So you’re wondering how to become an Airbnb host? For some, it may sound daunting, but it is a golden opportunity to make good money.

The good news is becoming an Airbnb host is quite easy. You can register in under an hour and be ready to accept bookings straight away. But before you get to that point, there are many things you must consider.

This is not something you should rush into as being a host is a lot of work. Below I will guide you through the questions you will need to ask yourself. I will also show you how to list on Airbnb in 12 easy steps.

Is hosting Airbnb worth it?

Before getting in to this game, there are plenty of things you need to consider first. You really need to ask yourself is hosting Airbnb worth it?

Time Cost

Being an Airbnb host takes up a lot of time, trust me. Sure, it’s a lucrative business, but the time it takes will take a toll on you.

You’ll constantly have guests messaging you at all hours with all sorts of requests. Cleaning your property and preparing it for the next guest also takes time. Then on top of that record keeping and doing your accounts takes time. These are examples of ongoing things that will eat into your time.

Then of course you must consider the time it takes to initially setup your property for Airbnb. You’ll need to source furniture, utility companies, accessories, and so on.

Time cost examples:

• Regularly communicating with guests
• Cleaning your property
• Record keeping and doing accounts
• Time spent to setup your property

So you need to ask yourself ‘do I have time to be an Airbnb host?’. Otherwise you may need to consider hiring staff, or a company to run your listing. That takes me to my next point – the financial cost.

Financial Cost

Being an Airbnb host brings with it a lot of ongoing costs. Before you consider becoming a host, you absolutely must do a budget to see if it’s worth it.

The biggest financial cost will be the initial set up costs. For example, furnishing your place. I have written a good guide on how to furnish an Airbnb on a budget to help you with this.

Other ongoing costs include utility bills such as gas, electricity, insurance, internet, etc. And with each booking Airbnb take a 3% cut from your earnings.

Next are your photography costs, if you hire a professional photographer (and I suggest you do). Or maybe you could just use your mobile phone as they have great cameras built in.

Finally there are staff costs, should you hire a cleaner or property manager. This is more for time poor Airbnb hosts, which I explained above. You should also look at how taxes work in your country as well.

Financial cost examples:

• Furnishing your apartment
• Utility bills (gas, electricity, etc)
• Airbnb host fees
• Photographer
• Staff costs (cleaners, managers, etc)
• Taxes

By budgeting for all the costs I mentioned above, you will have a good idea if being an Airbnb host is worth it. For further information, check out my article can you make good money from Airbnb?

How do you list on Airbnb?

Now to the fun bit where I show you how to list on Airbnb! If you have decided that becoming an Airbnb host is worth it for you, the next step is to list your property.

Step 1 – Type of Place

The first step in becoming an Airbnb host is choosing the type of place you plan to list. There are three options; Entire Place, Private Room or Shared Room. My article entire place vs private room will help explain what this means.

Second, you must select the total number of guests you can accommodate. Select between 1 and 16 guests total. Last of all select the name of the city.

Step 2 – Property Details

On the next screen you will need to go into a bit more detail about your type of property. First, you must select the type of property you have. For example; apartment, house, unit, bed and breakfast, etc.

Second, you must drill down further to help explain your property. For example, the property may be a cottage, bungalow or townhouse. Many Airbnb hosts have unique properties like a houseboat, lighthouse or villa, for example.

Lastly, you must inform Airbnb of your intentions. For example, will you host your Airbnb as a business? Or will it be a hobby. Is your property setup for guests, or do you keep personal belongings inside?

Step 3 – How Many Guests?

How many guests can your Airbnb host? This is the section where you let Airbnb know how many beds you have.

First, select how many guests your property can accept. Second, select how many bedrooms your property has. Finally, select the total amount of beds in your property.

For example, your property may have two bedrooms with a queen bed in each room. In this case, you can accept 4 guests into your property.

You will also need to describe the type of beds that you have in each room, and if any beds are in common spaces. That means things like sofabeds in the loungeroom.

Step 4 – How Many Bathrooms?

This one is pretty straight forward. Simply select how many bathrooms your property has and then hit the next button.

You may notice that there is a decimal point as you move the + or – buttons. Airbnb deems bathrooms without a shower or a bathtub as half a room.

I also recommend selecting a half room if you have a second toilet in your property. This is important for guests to know.

Step 5 – Where is Your Place Located?

Next is another straight forward step. Let Airbnb know where you will be hosting your property from. You don’t really need me to explain this part for you.

What I will note is that Airbnb has supplied a nifty little button that can detect where your location is. Hit that button and it should fill out your address form automatically.

Step 6 – Pin Your Location

You will need to confirm your location on a map in step 6. This is for Airbnb to ensure you have selected the right place. It’s also so guests can see your area when they view your listing. It’s a very important step!

Below you will see an example of what to do. I have used Yankee Stadium in the example. Now wouldn’t that be an awesome location to be an Airbnb host!

Step 7 – Select Amenities

Every Airbnb host must provide amenities to their guests. This is the unique part of the Airbnb experience. This section is where you select those amenities.

First of all, you must provide essential amenities. This means towels, bed sheets, soap, toilet paper and pillows.

Next are the optional items. Things like Wi-Fi, television, coffee machine, air con, iron, and so on. You get the idea. The more things you supply, the more appealing your Airbnb will be to guests.

Finally you must list your safety amenities. That means things like smoke detectors, first aid kits, bedroom door locks, etc.

To help you with this section I have written a detailed guide on Airbnb amenities to read. You may also like to check out my online store for an Airbnb amenities checklist.

Step 8 – What Spaces do you Have?

So what spaces does your Airbnb property have? This is another straight forward one. Therefore I don’t need to say too much.

Simply let Airbnb know if you have spaces like a kitchen, laundry, parking, gym, and so on.

Step 9 – Add Photos to Your Listing

Now is the time to add photos to your brand new listing. This is one of the most important aspects of your entire listing.

I strongly suggest you use a professional photographer to snap your Airbnb photos. Okay, I get it, this is expensive so you may think this is a silly idea. Especially given mobile phones take great photos and are free.

But seriously, awesome photos are so crucial to your success as an Airbnb host. So important that I have written a detailed guide on how to take Airbnb photos. Check it out!

In short, you should post up a minimum of 15-20 photos. The more the better. But be sure to showcase your very best photos in the first 5-6 photos. Guests will get bored of flicking through dozens of photos, so get their attention early.

Step 10 – Describe Your Space

The next section is where you describe your space to potential guests. Airbnb will give you 500 characters to write a quick description to draw people in.

Below that, you have the option to describe other aspects of your space. Things such as your availability, neighborhood, transport options, and so on.

This section is a great chance for you to draw in potential guests, so be sure to take your time and get this right.

Step 11 – Name Your Place

Again, this is a very important step that you must get right. In this section you will select a name for your place. This is what appears in the search results.

A catchy Airbnb title will catch the eyes of guests and good hosts know this. Never use CAPITAL LETTERS, use abbreviations, and use good describing words. Also, be sure to know your audience and then market to them. For example, if you are near Disneyland, put this in your title!

I will teach you how to write catchy Airbnb titles in my detailed guide – examples of good Airbnb titles.

Step 12 – Finish off Your Listing

Now is the time to finalise your listing. This is the longest step and is how you become an Airbnb host.

First, you must write your Airbnb description. Here is where you describe your space in detail, and let guests know how they check in. You’ll also describe the neighborhood, as well as any other bits of info guests may need.

Second is your booking settings. This is where you choose options like whether Instant Booking is on or off. You can write your policies as well as upload your Airbnb house rules.

There is also a section for guest requirements (eg. government ID, etc). I have written an article about Airbnb profile examples which you should read about. This is how you can spot good guests.

Third, you must select your pricing. This includes things like nightly rate, currency and discounts. You can also set min or max stay length. This guide on Airbnb price breakdown will help you on your way.

Fourth, is your availability options. You will select your check in and check out times in this section. There is also an option to sync up your calendar to other platforms.

Finally, in the last section you do all the boring stuff such as laws and taxes. This will very from country to country (or even city to city inside a country). I encourage you to do your own research here. There is also an option for you to select a co-host.

How long does it take to become an Airbnb host?

As you can see, there is a lot that goes in to becoming an Airbnb host!

It takes about 30-60 minutes to complete the Airbnb registration process. Once finished, Airbnb will publish your listing immediately. You can then begin accepting bookings straight away.

But in reality, the process from start to finish will take a long time. You’ll need to find a property, furnish it and get photos taken. You will also need to sort out insurance, gas, electricity and so on. This all takes time.

I also explained the importance of budgeting and asking yourself the question is hosting Airbnb worth it?

There is so much to think about. However, the good news is once you publish your listing, bookings will start coming. I remember when I first went live, my first booking came inside 30 minutes!

What percentage does Airbnb take from hosts?

Signing up and listing your house on Airbnb is completely free! It won’t cost you a cent, that’s the good news. The bad news is Airbnb does take a percentage from hosts.

Once you receive a reservation, Airbnb will charge you service fee of 3%. This helps to cover Airbnb’s costs of running their business.

It’s actually the guests who get hit with the large fee. Take the info graphic below:

Are Airbnb hosts protected from property damage?

One drawback to Airbnb hosting is the potential for damage to your property. If this is holding you back, there are a few things you should know.

Airbnb provides what they refer to as Airbnb Host Guarantee Insurance. They protect hosts with up to $1,000,000 USD in the event a guests damages above the security deposit.

I have been hosting for many years now and have received damage to number of items in my places. Airbnb has replaced those items on each occasion without any issues.

However, be sure to read the fine print, as their Host Guarantee Insurance has some things to be weary of. I have written an article explaining what to look for here.

In addition to that, you will also have the insurance that you have sourced yourself. So in summary, do not let potential property damage scare you from becoming an Airbnb host. You are well covered!

What if I don’t own property?

What would you say if I told you that you don’t need to own a property to be an Airbnb host? In fact, many people make good money on Airbnb without owning property!

One great way is to rent out a room in a house your are renting. A lot of people do this successfully, but you will need to get permission from your landlord. You could even become a co-host or an Airbnb property manager.

Becoming an Airbnb experiences host is another way to make great money. You can be your very own tour guide! People will pay you for you to give them unique experiences in the town you live. It’s a great new way people are making money on Airbnb.

Other ideas include becoming a cleaner or joining the Airbnb affiliate program. Honestly, the ideas are endless!

Congratulations! You’re now an Airbnb Host

If you have gotten this far, congratulations, you are now an Airbnb host!

You now know how to list your property on Airbnb and the steps involved. You’ll also know if it’s worth hosting on Airbnb, or if it will cost too much time or money.

Once you go live and get your first booking, you’ll get a rush of excitement. I truly hope it can be a lucrative endeavor for you and I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

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