Highest Earning Icelandic Airbnber Made 236 Million ISK

According to figures from the newly launched tourism fact database Mælaborði ferðaþjónustunnar, the individual who made the most from renting out apartments through Airbnb profited 236 million ISK over the past 12 months.

During the period five individuals made over 100 million and taken together the ten highest earners made over 1.1 billion ISK. The ten had 276 apartments listed combined.

The renter with the most properties had 47 apartments active on the website, along with a further 29 rooms. The second biggest party in the market had 48 single rooms available.

Airbnb had a turnover of 15.2 billion in Iceland during the first nine months of this year, according to Vísir.

Making that money at any price

We at the Grapevine are happy that some people are making a shit load of money, because not everybody is happy with the impact Airbnb has had on downtown Reykjavík. Our August feature dealt with the unhappiness of locals with a downtown they barely recognise anymore and what that means for the future of Reykjavík and its housing market.