City Relay
City Relay is a London-based full-service property management firm founded in 2015 that manages short, mid, and long-term rentals across 20+ neighborhoods for property owners and residents, using its proprietary Opago platform, dynamic pricing, and compliance tracking to maximize yield.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What City Relay does
City Relay is a London-based property management company founded in 2015 that operates end-to-end letting services across short, mid, and long-term rental categories. The firm serves two primary customer segments: property owners seeking hands-off rental income management, and residents/guests (tourists, corporate clients, students, relocating professionals, digital nomads) seeking quality rental accommodation. Coverage spans 20+ London neighborhoods including Victoria, Chelsea, Mayfair, Notting Hill, the City of London, and South Kensington. Additional offerings include block management for portfolio owners with 5+ properties and a property sourcing service helping investors acquire rental assets.
The company's core technology is Opago, a proprietary property management platform that consolidates bookings across multiple short-let channels (Airbnb, Booking.com, direct), tracks compliance certificates and inspection schedules, automates maintenance request workflows, consolidates guest feedback, and provides real-time financial reporting and performance insights. A data-driven Dynamic Pricing Strategy adjusts nightly rates based on real-time market data, demand, local events, seasonality, and competitor pricing, and the platform includes dedicated 90-Day Rule Compliance Tracking aligned with London short-let regulation.
City Relay operates on a commission and managed-services revenue model. For direct bookings, the firm charges 8% commission on the rental fee, while property management services use outcome-based/performance pricing under which City Relay only earns when the property earns. Owners of qualifying blocks can opt into revenue-share or guaranteed-rent models for stable monthly income. An average occupancy rate of 86% (93% peak) and 4.7/5 trust rating across 2,035 reviews indicate operational scale, though unit counts and revenue figures are not disclosed. Distribution combines direct sales, host referral programs, and multi-platform marketplace listings, anchored by a direct-to-consumer property search portal at stay.cityrelay.com.
City Relay firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- City Relay
- Legal name
- City Relay
- Website
- https://cityrelay.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- City Relay is a London-based full-service property management firm founded in 2015 that manages short, mid, and long-term rentals across 20+ neighborhoods for property owners and residents, using its proprietary Opago platform, dynamic pricing, and compliance tracking to maximize yield.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
City Relay industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Property Management Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Urban STR Management (City Apartments/Condos) (BPAJAIAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Short-Term Rental (STR) Management for Individual Hosts (BPAJAIAB)
Keywords
Where City Relay is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
City Relay business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- Property Management Commission: City Relay charges a commission-based fee for end-to-end property management services. The company earns revenue when the property earns, meaning they only profit when property owners generate rental income. For direct bookings, City Relay charges 8% commission on the rental fee.
- Flexible Letting Management: Revenue is generated through a flexible letting model that blends short, mid, and long lets. The company optimizes yield by taking advantage of short-let peaks while maintaining stability through long lets. Average occupancy rate of 86% (93% in peak months).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Per transaction | Direct Bookings Commission - 8% |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Monthly | Property Management Commission - Revenue Share |
| Professional services/ project-based | Monthly | Rent Guarantee Model |
| Hybrid | Monthly | Revenue Share / Guaranteed Rent Models |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
City Relay product offering
Product offeringCore offering
City Relay is a London-based end-to-end property management company that manages short-term (Airbnb/AST), mid-term (3–6 months) and long-term residential lets on behalf of property owners. The company operates a flexible letting model that blends tenancy types to maximise yield, supported by its proprietary Opago platform for multi-channel booking consolidation, compliance tracking, dynamic pricing and performance reporting. Revenue is earned through management commissions (8% on direct bookings), revenue-share and guaranteed-rent arrangements.
Product overview
City Relay offers a comprehensive property management platform for London landlords, combining short-term, mid-term, and long-term letting management services. The core offering includes Short Let Management (Airbnb and AST management), Mid-Term Let Management (3-6 month corporate and transitional rentals), and Long Let Management (traditional tenancy management). Their proprietary Opago platform serves as the central technology layer, enabling multi-platform booking consolidation, compliance monitoring, dynamic pricing optimization, and real-time performance tracking. Additional services include block management for portfolio owners and property sourcing for investors. The flexible letting model blends different tenancy types to maximize rental yields while maintaining occupancy throughout the year.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Short-Term Let Management
- Mid-Term Let Management
- Long Let Management
- Block Management
- Property Sourcing
Quantifiable outcome
- 12.4% higher yield with flexible letting (£56,505 vs £50,280 annual yield for Victoria 2-bed)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use City Relay
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
City Relay technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
City Relay partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Property Redress SchemecoreCity Relay is a member of the Property Redress Scheme, which means the company is bound by external decisions made as a result of any major complaints from property owners or residents. This membership provides an independent arbitration mechanism for dispute resolution.
- PaypropcoreCity Relay uses Payprop as an additional security measure to protect finances, especially for large rent payments. Payprop is a specialized rent management and payment platform for the property industry.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
City Relay competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
City Relay social profiles
Digital presenceCity Relay financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
City Relay leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
City Relay funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
City Relay M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about City Relay
What does City Relay do?
City Relay is a London-based end-to-end property management company that manages short-term (Airbnb/AST), mid-term (3–6 months) and long-term residential lets on behalf of property owners. The company operates a flexible letting model that blends tenancy types to maximise yield, supported by its proprietary Opago platform for multi-channel booking consolidation, compliance tracking, dynamic pricing and performance reporting. Revenue is earned through management commissions (8% on direct bookings), revenue-share and guaranteed-rent arrangements.
Is City Relay a public or private company?
City Relay is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was City Relay founded?
City Relay was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is City Relay based?
City Relay is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does City Relay make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Property Management Commission is the primary driver. The others are flexible Letting Management.
Does City Relay have an API?
No public API is recorded for City Relay.
What industry is City Relay in?
City Relay's product category is Property Management Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJAIAF, Urban STR Management (City Apartments/Condos), with a secondary code of BPAJAIAB, Short-Term Rental (STR) Management for Individual Hosts.