Top Independent Contractor Jobs: Side Jobs Like AirBnB
Millions of Americans work side jobs or as independent contractors, ranging from running a self-employed business to driving for apps like Uber.
In the first article in our ongoing series, we wanted to share the top side jobs that allow you to make more money by renting out things you own. These side jobs like AirBnB allow you to make money passively, meaning you don’t have to do any (or at least very little) labor yourself to earn some extra money.
Side Jobs: Rent Out Your Real Estate
AirBnB - Estimate potential earnings here.
What: As an AirBnB host, you rent out your home or apartment on dates of your choosing. You can set your own prices, or let AirBnB determine pricing based on demand. While your potential to earn varies based on your location, residence, and the time of year, about 50 percent of hosts make at least $500 per month.
Where: AirBnB is available nationwide.
Perks:
Multiple payment methods available, including Paypal
Property damage and accident protection
Free to sign up + low reservation fees
Get started: To be a host, you and your residence will need to meet a few standards regarding safety and security. You can start the process here.
What: LoveHomeSwap lets you swap homes with other guests all over the world. When guests stay in your residence, you can stay in their home at the same time, plus you can also earn points to redeem at a later time. Many LoveHomeSwap members are families who switch homes during school vacations and all members are verified and peer reviewed. The service costs $11-$15 per month and includes a free 2-week trial.
Where: LoveHomeSwap is available globally.
Perks:
Affordable way to travel
Unique residence opportunities
Airport lounge passes included
Get started: Choose your membership plan here.
Rent Like a Champion - $1,000+ in a single weekend (depends on home type)
What: Rent Like a Champion rents out private homes near sports games and events. Instead of other vacation rental platforms, which target vacationers and travelers, Rent Like a Champion works well for homeowners in small towns that hold big sporting events.
Where: Anywhere there’s a major sporting event! Search existing locations here.
Perks:
Unique market: guests willing to pay for entire homes
Opportunities to thrive in smaller, less popular locations
Schedule and price flexibility
Get started: Start building your listing here.
Homeaway and VRBO - Get an earnings estimate here.
What: HomeAway and VRBO are similar rental platforms (they both belong to the same parent company) that let travelers book beach houses, cabins, condos, and other vacation properties all across the world. As a lister, you’re in control of the price, dates, and rules. If you manage more than ten properties, you can also become a property manager and increase exposure to your locations.
Where: HomeAway and VRBO are located in cities and towns all across the country.
Perks:
Access to worldwide network with millions of travelers
Account managers help you schedule and strategize
In-depth analytics dashboard
What: Rent out your spare room, home, or any accommodation type on Booking.com, and have it marketed on other sites they own, as well (e.g. 9flats.com and tripping.com). As a popular site, Booking can market your listing to a high volume of international travelers.They also work in conjunction with other platforms like AirBnB, making it easy to host your listing on multiple sites at once.
Where: All over the world!
Perks:
High visibility
Coordinates with other booking platforms
No extra charges to guests
Get started: List your accommodation here.
What: misterb&b is a travel rental marketplace and social networking site for the LGBTQ community. If you’re an LGBTQ (or straight!) host, you can use this platform to list your apartment, room, or home for rent and meet other gay travelers from around the world.
Where: misterb&b is available almost anywhere.
Perks:
Free to list
Market to a unique community
Security deposit + damages covered
Get started: Learn how to start hosting here.
What: Homestay is a peer-to-peer room rental service. Unlike AirBnB and VRBO, Homestay invites you to host a guest to stay at your home with your family. It’s an opportunity to meet and spend time with travelers from around the world. Homestay hosts tend to offer breakfast, spend time with their guests, and give local tips and advice. List your spare room and rent it for nightly, weekly, or monthly stays. You determine the price and preferred stay length.
Where: Homestay is available all over the world.
Perks:
Unique hosting style
Long-term rental opportunities
User-friendly customer service
Get started: Set up your listing here.
What: Flipkey is a vacation rental service owned by TripAdvisor. If you have a space you’d like to rent–including homes, houseboats, private rooms, and more–you can list it on Flipkey. It’s free to list, but the service takes a 3% cut of your booking payment, which you receive 24 hours after your guests check-in.
Where: Flipkey offers rentals all over the world. They have a smaller inventory than other rental sites, so you may have luck securing a spot as one of the only rental options in your area.
Perks:
Free to list
Access to TripAdvisor network
TripAdvisor review system
Get started: Learn more about listing and get started here.
Onefinestay - Average $4,500 per stay
What: Onefinestay offers luxury vacation rentals. If you live in a serviced apartment or high-end home, you can rent it out at premium rates. As a luxury service, Onefinestay has an account management team that cleans your home, prepares it for guests, and meets guests in-person to check them in. Onefinestay splits the earnings 50/50 with you.
Where: Onefinestay is located in certain U.S. cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami.
Perks:
Markets + manages property for you
Premium rates
24/7 support
Get started: Register your luxury home here.
What: Breather partners with property owners and brokers to bring high-quality, corporate clients to unique spaces. Breather’s clients include companies like Google, Spotify, Uber, and AirBnB. If you own a quiet, beautiful space, you can rent it out on Breather as hourly, daily, or even monthly workspaces.
Where: Breather currently operates in NYC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and Washington D.C.
Perks:
High-quality, Fortune 500 clients
Discounts + access across the Breather network
Fully managed booking and check-in process
Get started: Contact a Breather representative about using your space here.
What: Liquidspace helps you monetize extra office space by renting it out to small teams and startups looking for short-term places to work. Liquidspace manages the nitty gritty, like collecting rent, negotiating leases, and marketing to tenants, on your behalf. You get to choose how much space you share–from a desk to an entire office–and how long it’s available.
Where: Liquidspace currently manages office spaces across the U.S. See current locations here.
Perks:
DASH® simple lease agreements
Simple, free setup
Space Experts to help improve your listing
Get started: Set up your profile here.
Rent Out Your Car, Plane, or Boat
Turo - $500+/mo (average). Estimate potential earnings here.
What: Own a car you don’t drive very often? Turo lets you list your car for travelers to rent. Turo can optimize your listing price for you, or you can set how much you want to charge per day. You can also set mileage limits. Have more than one car? Turo owners who list 3 or more vehicles earn $3,000+/month on average.
Where: Turo is available all across the U.S.
Perks:
24/7 emergency support line
$1 million in liability insurance
Zero monthly fees
Get started: List your car here.
Getaround - $100s per month, depending on the vehicle type
What: When you’re not using your vehicle, travelers can use the Getaround app to rent (and even unlock!) your car. Trips are covered by $1,000,000 in liability insurance. Unlike Turo, Getaround charges installation and monthly fees.
Where: Getaround is available in several U.S. cities.
Perks:
Schedule flexibility
Dedicated parking spot
Remote car unlock
Get started: To see if your car is eligible, start the signup process here.
Wrapify - $100 - 450 per month, depending on wrap type
What: Wrapify is a unique platform that wraps your car with temporary advertisements for other companies. You can opt to get partial or full coverage. Once your car is wrapped, you’ll turn on the app every time you drive, and you’ll earn money per mile. The more you drive, the more you make!
Where: Wrapify is available nationwide. See cities they’ve worked with here.
Perks:
No upfront costs
Easy to earn cash
Different coverage options
Get started: Start the registration process here: iPhone or Android. If your vehicle is eligible, you’ll need to use the app while driving for some time before being assigned a campaign.
What: OpenAirplane makes it easy for people to find, book, and fly your aircraft. Their technology, including an insurance-approved standardization program, verifies a pilot’s credentials for you and creates a simple, safe rental and checkout process. You choose the rental price, and OpenAirline covers the credit card processing fees.
Where: OpenAirplane’s network currently covers 31 states. See the list here.
Perks:
Free to list
Access to customer
Pilot + operator transparency
Get started: Learn more about listing your aircraft here.
RVshare - Get an estimated earnings report here.
What: RVshare is an online RV rental marketplace that helps you rent out your RV when you’re not using it. RV owners on the platform earn anywhere from $5,000 to $30,000 a year. You are in control of who rents your RV, for how much, and when.
Where: RVshare is available all over the country.
Perks:
Liability + Comprehensive and Collision coverage
24/7 Assistance and 1-on-1 Coaching
Access to large customer base
Get started: List your RV or consult with a rental expert here.
Sailo - Try the boat calculator here.
What: Sailo helps you market your boat to renters. You choose your rental rates and availability, and a USCG licensed captain manages the rental process. All renters also go through their own screening process.
Where: Sailo is available across the United States, as well as several other countries around the world.
Perks:
24/7 support
Approve/decline renters and captains
Charter insurance options
Get started: To list your boat, you’ll create a profile and have your boat approved by an insurance provider. Start the process here.
Boatsetter - See potential earnings here.
What: Boatsetter is another boat rental marketplace; they connect renters with your available vessel. You can decide if renters are allowed to drive the boat, or if they’re required to have a USCG certified captain on board.
Where: Boatsetter is available in many popular locations. See if your market is included here.
Perks:
Hull and liability protection
Scheduling, rules, and pricing control
Free to list
Get started: Start the boat listing process here.
Rent or Sell Your Belongings
Spinlister - Up to $500 per month
What: If you have a bike, surfboard, or snowboard you’re not currently using, list it on Spinlister. Active people looking to borrow a ride can use the app or website to rent yours. Spinlister takes a 17.5% commission of each reservation.
Where: Spinlister is available across the United States, as well as several other countries around the world.
Perks:
Safety guarantee
Free to list
Allowed to decline rental requests
Get started: List your ride here.
AptDeco - Calculate furniture value here
What: AptDeco is a marketplace that helps you sell used furniture pieces and home decor in fewer than 10 days. Once you sell your furniture, AptDeco coordinates pickup and delivery.
Where: AptDeco is available in New Jersey and New York City, with plans to expand to new markets.
Perks:
Pickup, delivery, and payment coordinated for you
Sales are final (no returns)
Insurance coverage up to $1,000,000 during delivery
Get started: List your furniture pieces here.
What: TurningArt helps artists lease and sell their art to corporate clients looking for unique pieces to place in their business and commercial properties. When you lease your artwork, you earn a percentage of the retail price each month it’s leased. You can also earn revenue on site-specific client projects.
Where: TurningArt works with over 1,000 artists nationwide.
Perks:
Different ways to earn income
Access to network of corporate clients
Sales logistics managed on your behalf
Get started: Apply to be a TurningArtist here.
Spothero and ParkingPanda
What: Have an extra parking spot? Rent it out on SpotHero or ParkingPanda for extra cash! Spothero acquired ParkingPanda in 2017, and the online marketplaces, which match drivers with available parking spaces, are very similar. Your earnings, made every time someone uses your parking spot, are delivered to you via a monthly check or deposit. Fees vary depending on the reservation type; SpotHero takes a 15% commission on monthly rates and 20% on hourly or event rates.
Where: Both services are located in most states. See available cities here.
Perks:
Control Panel lets you track revenue
Add “blackouts” on dates you’ll need your spot
List by the hour, for events, or on a monthly basis
Get started: Apply to list your parking spot here.
What: PeerRenters is a peer-to-peer rental service that lets you rent household items to other people. Use the app (only available for iPhone or iPad) to list your item and connect with renters. PeerRenters takes a 10 percent booking fee, which they charge to the renter. You can always opt to decline a rental request.
Where: PeerRenters is available in different U.S. cities.
Perks:
Extra cash from stuff you already own
Free to list
Geo-location search improves listing visibility
Get started: Download the app to list.
What: Rentah is another peer-to-peer marketplace you can use to rent practically anything. Simply list items available to rent, and people will request to use them. You can also search the platform and see if you’re able to meet any rental requests. Freelancers use this platform to find job requests (e.g. graphic design projects), as well.
Where: Rentah is available in all U.S. states.
Perks:
No-hassle rental process
No listing fees
Partners with rental businesses
Get started: Set up your Rentah account here.
Hopefully one of these side jobs is a perfect fit, but don’t worry if you didn’t find one that works for you. This is just the first article in our ongoing series where we share our top independent contractor jobs. Check back soon to read our next article, where we cover the top online jobs for college students!
