Nathan Blecharczyk, co-founder and chief strategy officer of U.S. home-rental service giant Airbnb Inc., explains the company’s strategy in Japan at a press conference in Tokyo on June 14, 2018.
Kyodo News Stills via Getty Images
Airbnb is launching a program that will showcase “Airbnb-friendly apartment buildings” to rent.
It will allow prospective renters to let their homes for short stays, per a press release.
The company’s co-founder says the service will help renters make more cash amid rising living costs.
Airbnb is launching a new service to showcase apartment buildings that allow renters to list their homes for short stays.
The company has partnered with major landlords to provide the service as renters are typically prohibited from listing their apartments on Airbnb, per CNBC.
Airbnb said in a news release the service would help renters make extra cash during a difficult economic period.
“As the cost of living continues to rise, renters can use the extra income earned by hosting part-time on Airbnb to contribute to their rent, save for a home, or pay for other living expenses,” Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb’s co-founder and chief strategy officer, said.
The potential income varies on location and apartment, but Airbnb says renters who hosted in the apartment buildings did so for an average of nine nights and earned an average of $900 per month.
Airbnb is showcasing 175 apartment buildings in 25 cities across the US, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, and Seattle, per CNBC.
The page will also include an interactive “earrings calculator” so prospective tenants can get an estimate of how much money they could earn by hosting the apartment part-time.
Airbnb did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment made outside of normal working hours.
Blecharczyk said in the press release: “Airbnb was founded during the Great Recession when Brian and Joe needed help affording their rent, and now Airbnb-friendly apartments build on that founding story by making it easier for people to reap the economic benefits of hosting.