I don’t want to jinx myself here, but I think I might be onto something…

If you’ve considered renting out a spare room in your home to earn extra income, but weren’t sure if it would even be successful, I’m here to tell you it can be!

Imagine turning an unused room into an income stream without much hassle. I did just that and was shocked at how simple and lucrative it was.  I recently listed my spare room / office space on Vrbo and had six listings within a few days.

I grew up in a small beach town where “lockout homes” and home sharing were the norm, so I’m no stranger to a home having separate units, but this was my first time using Vrbo to rent out my spare room. The setup was incredibly simple and took less than half an hour.

If you’ve decided to try renting out a spare room in your home there are a few easy steps, tips, and strategies to ensure you start off on the right foot to maximize your rental income.

Decide which platform works best for you.

The most popular short-term rental platforms are Vrbo and Airbnb. I have now tried both, each time having success. Here are the main differences to consider when choosing the best platform to market your spare room.

Once you decide which platform works best for you, the initial owner sign-up to either is simple.

The biggest factor determining income potential is location. If you are in proximity to a tourist attraction, you would have a strong draw factor for guests. This would definitely be something you would mention when listing your property. Other desirable factors that would increase your income potential would be proximity to public transportation, urban areas, and serene retreat locations.

Summer would be peak Vrbo season, and you can easily increase your rates to account for the influx of vacationers. Vrbo has an incredibly useful tab called Market Maker that adjusts pricing depending on the demand. As I’m starting this short-term rental venture in the Summer, the Labor Day holiday is coming up. With the click of a button on Vrbo, my nightly rates are now increased during that time, as more people will be looking to vacation at the beach for Labor Day.

Vrbo’s off-peak times are typically following holidays or back-to-school season. There is an option to provide a discounted rate to attract more guests during off-peak times.

Since I’m new-ish to Vrbo, fist thing I did was look at the other listed houses in my area to see how effective their pricing was. I looked at the number of guest reviews these homes had and the average rating.

I wanted guests right away, so if a house looked to be the same size and offered similar amenities to mine, I priced my room similarly, but a little lower. Guests have the option to search for rentals based on pricing, so this ensured my listing was competitive, even though I was new to the short-term rental game.

When looking at other short-term rental properties, the photos you use to market the listing make a huge impact. Homes that displayed nice furnishings or unique decor stood out and had a higher review rate. Other homes had something unique to the decor to make the room or home shine. This could be sconces, or fun wallpaper or stylish furniture.

If the surrounding area of the home is unique or serene, this would be a great photo to include in your listing. If your home is near the beach or mountains this would also be a photo to include. 

The description of the home is also important. The more detail you can provide in Vrbo’s description tab the better. This saves you time on back-and- forth emails potential guests may have. 

Guests are concerned with amenities. I quickly compiled a list of amenities I knew I would need and continuously added to this list based on additional research and guest feedback. 

If your home is close to any attractions this is definitely something to mention in the description tab. Along with the miles away from an attraction you are. Some guests are weary about climbing stairs, so providing them with a heads-up saves on complaints or non-five-star reviews down the road. 

It’s important to evaluate the condition of your space and determine what attributes would be appealing to guests. Does your home have unique features, or can amenities and decor be added to make your home more appealing? 

Amenities are a huge factor in determining whether guests want to book your listing. Since I am listing a room in my house, I had to bear in mind some guess would want their privacy. So I readied the room with the idea they may never want to step foot in my kitchen or living area for their needs.

Some amenities I had to incorporate were kitchen items, like a mini fridge. If guests wanted to cook, I thought it best to buy an air fryer, Air fryers (depending on how large) do not typically take up a lot of space and are convenient for cooking almost anything. I am personally obsessed with my ninja dual zone smart finish air fryer, so why not provide my guests with the same experience in mini form? 

Other must-have items to make your Vrbo a success would be a coffee machine. I went with a simple coffee machine with ground coffee to start. 

It helps to think about what you need when you stay in hotels. So in addition to coffee, guests are also interested in having tea or decaffienated coffee as well. 

Some of my guests are traveling for work and need to have the option to iron their clothes in the morning, so I made sure to include an ironing board with iron and clothing rack within plain sight when you enter the room. Since guests are traveling, they need a place to put their luggage. I opted to buy a luggage rack, so guests could quickly drop their luggage and unpack when they arrive. See below for full list of home, bedroom, and bathroom amenities to help you get started making your own Vrbo listing a success. 

Other must-haves to include, were linen items, like toiletries, pillows, blankets, face-towels, and throws. 

Positive guest experiences helps with better reviews and repeat bookings. Ensuring to provide a description of how guests are to enter the home. Do they have to walk down a long path to get to your door? Is there a keyless entry system (recommended)? Where are they allowed to park? All of these are questions guests are going to want to know. If you have the Vrbo app on your phone, you can set notifications to see guests’ inquiries in real-time. I also receive text messages when someone has emailed me about the room.

I also highly recommend having a ring doorbell at the entrance for safety and a key lockbox (just in case).

Response time to guests’ inquiries is imperative. A guest may be on the fence between deciding to stay are your room vs another, and if you answer their questions quickly – you now have that listing. When I first started I did not have my notifications on, and missed guest booking opportunities because I didn’t see guests inquiries in time.

A Seamless check-in process, providing thoughtful amenities, and being responsive to guest needs are all critical for creating a memorable stay. High ratings and positive reviews can enhance ranking on VRBO, leading to more bookings and higher income.

There is a section in Vrbo, where you add house rules. Here is a list of general rules to think about when adding to your listing.

1. Check-in/Check-out Times: Specify a time – I chose a check-in time after 4 pm and a check-out time of no later than 11 am. I allowed for fluctuations if need be due to travel or delays in travel, but having a speficif time cuts down on back-and-forth emails or texts.
2.  Smoking: Indicate if smoking is prohibited inside the property and provide designated smoking areas if so.
3. Are pets allowed: Clarify whether pets are allowed or not.
4. Quiet Hours: If you have neighbors who live near you, you may want to have a specified quiet time to ensure that the property remains peaceful for both guests and neighbors.
5. Maximum Occupancy: Vrbo has the option to set the number of guests and children allowed per stay.
6. Parties and Events: Specify whether parties or events are allowed.
7. Garbage Disposal: Provide instructions for disposing of trash and recycling, including any specific pick-up days or procedures.
8. Use of Amenities: Outline any rules for using property, an example would be if your property has a pool, be sure to outline pool hours and rules.
9. Safety and Security: Inform guests about safety procedures, emergency contacts, and security measures like locking doors and windows. I added a book on the bedside table when guests arrive, that has emergency contacts, and the nearest hospital locations (just in case).
10. Parking: Detail parking arrangements
11.  Heating and Cooling: Set guidelines for adjusting the thermostat (if applicable).
12.  Damages: It’s best to be upfront regarding any damages to the property and how guests would go about reporting them.
13.  Cancellation Policy: Vrbo has a space where you can add your preference on notice needed by guests in the event a reservation needs to be cancelled.

When I first listed my room on Vrbo I was worried I wouldn’t have any guests. I thought it would be a huge waste of time. I am beyond happy I went through the process and gave it a go. It was ridiculously easy and provided extra income. Now my room is booked up three months out. If you have the ability to list your spare room as a short-term rental, I highly recommend trying it.