If you are a retired person, whose children have moved away, you may have extra space in your home that you would like to put to better use. One strategy you might want to consider is becoming an Airbnb host. There are a number of steps that you will want to take in advance of becoming an Airbnb host.
Make Sure Your Home Sparkles
You know what you want to see
when you traveland stay in a hotel — or when you have stayed in an Airbnb yourself. You want the space to be immaculate. You want the lodging to sparkle.The same holds true when you open your home to Airbnb guests. You absolutely must go the extra mile to make sure your home is in tip-top shape when it comes to cleanliness and order.You may be a solid housekeeper. With that said, you may miss some “things” from time to time. Therefore, a wise course is to consider retaining the services of a professional cleaning service. A real deep clean prior to becoming an Airbnb host is a good idea.
Address Potential Hazards
Before becoming an Airbnb host, undertake a close examination of your property and note any potential hazards — and then deal with them. For example, make sure all smoke detectors are in working order. If you are like many homeowners and don’t have a CO detector, get one at once. Nearly every year, people die because of carbon monoxide poisoning while staying in lodging like an Airbnb. You do not want to become part of that statistic.If there are other dangers at your home like lose steps or even exposed wiring, get those matters addressed. Because you like alone, you may be looser with how you store chemicals. Becoming an Airbnb hosts necessitates that you stow dangerous substances in safe locations with a focus on keeping them out of reach of children.
Secure Your Valuables
In the end, when you become an Airbnb host, you are letting strangers stay in your home. The vast majority of people who use Airbnb when they travel are decent and trustworthy. Nonetheless, individuals who might not be so honorable do fall through the cracks.With this in mind, you want to make sure that you secure your valuables. You might want to consider getting a home safe to place jewelry and similar items.
Supplies for Guests
Take the time to marshal supplies that you can make available to your Airbnb guests. You may have your own ideas about what should be included in the way of supplies for your visitors. With that in mind, types of supplies many Airbnb hosts make available to their guests include:
Extra blankets Ironing board and iron New toothbrushes Soap Toothpaste Toilet paper Microwave Tissues Paper towels First-aid kit Working remotes for TV and video player Extra light bulbs Fans Bottled water Snacks Extra towels Extra washcloths Prepare House Rules
Develop a list of reasonable house rules. You don’t want to go overboard in this regard. Nonetheless, you want to delineate what you expect. For example, if pets are allowed, you will want to set forth what furry guests can and cannot do. If a guest can smoke on the property, but not inside the house, explain where the smoking area is located.
Your Own Safety
If you will in residence when you have Airbnb guests, you need to have protocols in place to protect yourself. Again, in nearly every case, no issue arises in which an Airbnb host’s safety is in anyway jeopardized. Nonetheless, the old adage of “better safe than sorry” has true meaning in this type of situation.You should install solid locks on your bedroom door or at another door that separates the area in which Airbnb guests will be staying. You should also consider installing a security system that includes a panic button that you can keep in your person and that will alert all types of emergency personnel.Finally, you need to let a family member or friend know when you will be having an Airbnb guest. You might even want to arrange for people to stop by from time to time — even for just a moment — when you have a guest. This sends a message that even thought you are an older person, you are well
connected with others.
