I wrote a guide for someone asking how to keep growing/improving after achieving Superhost status, so I wrote down how I did it:

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I just discovered the AirHostsForum and was surprised by how active it is! Someone on Reddit asked me for some feedback on how to grow after hitting market price and achieving Superhost status, and my comment kept getting longer until it became quite lengthy… Hope it’s useful to anyone trying to figure out how to grow!

Back when I was just starting out on Airbnb, I was working at a startup company that hadn’t paid me in weeks. This was not surprising to me, as it’s common knowledge that most companies fail and go bankrupt, but I was certainly surprised that it was happening to me. To try and make rent, I worked a series of oddjobs: TaskRabbit, part time jobs, and taking surveys, etc.

After one extremely offensive review from a TaskRabbit client, I looked at my side incomes and realized that all these activities were trading time for money. Not only did I realize that time is fixed, and so I could only earn so much per week, but that I wasn’t getting compensated for all the other overhead (transportation, tools, support, etc.)

So, when I began thinking of what “assets” I had which could make money without my work, I realized I only had one: my apartment.

Since then, many people have seen the house and apartments I Airbnb and exclaimed: “that’s nice, but I don’t have a couch/bedroom/house to list.” And even from experienced hosts, I often hear, “how do I improve my listing as a Superhost? I’m can’t host any more guests cause I’m all booked but I also can’t charge more than my area.”

Thankfully, there are multiple ways to host and make money on Airbnb, whether you’re a renter, property owner, or most recently, Airbnbing other people’s homes! Today, I want to talk about some of the main ways that people have obtained space to make money on Airbnb:

Renter
Many of the questions I get are from young, twenty-something professionals working in major metropolitan cities. “How do I rent my room when I live in a condo?”, “My apartment is really small, where in the world am I going to host someone else”, etc.

What’s nice about these situations is, by being the target demographic of Airbnb guests, they have already selected desirable areas where people would like to stay. In addition, by being part of this demographic, it is highly probable that at some point they will travel and leave their apartment for a few days. Does this sound like you? Try putting your apartment on Airbnb next time you leave for the holidays. I myself am traveling for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and you can bet my room is being advertised right now. This is hands-down the safest way to start being a host on Airbnb. Your rent was sunk cost anyway, you’re likely going to stay free at a family/friend’s place, and by nature of you renting that apartment, it’s highly likely someone else will rent it.

Established Host
The established host is in a bit of a different situation. This is more of what I was after I had a few good reviews on Airbnb from my apartment days. For the established host, once you’ve realized the market value of your home, the best way is to acquire more space.

This was one of the driving motivations behind me starting the Miami Tech House. With four beds and two baths, I quadrupled my hosting space for less than quadruple the cost. This is the same reason why 2 bedroom apartments are cheaper than two 1 bedroom apartments: it’s more efficient to have people share kitchens, bathrooms, and common living spaces. Ever since then, I’ve had the capacity to experiment with Airbnb, Craigslist, and word of mouth recommendations for young professionals who need safe, reliable housing in the Miami metro area.

While there is more risk in this model (I’m on the line for an entire house’s rent!), and it may not make sense for how big/small your family is, there’s also more upside, and fun stories. As an example, for the month of October, not only did I rent out all three of the other bedrooms, but I also rented out my own bedroom, forcing myself to sleep on the couch. On one occasion, even the couch was rented out, so I had to sleep on my friend’s couch! Since then, I have also bought a futon (that I still have to finish assembling…) to increase capacity, but you can be glad I was happy to get paid $500 bucks in sweet, sweet cash to sleep on my own couch for a week. Not to mention, the upside to sleeping on your own couch is you can make it a real twin size plus mattress aka very very comfy.

Cohosting
This is the newest option for hosts who want to make more without necessarily having the risk of acquiring more space. For someone like me, who has the space and is comfortable with hosting on Airbnb, I often need help hosting. At this moment, I hire three cleaners who help me sweep, mop, vacuum, swap sheets, and do laundry. It’s a lot of work, and would be impossible for someone like me to do by myself, especially with my full time job. Depending on the weekend, I myself will also be away from Miami, and would appreciate a host locally who could look over my house for me. Airbnb has actually had the cohosting option for months as a feature, but are now expanding it as a full out commercial marketplace. Miami is the 4th city to get it, with three other cities like Chicago and DC getting it too. Once the market place is up, hosts like me will be able to hire Superhosts to help me with any aspect of the process, and that Superhost will get a percentage of my revenue. With no risk from having their name on the lease like me! Not a bad deal.

What this means for normal hosts is, network with your local hosts. Go to Airbnb events like the one I mentioned (and say hi if you’re in Miami!) Listen to what their pain points are, see what makes sense for you to help, and you can actually get another source of income as a cohost/vacation rental property manager.

This post ended up being longer than I anticipated, but it’s really only the tip of the idea iceberg for how to maximize and economize space. Are you dating someone who also has their own place? Try having a monthly sleepover, rent out your own bedroom, and split the earnings. Do you own a house with your child who goes on business trips often? (This is fairly common in Miami, where the Latin culture is similar to Chinese cultures of multiple generations living in under one roof in adulthood) Empty nester? Got a rich friend? Willing to sleep in a camping bag? If you think I’m extreme, just check out this guy who slept in the woods of Boston to save money on rent: http://www.metro.us/boston/boston-debt-destroyers-a-new-club-for-those-looking-to-shed-debt-fast/zsJpba---gRaKwSFgbSjPU/

I’ll stop now lol; hope this is helpful!

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Two in one day!!! People that is, who come on here after discovering what the Forum is about and trying to convince us that their “system” is that cat’s pajamas – without bothering to read any of the centuries of hosting experience by the collective membership. After 17 (yes seventeen) minutes suddenly you’re one of Us??? What until your status changes from Newbie, to something much higher before trying to teach us to suck eggs.

Thanks, but no thanks.

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Pardon the disruption, Ken. I do not think that my “system” is the “cat’s pajamas”, by any means. I’ve seen lots of hosts, in a variety of situations, do very well and love to learn from everyone. Many of these are ideas that have helped me think through how to offer more on Airbnb, and ideas that other people have shared with me. I can tell you’re very passionate about the forum, which is a good thing, though your tone is abrasive. Hope we can be on better terms next we chat.

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S[quote=“muhan, post:1, topic:9503”]
So, when I began thinking of what “assets” I had which could make money without my work, I realized I only had one: my apartment.
[/quote]

Well I must say… You have a lot of chutzpah coming here or anywhere for that matter and stating you have found a way to make money off an “asset” that does not in any way shape or form, belong to you. You stated you had to hold several odd jobs in order to make " rent." If you rent the apartment, you don’t own it and therefore, sorry, it is not your asset.

Then you go on to give some very misleading advice about how “easy” it is to make money by Airbnb-ing "other people’s’ properties. Just rent a bigger apartment!!! Again. Outrageous hubris. Unless you have the express written consent of your landlord, (remember that person who provides YOU with housing, and who actually OWNS your place,) you are in clear violation of your lease through subletting. You are exposing your landlord to a number of liabilities, including getting his homeowner insurance canceled, wear and tear on his property, bad reactions by neighbors, just to name a few. You are enriching yourself off property that does not belong to you and exposing your landlord to a plethora of potential problems. Or did you just leave that little detail out?

We’ve had renters like you come here and act holier than thou and then admit they were busted and evicted for doing Airbnb in violation of their lease. In one case, 18 poor guests were left hanging by this former super host, when they had to be canceled upon eviction of the host.

And you call this good advice?

Sorry… You will find zero sympathy here as most of us on this forum own our places. A majority of us worked odd jobs for years in order to save the money to buy our own place. As owners, we assume the risk and responsibility of renting our homes on Airbnb. You, in contrast, haven’t done that. You’re just parasiting off property that isn’t yours and hope the owner doesn’t bust you.

Right?

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Hello!

I enjoyed your post Muhan thanks for sharing your perspective on hosting. I once thought of becoming a tasker on task rabbit!

I don’t have an issue with you being a renter and a host, (before Airbnb people had flatmates to help make the rent, same thing in my opinion) but be careful about handing over the whole property if you aren’t there.

Happy hosting and well, maybe see you around on the forums :slight_smile:

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Hi konacoconutz, thanks for writing. If saying the asset is not mine because I don’t own the mortgage, that would be an accurate statement. That being said, I know several businesses that lease major parts of their equipment needed to do business (at least at first), so I think there is a level of ambiguity regarding what level of ownership is needed.

FYI, I think we actually agree. I myself have rented a bigger home and now have more space for guests, both from Airbnb and my own network. If this is helpful, I am actually quite experienced in real estate (SFH, MF, whole-selling) so my landlord and I are in transparent communication of the business I’m running out of my home now. Also, give the guy a little credit… wouldn’t you be a curious if a single guy wanted to rent a 4/2 bedroom house? lol.

To your point about parasite-ing, I’m pretty sure my landlord is thrilled that I’ve agreed to a non-negotiable yearlong perpetuity where I stomach all the risk and he gets a nice steady rent every month. The house that I rent is in a good area, but the house itself is quite old, with a strange configuration, and now being passively managed by a investment company here. When I first moved in, there were insects, cockroaches, and a bee infestation which actually got me stung belong my eye when he told me that the responsibility lied on me because the bees weren’t there prior to my move-in. Once he saw that I had gotten hurt on his property, he was quick to apologize and see that I was a well-intentioned tenant and never threatened him with a lawsuit.

That’s awesome that the majority of this forum was able to save and buy your homes for Airbnb. While I commend that, I think there’s equally room for people trying to make money for both mortgages and rent. The original founders of Airbnb were solving this problem for themselves, exactly. Hope that was helpful context and that I can write things that are more useful to the forum in the future.

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Hi Zandra, thanks for your kind words.

FWIW, don’t be a tasker on taskrabbit lol. The pay isn’t very high unless you’re doing a unique task in a city that has high wages aka lots of yuppies to pay you with their tech jobs. The terrible review I got came from someone who wanted me to assemble an IKEA cabinet in 2 hours for less than $100 (didn’t know this until after the fact in the review), which I agree sounds reasonable to a layman, but because I documented my progress as I went along, was not a feasible time of completion. He then trashed my work ethic and tried to renege on all payment, which was a cold lesson that even on “sharing economy”/“gig economy” communities, there are always people trying to take advantage and get a bargain service.

I agree with your statement about handing over the whole property. I’ve noticed that Airbnb has become a vague term, probably because people want it to mean different things. I went to an Airbnb host meetup in Miami, and it took me 2 hours to realize the reason the things they were saying (tenants trashing the apartment, handling resolutions, incredible surge pricing during holidays) and what I was saying (community building with guests, networking, great reviews) were totally different because they meant Airbnb as renting an entire vacation rental, while I meant renting a room, whether that’s my own while I’m gone (in which case there are roommates to make sure things are good) or a spare bedroom or even my roommate’s place. I’m sure Airbnb wants us to think it’s more of the latter as well for policy reasons, but that’s their fight not mine.

Thanks again for saying hi Zandra! Hearing you got some value out of my thoughts is good to know and encourages me to post more. These guides I’ve been writing were originally written for two guests of mine who want to do Airbnb in their home countries of Spain (Valencia) and Vietnam (Phan Thiet.) I’m definitely not a perfect Airbnb host, but I’m good enough where my guests leave positive reviews and I can make money to make the endeavor sustainable, so I hope my experience can help, even if it’s just a little.

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At least @muhan came to share the knowledge freely, instead of inviting us to pay for it! And he did proclaim himself a guru or otherwise…

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Thanks @dcmooney. When I was starting out, my company had not paid me for over a month. It definitely would feel strange making money off of someone at that low of a point. To @KenH’s point, I’ve subscribed to the Topics RSS of this forum so I can be a more regular participant, share and listen more often, so people know I’m not here to advertise my “Airbnb guru” services lol.

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Nope not the same thing at all. If a tenant is doing short-term rentals, it puts the homeowner in the category of “commercial” when it comes to insurance. The homeowner only requires “regular” homeowners insurance for long term tenants. If a long term tenant wants a roommate, then it’s a matter of what the lease agreement allows…not what the insurance company will allow.

Any time someone talks about being a renter and doing Airbnb from their rental, it rightfully ruffles the feathers of the homeowners on this forum. We fear tenants who are doing this behind our backs because not having the right insurance in place puts us at profound risk.

I am curious @muhan how you “stomach all the risk”. Is it that you are simply taking on the risk of a large rent payment per month? If it’s more than this, could you be more specific with your details? Also when you say “pretty sure my landlord is thrilled” does that imply that your landlord knows what you are doing?

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Hi @SuiteRetreat, thanks for your question. To answer the big question, YES, my landlord/the property manager is fully aware and allows me to sublet the other rooms to people by my own judgment and is totally OK with it. He lives two streets down from me, so he often sees the guests coming in and out as well.

So, to answer your question

Also when you say “pretty sure my landlord is thrilled” does that imply that your landlord knows what you are doing?

YES.

Now that we’ve unequivocally answered that question, I’d love to explain the other details you mentioned.

I am curious @muhan how you “stomach all the risk”. Is it that
you are simply taking on the risk of a large rent payment per month?
If it’s more than this, could you be more specific with your details?

  1. Correct on the rent payment, but essentially I’m also responsible for all repairs and services. The only thing I bother him about is serious structural things that I wouldn’t have the permission to do aka when there was a bee hive in the walls of my washer/dryer room, and the beekeeper had to knock a giant hole to extract them.

  2. To expand on details, here are my financials from last month:

    Pasted image1113×48 5.86 KB

    Not only am I responsible for all utilities (which form my real estate experience I know is subjective and depends on how the landlord wants to do sub-metering and whatnot) but notice that I’m also responsible for exterminator (which often is the legal responsibility of the landlord, but because of my business I was doing we negotiated for me to bear the responsibility) and he also collected double the deposit from me for any damages. When I say I stomach the risk, as I’ve mentioned before, I am definitely not a perfect Airbnb host who has never made mistakes, so I of course have had months where I’ve lost money during my first summer. When I chatted with my landlord, he asked how business was, and when I gave him the update, he just laughed. As a previous property owner, the biggest things I’m concerned about are vacancy and troublesome tenants. From his perspective, the reason why I said he’s probably loving his life is because I’m a professional working in the area (not section 8 or other low income tenants), always pay on time, take all the risk of vacancy off his shoulder, and never cause him trouble because it’s obviously a symbiotic relationship for the both of us. Not to mention, in case there was any doubt, I LIVE in this house. I’d have to have some pretty ballsy guests to wreck a place when I’m literally downstairs.

For anyone curious, this landlord is also a fairly typical luddite landlord. I have to pay all my bills by check, in person (no online payment), he doesn’t even use email. I can see why, although he could Airbnb it, why bother? He is not fond of technology (which is a prerequisite for Airbnb) and as a property manager for an investment company, he has no upside to gain anywho. Also, for anyone wondering, YES, I did search for places to rent with Airbnbing sub rooms explicitly, so I visited several properties where the landlord was not interested, but also met more than a few who were very open to the idea. Some of them I write the reports I started off this entire thread for as well, so they can figure out to Airbnb themselves and cut out middle men like me, it’s no skin off my back.

Hope that clarifies things! I try to share what’s useful info, but pardon me if I’m still a little shy to this Internet forum thing; it does feel like strangers peeping into my most intimate financials haha.

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How do most landlords accept rent payment? Do they allow people to use credit cards?

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Previous landlord let us do auto pay deposits either through wire or bank to bank. Generally both sides like it because there is less room for error, the money clears instantly, and it’s one more thing I can automate so I can go on with other things.

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Does your bank not have online bill pay where you can automatically set up for the bank to write out a check once a month?

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It does, but he purports to have problems receiving it at times. Not to mention, every month I have to pay him the utilities anywho, so I have to stop by and catch up anyways. He’s a decent guy, thankfully, just a minor inconvenience.

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I don’t follow. So you are saying your bank can’t get it right?

This is how it works with my bank. I can create a list of different vendors, etc.: Electric company, credit card companies, internet, phone, etc. Once I set up each vendor with my account number, their address, etc. - I don’t have to do it again. I can also schedule the same amount to be sent to each company on a certain date. The bank issues a paper check on that date and mails it…the same way I would literally mail a paper check in an envelope. Or they send the payment electronically.

For major vendors like electric company, etc. - the bank already has an arrangement with that company and sends the payment electronically. But for someone like a small time landlord, the bank sends a paper check. So it is no different than me writing a paper one, or the bank sending their own paper one.

Is this not how your bank works?

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Thank you for the clarification @muhan. That’s terrific that you have that arrangement with your landlord and it’s all out in the open. It’s really up to him to do his own due diligence. I think there’s a lot you can teach the renters on this forum who are concealing their Airbnb activities from their landlords, namely, that it CAN be done and that there is a RIGHT way of doing it. Maybe you’ve found niche to market to?? Good luck!

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That’s not the point. Do you, or do you not, have the express written permission of your landlord to do Airbnb? If he is a Luddite, as you say, he might have no idea what risk you are placing him in.

You can make a laundry list as long as a football field about why you feel it is justified… But if you don’t have his or her permission in writing to sublet then your list of justifications is totally moot. You say your landlord “knows,” but does he really know exactly what kind of risk you are taking with his property?

Also a flat mate and an Airbnb guest is not the same thing and if you think it is, you are living in a dream world. Airbnb is easy to spot. Just the first set of guests rolling in and out with their luggage would be the first clue. Your neighbors might be in touch with the landlord and all that would take is one phone call. It could cost him his house. Do you realize that if his homeowners insurance discovered the property is being used for Airbnb, i.e., a commercial activity, they WILL cancel him straightaway. If he has a mortgage, then his mortgage company will force place insurance that could add many many thousands of dollars to his monthly payment. People have lost their homes this way. But this is only one of the perils. What about liability? Someone falls and breaks their leg, they sue the owner of the property. The constant wear and tear, in and out of guests, the added utilities. If your landlord pays utilities then he is going to suddenly notice a BIG JUMP in electric, gas and water use.

You say you have permission but I am not sure your landlord really knows what you are up to. Because as you say, he is a Luddite. This financial statement… Has he seen your giant profit off his property? Going to you and not him. You are sure he is ok with that?

It’s totally irresponsible to advise other tenants to do Airbnb, because while your situation as you describe it, if accurate, sounds unique, most renters trying to do Air simply sneak in violation of their lease.

If you were my tenant and I discovered you sneaking Airbnb I would evict you so fast it would make your head spin. Advising tenants who don’t own their properties to Airbnb is bad for the landlord, bad for the guest and bad for YOU, as you could quickly find your own booty out on the street without a home, and the words " super host" will be meaningless.

I’m sure you are a nice person, but you are very naive. Doing Airbnb is for owners, not renters. Period.

In many states you need to be a licensed real estate agent to manage multiple properties, and there is a reason for that.

People don’t want to hear this message and get mad at ME for saying it. I’m just the messenger.

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One thing I don’t see on your spreadsheet is the biggest one of all – insurance. Are you relying on his homeowners insurance to cover your guests? It will NOT cover Airbnb. Have you discussed insurance with him and if not, you need to. You should tell him that even making a call to his insurance company to ask about Airbnb WILL GET HIM CANCELED.

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Thanks @SuiteRetreat. I think it’s sort of like looking for jobs with good work arrangements, like telecommuting. Not everyone will be into it, but a surprising portion will be, so long as it’s communicated up front. Landlords in my experience are some of the most conservative investors, and just want something that pays well, with minimum headache, while occasionally raising rents and earning money off of equity. So, the key is to think of it like a numbers game. Tour enough houses, talk to them openly and honestly, and someone will probably bite. Vacancy is no joke, evicting bad tenants is no joke, I’ve been there on both. There’s a reason it took me a month and a half to find my house after walking around the neighborhood daily during my lunch break.

@Cabinhost, that’s how my bank works, but my landlord lives in one of the units of the condos he manages, and claims he can’t always get it. So, when the check gets there, great, but more often than not I still have to deliver a check in person.

@konacoconutz, thanks for all your points. I’ll consider them as I sign off for today and run some errands.