Air B&B

[Besswess88]

This use a shameless traffic post.

I have recently separated from my husband so am going to rent out my en suite loft on Air B&B. I currently have a lodger two nights a week and she pays me £30 a night. She has become a friend and uses the kitchen to make hot drinks and sometimes we sit and chat and watch TV.

I just want to rent the space on Air B&B but not the rest of my house.

Does anyone do this please and do you have any advice or tips.

If I don’t do this I cannot afford to stay in my home.

Thank you 🙏

Make it very clear in your listing and welcome letter that it is just the loft space.

Put a mini fridge and a kettle in the room

As it's your home, don't set the settings to instant book. Always check their reviews before accepting.

Ah so I didn’t realise the Air B&B can leave reviews on the guests?

I used to do this, it was an amazing way to be able to stay in my home after separation.

Airbnb is all about the review system. You review guests and they review you. I’d read up properly on it before signing up.

I only accepted guests with previous good reviews.

You can offer use of kitchen for meals if you like or I put a kettle in the room and a breakfast box with croissants etc.

I also advertised on spare room for mon to fri guests and had a few longer term people stay who had their meal in the kitchen which was nice company.

Do you have to offer breakfast? Not sure about them using the kitchen 🤣🤣 kettle and fridge are good ideas.
Did you provide coffee/tea?

You don’t have to no but I felt it gave me an edge. I put a basket of croissants, porridge pots, mini cereals in it. Some used it but not all.

Yes I provided tea coffee & hot chocolate

I’d let them use the kitchen but maybe not the living room?

@lastqueenofscotland

I’d let them use the kitchen but maybe not the living room?

Thing is I don’t want my kitchen/equipment getting damaged/ruined? Like my non stick pans etc

You could probably charge more money if guests had kitchen access.
You just need to be crystal clear in the listing about what the space is/has and what they have access to.

This is really dependent on where you live. If you live somewhere that is “tourist-y” and your home is close to transportation or restaurants, it’s very easy to rent out a room without access to the kitchen or any other area of the house. It’s really just like renting a hotel room, for the person who is staying, but hopefully slightly cheaper than a hotel for them. You can also add a deposit and cleaning fee (make sure it’s reasonable). IF you aren’t in a metro area, convenient to transport, lots of restaurants, people may be less inclined to just “rent a room.” Look at other AirBnBs that are “only renting a room” with no extras near you, and see what they say and what amenities they offer. PM if you need help.

I only let my long term ones cook, not the Airbnb 1/2/3 nights. I live in a very tourist my area with lots of amenities, public transport etc so was never a problem. You just post on your listing what they can/can’t use.

I stayed in one recently with a similar set up. They had a tray with mini boxes of cereal (plus a gazillion juices and teas, and drinking water). When I checked in I was offered a thermos of milk to keep overnight for morning drinks and cereal.

There was no question of me wanting or expecting to use the rest of the house. It was a LOT cheaper than places where you get your own front door, but it worked for our purposes. Host had thought of everything - travel cot, phone charger, robes.

Oh and I think the host did offer a cooked breakfast as an extra option, but that doesn't mean you have to.