Running a Rental Business

How Do I Make Passive Income With Airbnb?

Managing an Airbnb property is touted as being a great way to make passive income. But when you consider the frequent turnovers, deep-cleaning, laundry, and tracking inventory, to name a few, it’s clear that running an Airbnb on your own takes a lot of work. Below, learn five easy ways to save time and energy and make your Airbnb income passive.

By The Turno Team

Last updated: December 01, 2023

Is Airbnb a Good Way to Make Money?

Anyone can make money through Airbnb. 3 out of 10 Airbnb hosts worldwide can make ends meet through a singular vacation rental property. While hosting an Airbnb is not always a person’s only job, it does help pay off loans or mortgages for some. 

The fundamental aspect of a profitable vacation rental business is to automate your operations early on. The vacation rental industry itself can be hands-off with daily tasks if done right. Autopilot your income by streamlining your check-ins and outs, cleaning, inventory, and more. This will give you more opportunities to work on scaling your Airbnb business while also achieving passive income.  

What is Airbnb Passive Income? 

Whether you are just starting your hosting journey or own several vacation rental properties, a common phrase you’ll hear is passive income. 

Airbnb income becomes passive when the rental agreement is short-term. Passive income is where the money being earned isn’t achieved through active participation. It is known as “net rental income” to the IRS. The reason Airbnb is passive income is that all rental agreements are within 30 days, meaning it is not a lease or long-term rental. Once your property becomes a long-term rental, it is considered active income.

Woman with brown hair typing on a laptop while charging phone.

5 Ways to Put Your Airbnb Cleaning on Autopilot

An important factor in running a lucrative vacation rental business is the cleanliness of your property. Guests are more inclined to leave positive reviews if they arrive at a sparkling property. Increased 5-star reviews lead to a higher rate of revenue as your property is booked more. 

The following will guide you through how to successfully autopilot your Airbnb cleaning to earn passive income.

1. Organize Your Cleaning Calendar

There are several ways to organize your calendar for your cleaning service. However, simply sharing your iCalendar or Google Calendar schedule is not enough to streamline your business efficiently. 

Skip the back-and-forth communication and sync your booking site with the all-in-one Turno calendar for vacation rental cleaning.

The Turno app:

  • Finds and schedules cleaners on multiple calendars for multiple properties
  • Automates confirmations and reminder notifications
  • Offers cleaning checklists and photo documentation
  • Automates payment processing

Need a more in-depth description? Read this post on how to share your vacation rental calendar with your cleaner.

2. Track Your Inventory

Inventory management can be a pain to track and maintain, especially if you’re hosting or managing multiple properties. 

Although inventory can be managed manually during every turnover, doing so requires more back and forth communication between managers and cleaners. Thankfully, Turno has created an inventory checklist that can be tailored to your property and amenities.

The inventory feature allows you to manage supplies that are running low as well as organize a cleaner’s daily tasks. Moreover, once a cleaner has marked that an amenity is running low, the host is automatically notified to replenish the item. From necessities like toilet paper and soap to coffee and cooking supplies, each number of items can be adjusted accordingly.

Hosting an Airbnb is hard work, but Turno’s inventory management feature takes the guesswork out of vacation rental property management.

Airbnb cleaning service team vacuuming rug in living area and sanitizing the walls.

3. Build a Network of Cleaners

The best way to lock in a great cleaning routine for your vacation rental property is to recruit a network of reliable cleaners. The more cleaners you have readily available, the more consistent turnovers you’ll be able to complete.

Make Connections on Turno’s Cleaner Marketplace

Turno’s cleaner marketplace gives hosts access to over 25,000 cleaner accounts on our system. Being able to connect with our pool of cleaners will ultimately automate your cleaning processes and help you find cleaning services with ease.

Stacy Preston, an Airbnb host with 2 properties in Indiana, found cleaners for her properties using the cleaner marketplace. “I went to Turno when my cleaner had to leave at the last minute for a personal reason. I was in the midst of the busiest time of year and was able to find cleaners on very short notice,” Stacy commented.

As a result, she continued using the platform because she loved the automated scheduling capabilities. “It also provides a centralized place for my cleaning team to communicate with me,” Stacy said.

Building a network of reliable cleaners allows you to secure strong cleaning business operations that ensure consistent turnovers. Turno’s cleaner marketplace is the easiest way to find, schedule, and pay for vacation rental cleaning services.

Man sitting in front of laptop while on phone. To his left is a pen sitting on top of a stack of sticky notes. To his right is a brown mug, airpods, and a thin vase filled with purple flowers.

4. Automate as Much as Possible

For many busy Airbnb hosts, time is money. You don’t want to spend too much time on repetitive tasks such as scheduling, cleaning, managing inventory, or guest check-in and check-out. And, property management requires automating these tasks to save time.

Consider automating the following tasks:

Developing a streamlined and automated process for managing a short-term rental helps save valuable time and resources. Thankfully, Turno and other property management apps ease the stress of rental management for Airbnb hosts.

5. Hire a Property Manager

In addition, onboarding a property manager will help you achieve passive income with Airbnb. Property managers allow you to focus on scaling your Airbnb business. They will take care of ensuring guests are checked in and out, the property is cleaned each turnover, and more. 

Automating your Airbnb business through a property manager is the tried and true way of earning passive income. They will become an additional cost to your operations, but they will be crucial to your Airbnb’s success in the long run. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Earning Passive Income as an Airbnb Host

What type of income is Airbnb? 

Airbnb’s are considered to be passive income because the operations of running a vacation rental are passive. This is because running a lucrative Airbnb business isn’t always hands-on. 

Technology and automation have made the vacation rental industry hands-off. Property owners are not expected to single-handedly manage and maintain their property and guests. Property managers and property management systems are useful for any Airbnb business wanting to earn passive income.   

How do I make money with Airbnb? 

The best way to earn passive income with Airbnb is to automate as much as possible. The less direct involvement you have in being a vacation rental owner, the better. You can automate cleaning, maintenance, guest check-in and outs, payments, and more. Automation also allows you to scale your Airbnb business. You’ll have more control over your operations and be able to manage more than one property with automation tools. 

Does Airbnb income count as income?

Airbnb passive income is considered income according to the IRS. You will still be taxed but at a lower rate. With passive income, you also have more opportunities for write-offs or deductions. Keep track of your Airbnb expenses and income to better your chances of lowering your tax rates.

Learn More About Turno

Organizing your cleaning calendars in an all-in-one app, managing your inventory, building a network of reliable cleaners, and automating your business processes are just five ways to help make your Airbnb achieve passive income. 

Get ready to expand your business in 2023 and make more money than ever before. Download Turno, the app today to connect with a reliable and affordable professional Airbnb cleaner.

The Turno Team Avatar
The Turno Team , The Turno Team researches and publishes articles designed to provide short-term rental Hosts, Property Managers, and Airbnb Cleaners with insightful, useful resources. Articles written by the Turno Team cover a wide range of STR interests, from the latest industry data and best practices to real-world, practical advice on running efficient, revenue-generating vacation rental businesses in an ever-changing market.