The Big Ben Blog

London Hybrid-Let, the long read.

Research, real numbers and compliance deep-dives for London property owners considering the Hybrid-Let model. Written by the operators, not marketers.

Featured/Pub Rooms

What the Rooms Above London Pubs Actually Earn

Published figures on London pub letting rooms: the £106-a-night average pub stay, the 1.9-night booking, the arithmetic on a six-room pub, and the structural reason pub rooms escape the 90-night cap that limits every Airbnb flat in the capital.

19 July 20267 min read

Read the full piece

More from the blog

Regulation & Compliance

London short-term lets in 2026: five regulatory shifts every operator should be tracking

A plain-English, source-linked briefing on the five regulatory changes shaping London short-let operations in 2026 — the 90-night cap, the coming national register, the proposed C5 use class, the FHL tax abolition and the Renters' Rights Act. Educational, not legal or tax advice. Accurate as of 12 July 2026.

12 July 20269 min read

Case Studies

Fourteen months hosting one Canary Wharf flat: the numbers we can prove

Fourteen months hosting one Canary Wharf flat, with an eleven-month audited data window: ~87% occupancy, 176 verified reviews across all properties, ~£4,800/mo gross against a £2,600 AST comp — every figure sourced, every limitation stated.

10 July 20268 min read

Owner economics

Anatomy of an open-book statement: where an illustrative £4,800 goes, line by line

A line-by-line audit of an illustrative London short-let statement: flat 10% fee, zero-markup cleaning pass-through, and the reconciliation rule where your platform dashboard always wins.

10 July 20266 min read

AI & Trust

Themis: the one AI on our team whose job is to say no

Is AI property management safe? Inside Themis, the deny-by-default gate at Big Ben Suite — an AI whose only power is to stop things, with a named human signing every irreversible action.

10 July 20269 min read

Short-Let Regulation

Tower Hamlets, 90 Nights, and Your Canary Wharf Flat: Three Walls Closing In on Short-Let Landlords

Tower Hamlets enforcement, the Mayor's register push, and Airbnb's 90-day rule are closing in on Canary Wharf short-let owners. Here is what it means, and the hybrid-let exit.

20 April 20269 min read

Yields & Strategy

Hybrid-Let vs Buy-to-Let in London 2026: Which Yields More?

A detailed 2026 comparison of Hybrid-Let and traditional Buy-to-Let yields across London, with real Canary Wharf numbers, tax implications, 90-day rule compliance, and the true uplift maths.

12 April 202611 min read

Market Data

London Rental Yields by Postcode 2026: Where Hybrid-Let Wins

Postcode-by-postcode guide to 2026 London rental yields. Compares AST benchmarks to Hybrid-Let gross and uplift across E14, E1, SE1, SW1, W2, NW1, N1 and E16, with methodology and a live Canary Wharf case study.

5 April 202612 min read

Compliance

London 90-Day Rule Explained: Short-Let Limits & Compliance

A plain-English guide to London's 90-day short-let cap — what counts, how enforcement works, fines, borough-level variations, and the mid-term switch that keeps Hybrid-Let compliant year-round.

28 March 202610 min read

Want the numbers for your own flat?

Our Hybrid-Let calculator takes 30 seconds and uses the same methodology as the posts above.

Run the calculator