How a Side Hustler Makes 3500 Monthly as a Freelance Airbnb Co-Host

Lucas: You know that friend who lists their apartment on Airbnb when they go on vacation? The one who texts you 'can you let the guests in if I'm not around?' Luna: Oh, I've been that friend. You end up doing a lot more than just handing over keys. Lucas: Exactly. And there's actually a full side hustle built around that exact role. It's called Airbnb co-hosting. You manage someone else's short-term rental for a cut of the revenue, without owning the property yourself. Luna: So it's like being a virtual property manager, but on a freelance basis? Lucas: Pretty much. Today we're talking to Jenna, a former middle school teacher from Ohio who now co-hosts three Airbnb units and clears about $3,500 a month on the side. She started in early 2025 and works maybe 12 hours a week. Luna: That's a solid return for part-time hours. How did she get into it? Lucas: She joined a local Facebook group for Airbnb hosts in Columbus. A lot of the hosts there were older — retirees who owned a second home or a basement apartment they wanted to rent out, but they didn't want to deal with the app, the messaging, the cleaning coordination. Jenna offered to handle all of it for 20 percent of the booking revenue. Luna: Twenty percent is pretty standard. I've seen co-hosts charge anywhere from 15 to 30 percent depending on how much work they do. Lucas: Right. Her first client was a couple in their sixties who had a guest house on their property. They'd listed it themselves but were getting overwhelmed by guest questions at weird hours. Jenna took over the inbox, set up automated messaging, scheduled the cleaners, and handled check-in instructions. Within two months, the booking rate went up because response times dropped from hours to minutes. Luna: So the value proposition is clear — you're basically removing the biggest friction point for hosts who aren't tech-savvy or don't have the time. Lucas: Exactly. And she didn't need any special certification. She just had to be responsive, organised, and willing to learn the Airbnb platform inside out. She used a tool called Hostaway to sync calendars and automate messages across multiple listings. Luna: What about the actual physical stuff? Like if a guest locks themselves out at midnight — Jenna can't drive over if she's not nearby. Lucas: Great question. For her first property, she lived about 15 minutes away, so she could handle emergencies. But for the second and third, she set up a lockbox with a keypad code and partnered with a local handyman she pays per call. She built that into her agreement — the host covers the handyman fee, she coordinates the visit. Luna: So she essentially built a mini network of contractors. That's smart — it makes the service scalable without her being physically present. Lucas: Right. And she's very clear about boundaries in her contract. She doesn't do deep cleaning herself, she doesn't handle laundry, and she doesn't buy supplies out of pocket — the host reimburses her or provides a card. Her job is communication, scheduling, and guest experience. Luna: What does a typical day look like for her? I imagine it's not a nine-to-five. Lucas: No, it's very asynchronous. She checks messages three times a day — morning, midday, evening. If there's a check-in day, she confirms the cleaner went through, sends the guest the door code and Wi-Fi password an hour before arrival, and follows up after checkout to make sure everything's fine. She also monitors reviews and responds to them. The actual time spent is maybe 90 minutes per property per week, plus occasional troubleshooting. Luna: And she's making $3,500 a month from three properties. That implies each one is generating roughly $1,200 in co-host fees. At 20 percent commission, that means each unit does about $6,000 in monthly revenue. That seems high for Columbus. Lucas: It is on the high end, but her units are in desirable areas — one near the university, one in a historic district. And she's selective. She only took on properties that already had good reviews and consistent bookings. She didn't want to start from zero. That's a key takeaway — you want to work with hosts who already have a track record, not someone hoping you'll turn their dusty spare room into a goldmine. Luna: So it's more about optimizing an existing asset rather than building from scratch. That lowers the risk for everyone. Lucas: Exactly. And the legal side is straightforward. Most hosts just add you as a co-host on Airbnb, which gives you access to the inbox and payout settings. Jenna has a simple one-page contract that defines scope, commission, and liability. She also made sure her homeowner's insurance covers her in case of property damage claims. Luna: What's the hardest part she's run into? Lucas: Pricing disputes. Some hosts want to raise rates aggressively, especially during big events like football games or graduations. Jenna has to explain that steep spikes can hurt long-term occupancy and review scores. She uses data from AirDNA to show comps and recommend a balanced strategy. That's a skill that comes with experience — being the voice of data when the host gets greedy. Luna: Yeah, and if you set the price too high and the place sits empty, the host blames you. If you set it too low, they think you're leaving money on the table. Lucas: Exactly. She handles it by having a pricing review every month where she presents the numbers. That builds trust. And after a few months, most hosts see the occupancy rates improve and they relax a bit. Luna: So for someone listening who wants to try this, what's the first step? Lucas: Start with your own network. Mention to friends, family, or neighbors who have a vacation home or a spare unit that you can help manage their listing. Offer to do a trial month for a reduced commission to prove yourself. Jenna's first two clients came from personal referrals, not cold outreach. Luna: And if you don't know anyone with a property? Lucas: Join local hospitality or real estate investing groups on Facebook. Search for 'Airbnb host '. Introduce yourself as a co-host, not a property manager — that term is less intimidating. Offer a free audit of their listing: suggest better photos, rewrite the description, improve the pricing. That's a low-friction way to start a conversation. Luna: That's a great entry point — you're giving value upfront instead of asking for a job. Lucas: And once you have one client, you can ask for a testimonial and a referral. That's how Jenna grew from one to three properties in about six months. She didn't market aggressively — she just did a good job and the hosts talked. Luna: It really is about reputation in this space. If today was actually useful to you, the way these stay ad-free is listener support — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small gesture that keeps the show independent and lets us dig into niches like this without worrying about sponsors. Appreciate everyone who chips in. Luna: Alright, back to Jenna. One thing I found interesting is she doesn't do any marketing beyond Facebook groups. No website, no Instagram. She says her clients find her through word of mouth. Lucas: That's the luxury of being in a niche with high demand and low supply of reliable co-hosts. In mid-sized cities especially, there are more older hosts who own property than there are younger tech-savvy people willing to manage it. So if you can present yourself as competent and professional, you stand out immediately. Luna: What about tools? Besides Hostaway, anything else essential? Lucas: She uses a simple CRM called Kixie for automated text messages, a shared Google Sheet with cleaners for turnover schedules, and a digital lockbox that lets her generate temporary codes for each guest. That's it. The whole operation runs from her phone. She doesn't even have a laptop dedicated to it. Luna: That's remarkably low-tech. I think people assume you need a whole software stack, but really it's just good organisation and communication. Lucas: Exactly. The barrier to entry is low, which is both good and bad. It means anyone can start, but it also means you need to differentiate through reliability. Jenna's biggest selling point is that she never misses a message. She has push notifications on her phone 24/7, and if she's asleep, she has a backup person — her husband — who can handle emergencies. That level of dependability is rare. Luna: Do you see this side hustle lasting? Or is there a risk that platforms like Airbnb will automate co-hosting tasks with AI? Lucas: AI will definitely handle more of the routine messaging and scheduling. But the human element — handling a guest who's upset about a noisy neighbor, negotiating with a cleaner who canceled last minute, advising the host on a tricky pricing decision — that's harder to automate. Jenna's actually using AI tools to draft messages and review listings, but she says it's the personal touch that keeps her clients happy. Luna: So it's more about augmenting the human role than replacing it. Lucas: Right. And the demand is growing. More people are buying second homes specifically to short-term rent, and many of them want a hands-off experience. The co-host model makes sense for them. For Jenna, it's a flexible side hustle that pays well without requiring a huge upfront investment. She's already thinking about adding a fourth property this fall. Luna: I love that she's scaling slowly, keeping it manageable. That's the opposite of the 'hustle culture' mindset — it's sustainable. Lucas: Exactly. And that's probably the best lesson from her story. You don't need a big operation to make meaningful extra income. Three properties, twelve hours a week, thirty-five hundred a month. That's a real side hustle.