My partner grew up with his family owning a traditional bed & breakfast so was very used to sharing his home with others. When we moved in together, he offered to rent our free room to become Airbnb hosts.
I was initially reluctant.
It was in 2017 and Airbnb (opens in a new tab)the popularity of was beginning to explode. We’ve used it ourselves many times on trips, but opening our house to guests was a bit daunting.
We were living in Manchester at the time, which was quite close to Old Trafford, Manchester United’s football ground, so my partner was sure there would be demand.
Of course, I was worried about the presence of strangers in our house. Would that be awkward or weird? The house was a small two-bed terrace with only one bathroom, so regular contact with guests seemed inevitable.
I half-heartedly agreed to give it a try after nagging my partner under the promise that any money we made from the business would be saved for our planned purchase of a new home the following year.
As you’re about to find out, I’m happy to report that it was a hit and something we really love doing. So how do you get be an Airbnb host right?
Setting up shop
As part of my reluctant agreement to the program, it was agreed that my partner would take care of the business side (creating our Airbnb profile, managing reservations and liaising with guests) and that I would take care of the décor and do my best to give it a hotel-like experience.
Installation on the app was really easy and they guide you step by step. Our offer was that guests had access to a double bedroom, shared bathroom, kitchen and separate lounge area for around £45 per night.
If you don’t want people to use your kitchen, say that’s no problem as it’s clearly stated on your profile. You provide your address and the facilities you offer and they suggest a rate for an overnight stay (although you can set whatever rate you want).
You include information about the property, the area, and who you are as hosts. This is the perfect place to sell your listing. We highlighted in our description our proximity to Old Trafford, easy transport links and the city center a 15 minute drive away.
(Image credit: Jo Lemos)
I decorated the room to take pictures so guests know what to expect before booking. Photos are another opportunity to really make your ad shine. So we put a lot of effort into getting the best angles, like you’d see in a hotel’s professional promotional photos. We love to travel, so when it comes to our offer, I thought about what I would like to see if I booked somewhere – tidy rooms, sleek design and crisp white linens.
One of the things that encouraged me to put our free room on Airbnb is that you can set your own rules when visiting. You can impose things like arrival and departure times, and minimum number of nights of stay. There’s no obligation to accept anyone you don’t want, and the degree of interaction your guest can expect is your call.
All customers are verified as real people before they can book, and you can see customer reviews from their previous visits before agreeing to let them stay. Airbnb actually provides insurance in case someone damages your property and also has 24-hour support in case something goes wrong. Everything is communicated with your guest through the app, and Airbnb takes care of the financial side of things so that no money has to change hands.
Welcoming our first customers
We were really nervous to receive our first guests and not know what to expect.
We prepared the guest room and created a small welcome document on things like Wi-Fi password, general house rules and local amenities. When we welcomed a guest, we gave them a quick tour of the house and after some general discussion, we found out the reason for their visit and gave them recommendations tailored to their tastes.
I’ve always worried that the people staying there would be “weird” and make us feel uncomfortable, but I soon realized that guests had to trust us as much as we had to trust them. Both parties agreed to be respectful of each other and their space. For example, as soon as the guests arrive, the guest bedroom has become their space, which we will never enter.
(Image credit: Jo Lemos)
A (rather) positive experience
We very quickly started to receive guests from all over the world, and it was really a joy to meet and know these people. Most clients don’t spend much time at the property as they are usually visiting your location for a reason or to explore the area.
Usually we only really saw our guests at check-in, but sometimes with people staying longer, we dined together or shared a bottle of wine with them, once we got to know them better. We even watched the Pastry shop finale with one of our guests!
When we moved we decided to continue hosting on Airbnb as our new property was better suited for hosting. Guests here had their own bathroom and hall. The bedroom was also much larger which meant we could give our guests the option of adding an inflatable bed, doubling the number of people we could accommodate and therefore increasing our earning potential.
In our almost three years of hosting we have had very few problems with guests, but it does happen sometimes. Aside from the occasional mess (which Airbnb covered) or someone taking too long in the bathroom, the worst we probably encountered was a last-minute booking for a party of four at the start of the week. twenties who had just flown in Manchester.
Their body clocks were on a different time zone, so they mostly sat around talking and laughing, keeping us up until 3am. we politely detailed what happened so that future hosts can be aware. They actually asked us if they could stay the next night as well, but we quickly declined!
(Image credit: Jo Lemos)
The best benefits
The amount of money you earn will be entirely based on your location and your offer. We’ve made up to £700 a month renting out our spare room on Airbnb during the most popular months. The way I started to see it was a bit like getting paid to do your chores like cleaning the rooms and washing the bedding.
Another bright spot for us was when we achieved “Superhost” status (for always being good hosts), which meant higher priority listings and vouchers that could be used on our own travels. We also encouraged another friend to do the same with his spare room downtown and we got a referral commission.
We really enjoyed doing it and can’t recommend it highly enough. Making money off our spare bedroom and sharing our space on our own terms? It’s a practical income that works for us.
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