Hosting with a tiny home

[Ben Hooper]

Ive recently found a site to buy and sell tiny homes. It got me thinking what the logistics of running one as a str would be. I've searched this forum and an airbnb specific one as well and it seems it's very rare/not talked about much. From rough calculations, it seems that it'd be a smaller capital expenditure than a regular property while still demanding high nightly rates for the novelty of it.

Does anyone have experience as a tiny house host?

[Julie McCoy]

LOL @Luke Carl I do indeed own a very small cabin that is the same size as larger "tiny" homes (mine is also 550sqft).  This is its first year up and running, but it's on target to gross around $37k, and I've only owned it since mid-March.  (it's a site-built log cabin)

@Ben Hooper There are actually very few regulations in most jurisdictions that address tiny homes specifically.  HOWEVER, there are many that determine the legality of a dwelling unit, as @Stephanie D. alluded to.  They include minimum square footage (most tiny homes are less than this minimum) and required permits for site- built homes, which most tiny houses aim to avoid (this is why they are so inexpensive).  The workaround is typically to built the tiny house on a trailer (a "tiny house on wheels") so it's not a dwelling but instead qualifies as an RV.  HOWEVER, that opens up a can of worms re: RVs as permanent residences - it's common that RVs are not permitted to be used as residences on bare land except under certain circumstances (such as during active construction of a primary residence); usually it's required that there's already a permanent structure on the property and the RV (or other small building) be considered an "accessory dwelling unit".  As @Will Gates said, tiny homes operate in a legal gray area in the sense that zoning regulations are not typically written with tiny homes in mind.  In some jurisdictions this can work in your favor; in others it does not, so knowing the rules and risks is essential before you invest a dime - but it looks like you're off to a good start.  :)