How You Can Run An Airbnb Business Without Owning Property

Starting an Airbnb business without owning property may totally seem like a scam. But this is actually a completely legit way to get started in short term rentals.

Whether money is a constraint, wanting to test a market before investing yourself, or just looking for a business to start, this could be your ticket. In this article, I’ll break down the different ways people have gotten started with an Airbnb business without owning property.

This post is all about how you can run an Airbnb business without owning property.

Airbnb Business Without Owning Property

Co-Hosting

Co-Hosting on Airbnb is the easiest and cheapest way to get started. You will literally spend no money, except maybe a few hundred dollars on a business license. Co-Hosting is essentially property management for other Airbnb hosts. You can sign up on the Airbnb platform and have other hosts be reaching out to you while you solicit new business.

Typically, Co-Hosts or property managers will charge 20-30% of monthly revenue to manage a property. You will need to charge less if you have no reviews and are inexperienced. But if you have experience with a good track record, you can charge more.

I love this model because you can sign a diverse handful of properties and learn your market with real guests. This is a great way to work in the industry and get real life experience with the guests traveling to the area before diving into your first investment.

Are you new to Airbnb? Use my referral link to earn $40 from Airbnb after hosting your first guest!

Airbnb Arbitrage

Airbnb arbitrage is the second best way to start an Airbnb business without owning property. This process has been super popular on social media but does require some upfront investment. Airbnb arbitrage is where you rent a property from a landlord and then turn around and put it up on Airbnb to rent out short term. You will absolutely need to get alignment from the landlord and make sure they have all the details of what you agreed to laid out in the lease.

Most gurus will tell you that this is possible to do with $10k. Here’s what you will need to invest. A deposit, first months rent (or rent until the property is up and running), furniture and utilities. This process is all about speed to market. You need to move quickly to get it up and running so you don’t dump money into the property without seeing a return.

Airbnb Adjacent Businesses

Now these businesses don’t involve directly managing Airbnbs but they are what I refer to as Airbnb adjacent businesses. You will get exposure to the short term rental world and still have a business that helps you build up reserves to purchase a property.

Cleaning Business

Every host is always looking for an incredible cleaning team. Finding a good cleaning team is hard! And having a clean property is about 90% of your 5 star review. Guests will never get over a dirty listing not matter what the property offers.

If you can deliver an excellent experience for your potential clients and ensure their properties are always looking spotless, this is an excellent, low cost way to start an Airbnb adjacent business.

Handyman Business

If you know how to fix things and are handy, starting a handyman business solely focused on short term rentals is another perfect Airbnb adjacent business to start. Like a cleaning business, this can be very hard for owners and property managers to find someone who’s reliable and turns out a good product.

Airbnbs have a lot of different types of guests that come and therefore wear and tear is normal. A good handyman needs to be familiar with everything from plumbing to fan installations to fixing furniture.

What other questions do you have about running an Airbnb business without owning property? Let me know in the comments below!

This post was all about how you can run an Airbnb business without owning property.