It’s easy to create a functional, flexible and beautiful rental home with these clever tips and tricks.  

Renting out your property on Airbnb is a smart way to make extra cash, as well as making the most of your investment. It’s important to maximise that investment by ensuring your furnishing choices will not only last the distance, but will also make your guests fall in love with your home. Style up your space and take quality photographs to attract potential renters and include useful, versatile and durable furniture. Here are the essentials:

Neutral territory

Keep your look simple and the palette restrained to ensure your home will appeal to as many people as possible - now isn’t the time to experiment with lime green feature walls! A cosy mix of neutral shades and textural features in easy-care materials will create an inviting atmosphere.

Local history

As well as providing plenty of information about the local area, you should include decorative references to the surrounding area. Provide links with lush greenery using indoor plants, foliage and organic timber, and echo a seaside location with nautical elements, driftwood and seashells. Framed photos of nearby highlights, such as old buildings, attractions and skyscapes will provide interest.

Sleepover ready

Keep your living and sleeping zones as flexible as possible to make sure your guests can customise the spaces to suit their needs. A fold-out sofa bed is an excellent investment, doubling sleeping space while maintaining a livable, social area. Consider a leather sofa bed to create a sense of luxury, as well as maximum durability.

Space matters

When possible, furnish bedrooms with queen beds or a pair of king single beds. A dark room filled with clunky old bunk beds isn’t particularly appealing after a long day exploring the local attractions. Consider how you would furnish your personal bedroom or guest room, and afford your Airbnb guests the same creature comforts and minimums of space you’d include there.

All in the details

Set yourself apart from the average hotel/motel with thoughtfully curated bedroom settings, including bedside tables and lamps, hooks on the doors and walls to cater for bags, towels and garment bags and a complete set of bed linen, including throws, cushions and comforters.

Light work

Thick blockout curtains will ensure a cosy and inviting sleeping zone for your guests, especially if they’re dealing with jetlag or craving an afternoon nap while on holiday. Don’t forget to include blockout curtains in the living area to ensure guests on the sofa bed can also sleep peacefully.

Eating in

Stock up the kitchen with plenty of cookware, tableware and all the tools and extras you’d need to feed the maximum amount of guests that can sleep over. A collection of six mismatched dinner plates won’t work in a house that sleeps 10 people. Consider providing the essentials, such as oil, coffee and tea, salt and pepper, spices and cleaning items to make life easy for your guests.

Caring for your home

It’s a good idea to hire a professional cleaning service for your Airbnb to save yourself the trouble but also to ensure everything is properly maintained. Wear and tear will be greater in a rental than your personal home, so keep this in mind when choosing fabrics and finishes. Keep cleaning instructions for each piece of furniture on hand for inevitable spills and splashes, as well as care and cleaning kits handy for guests to be able to clean up after themselves if accidents do happen, particularly for leather.