By The Hospitable Team

Airbnb is a very popular OTA website that connects travelers with places to stay and things to do around the globe. About 4 million Airbnb hosts in 220 countries provide their guests with the unique opportunity to live like a local while traveling.

If you consider offering up an extra room in your house or would like to put your entire apartment up for a share on Airbnb, this blog is for you. Learn how to become an Airbnb host to have the flexibility to earn extra income and meet new interesting people from all over the world.

How to Become an Airbnb Host

If you are interested in hosting guests, getting started on Airbnb is simple. But if you want to become a successful host, be prepared to put in some good old-fashioned hard work along the way.

Do Some Research

Depending on where you live, there might be legal restrictions to renting your home on a short-term basis. Be sure to do your research beforehand to make sure that short-term rentals are something you’re actually allowed to do in your neighborhood. Some cities may require you to obtain a business license or special permit, and violating local regulations can result in hefty fines.

Get to Know Airbnb Website

First, spend some time on the website to learn more about how it works. Explore the various features and look at some existing listings to find interesting ideas for inspiration. A very helpful place for new hosts is Airbnb’s Community Center. Here, you can find answers to commonly asked questions and practical tips from other hosts.

Create a Listing for Your Place

Create an Airbnb profile and list your property by entering basic information about your listing with easy-to-follow prompt questions. You’ll be asked for details like the location of your place, what type of property you’re offering, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and other details regarding amenities.

Make your Airbnb listing stand out by providing high-quality photos of your space. Be sure your rooms are clean, decorated, and inviting to give travelers the best idea of where they’ll be staying.

Write a detailed description of your listing. Give your place a catchy, exciting name to attract the attention of potential guests, explain all the details of your rental property that make it special, and let people know what there is to do in the neighborhood.

Set Your Prices

What you charge is always up to you, but we recommend looking up competitive pricing for Airbnb listings in your area and then creating your pricing strategy. Start low and increase your prices once you get a few positive reviews. Airbnb will suggest a price per night based on your location and the size of your rental property, but it’s up to you if you choose the suggested rate or not.

Establish Rules and Expectations

Add your Airbnb house rules to help guests understand your expectations. Include details about whether or not you’ll allow smoking, pets, and extra guests on the property. It’s important to set clear boundaries for your guests, but you should also make sure you don’t go overboard with rules.

What’s Next?

Now that you know how to become an Airbnb host, it’s time to decide whether it will be worth your time. If you invest more time in providing the perfect experience for your guests, you’ll get more bookings, and hopefully, more positive reviews, and a higher ranking. Then you’ll appear more often in people’s search results and will be able to get more bookings and more money.

So you’ll need to put more effort into your rental space to furnish and decorate it and make it as beautiful, functional, and comfortable as possible. And you’ll need to allot a lot of time to be available to respond to your guests’ concerns as quickly as possible.

Maintaining clear and prompt messaging with guests is time-consuming, but it’s critical for making them happy and becoming a successful host. And the good news is that you can automate this aspect of your business and many others with Hospitable.com and save tons of time.