What You Should Know About Renting Your Timeshare on Airbnb!

Timeshares are a big and wonderful investment, but sometimes you just might not feel like staying there. It’s a shame to let that space sit empty, especially when you’re still paying for it, so you might be asking yourself: “Can I rent my timeshare on Airbnb?”

Technically you can rent your timeshare on Airbnb, but remember it’s a shared space. Airbnb lets you set the prices, dates, and rules for your listing. Just make sure you read your property agreement and that subletting is not prohibited should you not be occupying the space as well.

If renting out your timeshare on Airbnb is an idea that piques your interest, this article is made for you.

You’ll learn more about the listings Airbnb allows, the advantages of using this platform, and questions to reflect on before deciding hosting is for you. If you have yet to create a hosting account on Airbnb, click here!

Types of Properties That Airbnb Allows

Unlike some other vacation rental companies, Airbnb has a pretty easygoing policy on property types.

Where alternative home rental platforms like Vrbo allow only entire-house listings, Airbnb gives hosts more freedom. On this website, you can post anything from single rooms to houseboats to castles. If you’ve only got a spare couch to rent out, Airbnb is cool with that too.

Airbnb doesn’t have strict guidelines on spaces you can list – they hardly have any guidelines on this at all. If you have a comfy sleeping area and a functional bathroom, you’re good to go.

As the company itself states: “Anyone with space to share can become an Airbnb host.” Above all else, Airbnb is more committed to great hospitality and is less concerned with what your property’s rental agreement is like.

What Are the Advantages of Hosting an Airbnb?

Airbnb offers hosts lots of flexibility. You can set your own rules, choose your rate, and decide which dates you want to make available for others to rent. Plus, you have the option to approve your guests before letting them book. These are just a few of the highlights of hosting an Airbnb, but let’s take a closer look.

• You can set your own price. How you value your property is up to you. Your prices can fluctuate depending on holidays, the season, and if there’s an event happening near your place. When you set up your listing, Airbnb will show you what rentals near you are going for so you can get a better idea, or you can set up Smart Pricing to automatically keep your prices competitive, but ultimately, the choice is yours.

• Open your availability whenever you want to. Being an Airbnb host doesn’t mean you have to make this your full-time job. You get to decide when you want to host and for how long. There’s no minimum or maximum number of nights you need to rent for. All scheduling is in your hands.

• Choose who you want to let in your space. You don’t have to go into your hosting experience blind: you can vet who stays in your rental. With Airbnb, you have the power to interact with and check out the reviews of a potential guest before approving their booking request. Alternatively, you can approve renters for Instant Booking if that’s easier for you. You can even set criteria guests must meet to Instantly Book you.

• Let others enjoy your space when you aren’t using it – and make some cash doing it. Sometimes you just don’t feel like visiting your timeshare, or maybe something better came up. Instead of having it sit there empty, why not open it up to others? Best of all, renting it out can help you earn a few dollars to help pay for your timeshare. Everybody wins.

Should I Rent My Timeshare?

Having a timeshare usually means heading out on annual vacations or getting to have some “me time.”

The difference between this and some other getaways is that you don’t have possession of the property all the time. There can be some logistics that need to be sorted out.

Here are some important questions to consider before deciding to rent your space out:

Do You Know When Your Allotted Stay in the Timeshare Is?

If your share of the vacation getaway changes every year, this can cause problems for your rental booking. Some seasoned hosts warn that Airbnb monitors how quickly you respond to booking requests, so if you have to contact your timeshare property to find out which dates will be yours, make sure you do it efficiently.

You have 24 hours to respond to inquiries before Airbnb sends an automatic decline on your behalf. If you chronically decline guests, the company may consider removing your listing. To combat this, set your rental to “snooze” when you aren’t looking for bookings.

How Much Time Are You Willing to Sacrifice From Your Getaway?

If you’ve read this far, you’ve probably already put some thought into renting your place.

However, of course, you chose to invest in a timeshare for a reason. Make sure you put some serious thought into how much of your allotted time you’re willing to give up.

For example, you may want to rent out your timeshare for only half of the days you have available, and stay in it during the end.

Will You Be Staying in an Area Near Your Timeshare?

Renting out your place can seem like a quick and easy way to make some extra money – and it can be – but you’re also taking on a lot of responsibility.

Your property needs to be cleaned and stocked with necessities before it’s ready for a guest. Adding a homey touch is always welcome too. Guests also require an emergency contact who can help them out should they need it.

Depending on how far you live from your space, this may not be a feasible task for all. This doesn’t mean rental isn’t an option, though. If you’re willing to fork over some cash, you can hire a hosting team to help get your space ready on your behalf.

What to Consider When Listing Your Timeshare

Timeshares don’t exclusively belong to you, so there are some additional things you might want to consider when it comes time to post your listing.

Set House Rules

Airbnb will always prompt you to list House Rules for your space, timeshare or not, but you can really take them to your advantage. Essentially, House Rules are just ground rules for how you expect people to behave in your house. If you have any strict boundaries for your renters, this is the place to list them.

House Rules are part of your listing, so they can help people figure out if they’ll be well-suited to your style.

If you have specifications about less-pressing details like where to leave used towels, you can contact your guests directly or leave out more written instructions for them when they arrive.

Be Mindful of Your Co-Owners

What you do during your time is up to you, but remember that you share your space with others. We know you’re responsible, and we don’t have to tell you this; still, your guests should always be treating the home the same way you’d like your co-owners to treat it.

If you aren’t going to be there with them, check out your guest’s reviews before approving their stay, or maybe even let them know it’s a shared space and that they should be ultra-gentle. Consider letting your co-owners know you’re renting your time out too.

Give Yourself a Vacation Too

If you’re turning your getaway location into a side hustle, make sure you’re also still taking time to relax. T

his used to be your vacay spot, but now it’s becoming another responsibility (and maybe a source of stress). Browse Airbnb and book yourself a nice trip or staycation to decompress. You deserve it!

Final Thoughts

Renting your timeshare on Airbnb is a great way to make some extra cash and put the space to use if you’re taking some time away from it. Once you’ve considered how you’ll support guests if you aren’t nearby and figured out the dates you’d like to rent out, you’re ready to get started on your listing!