Tenant as my Airbnb manager

[Joaquin Camarasa]

Hi all,

I just purchased a fixer upper that I will be house hacking and rehabbing. I will be renting the basement and I am also turning the garage into a living space with private entrance and a small backyard, a little apartment we could say.

I have checked the Airbnb comps in the area and for a private room, they go for about $95 a night. The downside is managing reservations and cleaning. I want to avoid that.

I have thought about renting my basement to somebody willing to manage the Airbnb for me. Finished basements with private entrance in the area go for about $1300 - $1400. I was thinking to drop the rent to $500 and find somebody to handle cleaning and reservations.

I am requiring a minimum of three nights for the Airbnb guests. So, basically, it would be one or two cleanings a week and managing 2 reservations a week.

2 questions:

1. Does this sound reasonable?

2. Is this fully legal to exchange work for a reduced rent amount?

[Igor Sinchuk]

Hi Juaquin!

Not sure about the legal aspect, however, I see a slightly different model of managing reservations and cleaning personnel. 

- Find a person, who lives nearby, willing to come an clean the apartment on demand for a fee.
- Set up a lockbox to allow guests to check-in at any time (early/late arrivals are quite common, I'm sure you are aware of it)
- Hire a virtual assistant, who can help you professionally manage all the incoming requests, reservations, and overall communication with guests.

Feel free to reach out to me or visit our page (revolvio.com) if you need any help with VA and Airbnb management. At Revolvio we help hosts manage their STRs from A to Z.

Take care!