Advertise your home for office space and earn money

Hassle free tenants: Not just a dream!

Check out the latest twist on working from home – and how it could earn YOU money

If you’ve ever considered renting out a room in your home, but been put off by the thought of having to be polite to a total stranger every morning before you’ve had coffee, then think again! The latest trend in room rentals means you won’t even have to see your ‘lodgers’ if you don’t want to….

Following the enormous success of Air B’n’B, a host of new websites have sprung up giving home owners the opportunity to turn their home into a business opportunity – literally. You don’t have to live in a palace, or even a swanky loft apartment in Shoreditch. All you need is a room that can be used as an office. Your dining room will do. Simply advertise your ‘office space’ online, sit back, and wait for the next generation of Richard Bransons to make their way to your home!

Spacehop.com is one of the new British companies looking to capitalise on this fast-growing market. It’s free for potential ‘landlords’ to list their space, which allows the site’s users to earn up to £1195.65 a month, depending on location and facilities offered. Rental prices start at around £14 per person per day. Users fill in a simple application form describing their property, how many workers it can accommodate, the time and price of availability, and upload a few photos. They can then accept or reject bookings, and finalise details such as access to the property directly with the ‘tenants.’ Spacehop.com also provides host insurance, designed to dovetail with the home owners’ existing home insurance, for security and peace of mind.

‘We've had lots of interest from landlords, many of which have listed their properties with Spacehop,’ explains Olivia Owens, community manager at Spacehop. ‘For them it's an easy way to make money. Last month we had 1000 days or 'hops' booked. Interest in the concept is growing and we expect it to continue to do so. There is big demand for workspace in regional areas as well, often people here do not have convenient co-working facilities nearby. In cities, workers are often choosing Spacehop as it is cheaper than traditional offices or co-working facilities, whereas in the countryside Spacehop may be the only suitable option to get a solid day’s work done.’

Vrumi.com offers a similar service – and some truly gorgeous properties. You might have to pay a bit more for it, as a renter, but who wouldn’t willingly swap their boring old office for a ‘creative retro boat in the heart of central London’ (from £60 a day) or ‘a Central Brighton loft duplex with WOW factor! (from £315 a day)?’

So, if you’re an ‘empty nester’ who’s suddenly found themselves with more rooms in their house than they know what to do with, or perhaps you’d simply like to make some capital from your home (who wouldn’t?) this is worth considering. Assuming of course you woule not just prefer to sell your house quickly and move to the country. Bear in mind, though, that you’ll have to pay tax at normal rates on monies earned (the normal UK tax sharing rule applies, meaning you can earn up to £10,000 tax free, but there’s no room rental tax relief on office space.) And you might have to give the place a good blitz before you advertise it!