Airbnb - tell me your experiences of renting a room

[merr1goround]

Hi there,

Ive started another thread recently about making money on a fully functioning room we have in the garden. I have no independent access to it. It has a kitchenette, a shower room and toilet, and it's about 5 x 6 metres.

One idea was to airbnb, and someone said you never know how much having people come in and out of your house will bother you.

If you do have people in your house for airbnb, please tell me how this is for you.

they would be able to cook, bathe, and be private as the room is in the garden, but they would need to use my front door and walk through my house to the room.

I've looked online and private rooms on airbnb in my area of London are around £90 - £110 per night.

Please share your experiences, good or not so good!

A friend of mine has let his spare room for years through AirB&B. He lives alone and is an extrovert who genuinely likes people and to hear their stories, so he loves it.

He always says you get all sorts: so you’d get quiet people who do just want to keep themselves to themselves and scuttle through your house to and from their accommodation; and others who’d cheerfully strike up a conversation if they saw you sitting having a family dinner as they passed through, or come to join you if they saw you sitting in the garden. The original point of AirB&B was the experience of staying in somebody’s home with them, and you do still get people who want that and would assume that’s what you’re offering in letting out something where access to the house is required. You have to have the sort of personality where you either don’t mind other people’s foibles and will happily chat, or are confident enough to e.g. tell them that you aren’t really interested in a chat or a drink together.

With AirB&B you have to remember that this is (usually) somebody’s holiday. They might go out on the town and come home merry at 1am, forgetting to be quiet as they walk through your house to their accommodation. They might bring an overnight guest back with them. They probably won’t be very pleased if you let your children play loudly in the garden right next to the accommodation they’re paying good money for.

The times when most people will want to stay will be the times it’s probably less convenient for you: weekends, summer and holiday periods. You’ll be tied to having to do cleaning and changeover when you want to go out or on holiday yourself, or need to have a very reliable cleaner on retainer. You’ll lose the use of part of your garden, and possibly feel uncomfortable being out in it knowing you’re possibly being observed.

And that’s before the issue of whether you’d get permission from the council to use the room in this way, and whether you’d neighbours would be likely to complain about it.

I have a friend who did… and got a lodger…
it was sometimes good but usually not. People coming in at 2am and not locking up behind them properly was quite frequent. Echo PP who said these guys are on their holidays and won’t appreciate early noise - he’d often have to sneak about getting ready. Also stuff got broken at an insane rate, and the amount of handholding needed was quite bizarre!
It was lucrative but increasingly not worth the hassle.

Everything @ComtesseDeSpair said in her first post.

If you think people will stay in the space for a few nights, (I have no idea about the legislation around this) then renting it out for a person working away from home might be a better market than a general Air BnB.
They will generally be out at work in the day (if could wfh, would be doing it in their own home) and wouldn't generally be partying in the evenings as need to get up for work the next day.

I don't know the names of any sites, but I'm sure thy are out there.

I would really love this sort of arrangement in a few months. I'm moving half way across the country but will need to work in London a few days of every month. Maybe a quiet professional that will only be there mid-week for work would suit you best?

My parents used to run a b&b from our home when I was a child and we had all sorts of people. One man even came into my room once when I was sleeping. Apparently he was drunk and got confused which room was his. My mum flew out of bed and confronted him thank goodness.

For this reason I think it would be best to have an arrangement with one person (or a couple of people) over the long term that you trust.

"One man even came into my room once when I was sleeping. "

Yup,

Completely out off the idea! I knew this was a possibility, but seeing it written on here as one in four messages means it's a no go for me.

Was just a thought. I will have more!

Thanks all!

Lock your doors?

If you change your mind back, reply to me, I have useful input.

Thank you, I will do.