Airbnb-friendly apartments launches to turn renters into hosts

Airbnb has launched an initiative to help renters find somewhere to live as well as host on the platform on a part-time basis.

The platform now provides a site showing apartment buildings that allow their renters to also list the entire apartment or a spare room on Airbnb. Airbnb-friendly apartments currently has a list of 175 apartment buildings in more than 25 destinations across the U.S.

Airbnb says the initiative is part of its strategy to bring the economic benefit of hosting to more people.

The company says from July through September this year, renters in the currently listed Airbnb-friendly apartments hosted on average nine nights per month and earned an average of $900 per month.

Nathan Blecharzyck, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Airbnb, says: “Airbnb was founded during the Great Recession when Brian and Joe needed help affording their rent, and now Airbnb-friendly apartments build on that founding story by making it easier for people to reap the economic benefits of hosting. As the cost of living continues to rise, renters can use the extra income earned by hosting part-time on Airbnb to contribute to their rent, save for a home, or pay for other living expenses.”

The company is also providing potential renters with an earnings calculator to estimate how much they could reap as well as the ability to connect with building management to find out more about potential apartments.

Generally rental apartment buildings do not allow tenants to list on short-stay platforms. Airbnb says each of the communities participating in the program have their own rules for hosting, for example limiting the number of nights renters can host per year.