Thinking about building a studio apartment above my garage (separate from my home i rent)

[Richard1387]

My wife and I rent our primary residence during the summer and for the most part we've been staying with family and friends while our house is occupied. This is inconvenient because we are basically living out of our suitcases so we have been thinking about building a studio (granny flat basically) above our attached garage with a separate entrance (completely separate from the main residence and the rest of the house). I have a few questions:

Has anyone done this and did you run into any issues with guests feeling uncomfortable being so close? 

Technically the renter still gets the entire house but did you specify in your listing that you live on the property and if so how did you phrase it? 

How does living on property (but separate) affect the number of renters you get? Anyone notice a decrease in renters after doing this? 

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

[Kaylee18]

@Richard1387   Hey Richard! I have a basement apartment that I rent out and I live upstairs. I am new to airbnb (7 months now) and I am absolutely surprised at how well things are going. 

I have my space listed as a "separate apartment" and I make it clear in my listing that it is a basement apartment and that I live upstairs with my two dogs. I also make it clear any areas that are shared, such as the backyard and the laundry room.

To be completely honest, I have had NO guests concerned about me living upstairs, and we are booked almost every night. 

I run into some guests every now and then when I am in the backyard and everyone has been amazing. I don't know if I have just been lucky with the guests I get, but so far so good!

If you've had success in your area with renting out your home while you are staying with family, then it sounds like you will do very well with a studio apartment on the property.

Best of luck! 🙂

[Sarah977]

@Richard1387  Tons of hosts have this situation, and to be honest, it's a lot better idea than renting out a place where you don't live. You can keep an eye on things, it pretty much kiboshes partiers or trying to sneak in extra guests, and you're readily available should the guests need assistance with anything. 

Yes, you definitely need to mention it in your ad, but do it as a positive- "As we live in our separate house on the property, we're always available to answer any questions or assist you if you need help with anything."

You'll become adept after awhile at picking up on whether guests just want to be left alone, or if they would enjoy being invited to join you for a backyard barbeque or a game of catch. Those kind of experiences, for guests who are so inclined (assuming you're up for that occasionally as well), can lead to great reviews and repeat guests.

[Justin271]

@Richard1387 Ive stayed at a few hosts ensuite's and semi detached guest houses and I find in some cases its just as nice as an  entire house or apartment in addition to being more affordable. I strongly suggest @Kaylee18 and @Richard1387  you list your attached apartment as an ensuite or guesthouse if in fact it is to show full transparency. In some areas  these types of listings are less prone to strict STR regulations and taxes. I also agree with @Sarah977 that you will get a lot more responsible guests vs the party crowd knowing your on site as well as guests who might feel safer knowing your available to assist.

[Kaylee18]

@Justin271  For the first time I actually discovered where to find the “en-suite” and “guest house” options! Lol never seen them before! 

I agree those would also be good options to use! 🙂