Top 10 Ways to Start Making Money on Airbnb without Owning a Property

• Take the Airbnb Rental Arbitrage Route
• Become a Short-term Rental Property Manager
• Become a Co-host to an Airbnb host
• Join a Vacation Rental Franchise
• Become an Airbnb Consultant
• Start an Airbnb Cleaning Service
• Host an Airbnb Experience
• Become a professional Airbnb photographer
• Become an Airbnb Copywriter
• Learn the Craft of Vacation Rental Marketing
• Conclusion

Take the Airbnb Rental Arbitrage Route

Renting a house solely to sublet it on vacation rental websites is known as Airbnb rental arbitrage. To make this business model work, you must create more money than you spend on rent and other business-related expenses.

Given that some cities do not permit subletting, you should think carefully about the laws and regulations before implementing this plan. Additionally, before attempting to rent out your rented area, you should seek the landlord’s consent. Long-term lease agreements frequently forbid tenants from renting out houses on listing websites.

Tenants run the possibility of being evicted if they break the rules. Rental arbitrage, however, can be a fantastic way to break into the market provided both parties are on board.

What are the pros and cons of Airbnb arbitrage?

Pros:

• Since you can start without owning a property, you do not need a large number of funds.
• It is possible to keep all of your earnings for yourself, which is not possible with other tactics. For instance, as a property manager, you are only entitled to a specific proportion of the renter’s revenue.

Cons:

• Many cities are enacting municipal laws and regulations against subletting, which can make it more difficult to find a suitable location.
• Finding a landlord who will allow you to sublease their house on Airbnb may be difficult.

How much can you earn with Airbnb arbitrage? 

Ultimately, your location and the size of your property portfolio will determine how much money you can make utilizing this technique. When done correctly, you can make up to three times as much income as you spend. Data from AirDNA shows that Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans, Nashville, and Jacksonville are the markets with the biggest potential for rental arbitrage premiums. Larger apartments provide more potential for rental arbitrage, according to their statistics. 

Become a Short-term Rental Property Manager

One of the easiest ways to earn money on Airbnb without investing in a vacation home is to become a property manager. The demand for short-term rental property managers is increasing in tandem with the vacation rental industry’s rapid growth. The demand for property managers has increased, and the job also has more flexible hours.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Managing the needs of property owners
• Confirming bookings
• Communicating with guests
• Supervising the check-in process
• Marketing
• Property inspections
• Organizing cleaning and maintenance tasks. 

You must first comprehend your state’s legal criteria to manage short-term rentals. For instance, although other jurisdictions might not require any kind of certification at all, certain states will want a real estate broker’s license and/or a property manager’s license. Nevertheless, even if it is not necessary, you should continue your education in property management because doing so will help you stand out from the crowd.

What are the pros and cons of becoming a short-term rental manager?

Pros:

• There will be more latitude in your working hours.
• To begin managing properties, you don’t need to own any real estate.

Cons:

• Your education may need to be furthered, which might be costly.
• Taking care of many rentals for different hosts might be difficult.

It is a good idea to spend money on vacation rental software, like Hosty, to automate duties so that you don’t become overburdened. 

You can lessen your workload with Hosty by :

• Taking care of numerous accounts and listings on the main vacation rental platforms
• Organizing your messages into one stream using the unified inbox, and improving guest communication by using automatic templates and prompted messaging
• distributing and creating guest reviews automatically
• utilizing a direct booking management solution to manage direct reservations
• Making important reports on your company’s performance and monitoring KPIs with the Dashboard feature
• linking your Stripe account to Hosty to create invoices and receive payments
• giving daily schedules to your staff and automatically allocating duties.

How much can you make as a short-term rental manager? 

A short-term rental manager can earn on average $42,000 a year in the United States. However, if you have more expertise under your belt, it might be close to $60,000.

Become a Co-host to an Airbnb host

Co-hosts have identical responsibilities as short-term rental management. The main distinction is that they will behave more like a host’s assistant than a manager. Co-hosting is a wonderful place to start if you are just getting started in this field.

With co-hosting, your main tasks will include:

• Confirming bookings
• Communicating with guests
• Supervising the check-in and checkout process
• Property inspections
• Organizing cleaning and maintenance tasks 
• Restocking necessary items
• Writing reviews for guests.

What are the pros and cons of becoming a co-host?

Pros:

• There will be more latitude in your working hours. 
• For co-hosting, you don’t need a license.

Cons:

• Compared to hosting on Airbnb, it is less lucrative.
• The earnings will vary.

How much can you make as a co-host? 

Co-hosts make between 10% and 20% of every reservation. You might make up to 25% per booking if you take on extra responsibilities and manage the full process.

Join a Vacation Rental Franchise 

What are the pros and cons of getting a vacation rental franchise?

If you don’t want to start from scratch, another method to make money on Airbnb is to join a vacation rental business. Local property managers might pay a franchise owner to use their resources and sell their services under their brand. In return, the manager will receive a special license.

Pros:

• You have access to tried-and-true procedures with this company model.
• The area in which you will be conducting business will be set apart and secured.
• You’ll receive instruction and ongoing assistance.

Cons:

• You won’t have complete control because you’ll need to adhere to the franchisor’s branding standards.
• To enroll in a franchise scheme, you will need to pay a one-time charge.
• You must sign a contract for a specific number of years if you want to use this business strategy, which requires a big commitment.

How much can you make by getting a franchise? 

The income will vary depending on the franchise system you decide to sign up for. There are numerous franchise businesses, and each charges a different price. You can anticipate paying somewhere between $55,000 and $100,000, depending on the vacation rental franchise scheme you choose to join.

Therefore, you should have faith in the brand when selecting a program and think about if the affiliation will generate enough revenue to cover the fees.

Become an Airbnb Consultant 

You can think about working as an Airbnb consultant if you have some expertise running Airbnb properties and would like to aid other business owners in expanding. You will require marketing expertise to develop your brand in addition to having experience managing short-term rentals.

You will assist hosts in maximizing their bookings, enhancing their ranking, and possibly buying and selling vacation properties as an Airbnb consultant. You will also need to pinpoint a certain specialty; the most prosperous consultants know this. Therefore, before determining which particular services you can advertise, make sure to do your study and bear in mind your skills are the pros and cons of becoming an Airbnb consultant.

Pros:

• Your initial expenses will be quite low.
• You can present yourself as an authority. 

Cons:

• You must have prior hosting knowledge for Airbnb.
• You must have internal motivation.  

How much can you make as an Airbnb consultant? 

In the United States, an average Airbnb consultant may expect to make between $83,000 and $90,000.

Start an Airbnb Cleaning Service 

Since cleaning is frequently the first service that hosts outsource, starting an Airbnb cleaning business can be lucrative. This implies that you will not be short on work.

You must conduct research to open a cleaning service on Airbnb. What options are there for cleaning services? What are the standards in the industry?

It’s also vital to find out if your state has any regulations, such as insurance and licensing, and what the average cleaning charges are. Don’t forget to account for costs as well. Cleaning supplies, equipment, personnel, and marketing are a few examples of costs associated with this kind of business. 

What are the pros and cons of starting an Airbnb cleaning service?

Pros:

• There is never a lack of work because many hosts typically use outside cleaning services.
• In comparison to purchasing a vacation rental franchise, the startup fees are lower. 

Cons:

• You’ll have to do your own marketing.
• In order to launch a full-fledged cleaning company, you will need to hire a trustworthy workforce. 

How much can you make as an owner of an Airbnb cleaning service? 

A cleaner typically makes around $25 per hour. Cleaners often make $800 per month. The amount of money a cleaning business owner can generate will depend on the cost of cleaning and the volume of properties cleaned each month. It might be profitable! For instance, MaidThis earns more than $100,000 per month.

Host an Airbnb Experience 

Hosting an Airbnb Experience is one of the most creative ways to earn money without renting out real estate.

Airbnb Experiences is a platform developed by Airbnb in 2016, and in five years, it has assisted hosts in generating a consistent source of money. By signing up for the program, you will be able to offer a variety of activities that visitors can reserve during their stays, such as a traditional guided tour, cooking class, or art class. It might be a great substitute for hosting stays if you have a particular hobby or program. 

What are the pros and cons of becoming an Airbnb Experiences host?

Pros:

• You can make money while sharing your interest or hobby.
• You may now provide it from the convenience of your home, thanks to the advent of online experiences.

Cons:

• You might need to submit an application for a business license depending on the type of Experience you have to offer. 
• Your knowledge of the service you offer must be expert-level.

How much can you make as an Airbnb Experiences host? 

You can make anything between $25 and $150 for each visitor who registers for an experience. Airbnb also launched Online Experiences in 2020, and according to Airbnb data, the top-earning Experiences hosts have earned more than $20,000 each since switching to the online platform.

Become a professional Airbnb photographer 

Another inventive approach to making a living with Airbnb is to work as a professional Airbnb photographer.

There are two ways to pursue this route. You can promote your skills on websites like Fiverr, Upwork, or Instagram, or you can become a freelance marketplace listing photographer and be listed by Airbnb. You can apply using this form if you want to be listed on Airbnb. 

Whichever route you choose, you must understand interior photography. So make sure to educate yourself on setting up settings.

What are the pros and cons of becoming an Airbnb photographer?

Pros:

• It provides flexible work schedules. 
• There may be additional chances for you to travel and explore new locations.

Cons:

• The equipment could be pricey. 
• You’ll need to promote your offerings. 

What are the most useful tips for taking Airbnb photos – read here.

How much can you make as an Airbnb photographer? 

An Airbnb photographer can make an average salary of $50,000 per year, according to online data. A charge per hour can be anywhere between $31 and $94.

Become an Airbnb Copywriter 

Another challenging approach to making money without renting out an Airbnb space is to offer copywriting skills. Airbnb hosts are increasingly using copywriting services. Like being an Airbnb photographer, you may promote your offerings on websites like Upwork and Fiverr. 

To differentiate themselves from the competition, hosts must sell their lodgings. It becomes even more crucial if they wish to take direct reservations and attract people to their website.

What are the pros and cons of becoming an Airbnb copywriter?

Pros:

• It provides flexible work schedules.
• It requires little upfront investment.

Cons:

• You must have internal motivation.
• You’ll need to promote your services.

How much can you make as an Airbnb copywriter? 

An Airbnb copywriter makes, on average, $90,000 a year, according to internet data.

Learn the Craft of Vacation Rental Marketing

To differentiate themselves from the competition, hosts must sell their lodgings. It becomes even more crucial if they wish to take direct reservations and attract people to their website.

Due to their busy schedules, hosts frequently seek outside assistance to develop and carry out a successful marketing plan to advertise their rentals. If you already have experience in marketing and are keen to work in the field, this is a great place for you to put your experience to use.

However, if you lack marketing expertise but are eager to break into the industry, you might begin with social media. You can also advance to other marketing disciplines once you’ve mastered this one.

The following are the general services that vacation rental marketers offer:

• Social media marketing
• Email marketing
• Content creation
• Blog posting
• SEO
• SEM
• Lead generation
• Website design

What are the pros and cons of becoming a vacation rental marketer?

Pros:

• There won’t be much overhead for you.
• It is simple to use from your home.

Cons:

• You must possess the required technical abilities.
• To assist you, you will require a trustworthy group.

How much can you make as a vacation rental marketer? 

You may anticipate making roughly $75,000 a year as a marketer. 

Conclusion

Airbnb now makes it simpler than ever to make money. In many circumstances, you may succeed as an Airbnb professional without even owning or managing a rental property. There is a professional possibility for you even if you lack any prior expertise; it can be started as a side business or developed into a full-time job. While some of these tactics are more difficult than others and demand larger financial investments, with dedication and hard effort, you may earn a respectable income.