How to Airbnb your Place in Sydney

Sydney is a Mecca for travel. If you have a holiday home, secondary residence, or even a room to spare, you could be earning additional income. If you’ve done the research and understand Sydney’s short-term rental regulations around listing on Airbnb and feel it’s right for you, you may be wondering where to begin. 

Thankfully listing your home for hosting with Airbnb is easy and intuitive. In just four easy steps, you’ll be well on your way to welcoming your first guests and sharing your slice of Sydney with people from all over the world. 

1. Register with Airbnb

To register with Airbnb, head to their website and click ‘become a host’ in the top right hand corner. Then simply follow the steps in the online form to create your listing. You will need to have already signed up to Airbnb and have an account before you can sign up to host – this is where your personal information is provided. So to save time it’s best to do this first. If you have ever booked Airbnb for yourself before, you will already have an account. 

The hosting sign up form will ask you a series of questions in relation to your listing such as:

• Home Type
• City
• Number of beds/bedrooms
• Number of bathrooms
• Listing’s address

Listing Amenities

As you progress the questions and drop down fields will be tailored to your answers to ensure you are able to provide the most accurate description of your property. In the amenities field, be sure to list as many ‘extras’ as you can. The more amenities you can offer, the more appealing your listing will be. Things such as air-conditioning, fire place, pool, security systems etc fall into the amenities category. The initial selection is limited to set fields, but once your listing is created, you can edit it to include more specific details. 

Comparing Airbnb Prices

You’ll notice when selecting Sydney and your specific suburb, Airbnb also provide a handy tool that helps you compare against the competition in your area. This allows you to accurately price your listing and gain insight into whether your expectations for its earning capacity are realistic. By ensuring your listing is competitive, you’re more likely to secure bookings and quickly build up reviews which further verify your listing to prospective guests. 

Airbnb Regulations

You will need to also check any specific regulations regarding your dwelling. This is especially true for those who live in strata operated premises. Some apartments will have clauses banning you from operating private rentals. You may be permitted to list a room so long as you are present during the stay. 

In addition, if you’re renting as a tenant yourself, the owner needs to be made aware or approve of you subletting. Failure to do this and subsequent discovery could lead to your own lease being terminated. 

2. Make your Listing Stand Out

Photos

A picture is worth a thousand words and this is especially true when listing your home. The majority of guests will review your photos in advance of reading the details of your listing, so it is worthwhile spending time on taking great photos that best showcase your property. 

Consider having professional photos done as this can considerably boost your appeal and showcase why people should choose your property over another. Airbnb can make suggestions of their recommended photographers in your area. 

Remember that the first three photos of your listing are what shows immediately when you pop up in a search result, so choose them wisely. Ensure they are high resolution and showcase the most unique and appealing aspects of your listing. 

Extras

Once you have successfully created your listing, filling out the standard pre-set fields and uploading your photos, you have change to write a blurb about your property and decide on any extras you may like to offer.

Focus on value adds such as a coffee machine or welcome basket, consider adding basic amenities in the bathroom to elevate your guests experience. 

Description

When describing your property, focus on highlighting aspects that appeal to guests such as natural lighting, cleanliness, any recent renovations or upgrades, the quality of linens and pillows, proximity to major attractions, public transport and whether it’s a quiet neighbourhood. If your home is geared towards families, mentioning major parks and closest supermarkets can also be helpful. 

Being honest in your listing is important, your reviews will very quickly shine a light on any issues with your description and it is very hard to overcome negative reviews. 

3. Manage your Vacation Rental Bookings

Calendar

In this section you’ll be asked to select on a calendar which dates your property is available. You can also indicate minimum stay requirements, how much notice you require to accept a booking, special conditions over holiday periods etc. If you intend to personally spend time at your listing, you will need to manually go through the calendar and block the required dates. It’s a good idea to review this frequently in case plans change – you don’t want to miss out on a booking.

If you’re going to list your vacation rental on other sites along with Airbnb like Booking.com, consider using a property management system to help you manage your bookings and guests. There are a variety of benefits to using a property management system, and if you’re looking for the right one, we’ve put together a blog post which looks at the best property management systems for Airbnb hosts in 2020.

Pricing

Within this area you will also be able to specify the nightly pricing of your listing. Airbnb have Smart Pricing Tool which will automatically update your listing to reflect the current market. You do have the ability to set a minimum and maximum price, so don’t be concerned that prices will drop below your required rate. 

As previously mentioned, its best to follow the suggested pricing that Airbnb provide. This is up to date data sourced from the existing listings in your area and reflects tourism trends, holidays and even the current rental market in Sydney. By sticking to these suggestions you remain competitive and more bookable. 

House Rules

Every homeowner has rules regarding their property, whether this is to prohibit parties in your listing, advise regarding where they can park or simply requesting the bin be emptied at the end of the stay. In this section you can lay out your guide for your home and also any requests for formal identification when booking. If you only want to rent to guests with a perfect rating and recommended by previous hosts, then you can select this here also. 

4. Go Live with your Listing and Offer Self Check-in

All that is left to do is publish your listing. You can come back and edit and update your listing at any time. Now you are ready to welcome guests and start earning. 

If your inability to be present for guests arrival is an obstacle to you listing your home, be sure to check out Keycafe. This simplifies check-in via automated key exchange, meaning self check-in is possible any time of day or night for your listing. Anytime check-in is one of the most appealing things you can offer your guests. Keys are stored in a trusted key exchange locations and access is managed via a handy app in your smart device. Managing your check-ins just became even easier.