The 3rd January 2018 is firmly embedded in my mind for two reasons, one being the subject of this article. On this day more than three years ago, I rested on the verandah of a friend’s quintessentially Australian home in the Barossa Valley, looking out at the bulging fruit trees and spectacular colours that camouflaged a former dairy that was to be my home for the next three days. With the help of a few local tradies and a splurge of colourful fabrics collected during one of her many trips to India, my highly creative friend had transformed this old shed (that cows in the past knew only too well) into a one-bedroom studio. And it was on that very verandah that she told me the story of her dairy refurb and then its listing on AirBnB. And surprisingly, while she told her tale, I was on the road to conversion and left South Australia as an AirBnB host myself.
By the time I returned to my getaway in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales a week later, I had my first booking. And my ‘shed in the garden’ had become a revenue earner. The main house was often a holiday let via referrals but I’d never seen the studio as a separate regular source of income.
During my Barossa stay, I’d been shown a way to earn money, with little effort. And with the restricted travel due to the coronavirus, the flow of bookings this year has been at all-time highs.
Here’s what I did. I was now an Airbnb host and in effect was starting an AirBnB business.
I had a number of photos on my phone of this little cottage at the back of my main house that I used first up. Logging into the AirBnB site one sultry South Australian evening, I followed the prompts and eventually uploaded pictures onto the site. I ticked all the boxes, gave my account details for the ‘rent’ to be deposited and then pushed the publish button. Next morning I had my first booking. Yes, it was that simple!
Of course there was organising to do at the other end. Perfect white crisp sheets and fluffy towels. A system for the cleaner to ensure the cottage always looked picture perfect. A basket of goodies to welcome guests on arrival. Check the gas supply that connects to the shower and the jetmaster fireplace. Details, details, details. Now there’s the scrupulously COVID clean policy to adhere to. But all easy enough to do. And yes, you’ll need to declare the income on your tax return and you can claim all associated expenses. But get advice from an accountant if you rent out a room or a studio in your main residence, because there could be capital gains tax implications and no-one wants to pay CGT on their main residence if it’s sold.
Guests are delightful to deal with. Most people enjoy the indoor tranquility and garden views so much they rarely surface during their stay! And I can’t count the number of marriage proposals that have occurred in this slice of luxury next to the vegetable patch. One guest loved it so much that he took photos and offered them to me for the Airbnb website – he said my phone pics didn’t do the place justice. And while I give everyone their privacy in this sanctuary far from the maddening crowd, meeting travellers is always an added pleasure.
So if you have a space that could be a money driver for you, think about what I’ve said. Never in a million years did I think I’d be an AirBnB super host!
Oh, and that other thing I mentioned at the start of this rave that drew me to that verandah in the Barossa? Well, that’s the subject of another story I’ll write one day soon.
See my friend’s Barossa listing: here
See my Blue Mountain’s studio: here
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