House sitting via Airbnb?

[Sel0]

I've been hosting for a year and have just been informed that my rental is up for sale.

I'm considering traveling a while vs renting another space. Is house sitting an option via Airbnb? I've received lovely reviews as a Superhost. Would like to connect with hosts who would be open to this idea.

If not, sitting service recommendations would be appreciated.

[Amber-and-Ruben0]

Yes this is a possibility. Usually other host in your local area are willing to help. Ask around. Maybe a host in your local area can recommend someone with a great track record. Such as reviews. Etc. I hope this helps.
-Ruben CEO of Tovar vacation property.

[Amber-and-Ruben0]

Yes this is a possibility. Usually other host in your local area are willing to help. Ask around. Maybe a host in your local area can recommend someone with a great track record. Such as reviews. Etc. I hope this helps.
-Ruben CEO of Tovar vacation property.

[NanciandNathan0 · Accepted solution]

HI Sel, Great idea! We are open to house siting! In fact we are traveling for 2 1/2 weeks in November.  Any interested parties would need to be pet friendly (ie...not adverse to kitty litter & feeding duties) as they come with the house. 🙂

[Sel0]

Nanci&Nathan, can we connect to see if it might be a good fit for me to house sit? I'll be not too far from you in November and very much enjoy pets. Last msg glitched lol

[Helen3]

I don't know about where you live, but in Europe we have quite a few companies who arrange for housesitting, where vetted individuals and couples  can live in a property free of charge (or just pay for utilities ) after being vetted by the company.

I think if you Google house sitting service or similar quite a few options should come up.

In terms of BnB I can see hosts might want someone to babysit their property while they are away, but not sure if it would be cost effective for them to have someone else stay their on a longer term basis?

[Sel0]

Helen, thank you. I am, quite literally, at the very beginning of exploring this alternative. I'll be looking into those companies as well. It sounds interesting as an option. Oh, I'm in Atlanta.

[Keith1]

I'm just a little confused.   Were you a renter who was hosting in the space you were renting and living?  and the owners are selling the house and not renewing your lease?
Or 
were you housesitting for homeowners and hosting on their behalf (presumably with some sort of profit sharing arrangement for the guests you were hosting and managing)?

There are a few stories related to housesitting and airbnb.. Some good, some bad.  I'll start with a fun one that happened here in SF almost a year ago:

http://sfist.com/2015/09/17/sf_couple_leaves_for_burning_man_an.php
(for those who don't want to read the article, here's the most fun bits:
John and Ed received an email when they were en route to Black Rock City saying, "Thanks for letting us stay in your apartment this weekend!" And when he emailed back saying there must be a mistake, the friend wrote back, "No, it’s definitely your house - your car, your wedding photos, your cats. We found it on Airbnb." Turns out the professional housesitter, whom John and Ed had met with and already used twice before this year, had put the apartment on Airbnb for $2,000 for five days.).

The housessiter was hired from: TrustedHousesitters.com

My business partner in our STR cleaning/Management services company has done housesitting for a few clients.
We have some who don't like leaving guests alone in the house, so when they go out of town they want someone there -- I guess they just don't trust their guests, but this makes little sense to me.  It's not because they want someone available to the guests or to interact with them per-se, just so the guests know they're being watched.

The disadvantage of this type of housesitting is that it's sporadic and usually short term.   In your case you wouldn't have a guaranteed home on some days.  YOu also couldn't really 'settle in' as you'd be in space someone else normally occupies.

I think you're more looking to live in someones vacation home which normally sits idle and you could turn it into a money making opportunity for the owner.
If not, that may be the best niche for you.

Keith

[Sel0]

Keith, I am a renter and hosting via Airbnb legally. The owners are now ready to flip the house and sell it so I will be moving out. I saw that story yesterday! Oh my goodness, could you imagine? Right now I'm exploring what the options are. I think it would be great to stay in someone's vacation home and be there as an Airbnb host for them while they are away. I hadn't thought of that, actually. Presently I am looking to spend some time on the road visiting friends and family and if a house sitting position comes available I will make my way there. Not looking to settle in unless it's my own rental. Thank you for inquiring about that. It gave me an opportunity to ponder and clarify my potential plans. I will definitely not be house-sitting and renting out somebody's space on Airbnb!! LOL not without their permission anyway.

[Keith1]

Would they sell the house to you?

Often it's easier for an owner to work out a deal with someone living there already--no showings, no fixing up things, you already now all the nuances of the home..

If you can get a mortgage for the 80% and they'll carry the 2nd that might be a good option.

Also, sometimes banks will allow you to transfer the mortage to a new owner, but in this case you'd likely have to comeup with a large down or find a 2nd mortgage.

Then, you don't have to move, you own something and you can continue hosting and leveraging the built up reputation you have in your listings.

[Sel0]

You are a wealth of information. I'm taking notes! Actually I've wanted to move for a while. So, this isn't an option I'd explore here but possibly in the future. Thank you so much as I hadn't been thinking of that.

[Paula18]

Hi Keith. I had 5 years of FUN hosting with Airbnb (700 travelers, 5*).  I would love to explore a new area, and Host; many times, people will leave a home unoccupied while deciding what to do. I could be there working in the yard... 

[Mini5]

Hello , I'm not sure how old these posts are but I'd love to know if you found any solutions. I am an Airbnb host of a private room in my 2 bed 2 bath apartment in central Venice, Italy. I'm wanting to do some short trips and need someone to take care of my booking whilst I'm gone. Eg check in and prepare the room after check out (I would continue to do all admin). I have used "Trusted Housesitters" in the past but have just been informed that I can no longer use their platform for this. Personally I think it's an incredible opportunity to live in a beautiful city in a centrally located apartment in exchange for only a couple of hours of "work".

Would love some feedback 🙂

[Jon179]

Hi All,

We think that there is a huge gap in the market for this, housesitters for Airbnb hosts that want to go away but don't want to lose their bookings. We've been housesitting for the past year continually and are experienced Airbnb guests and can't believe that there isn't some sort of process in place for hosts to use.

So if any hosts out there are considering a long holiday or a period of traveling then we'd love to connect and see if we could help each other out. Seems such a great idea.

Jon