How Do You List Your Home on Airbnb? [11 Steps]
With more than 150 million users and 650,000 hosts worldwide, Airbnb is a giant in the vacation rental industry. And, according to Priceonomics, Airbnb hosts on average make more than others in the gig economy, at an average of $924 per month. Of course, some hosts make over $10,000 per month and others only make $200.
If you’d like to get a piece of the Airbnb pie, the following steps will walk you through how to put your home on Airbnb.
| You are reading an article from the Marketing section of our Ultimate Vacation Rental Business Guide.
See the other articles in this section below: • Vacation Rental Marketing Tips • How to Write a Winning Vacation Rental Description ➜ How Do You List Your Home on Airbnb? [11 Steps] |
What You Need to Know About Hosting on Airbnb
Before jumping into Airbnb hosting, there are several things to consider in deciding if it’s right for you. Here is what you need to know and should consider if thinking about hosting on Airbnb.
Local Laws
It’s important to become familiar with local laws when it comes to short-term rentals. Many cities don’t allow or strictly regulate Airbnb. Regulations could include policies like limiting the number of vacation rental properties in the city and requiring hosts to meet certain criteria like using approved property management companies or getting specific permits or licenses.
In addition to local laws, look at your homeowners association policies and homeowners insurance. If you’re renting, you also need to check with your landlord. Putting your spare room on Airbnb may go against your lease, as that is considered subletting.
Tax Implications
What you earn from Airbnb may be subject to tax. Airbnb sends tax forms to the IRS, so you should understand your tax situation before getting a letter from the federal government looking for their cut on unreported income. Be sure to read up on these general guidelines.
Service Fees
While listing on Airbnb is free, be aware that they do charge a 3 percent fee on all bookings.
Supplies
Providing clean linens, towels, and other amenities to guests are an additional cost. You will also need to factor in supply costs for any basic toiletries (soap, shampoo, etc.), food, snacks, or other amenities you offer your guests.
Cleaning
You will need to clean your space before renting it out and between each guest. You can do this yourself or hire a cleaning service. Grand Welcome can help you with housekeeping and maintenance services.
Insurance
Don’t forget to call your insurance company to see what they can offer for short-term rental coverage. You may be fine with some adjustments to your homeowners or renters policy, but the insurance company might require you to buy a business policy.
How Do You List Your Home on Airbnb?
After looking at the considerations above, your next logical question: how to Airbnb my house? Fortunately, Airbnb has done its best to make the process as user-friendly as possible. Follow this step-by-step guide for putting your house on Airbnb.
Step 1: Sign Up/Login to Airbnb
You will need to first have an Airbnb account to list a property, so either create one or log in to your current Airbnb account.
Step 2: Click on Add Listing
Select the “Add listing” option in the top right corner of the Airbnb homepage. The next screen will be a form to enter in the most general information about your place.
- Home Type: Choose the listing type that best describes the property you want to rent out—the entire place, private room, or shared room.
- Number of Guests: Determine the maximum number of people your space can comfortably accommodate if each person has their own bed, sofa bed, or inflatable mattress. Select the number from the drop-down list.
- City: Choose the city where your property is located.
Airbnb will now give you an estimate of how much you can earn per month based on the information you’ve provided. Press “Continue.”
Step 3: Provide Specific Details About Your Listing
This next step asks for a more accurate description of your property type. Select the best fit from a list that includes an apartment, house, secondary unit, unique space, bed and breakfast and boutique hotel. Then choose a more specific description from a second drop-down menu.
Depending on what you select, Airbnb will ask clarifying questions to get a better idea of your space and what guests will have access to.
Step 4: Add Details About Your Space and Amenities
Next, you will provide more information about your space: the number of beds, number of bathrooms, the exact address, and the amenities you offer.
Indicating the right amenities for your listing is critical. Select from the available list of amenities, and don’t worry if you want to add additional descriptions and details. Once your listing is created, you will be able to edit this section. Make sure to include every appropriate feature; you never know what guests will be swayed by certain extras.
Step 5: Upload Photos
Photos are your biggest selling feature, so offer high-quality pictures. Not only do you want to give an accurate representation of your property (in it’s the best light, of course), but you can take this opportunity to show off amenities or things that make your property unique. Airbnb recommends using bigger, better resolution photos (1024 x 683px).
Step 6: Write a Description
Write a brief description (250 characters max) of your place. Make sure to cover the major features of your listing and don’t be afraid to let some personality shine through. Too much writing looks daunting, so try to break it up; bullet points and short sentences can go a long way.
You’ll also come up with a name, or title, for your listing. This is your first impression, so you want those 35 characters to capture attention and accurately describe your place.
NOTE: Always be honest in your description. But do put all of the features of your place in as positive a light as possible.
Step 7: Add Host Information
Let guests know how available you’ll be during their stay, and add a photo of yourself so they have a better idea who will be hosting them.
Step 8: Apply Booking Settings
This step goes over Airbnb’s basic guest requirements and gives you the option to make additional requirements like having a government-issued ID or recommendations from other hosts. Next, you will set your house rules.
Step 9: Build Your Calendar
Determine how often you want guests on your property, how far in advance they can book your place, how much notice you will require before guests arrive, and how long guests can stay. Then you will be able to go into your calendar and block or unblock specific dates. The dates available for rental should be input as soon as you publish your listing. Make sure to update your calendar regularly.
Step 10: Set Your Pricing
In this step, you will be required to set a base price (Airbnb will suggest one based on the information you’ve provided and trends in the current local market). Be sure to compare prices of similar listings in your area. Some factors to consider when setting your price include the cost of utilities, taxes, and cleaning. Airbnb gives you the option to add an additional cleaning fee to the price.
You can also choose whether or not to use Airbnb’s Smart Pricing tool, which looks at the fluctuation of demand in your area and automatically updates your prices. Then you will set a minimum and maximum price, and the currency you will use to charge your guests.
Airbnb will lastly give you the option to participate in certain promotions, like a 20% discount for your first guests to help you attract travelers and get some initial reviews for your listing or weekly or monthly discounts to encourage longer stays.
Step 11: Publish Your Airbnb Listing
When you’ve finished all the previous steps and are happy with your listing, it’s time to publish and send it out into the world.
Managing Your Airbnb After Listing
Now you know how to rent your property on Airbnb. Creating your Airbnb listing isn’t difficult, and managing your property afterward doesn’t have to be difficult either with Grand Welcome. You can list your property and then earn revenue with our easy and comprehensive management program.
Do you want to start the home-based franchise business making a minimum cash investment and keeping your overhead low? Contact Grand Welcome Franchise to see the opportunity of vacation rental management franchise and to expand your business in your territory while we, Grand Welcome Franchise, take care of the back-of-the-office operation.