6 Things I Wish I'd Known Before Renting Out My Tiny House

Thanks to @bookingcom for sponsoring today's video! #bookingcomhosts #AD

I've been running my tiny house as a short term rental for people coming to Scotland for a little while now and during these initial months, I've actually learned a few really helpful things about how to run a more successful short term rental. Going over the good and the bad, here are six things I wish I'd known before renting out my tiny house.

Video chapters:
0:00 The past three months…
0:39 How I quadrupled the $ I make
2:04 The importance of diversifying
3:57 My biggest worry
5:19 Bonus tip for furnishing
6:35 Going the extra mile
7:11 The worst case scenario
8:17 The biggest thing I wish I’d known

Come and stay at my tiny house:

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#tinyhouse

[Patchy]

Slightly more jolly update since my last video on this topic haha. Hope you all find it interesting/helpful. Thanks to Booking.com for sponsoring as well. If you're like to become a host with the, check out the link in the description. :)

[matthewclark]

I had the pleasure of staying in this tiny home last weekend and I can honestly say it is worth the visit. The house itself is beautiful and the surroundings are breathtaking, not to mention how nice George and his family were to us!

[suzil]

I’ve had 7 guests stay in my home through AirBNB. 5 were GREAT! 1 was a COMPLETE DISASTER resulting in a $600 insurance claim. And the most recent one was a displaced family (mom, dad, toddler, newborn) for 2 months who were nice but very taxing. Replace toilet, unclogged other toilet, broken lid off of 3rd toilet. Replaced freezer gasket and had to have service call on stove “leaking gas” (due to renter lack of knowledge on how to use a gas stove - was not leaking gas, they put foil over the flame vents…cost $300 for guy to remove foil). All of that is fine. Normal “wear and tear” and I’m wise to potential gas stove issues.

I moved back in last Monday and set about cleaning it. The 12 x 12 kitchen took me 8 HOURS. There was food and icing stuck on EVERY surface. Cabinets, floors (mopped 3x!), dishes, oven, stove. Cheerios EVERYWHERE throughout the home! I literally had to move every piece of furniture to vacuum and wipe. Leather couch ruined by head oil??? Filthy with food and other spills. Desk chair totally flattened and worn spot in carpet from feet under chair. Broken chandelier. All my plants are dead (fine, my fault). Vacuum was totally wrapped up in string and hair. Wrought iron chair leg bent 😮. And more. Sigh.

I could go on and on but that’s enough to paint the picture: not all guests are considerate of space, and accidents happen. I don’t think these people meant any harm whatsoever, but their level of clean and gentle use are nowhere near my standards. I’ve lived here for 17 years and haven’t had these issues.

Was it worth it? I suppose so but know this: it is a LOT of work. Your stuff WILL get damaged and broken and stolen. Do not go over the top with expensive anything. Do NOT leave anything that is of value to you. Do not use carpet if you can avoid it.

Sorry for the mini rant, it’s all fresh in my mind.

[strawberryrhubarbpie]

Who needs a nightly sleep meditation video, just need to watch your videos and be lured to sleep, your voice is so soothing

[ellie.l]

You're such a kind person sharing the benefit of things you've learned, whether its remodelling or renting out your house or making money from You Tube. Thank you, George. Really interesting 🌷.

[PokhrajRoy.]

I love updates on the Tiny House. Let’s manifest me going there and enjoying Scotland.

[FablestoneSeries]

i adore the way he says "bookins"

[dorothydotson]

I think a big part is the fact that you have a small rental. People who have a whole house to rent means a lot of people are going to be there and that increases damage and problems exponentially. Two people, either friends or a couple, aren't likely to throw a wild party in a tiny house. Most of the rental horror stories involve big properties and a huge amount of people staying there.

[PokhrajRoy.]

“Spill things on it and worse.” SAY NO MORE 💀

[krysin]

I have to admit, a small portion of milk/tea/coffee and a chocolate or two is enough to bribe me to look past a lot of small issues in a short term stay hahah.

Rather than white plates/bowls etc, i actually think having all individual different bowls and plates in a range of colors works well also.

[simplyasmr]

Totally agree - I use use Airbnb all the time and a three night minimum is such a pain - so glad it all turned around for you, George! 🎉

[SingZeon]

In a previous video you talked about how renting this house technically makes you a landlord and its associated negative connotations, and I remember seeing critical comments. I support your points made in that video, and if anything, this video further does the job. I think there's a very big difference between being a large corporation monopolising people's access to housing, vs an individual with some capital and pouring it into an accommodation (instead of something else). This video shows how much thought and care you've put into this process, and how you learn from experiences and, most importantly, try and do what's best for your guests. Hope you continue to receive more bookings as more people discover your little house.

[georgegeorgiouza]

This is great, and mirrors my own experience in short term rental. I placed air conditioning plugs on a motion sensor, which allowed me to set it to turn off half an hour after no movement. In South Africa people tend to try cool the space all day and come home when it’s already cooler outside anyway.

[HaggisIsGross]

This is all the advice I would have given you in advance as well. My husband and I were caretakers of a condo here on Maui for ten years and the number one thing we advise is duplicates of all the linens. This was so that we could take them off site for washing, which greatly reduced our turnover time (we rarely had a vacancy). We, too, struggled with renters who didn’t understand they couldn’t run the air conditioner 24/7 while also leaving the doors wide open, ugh! But fortunately, most were very respectful of the property.

[Karen.c.h]

As someone who’s used short term rentals I agree having a bit nicer and enough things (particularly in the kitchen ) is major. Also a good mattress is essential. We once stayed in the most wonderful mountain retreat, but the mattresses in both rooms were extremely uncomfortable. We would not go back and found another place for our next getaway.

[HelenaMikas]

Rome wasn't built in a day George .I admire your get up and go . Look forward to you next video ..

[earthjennyl]

I can affirm as a regular Airbnber, I can feel quality or when a host is cheaping out, and I feel better in their place when a host is trusting. Having enough toilet paper, some tissue, paper towels, and some spices and oil makes all the difference for me in a place, and welcome gifts are awesome, though I can't always eat them being vegan and gluten free.

[terryrolt]

As a serial cottage renter i would add the following comments:
I love when an owner contacts me to discuss my individual requirements
I like to know what is provided (tea, coffee, milk, cakes, presents...) as I don't want to double up on supermarket shopping.
Details of local walks, shops, takeaways, pubs with recommendations is always welcome.
I would much rather pay more and be free to treat it as my home rather than spend the whole break reading little cue cards reminding me how much heating costs etc.
Some sort of useable TV service rather than a smart TV you need to navigate apps for (I appreciate most people can deal with this but it confuses me)

[CarolineOceanaRyan]

Thank you, George! Great advice, applicable to a number of different kinds of businesses. I've run an online business for more than a decade, and I can tell you, there's always a learning curve. You learn as you go. And you're doing great. 😊👍

[kernow]

I made some of the same mistakes as you when I ran a holiday cottage. You'll get to see a whole range of people. Most will be really nice and a joy, but some... Sweet Jesus! These people must live like pigs in their own homes. Watch out for hidden breakages. Some guests will break items and then hide them in the back of cupboards. Others will steal your expensive items and replace them with something much cheaper. Because our holiday cottage had distant views to the coast, we left military grade binoculars for guests to use. These were expensive. Weeks later I opened the case only to find some cheap rubbish binoculars inside, and we couldn't tell which guests had done it. Wooden hangers were often replaced (by guests) with plastic ones. Wishing you much success in your new business.