When will you let a stranger stay in your home again?

B2C Marketplace Supplier stories; Part 2; Airbnb host

I’m Lottie, co-founder of Reallm, providing reports and recommendations for marketplace suppliers. In this series, we’re shining a light on people making a living or a little extra dosh from their skills or unused assets through marketplaces.

I am sure that most people have considered using one of these platforms, either to rent out their room on Airbnb when they go on holiday or their car when they are working from home. And then thought “Is it really worth the hassle”. Well, in this series we’re presenting the real experiences of those that have just got on and done it. We’ll include top tips, funny stories and unavoidably, how everything changed in 2020.

In Part 2 of the series, we speak to Lara, who uses Airbnb to rent her Berlin flat out when she’s off gallivanting around the world (or used to be). Like many others, with less trips abroad and feeling less comfortable having people in your home, Lara hasn’t done a rental for over a year now.

When will our pshychology change back to how it was or is the way we view city travel augmented for a while to come?

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Hi Lara, Excited to hear about your Airbnb experience. How long have you been using Airbnb?

I started using it in July 2018.

Why did you decide to become an Airbnb host?

I started using Airbnb because for work and personal life I was away from Berlin alot, at least once a month, and often for a week or more. I had also started living by myself, so it was the first time I wouldn’t be imposing on flatmates or other people, which would have been a concern for me. I saw it as a way of making some extra income when I wasn’t in Berlin.

Lara’s Airbnb listing for her Berlin flat which she uploaded in July 2018

How often do you use it?

I use it much more often in the summer, when I am going away more and demand for Berlin accomodation is higher.

How do you decide on your pricing, especially for your first few bookings?

When I first put it up, I definitely put the price too low. I was following Airbnb’s recommended pricing. I have a whole apartment that is ~50sqm and I put it up at €35 per night, which seemed outrageously cheap to me. That evening all the dates I’d put up had been taken. I realised I could put it up quite a bit. I could see how much apartments in similar areas were charging and I almost always kept it cheaper than them. I didn’t want to add to the inflation of rental prices generally in Berlin. I ended at a base rate of €70 per night.

Are you now set at €70 or do you change it at all?

Yes, if I was renting it out over a weekend, I would often put the pricing a little higher, and weeknights a little lower. I’d also put it up if it was a busy time of the year. Airbnb lets you know when you add dates how many apartments near you are booked out for that particular weekend, works as a useful gauge.

In each year Lara had 5 bookings, so you can see that Lara earnt more per booking in her 2nd year

Do you ever reject guest’s requests to stay?

Yep, for sure. If someone doesn’t have any reviews or doesn’t have a photo. If they don’t have either, then it’s definitely a no-go for me. I rejected one guy and saw a couple of months later in my Airbnb inbox that his name and photo had changed. I clicked on him and saw that he had a really bad review from someone for the exact Berlin trip that he’d requested to stay at mine. It said he’d left it a tip and drank all their booze!

Wow, that was a lucky escape.

Yep, I’d rather not rent my flat out at all than rent it to someone with dodgy reviews and risk the trouble.

Following on from that, what is the weirdest part of renting out your flat?

You get some strange stuff left in your fridge, so that’s always interesting. You can see what other people have been eating. I once had some quite gorgeous looking steaks left in there once. As a vegetarian I couldn’t enjoy them, but they made a great gift for a friend.

Is there anything you leave for the guests? Any little touches to make sure you get a good review? I would sometimes leave a bottle of Sect [German prosecco] for them. If they were staying a bit longer then I might also spruce the place up with some flowers or something. I also always have a friend that comes and lets them in and gives them some tips along with a little booklet of things to do that I made as well.

“I once had some quite gorgeous looking steaks left in there once. As a vegetarian I couldn’t enjoy them, but they made a great gift for a friend.”

How has Covid changed you renting out your flat?

A combination of my job role slightly changing and then Covid really put an end to it.

Have you got any top tips for people who might be thinking about renting out a room / their house, potentially something you wished you’d known when you started?

I would say put your pricing low to begin with and get some reviews. As soon as you have some reviews, people are much more likely to come and stay.

As soon as you have some reviews, people are much more likely to come and stay.

I think the welcoming touch of having someone there to say hello helps but I have stayed at airbnbs with a lockbox and it does mean that you don’t have the pressure of meeting someone.

You also need to know the rules and regulations of your lease and your city as you are not always allowed to sublet. My landlady was fine and I cleared it with the government and got the forms I needed. Plus pay your taxes as it is also earnings — you don’t want to get stung later down the line!

Will you go back to normal once restrictions are reduced? Or do you think Covid has changed things for good?

I wouldn’t rent my flat out until the majority of people are vaccinated to be honest. I don’t want to be catching Covid from someone who has come over just for the weekend. I think the expectations on standards of hygiene are going to be a lot higher going forward.

I wouldn’t rent my flat out until the majority of people are vaccinated

I hope eventually I will go back to Airbnbing, but for now, I’m not going anywhere anyway so don’t have the chance!

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -

Reallm helps online marketplaces and their suppliers to earn more through recommendations such as price, profile and diary management.