Living Full Time in Airbnb: Some Thoughts From A Super Host

I have been an Airbnb Super Host since 2019 and have had some guests want to book my properties from time to time that are living full time in Airbnb properties. Some argue that this is more cost effective for them than a long term rental or even home ownership in today’s market. 

But is this really what Airbnb hosts want? Do they want guests that stay for weeks or months on end? And as someone looking to be that guest, make sure you take these tips into account when communicating with hosts about your plans to stay for a long time.

Good thing is many hosts will be open to this but take these tips into consideration and have expectations properly set for hosts that say no.

This post is all about living full time in Airbnb. 

Tips for Living Full Time in Airbnb

The rise of remote work post the COVID pandemic has allowed people the ability to travel and work from anywhere in the world. It’s truly amazing how much location freedom our society is experiencing! This may be your situation and good on you for having the ability to go experience other places for long periods of time.

Once you’ve mapped out where you want to travel, the next thing to do is search for available rental. Airbnb has a long term stay filter so you can immediately filter to the listings in that area that will allow for long term stays so stays over 28 nights. Most hosts will offer anywhere from a 10-30% discount for long term stay!

Now that you’ve narrowed down your search to the long term stay listings and started messaging hosts about number of nights allowed, you may be alarmed by some of the questions you are getting from these hosts. I mean who wouldn’t want someone to book their place for a long time giving them consistent revenue? A lot of this comes down to how familiar the host is with long term stays and whether or not the state is landlord or tenant friendly.

Here’s a list of questions hosts may ask:

1. Would you be willing to complete a background check?

There’s a couple reasons for this. All states have laws that either make them a tenant friendly state or a landlord friendly state. Any stay over 30 days is considered to be a tenant/landlord relationship and guests are no longer viewed as guests but as tenants. The host will be taking on a new role after day 30 as your landlord and will want to ensure you are the type of tenant they would want to have in their property.

Another reason is that Airbnb’s long term stay payments are charged and sent on a monthly basis for long term stays. This way they will want to ensure you are good for the amount of money you have planned to pay for the listing over the life of the reservation.

Both of these things are allowed by hosts under Airbnb’s long term stay policy.

2. Can you sign a rental agreement?

This refers to much of what I addressed in the section above. Stays over 30 days are considered a landlord/tenant relationship and therefore it is every right of the host to require official paper work for the duration of your stay. They could require documentation of income, driver’s license and employment information to approve a long stay.

3. Can you put a deposit down or pay a pet fee?

This is a little tricky since Airbnb has AirCover now that will cover both the host and the guest. Airbnb is not wanting hosts to require deposits anymore but pet fees will definitely apply in this scenario. Since you’re staying for a longer period of time, things will be more dirty so it’s in your best interest to keep it clean and avoid any issues upon check out with your host.

4. Can you hire my cleaner to come in and clean the property during your stay?

Most hosts that do not do long term stays much will most likely ask this. Their team depends on the revenue that comes from the property and when guests stay for a long stay, it puts their teams out of work in some ways. Some hosts may request you hire their cleaner during your stay so you don’t damage furnishing, etc. This is probably worth it for guests because it will avoid any issues at check out with extra expenses from things being dirty.

Check out Airbnb’s Long Term Stay policy here.

Negotiating your rate

Most hosts will offer a 10-30% discount already if they’re trying to attract long term stays but if you’re going to an area that doesn’t have many places listed with these benefits it’s time to start asking hosts. The best way to approach this is to make sure you have other good 5 star reviews from hosts and then to write a message like this:

Hi! I love your listing! I am looking to book for 60 days and would like to stay at your Airbnb. Would you be willing to extend a stay discount for booking that many nights up front? I have several 5 star reviews from other hosts. Feel free to explore my profile.

Copy and paste that exact message to as many listings as you can and see who you can get to respond with the best discount!

Make sure you have all your information fully filled out including the bio. This is where you will really sell the host on allowing you to stay at their property!

Let the stay begin!

Now that your stay has been confirmed, ask the host what is provided and what you should plan on bringing yourself. Most Airbnb hosts will only provide what is called a “Starter Kit” for their guests. So things like toilet paper, paper towels, cooking basics and shower gel will eventually run out.

Check out my Airbnb essentials guide here! This is what most hosts will provide their guests during their stay.

This is important for you to know as the guest so you can plan accordingly. Most hosts will not provide those basics for the entire duration of your stay and you want to be prepared. Remember to be respectful of the host’s property and to enjoy your stay! What advice do you have about staying long term in an Airbnb? Let us know in the comments below.

This post was all about living full time in Airbnb.