The Airbnb space sharing accommodation site is one of the hospitality industry’s success stories, with users all over the globe. In Canada there currently 18,000 people welcoming people in to their homes as Airbnb hosts. If you are interested in turning your place into someone else’s space, here are some tips on how to become a host.

To get started go to www.airbnb.com/rooms/new  and sign up. You need to give a detailed description of your house and the local area, add some personal touches and get the availability calendar up-dated. Photos are key and Airbnb offers a free photography service https://www.airbnb.ca/info/photography.   A photographer will come to your home and take pictures of your property. The service is only available in larger cities at the moment but make sure to verify if it's available in your area when you build your listing. You also need to sell yourself. Use a nice friendly photo of yourself, take the time to write your biography and get your profile fully verified by Airbnb. Airbnb is built on trust and new guests want to know that you are a real person and a legitimate host.

There is actually a business, airbnbsecrets.com, which offers three free classes on how to get started on Airbnb a host if you want some professional guidance!

So how do you know how to price yourself?  To get an idea of market prices in your area, search for comparable listings in your city or neighborhood. Airbnb also offers hosts a tool that can estimate what your place is worth. As a new host, you may want to charge lower than average rates to attract travelers comparing your place to those with existing reviews. Once you have a review or two, adjust your rates as needed. You can set nightly, weekly, and monthly rates. Include how much you anticipate it will cost to clean linens and to cover extra expenses, like electricity, water or taxes. Incorporate these costs into your rates. If you would like to charge fees that cannot be incorporated into your rates (like a late check-in fee, pet fee or bike rental fee), you must disclose these potential charges to guests prior to booking.

How can you be sure about who is staying with you? A little nervous to have strangers in your home? To avoid potentially problematic guests, ask questions like; Where are you from? What brings you to town? What is the age range of your group? Can you give me a short bio of you and your group? Their answers will help you make a better decision about hosting them.  Also be clear about your house rules. For example, if you live in a residential neighbourhood, mention that no party or loud music will be tolerated. Write your rules directly on the listing and repeat this information prior to booking anyone. Be comfortable saying no if something just doesn’t seem right. You are under no obligation to host everyone.

Aaron Zifkin, the Country Manager for Canada at Airbnb says the “secret sauce” of Airbnb is trust and safety. When it comes to prepping your house to host, don’t make it sterile as people want to see personality in the listings. List your house the same way you would talk to a friend from overseas, mention all of your favourite things in the house and neighbourhood.