market data and our portfolio of 80+ listings. Not a quote: your exact valuation is benchmarked against comparable properties we actually manage.
Guest reviews
What guests say about the homes we run
Unlike a tenancy, a short let is reviewed by its guests, and those reviews feed how well a listing ranks. Ours: rated 9.2/10 from 8,700+ guest reviews (Airbnb and Booking.com combined), 4.7 on Google from 324 reviews, and 4.9 on Trustpilot from 176 reviews, mostly from guests.
“Brilliantly located and spotless. Hosts were fantastic. Really helpful information and on hand if we had any queries. Best Airbnb experience I have had yet!”
“Comfortable and spacious central apartment. The hosts were very easy to contact, I certainly would happily book through them again.”
Are you one of our owners? We'd love your review on Trustpilot.
Short-let FAQ
Straight answers for Manchester landlords
What counts as a short let?
A short let, or short-term let, is a furnished property let by the night or week, usually for stays under about a month, rather than on a long-term assured tenancy. A holiday let is the same idea aimed at leisure guests, and it is the usual name when it is a second home you also use yourself. Guests come and go, the property is cleaned and checked between stays, and income follows demand rather than a fixed monthly rent.
Is short-letting more profitable than a long-term tenancy in Manchester?
Often, but not everywhere. In central and well-located Manchester properties a managed short let tends to out-earn a tenancy once voids, fees and arrears are counted, while a quiet residential street far from demand can do better as a standard let. The honest way to know is a valuation on your postcode and property, which we give free, and our comparison of Airbnb vs long-term letting in Manchester sets out both sides.
Is there a 90-day limit on short lets in Manchester?
No. The 90-night cap applies to Greater London only, and there is no night cap anywhere in Greater Manchester. Planning, your lease and the national register due in March 2027 still matter, and our guide to Airbnb and short-let rules in Manchester covers each one.
Can I short-let my flat if it is leasehold or mortgaged?
Only if your lease and your lender allow it, so check both before you spend anything. Many city-centre leases carry covenants against short lets, and a buy-to-let mortgage almost always needs the lender’s agreement in writing, or a switch to a holiday-let product. We read the lease and check the lender’s position with you before anything goes live, so you are never caught out.
How quickly can I switch from a tenancy to a short let?
The tenancy has to end first, and that runs to its own timetable. Since 1 May 2026 you cannot give a no-fault notice in England, so in practice the switch starts when your tenant chooses to leave or agrees to end the tenancy. If you have a sitting tenant, take advice before you serve any notice. Once the property is empty, furnished and guest-ready, we photograph it, build your listing and get it live, usually within a fortnight of your call.
How much does a managed short let cost?
15% of each booking + VAT, so our fee rises and falls with your income, plus a one-off £400 + VAT onboarding fee for professional photography, your listing build and setup. The full breakdown, including what the platforms deduct and the costs that stay with you, is in our guide to what Airbnb management costs in Manchester.
Can I still use the property myself?
Yes, and it is one of the big advantages over a tenancy. Block your dates in the owner app before guests book them and the property is yours. Owner stays carry no commission, you just pay the cleaning fee. We can't cancel a guest's booking to free up dates, so the earlier you block them the better.
You're welcome to visit either office, Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm: 36 Back Turner Street, Manchester M4 1FR in the Northern Quarter, or 180-182 Ashley Road, Hale, Altrincham WA15 9SF. Book an in-person meeting or give us a ring on 07523 840 013 first so Matt or Steph is there to meet you.
Free property valuation
What could your property earn as a short let?
Tell us the postcode and bedrooms, and we’ll benchmark it against comparable short lets in our own Manchester portfolio and send you a free, honest valuation.
Matt or Steph reply to every enquiry personally, usually the same working day. Prefer to talk now? Call 07523 840 013 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm) or WhatsApp us.