The revolting truth about being an AirBnB host - from the bizarre items one man left in a bin to exactly what's lingering on the bedsheets By Anonymous Published: 11:53 BST, 30 August 2024 | Updated: 11:58 BST, 30 August 2024 e-mail View comments Visitors often say that my home would not look out of place in an interiors magazine. Indeed, the beautiful three-bedroom Cotswolds house is my pride and joy – and will eventually be my pension fund. So you might think I’m utterly mad to let strangers in, leaving me to stay nearby at my mum’s.
But the £4,000 a week they pay me via AirBnb sweetens the deal pretty well. Still, that’s not to say that renting out my home to paying guests doesn’t come with pitfalls. Like a friend told me four years ago, when I started acting as a ‘host’, if people are paying to stay in my home, they’ll use it as they see fit.
In my experience, guests are either a total dream or a total nightmare. 'Some families are amazing, but safe to say, changing the bedsheets can often be a hair-raising experience. For this, I always wear latex gloves' I’ve had lovely feedback comments from visitors, exclaiming ‘what a simply wonderful host and a very special home!’ I’m not surprised at all.
I like to think I go the extra mile; I do everything from answering the initial inquiry email to welcoming my guests personally. I’m available out of hours for anything they may need, and do the big clean up myself after they’ve left (but more on that .