AirBnB Hosting - Tips, Tricks and Help

[dannie]

After being an avid AirBnB user, I've decided to get into hosting. I'm giving it a 3 month trial to see if it's my jam, but am secretly hoping it works out well.

I've got all my ducks in a row (I think) except a cleaner that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Do you host? Any tips? Tricks? Negatives?

[A790]

Don't do it.

I could write a dissertation on how disastrous this has been for our rental properties.

[LadyLuck]

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I could write a dissertation on how disastrous this has been for our rental properties.

Please do when you get a chance, really curious.

[Disoblige]

I'm curious too.
I'm already not landlord material, I'm sure AirBNB is even worse.

[msommers]

Yeah Cam that would be interesting. A friend of mine has been hosting for awhile and has said aside from a couple hiccups with people getting into the building and one losing a key, it's been a great source of side-income...

The cleaning cost that some people are able to charge is almost as much as the room rate. Sneaky fuckers

[Mitsu3000gt]

Imagine all the nightmares associated with a normal rental property, multiply that by the amount of different guests you are going to have, and then consider on top of that the average renter will treat your place like a bottom of the barrel hotel room. Lots of drinking, unreported extra guests, damage, etc. Calgary isn't a city where respectful tourists come to see the sights. Don't do it.

We had one in the upscale condo building I used to live in, and MINIMUM once a week there was a party in there with tons of random people, noise complaints, drinking/vomit/spills in the hallways/elevator were a regular occurrence, police showed up regularly, etc. During Stampede week this happened almost every single night. There was a giant mystery stain trail leading from the door of that condo to the elevator when I moved out. I looked inside the AirBnB unit once (I was on the board) and from what I could see it was pretty well destroyed. Save yourself the inevitable headaches.

A friend of mine had an AirBnB and quit after all the headaches, theft and property damage.

If you lived in a cute tourist town in Europe or something it might be a different story but I would never do it in Calgary.

[ercchry]

also curious, know some people that switched their entire portfolio over and are very happy (about 4x better return than long term leases). Also that the AirBnb claims are easy to deal with and when there is an issue they just update the posting and have no issues keeping it rented out.

[realazy]

My friend has one in an old (100 year old) inner city house that's in average condition and it's been great. He has a cleaner and key pad locks so he just trusts the cleaner to clean and change the code as required. It probably doubled his monthly rent compared to a normal long term rental.

The fact that it's old and in average condition is great as he just doesn't really care about damages, and if there is damage, it's an easy fix that doesn't need to be perfect.

[rx7boi]

Sounds like there is varying success all across the spectrum. Would be interested in knowing the differences in managing it. It certainly doesn't sound impossible.

[max_boost]

You basically run it like a hotel unless you plan to be there as well. There will always be hit and miss with anything. My sister turned our long term rentals into AirBnB and it has worked out awesome.

Plus this is Dannie, I don't think anyone really wants to mess the boss.

[rage2]

Slightly related, but I have a friend that hooked up with his AirBnB host. So be prepared for that?

[msommers]

When Fake Taxi goes to the easier AirBnB locale

[taemo]

We have friends that use their walk-in basement for AirBNB
They live in the Coventry Hills area so most of their guests are overnighters coming or going to the airport.
They do the cleaning themselves since one of them is at home most of the time and their busiest time is during summer with tourists coming and going to the mountains.

I think they have been doing it for the past couple of years and only issue they've had is a break-in couple of months ago.. but most likely it wasnt even AirBNB related more so the area they live in.

[schurchill39]

A colleague of mine moved from McKenzie town in the middle of last year and listed his house on AirBNB. He claims its been a huge success and typically makes a bit more than double what he would make renting it out. Over Christmas it was almost triple (which I take with a grain of salt but its believable I guess). Him and his wife were so impressed with the income it generated that they bought a place in Fernie too and rent that out. Throughout the ski season it was rented every weekend with the exception of the weekends they went down themselves. He said the worst that has happened so far is just a couple hundred extra for cleaning fees but nothing has even been trashed or broken.

We also have friends now who almost exclusively Airbnb and its always worked out awesome for them when traveling. With the kid I think thats the way we will do it moving forward too.

[ExtraSlow]

Renting Airbnb is awesome with kids. Have gotten entire homes several times for less than a single hotel room. Some neat ones in smaller towns too. Totally changes the travel experience.

[dj_rice]

I have nothing to add but Marketplace just did a story about AirBnBs couple days ago

[2Legit2Quit]

^
Alberta dude booking a rental for 5 weeks in Mexico for $1300?? Wtf that's crazy cheap, seems in line with the "scam" the host ran as far as having the rental listed elsewhere for more.

Shitty but I'd be hella sketchy on that booking from the get go.

[Jlude]

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^
Alberta dude booking a rental for 5 weeks in Mexico for $1300?? Wtf that's crazy cheap, seems in line with the "scam" the host ran as far as having the rental listed elsewhere for more.

Shitty but I'd be hella sketchy on that booking from the get go.

Exactly. WTF was he thinking? $1300 for 5 weeks, more like $1300/week for the original images he showed.

[dirtsniffer]

He booked it for the rate and then they cancelled days before. Not like they cancelled the next day when they figured it out .

[msommers]

In the long-run, I think AirBnBs make sense. There will be the odd horror stories that are louder from friends or harder to erase from your memory than all the easy $$ bookings that made you money. Such is business.