Summer will be upon us before we know it and with no certainty that international travel will have opened up by then, it looks like a holiday in the UK may be the safest option. We will all be looking for a lovely bolthole away from home for a week or two, and if you're thinking of opening up your home to Airbnb, now is the time start planning.
Figures suggest that over 260 million guests have stayed in Airbnb properties around the globe making this the obvious place to market your property or guestroom. If you want to let your home whilst you're away for the summer months, or even whilst you're still there, then it really doesn't make sense to box up and store all your personal belongings and favourite pieces of reclaimed wood furniture for this relatively short period.
Whether it is the spare room you are letting or the whole house, you have to find the right balance for your guests. A mix of homely and ease of use. Feeling at home is one of the main reasons that guests opt for an Airbnb rather than a depersonalised hotel room. But your guests will want to be able to put their things away and won't want to be moving your items out of the way all the time! Think about where you can store your personal items in the house – maybe you have a lockable spare bedroom or can make some space in the loft or garage for storage.
The rule of thumb is if you don't want guests to touch or use it then get it out the way! Ideally, you should let your guests know what they can or can't use - so make it clear in the guest book to save any misunderstandings later.
A large sideboard in the living room is a great place to clear your stuff into - books, family photos and other personal items can all be put away. We would suggest that in another cupboard you could leave jigsaw puzzles, board games and playing cards for your guests to use during their stay. On top of the wooden sideboard, you can leave a selection of books for them to read and information about the area they are staying in - such as flyers from local takeaways or restaurants and details of local visitor attractions etc.
The bedroom is one of those places that can be a bit cluttered. If you have a bedroom chest of drawers you can move all your things to the bottom drawers and leave guests two top rows to use during their stay. Section off large wardrobes - push your things to one side and leave them the other side clear with plenty of hangers. If your guests are only staying for a week or two they won't need too much storage space, but think about other items of furniture they might need. A wooden bedside table to put a reading lamp on or somewhere to put a glass of water and charge their phone is a handy and stylish bedroom storage addition.
Children's bedrooms are another space that can be a bit cluttered, if you have a family home then you would, of course, expect families to rent it off you. Children love looking through new books and playing with different toys! So things you don't want them to use and play with, should be put away completely. Toys they can use can be put in a wooden toy chest in the bedroom - your guests will also know exactly where to tidy everything away.
