Most letting agents work towards one goal: finding a tenant. At MX Lettings, the goal is different. We manage towards your property’s annual return, not the speed at which it is filled.
That difference matters more than it sounds. A property that is occupied every day under the wrong strategy can earn less than one that is managed intelligently. And a property left empty for weeks while you hold out for the “perfect tenant” is costing you money every single day.
A hybrid letting strategy is how we remove that compromise. This guide explains what it is, how it works in practice, and the London rules it has to work within.
What is a hybrid letting strategy?
A hybrid letting strategy means a property is not locked into one rental model. Depending on the time of year, the demand in the area and where it sits between tenancies, it can be let:
- short term, as a professionally managed serviced apartment for stays of a few nights to a few weeks;
- medium term, to corporate guests, relocating professionals and others who need a furnished home for one to six months;
- long term, to a tenant who will make it their home.
In practice, the most common version is simple. When a long-term tenant moves out, the property does not sit empty while it is advertised. It launches straight away as a serviced apartment and starts earning from the day it is ready. Meanwhile, we take the time to find the right long-term tenant, rather than the first one.
The problem it solves: the void period
The biggest hidden cost of traditional letting is the void period. After a tenant leaves, landlords often spend weeks, sometimes months, advertising, arranging viewings, negotiating offers, referencing applicants and waiting for contracts to be signed.
During all of that time the property earns nothing, but the costs keep coming: mortgage payments, service charge, insurance, council tax and utilities.
The longer it goes on, the more pressure there is to accept the first applicant who passes referencing, just to stop the drain. That is how landlords end up with tenancies they later regret.
A hybrid strategy changes the maths. Because the property is already producing income, there is no reason to rush.
How a hybrid let works, step by step
1. Assess the property
No two properties perform the same way. A one-bedroom flat in Chelsea behaves very differently from a family home in Stockwell or a corporate apartment in Westminster. Before launching, we look at:
- location and local demand;
- what the building’s lease and regulations allow;
- the property’s specification and furnishing;
- who it will appeal to;
- how similar properties have performed historically;
- seasonal trends and the local competition.
From that, we build a letting plan for that specific property, not a standard formula.
2. Prepare and launch
Professional photography, the right furnishing and a properly written listing go live across the booking channels. The property can be earning within days of the previous tenant leaving.
3. Manage revenue, not just bookings
A serviced apartment is priced like a hotel room, not advertised at a fixed rent and left to wait. We monitor demand, occupancy, seasonal trends, local events, corporate demand, competitor pricing, booking lead times and average nightly rates, and adjust prices to maximise annual revenue rather than chasing the highest nightly rate.
4. Find the right long-term tenant, without pressure
While the property earns, we market it for the long term and reference applicants properly. Because there is no financial pressure, you can wait for someone who meets your criteria, intends to stay, and is the right fit for the property.
5. Switch when the numbers say so
When the right tenant is found, the property moves back to a long let. If the data shows that medium-term stays would earn more for a period, we can recommend that instead. Either way, the decision is based on numbers, not on how long the property has been empty.
Who books a London property between tenancies?
London is one of the most resilient rental markets in the world because demand comes from so many directions at once. Through the year, short and medium-term stays come from:
- corporate travellers and visiting consultants;
- international professionals on assignment;
- families relocating to London;
- people displaced from their own homes by insurance claims;
- medical staff working at London’s hospitals;
- university visitors;
- tourists;
- homeowners whose own homes are being renovated.
London recorded around 154 million visitor nights in 2024, according to the Greater London Authority, so the demand is there. A hybrid strategy lets a property follow whichever of these segments is strongest at the time, instead of relying on one.
The rules a hybrid strategy has to work within
A hybrid strategy only works if it is run within the rules. These are the ones that matter most in London.
The 90-night rule. In Greater London, letting a whole home for stays of fewer than 90 consecutive nights counts towards a limit of 90 nights in a calendar year, unless the property has planning permission for short-term use. Stays of 90 nights or longer do not count towards that limit. Councils are enforcing it actively: Westminster had more than 2,700 properties under investigation in early 2026. A national register of short-term lets is also in development. A properly run hybrid plan budgets those 90 nights deliberately and uses medium-term stays for the rest.
The lease, the mortgage and the insurance. Many London leases restrict short lets, and many buy-to-let mortgages and landlord insurance policies exclude them. These are checked before anything goes live, not after.
The Renters’ Rights Act. Since 1 May 2026, new long-term tenancies in England are periodic, and Section 21 no-fault evictions have gone. Once a long-term tenant is in place, there is no ground for possession that lets you return the property to short lets on a whim. That is exactly why the hybrid model works between tenancies: it earns during the gap and protects your choice of tenant, which now matters more than ever.
The right agreement for each stay. A medium-term stay needs an agreement that matches the situation, for example a company let for a corporate relocation. Get it wrong, and a three-month stay can become an open-ended assured tenancy.
Is a hybrid strategy right for your property?
It tends to suit:
- one and two-bedroom flats in central or well-connected areas;
- properties in buildings whose leases allow short and medium-term stays;
- properties that are furnished, or can be furnished, to a good standard;
- landlords who want the best annual return rather than the least involvement.
It is less suited to properties whose leases prohibit short stays, or to larger family homes in areas where short-stay demand is thin. In those cases, a well-priced long let is usually the better answer, and we will tell you so.
What changes for you as a landlord
- Income from day one of a vacancy, instead of weeks of empty costs.
- Freedom to choose your tenant, rather than accepting whoever comes first.
- Real data on your property’s earning power, from live bookings rather than guesswork.
- One manager for both models, so the switch between them is seamless.
Find out what your property could earn
Every property has untapped earning potential. Whether yours is empty, coming to the end of a tenancy, or underperforming with another agent, we can prepare a Hybrid Lettings Return Projection based on real market data. It compares a tailored hybrid strategy with a traditional long let and explains exactly how we would run it.
Frequently asked questions
Is hybrid letting legal in London?
Yes, provided it is run within the rules. Stays of fewer than 90 consecutive nights are limited to 90 nights per calendar year without planning permission, the lease must allow it, and each stay needs the right agreement. A good manager plans around these from the start.
Does a hybrid let cost more to run than a long let?
Yes. Short stays carry cleaning, laundry, platform commission and utility costs that a long let does not. The question is whether the extra income outweighs them, which is what a return projection is for.
Do I need to furnish my property?
For short and medium-term stays, yes. Furnishing to the standard corporate guests expect is usually one of the best investments a landlord can make in a hybrid strategy.
This article is general information, not legal advice. The rules on short-term letting and tenancies can change, and how they apply depends on your lease, mortgage and property.
Sources: Greater London Authority, Visitor Accommodation in London 2026 · Property Reporter, Westminster short-let investigations (April 2026) · Gowling WLG, Renters’ Rights Act 2025: 1 May 2026