Has anyone tried renting their house on Air BnB while they go on holiday?

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I am tempted to rent our house on Air BnB while we go on holiday because that way we could actually afford to go long haul. We live in zone 2 London and have five beds so we could probably let it out at a rate that would allow us a really decent holiday.

But all the local houses I can see on Air BnB seem not to be lived in. They are empty and immaculate.

If anyone has tried this how empty did you leave your house and how immaculate was it? What did you do with draws for of clothes, toys and, er, crap? Obviously we would charge significantly less than an immaculate house of the same size, but I’m trying to work out whether people even let properly lived in homes on Air BnB (we have young kids and two dogs so our house is definitely lived in!).

My friend lets hers out when she goes away. Hers is very much lived in.

I did it (not in UK). Not immaculate but had cleaner come before. It was hard work though!

We stayed in someone’s family home in a European capital. We preferred it. We didn’t need to bring a ton of lego because it was already there, we could borrow the bikes and use spices from the cupboard etc. Would prefer it to a professional place.

I'd do it but wouldn't be comfortable leaving all my stuff in situ. I'd prefer to pack up and lock some bits away first for my own peace of mind. Paperwork, personal effects, anything of value etc... probably my underwear too (don't like the idea of someone poking through it!)

Likewise when I stay in an AirBnB property, I would expect some space to unpack into - wardrobe hanging room and empty drawers. Definitely feels more like a home from home that way rather than having to live out of a case. Other things around the place wouldn't bother me too much at all, as long as it was clean and not cluttered.

Could you lock off one of the bedrooms and store your personal stuff in there ?

That’s encouraging. I’m hoping that if I am very honest in the ad and adjust price accordingly then people will be happy with what they get.

I have friends and family who do it regularly as they live in an area that is popular with tourists. They are very organised and have separate crockery, bed sheets etc. that they leave out for the guests to use, while their stuff goes up in the loft.
It's a bit of work prepping the house and then moving back in after the rental but it's quite lucrative

Can you try a house swap?

Could you clear out one of the rooms and have a trial run air B and Bing just the one room?

We used to air bnb our place and made a fortune but it was so much effort packing to go away whilst also preparing a house and liaising with guests

We have also done several house swops but again it's an awful lot of work when you go and you also need to leave the place you stayed in tidy. So the start and end of holidays are not so relaxing.
What you could think about doing is renting your place on air bnb when you are able to stay in someone else a relatives house/ cheap hotel
And then when you go away use the money you made from the air bnb at a more convenient time

We just came back from a trip where we rented a lived in home and it was great. She stored all her stuff in the loft room so all drawers, wardrobes etc were empty - I think that’s important.

She didn’t seem to have much “stuff” and I’m not sure if that’s because she cleaned it all out or her natural style. I’d hate to stay somewhere cluttered so I think you’d need to be prepared to pack stuff away to create the illusion of space and neatness.