Forward bookings for Sydney short-term rentals are behind the same point last year. KeyData’s 2026 market data shows forward occupancy down 7% to 9.5% year on year across the next 60 to 120 days. Over the same booking windows, Sydney homes managed by L’Abode Accommodation are up 4.9 to 9.3 percentage points. These figures measure forward occupancy: the share of future available nights already booked. Most public market reports use a different measure, usually trailing occupancy over the previous 12 months.
L’Abode Accommodation, a luxury property management and holiday rentals specialist offering Airbnb property management in Sydney, analysed the latest KeyData figures to help owners understand what lower forward occupancy means in practice.
What Is the Sydney Airbnb Occupancy Rate in 2026?
There is no single Sydney Airbnb occupancy rate for 2026 because different providers use different time periods, geographic boundaries and listing datasets. Published trailing 12-month occupancy benchmarks range from about 47% to 79%, depending on the provider. Current KeyData figures tell a different story: forward occupancy across the broader Sydney short-term rental market is below the same point last year.
The two measures answer different questions. Trailing occupancy shows how much available inventory was booked over a completed period. Forward occupancy shows how much of the upcoming calendar is already booked and can still change as stay dates approach. Airbtics reports trailing occupancy up 1.3% year on year to January 2026. AirDNA reports occupancy up 12.1% over the 12 months to August 2026, alongside a 42.1% year-on-year decline in its active listing count. By contrast, KeyData’s current forward figures show booking pace running behind last year.
KeyData’s broader Greater Sydney supply dataset contains about 34,000 active listings with capacity for approximately 153,500 guests.
Forward Bookings Are Down 7 to 9.5% Year on Year
KeyData reports forward occupancy down 9.5% over the next 60 days, 7.2% over 90 days and 7.6% over 120 days compared with the same point last year. Because these booking windows overlap, the figures do not show whether one particular month is responsible for the decline. What they do show is that forward booking pace remains below last year’s level as the horizon extends from 60 to 120 days.
Across the broader market, 17.3% of available nights over the next 120 days are already booked. AirROI reports an average Sydney booking lead time of about 58 days for the 12 months to July 2026, so nights further into the booking window will naturally have a lower share already booked. For that reason, the year-on-year change in booking pace is more informative than the 17.3% level on its own.
Source: KeyData market data, 2026. Figures are rounded.
Why Published Occupancy Rates Range From 47% to 79%
Published Sydney occupancy figures vary because providers measure different markets, platforms and periods.
| Provider | Coverage | Period | Listings | Occupancy | Measure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KeyData | Greater Sydney, Airbnb and Vrbo | Forward 60 to 120 days, 2026 | About 34,000 | 17.3% | Share of the next 120 days already booked |
| AirDNA | Sydney, Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com | 12 months to August 2026 | 15,673 | 67% | Trailing average |
| GuestFavorites | Sydney, Airbnb | September 2025 to August 2026 | 12,352 | 68% (median 65%) | Trailing average |
| AirROI | Sydney, Airbnb | August 2025 to July 2026 | 10,531 | 47.2% (median 51%) | Trailing average |
| Airbtics | Sydney, Airbnb | February 2025 to January 2026 | 11,435 | 79% | Trailing median |
The L’Abode Accommodation’s portfolio and broader market differ in property mix, so this is a directional comparison rather than a like-for-like benchmark.
Three factors explain much of the spread: how each provider defines the Sydney market, which booking platforms are included and how available nights are counted. AirDNA, for example, defines occupancy as the share of available nights that are booked rather than the share of every calendar night in the year.
A trailing occupancy figure describes a completed period. Forward occupancy shows how much of the upcoming calendar has already filled and, importantly for owners, how much can still change.
Market averages also hide a wide range between individual properties. AirROI places the bottom quarter of Sydney listings at about 26% occupancy and the top quarter at 73% or higher. GuestFavorites reports a similarly wide range, from 23% in the lower quartile to 87% in the upper quartile.
How to Check Your Own Occupancy Against the Market
Before changing your rate, compare your own booking pace with both last year and the broader Sydney benchmarks.
| Check on your own listing | What to compare |
|---|---|
| Nights booked for the next 120 days | KeyData reports 17.3% across the broader Sydney market and 47.3% across L’Abode Accommodation’s managed portfolio. |
| Forward pace versus last year | The broader market is down 7% to 9.5% across the 60-, 90- and 120-day windows. |
| ADR versus last year | Market ADR is higher year on year, while forward booking pace is softer. Check whether your own rate increases are being supported by enough booked nights. |
| Trailing occupancy | Published medians range from about 51% with AirROI to 65% with GuestFavorites, while top-quartile listings reach about 73% to 87%. |
| Booking lead time | Compare how quickly future dates are filling with the same point last year rather than judging distant dates by occupancy alone. |
| Property type and bedroom count | Compare your home with similar properties where possible. Larger homes can follow a very different booking pattern from one- and two-bedroom listings. |
| Calendar restrictions | Review minimum stays, blocked dates, gap nights and availability settings that may be reducing the number of bookable nights. |
No single benchmark can tell an owner whether a property is performing well. A home can sit below Sydney’s overall occupancy rate and still perform strongly for its suburb, size or price point. The most useful comparison is usually your own property against the same booking window last year, supported by relevant market benchmarks.
Sydney’s Airbnb occupancy rate in 2026 depends heavily on what is being measured. Trailing occupancy figures range widely across providers, while current KeyData figures show forward booking pace below the same point last year. For owners, that makes context more important than any single headline percentage. Compare forward occupancy, year-on-year booking pace, ADR and booking lead time before deciding whether pricing or availability needs to change.
L’Abode Accommodation’s managed Sydney portfolio is pacing materially ahead of the broader market, although each property still needs to be assessed on its own characteristics and booking pattern.
Book a rental appraisal with L’Abode Accommodation to understand how your property is currently positioned, or explore the L’Abode Accommodation case studies to see examples of managed performance.
FAQs about Sydney Airbnb Occupancy Rate 2026
Which months have the lowest Airbnb occupancy in Sydney?
July is the softest month for Sydney Airbnb occupancy in AirROI’s data for the 12 months to July 2026. Occupancy averages 36.3% across the lower-demand months of May to July, compared with 54.2% across the peak months of December, January and March.
Does the 180-day cap limit a Sydney Airbnb’s occupancy rate?
Not necessarily. Because 180 days is roughly 49% of a year, it is easy to assume a capped property can never exceed 49% occupancy. In practice, that is not how it works.
Occupancy is usually calculated as booked nights divided by the nights a property is available, not by all 365 days. A non-hosted property that opens 200 nights and books 180 would show 90% occupancy. The cap also only applies to non-hosted properties, within each 12-month registration period, and bookings of 21 consecutive days or more do not count toward it.
The NSW Government is currently reviewing these rules, so owners should check the latest guidance before planning their calendar.
How many Sydney Airbnbs are professionally managed?
AirROI reports that 11.9% of Sydney Airbnb listings were professionally managed in the 12 months to July 2026, or roughly one in eight listings. A further 35.9% had a co-host. These categories do not necessarily describe the same level of service, so professional management and co-hosting should not be treated as equivalent.
What does L’Abode Accommodation’s Sydney property management include?
L’Abode Accommodation manages premium furnished homes across short-term, mid-term, long-term, flexi-letting and corporate stays in Sydney. Its property management service includes dynamic pricing, professional photography, 3D virtual tours, guest concierge and property maintenance, with Sydney offices in Edgecliff and North Sydney.