Over the last eight years Airbnb have made it possible for its users to make a profit from a hugely underutilised asset—a spare room. This new renting platform has made it easier than ever for home owners to make extra income through home-sharing.

Large cities which regularly attract tourists are proving extremely popular within the network with London, Brighton and Bristol taking the top spots this summer for the most Airbnb visitors. The alternative accommodation platform seems to be especially attractive to the more artistic and creative cities, like Bristol and Brighton with accommodation ranging from House Boats to Eco Cabins.

The benefits to home owners of using Airbnb are clear. A person typically spends more on lodging while traveling or holidaying than on rent. Even when taking into consideration gaps in occupancy and low season, a well managed Airbnb property can make between 60%- 100% more than traditional residential lettings. There are also tax advantages for landlords who rent out their properties as short-term holiday lets, rather than rent them out with long tenancy agreements.

Airbnb relies on a review system where a guest will review their stay but the landlord or ‘Host’ will also review the guest out of five. This rating system allows the host to screen guests or tenants to ensure the property is looked after to prevent troublesome tenants and payment is always on time as the tenant pays before arrival! Another benefit is that there are no lengthy void period’s in-between tenants like with long term lets; you have the last guest out and the new guest in on the same day. Even when selling the property you can still have guests in the property generating income while the house is on the market.

Of course there is a downside - short term lets can be a lot of hard work; laundry, cleaning, responding to guest’s requests are but a few of the regular tasks that need to be managed. This leads many homeowners to believe that long term lets will be a lot less hassle even if they are less lucrative. This however doesn’t have to be the case. Air 360 is Bristol’s leading Airbnb Management Company, offering fully comprehensive management and taking all of the work out of short term lettings. This means that Airbnb has yet another advantage- completely hassle free! Two different pricing models means we have options to suit everyone, a fixed rate, guaranteed rent model for those looking for a completely hands off approach and a 12% commission based model for those looking for a bit more flexibility. What have you got to loose?

If this has peaked your interest don’t hesitate to get in touch