1. How did you get into it?

Me and my partner left the corporate world in London after 30 years to swim and paint, we bought a house by the sea with planning permission to rebuild a ruined barn on the land so we could get an additional income stream through AIBRNB before we were quite pension age.

2. How many years have you been working in this job?

We’ve owned the AIRBNB property for seven years and have rebuilt it from the ground up as well as survived a cost of living crisis, pandemic and an oven blowing up!

3.    What advice would you give to someone trying to get into the field?

There is so much to give but I would start out by doing your research on your local competition and how saturated your local market is and then work out your profit levels. Also do a risk assessment on your whole business and know how you would cope with problems of all types. When designing and acquiring guests deciding who your target guests are is key, for example luxury couples or families, remember it’s a business and some guests will be difficult, but some are fabulous, you need to love doing it to cope. And obviously check tax, insurance and all the boring stuff!

4.     What’s the best part of it?

When guests love the place as much as us!

5.  What’s the worst part of it?

Cleaning the whole place when you are really not in the mood to clean is horrible. 

6.   Most memorable day/ event at work? 

We had a young couple who loved our place and stayed loads of times and they eventually got married near us and stayed at the barn and had wedding photos in our garden, that was amazing to be part of their special day.

7.  Have you always wanted to do it?

Absolutely not but moving down to Cornwall it felt like a great way to earn an extra income stream in semi-retirement.

      8.  Tell us about your first day at work?

We had the best first AIRBNB guests, still remember them to this day, the trip went without a hitch, thank god we prepared.

      9.  Worst mistake you’ve made on the job, and what did it teach you?

Assuming that everyone will love you! Airbnb are to the holiday let industry as hoovers are to the vacuum cleaning industry and are getting labelled as “the problem”, they are blamed for making holiday towns ghost towns. Therefore, we as people who let their second homes out our blamed. It’s hard to be accepted into a local community that has learnt to hate you, but it is what it is.

     10.  How fulfilled are you? 

Incredibly fulfilled, it’s a great no fuss job, especially if you are friendly.

Sarah* name changed for anonymity