HOW TO BE AN AIRBNB HOST: Detailed Guide

You’re not alone if you’re considering hosting but aren’t sure how to attract visitors or provide a memorable guest experience. Becoming an Airbnb Host is a fun and fulfilling way to meet new people while earning additional money. It connects people all around the world with places to stay and things to do. The community is fueled by hosts, who offer their guests the unique option to travel like a local while living like a local. You might have contemplated renting out an additional room in your house or listing your full property on Airbnb. You’d be far from alone. Around four million people worldwide enjoy the prestigious title of “Airbnb host,” having welcomed over 800 million visitor arrivals in nearly every country on the planet.
If you want to meet people from all over the world while earning extra money, here are the steps to becoming an Airbnb host.

How To Become an Airbnb Host

So you’ve decided to offer your property on Airbnb, but where do you start? Here are some Airbnb host tips to help you get your business up and running quickly.

Before you add anything to your Airbnb profile or listing, consider your market and how you’ll stand out from the crowd.

Do you already have a property or a room available for rent to guests? If this is the case, consider the following:

Is the environment around my property attractive and safe for visitors?
Is there a tourist attraction near my property?
Is my city a popular tourist destination each year?
Is it necessary to renovate my rental?
Should I invest in new furniture?
Is the property inviting and clean enough for visitors?
Is it okay for me to invite strangers to my rental?
Is there anything I might do to make my property even more appealing to visitors?
How much time and money can I devote to this venture?

Before launching any form of company with Airbnb, you should always accomplish three things:

Make a profitable business plan.
Conduct market research
Examine your competition and learn from them.

#1. Understand Your Competition

Determine your competition and spend some time researching what they do effectively. You may do this directly on Airbnb by searching for properties in your neighborhood that have similar features. You can use filters to limit down houses that have the same amount of bedrooms, baths, equivalent kitchen facilities, and additional amenities such as pools or gardens.

Once you’ve identified a number of competitors, examine their images, furniture, and reviews. Learn what their guests like and dislike about them, and why! By looking at what other hosts do successfully, you can be inspired and acquire ideas for your own Airbnb listing.

You can also use the average price for similar properties in your area to determine how to price your own property. You can then compare your predicted rates to those of smaller and larger properties in the same area to ensure they are appropriate.

#2. Understand Your Target Market

When you begin anything relating to your vacation rental business, keep your target audience in mind. Determine your ideal guests and center all of your property marketing activities on them:

Don’t post photographs of college students jumping in your pool during spring break if your property is ideal for a young family.
Similarly, if you want to attract retired tourists, don’t post photographs of children’s toys all around the house!

#3. Understand Your Location

If you’re not sure who your target market is, the main criteria that can assist you identify it are the location of your property and the rental itself. Your vacation rental area has a lot of influence over the type of people it draws.

Most travelers, whether for business or pleasure, have a motive for wanting to stay in a specific place. This could be due to a prominent landmark, a tourist attraction, or even a local event.
Consider the following when choosing a location for your holiday rental:

Who lives in the surrounding area? Is it a family area, a student area, or a commercial area?
What pulls people to the area? Is it the proximity to Disneyland, the vibrant nightlife, or the massive sports stadium that attracts visitors?
Where do you call home? Is it in a trendy hipster neighborhood, the city’s financial district, or adjacent to a world-class event venue?
How many hotels are in the area? If there aren’t many people around, you might be onto something big. Your vacation rental could be one of the greatest possibilities for every type of visitor visiting your city! However, if there are many hotels, it may be tough to compete with their pricing. Check and compare rates with various types of lodging in your region.

#4. Understand Your Property

You can determine possible guests by thinking about your property precisely once you’ve established the types of individuals who live in your area and the travelers who will be drawn to your community.
As an example:

What is the nature of your property? To use Airbnb jargon, are you offering an entire home, a private room, a shared room, or a one-of-a-kind property?
What are the features of your property? Is it possible for guests to use the laundry facilities? Kitchen? What about a swimming pool? Backyard?
How does your location compare to others in the area? Is it the neighborhood’s crown treasure, or somewhere you wouldn’t want to pass in the dark?

You’ll be able to think more deeply about the target market you’ve identified once you’ve answered these questions regarding your property and location. This is not to imply you will solely attract these types of guests, but they will most likely make up the majority of your yearly bookings.

How to List Your Airbnb Property

Whether you’re renting a house or just a room in your apartment, the first thing you must do before creating an Airbnb listing is sign up for a free account on the platform.
After logging in, go to the top right corner of the Airbnb homepage and click Become a Host. You’ll be prompted to enter some basic property information, such as the address, home type, and number of visitors.
When asked to fill out the home type, you must specify whether you will be renting out an apartment, house, secondary unit, unique space, bed and breakfast, or boutique hotel.
You must mention whether you are renting out the entire facility, a private room, or a shared space.
When it comes to the number of guests, make sure to offer extra bedding, such as couch beds, but don’t overestimate your property’s capacity. You want your guests to be comfortable and have an experience that is consistent with your listings, so be honest and practical when estimating how many people your property can host.
When you click + Let us know if guests have access to any special areas, a drop-down menu will appear from which you may select the property type (apartment, B&B, boutique hotel, house, etc.). The number of bedrooms and bathrooms can then be entered.
In the + Add any special amenities section, you can inform potential visitors whether your listing has amenities such as a gym or if it is a waterfront property.
You will be routed to another page once you have finished configuring your listing. Fill in more information about your property and its visitors, as well as the location, facilities, images, descriptions, and a title, booking settings, calendar and availability, and pricing.
The final step is to go over everything again, and you’re done!
How to Advertise a House on Airbnb
Although it may appear scary, listing a house on Airbnb is actually just as simple as listing any other sort of property. You may quickly prepare it by following the methods outlined above. Make a point of highlighting all of the amenities offered, such as a garden or a pool.
You might also rent out a room or a shared room in your house. If you rent out many rooms at varying pricing, you must publish each as a separate listing.

Airbnb Host Requirements

While practically anybody may become an Airbnb host, there are a number of conditions and expectations that must be met in order to maintain a high level of quality.
The following are the essential qualifications for becoming an Airbnb host, according to Airbnb:

#1. Respond to Questions

Airbnb favors hosts that are attentive, responsive, and considerate. As a result, hosts should keep a high response rate and respond to reservation requests and booking inquiries within 24 hours.

#2. Take requests

If your calendar is clear, Airbnb expects you to accept the majority of the requests that come your way. However, if you know you won’t be able to host on certain dates, keep your calendar up to date. If you need to take time off on your vacation or simply need more time between bookings, do so to avoid irritated visitors.

#3. Avoid Cancellations

Airbnb penalizes hosts who cancel confirmed reservations. However, there are several circumstances in which a host may cancel (such as a pandemic!).

#4. Keep your overall rating high.

Airbnb also rates hosts based on their overall rating, which is the average review score from all of the guests they have hosted.
You may always check your Performance to see how you’re performing and avoid penalties. By comparing your performance to the average of all hosts, Airbnb will inform you where you can improve.

How much money can you make by owning an Airbnb?
According to Airbnb, hosts in the United States earn more than $9,000 a year on average, however these figures vary. Some hosts purchase or lease many apartments or homes and rent them out full-time.
How much you charge for your place determines your earning potential.
How frequently you can rent it out.
Both of these factors are affected by how much time and money you put into furnishing and maintaining your place.
Airbnb claims to be active in over 100,000 cities worldwide, with over 6 million listings. For the great majority of people, becoming a host is a part-time gig with full-time earning potential.
Keep your profit expectations low, especially if you’re not willing or able to put in a lot of time and effort into your hosting work.
The more work you put into making your room as beautiful, functional, and pleasant as possible, as well as the more time you devote to responding to guest problems, the better your reviews and ratings will be. It is critical to respond to questions as soon as possible.
Overall experience, accuracy, cleanliness, communication, check-in, location, value, and amenities are all rated. Good reviews will help you climb Airbnb’s search rankings, and climbing the search rankings means you’ll appear more frequently in people’s search results, which can lead to more bookings.

How much do Airbnb taxes cost?

The sales tax

You may be required by your city to collect sales tax or gross receipts tax from visitors, and you must inform them of the actual amount before they book. You might charge that tax to your guests when they book.

Income taxation

Because operating an Airbnb can qualify you as a small-business owner in the eyes of the IRS, you must declare your Airbnb revenue and costs on your federal tax return. If you earned more than $600 during the calendar year, Airbnb will send you (as well as the IRS and your state) a Form 1099-K. A 1099-K form assists you in calculating and reporting your business income.

Deductions for taxes

Certain expenses related to your Airbnb business may be deductible on your tax return. These costs could include

the mortgage or rent on the property.
Utilities consumed during stays.
Insurance for your home.
Property maintenance and repairs.
Cleaning services are available.
Consult a certified tax professional to ensure you’re taking the appropriate deductions.

What is the Minimum Age to Host on Airbnb?

To register an account on Airbnb, you must be at least 18 years old, according to the platform’s Terms of Service. This applies to both hosts and guests who wish to utilize Airbnb’s website and services.

Guests under the age of 25 are not permitted to book whole listings in specific regions in order to discourage house parties. They can book if you provide a private room or a hotel room.

Can You Make a Living Hosting Airbnb?

Success with Airbnb will be determined by a variety of factors, including the popularity of your property’s location, features, condition, and pricing range.
In 2021, the average salary of a U.S. Airbnb Host will be little more than $13,800 (an increase of 85% from 2019).11

What are the Best States in the United States to Host an Airbnb?

According to Airbnb’s own data, the top ten states to host an Airbnb in 2021, based on aggregate income (note that Airbnb incomes vary greatly within each state from city to city):

California
Florida
Texas
New York City
Georgia
North Carolina
Tennessee
Arizona
Colorado
Pennsylvania

Which are the Most Profitable Dates for Airbnb Hosts?

According to Airbnb data, the following dates generated the most income in 2022:

Labor Day Holiday
Weekend of Memorial Day
The 4th of July
Thanksgiving
2nd of October (Fall Travel)
August 2nd (Summer Vacation)
Christmas

In conclusion

The increasing sharing economy provides opportunities for extra income that were not available even a few years ago. Many of these opportunities necessitate that you be comfortable navigating ambiguous local rules, sharing your most valuable possessions with strangers, and accepting additional legal liability. Airbnb is no exception, but if you’re ready to take risks, you may earn thousands of dollars more per year.

HOW TO BE AN AIRBNB HOST: Detailed Guide