How to Start an Airbnb Business in Kenya

By Ann Wanjiku Last updated Aug 10, 2022

Airbnb business is among the fastest growing industries in Kenya and the world at large. Are you familiar with the term Airbnb? If not, this article will explain how you can start your Airbnb business in Kenya.

Nairobi was rated third among African cities with the largest concentration of Airbnb properties in 2018, highlighting the nation’s propensity for using technology to address local problems.

Since AirBnB’s commencement in 2008, it has been growing rapidly worldwide. Kenyans are now starting to take the Airbnb business more seriously, especially in major cities in Kenya like Mombasa, Nairobi, Nakuru, Lamu, Malindi, and Kisumu. Here is how to get started with your AirBnB business in Kenya.

Starting an Airbnb Business in Kenya

Own a room or a house. You must have space to rent out. It can be your own house or a place you pay your mortgage.
Register for an Airbnb account. Listing your property on Airbnb requires you to create an account by signing up on www.airbnb.com and filling out all the correct details.
Create an engaging Airbnb listing. The first step to making money on Airbnb is creating a listing. Your listing should have all the basic information about the house, like the property’s location, number of bathrooms, and rooms.
Register with more than one online payment method. Once you start hosting, Airbnb will collect money on your behalf from your guests. Therefore, you must have several accounts with various payment platforms supported by Airbnb. These payment platforms include Payoneer, Google pay, PayPal, Apple pay, and major debit and credit cards.
Set your price. Airbnb permit host to set prices for their rental space. As a host, you should be considerate. Do not overprice the place because setting prices higher than its condition might scare away potential guests.
Upload photos of the property. Uploading a picture of your property convinces potential guests that the property exists and is exactly as described. Take great photos of the exterior and interior of the place and capture other amenities such as a swimming pool.
Market your property and prepare to host. Publish your advertisement by clicking the button “publish your ad.”

Advantages of starting an Airbnb Business in Kenya

You have the freedom to set your accommodation prices.
Airbnb only takes 3% of every successful accommodation arrangement, and the host is paid 97% of the listed price.
Airbnb is an international company; hence you will have both local and international guests. Therefore you can earn more by adjusting your rental cost to match international standards.
The guest will pay for the accommodation per night, just like in hotels.
In case of any property damages caused by the guests, Airbnb provides a $1 million insurance cover to protect the host.

How to earn money with Airbnb Business in Kenya

Hosting. Hosting is the most common way to make money with Airbnb in Kenya. All you need is a free space that you can rent to strangers.
Experiences. If you do not have a rental space, experience is an excellent way to earn money. You direct guests around the property, showing them what they can do and the bad things about the place.
Managing Airbnb. Not everyone owing an AirBnB property have first-hand experience with the Airbnb business. This creates an opportunity for Airbnb experts to earn money.
Airbnb associate/affiliate. A person who works as an Airbnb affiliate is responsible for marketing Airbnb through their blogs or to any online audiences they may have. As a result, it’s excellent for people to double their income from only one source of revenue. It may be done by anyone with a strong internet presence or working to establish one.
Airbnb Arbitrage. This enables you to own a home or rental property without really owning it. You own the house now that you’ve leased it and utilize it as your Airbnb rental unit.