I have a question I currently have a house listed, but the garage is not included as part of that because I use it in storage. Do any of you include the garage in your listing and if so, do you think it increases bookings?
I personally would not include the garage just in case they damage the car opening and closing the garage door. I don’t want to be liable. It’s just something else to worry about.
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I can see your concern, but if I’m using a whole house rental I would want the garage to be available as well. For example, we rented a house when our son graduated from college. We used the garage to set up a table with some snacks so some of his friends could come by, kept them out of the house and out of the sun on a hot summer day. We could have done it in the back yard but then if it rained we were out of luck. The last house we rented had a very short driveway. Slept six but we only had four people and because everyone came from different directions, we had four cars to park…without the garage it would have been on the street and it was a narrow street.
How do you market your house? How many does it sleep? Do you have enough parking for the typical number of cars you’d expect? I don’t know those answers but that’s what I’d be asking myself if it was me.
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Our apartments have an outside designated parking space. But this is in Florida where a garage isn’t an essential.
So much depends on where you are, the type of guests you attract and how much you need the storage space it affords you.
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We don’t include any storage space for STR, for cars or otherwise and it’s never come up. You should use your property to benefit you and if that includes storing stuff in the garage so be it. As long as you make it clear in your listing it should be fine, especially if you post a pic of the exterior that shows a garage. As a guest, I’ve never once expected access to the garage, but that’s just me and I’ve also never used the garage when I’ve had a house with one so that should be taken into account too I suppose 
A good rule: When in doubt, make it clear in your listing.
I could see a garage being desireable for guests in the winter where it snows a lot, so they don’t have to scrape the windshield and shovel snow off their car, but certainly doesn’t seem at all essential if you prefer using it for your own storage.
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I think a lot would depend on your location. Would guests appreciate the added security? Are there weather extremes that would have guests appreciating a protected vehicle?
We include the garage. But we also include a golf cart, which is in the garage. So there is only room for one car in the garage.
Most people do park their car in the garage.
We do not include the garage because it is filled with our stuff.
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My garage is included in the listing.
I partially converted the garage into a gym/game room with a weights gym, a foosball table, an air hockey table, and a soft darts board.
(By partial conversion: the garage floor is sealed and painted, but the garage door is still in place, but slightly hidden behind a floor screen.)
There are 3 items in this space: a tool closet, a storage closet, and a freezer. These items remain locked whenever the airbnb is rented.
When there are guests, I don’t enter that space (from upstairs). This gym/games area is treated as an extension of the airbnb—and guests can access it through a door in the airbnb’s kitchen area.
Because this space is for the guests, I include it in my listing and with the square footage of the unit.
I should mention, we often have cancelations during hurricane season due to hurricanes coming our way, despite being in the center of the state. We are happy to refund them if we get rebooked, and we almost always do. I suspect that is because of the garage. Giving people a safe place for both themselves and their vehicles to ride out the storm is a big plus.
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