Renting out an Airbnb can be an excellent side hustle. You can give travelers a comfortable place to stay on their vacations, all while bringing in some extra income. So, how can you start your Airbnb side hustle?
How to Start an Airbnb Side Hustle?
Refresh Your Space
Is your home actually guest-ready? You will want it to be completely clean. No one wants to stay in a place with filthy floors, dusty carpets and bathrooms that smell like mildew. Before you even think of putting your place up for rent, you should give it a deep clean. Vacuum the carpets. Mop the floors. Scrub the bathrooms. You’ll want every room to be spotless.
Once you’re done cleaning, you should add amenities that will make your guests’ stay more enjoyable. These are some amenities to consider:
- Extra towels, bed linens and pillows
- WiFi
- Air conditioning
- A Smart TV
- A coffee machines
- Cleaning supplies
- Board games
If you’re having trouble coming up with more amenities to offer, think about what you’d look for in a rental.
Create a New Space
There are still ways that you can host on Airbnb without letting people inside of your home. You can create a rentable guest house, as long as your property has the space for it — and, of course, it meets your local zoning laws.
One way to accomplish this is to make a tiny home out of a shipping container in your backyard. Converting shipping containers into tiny homes is a more cost-effective option than building brand-new guest houses from scratch. It will give you a stable structure that you can customize to suit your needs, like adding windows and insulating the walls. Once the construction elements are done, you can decorate it and furnish it until it’s the perfect backyard getaway.
A 20 ft shipping container is the perfect size for a cozy tiny home. If you’re considering this option for your side hustle, you can look up the price of a 20ft shipping container in a standard height. Make sure that the container is a one-trip grade (this means it’s new and ideal for home construction).
Get Insured
While most guests will be perfectly fine during their stays, there is always the possibility that you will end up with guests that are disrespectful and destructive.
Protect yourself from the financial disputes of destructive guests. Start by looking at your homeowners insurance policy. It should cover problems like property damage and theft. Check with your insurance company to confirm the extent of your policy’s coverage in these circumstances.
You can sign up for additional coverage through Airbnb just in case something goes wrong. Airbnb offers a host damage protection plan and host liability insurance. You can access both of these protections through an “AirCover for Hosts” plan.
Post a Creative Listing
Your listing is the first impression Airbnb users will have of your rental. You’ll want to post a good listing to draw in prospective guests and get them to fill up your calendar.
What makes a good listing?
- Lots of pictures of your rental space.
- Detailed descriptions of the rental and the neighborhood.
- A long list of available amenities.
- Sensible pricing.
If you can’t figure out how to price your listing, look up what similar rentals are asking for. Or you can use the Smart Pricing tool available through the platform.
After following all of these steps, you should have plenty of booking requests coming your way. Start your Airbnb side hustle and make some passive income now.