Hmm.

According to the latest reports from the online hospitality service, of the 43 000 Airbnb listings in South Africa, 17 000 are in Cape Town.

That’s a shit load of homes that could be rented out long term for people who actually need a home.

However, doing that would result in nearly half of the owners of the Cape Town listings losing out on their ability to pay the bills.

Airbnb Southern Africa regional market consultant Velma Corcoran explained further:

“We’ve met countless Airbnb hosts in Cape Town and seen how home sharing has helped them pay their bills and stay in their homes,” Corcoran said.

“They aren’t taking houses off the market; they are sharing their homes and the cities they love, and using the additional income to help pay the bills.”

Corcoran went on to say how the typical Airbnb in the Mother City can earn up to R43 400 a year if they rent out their home for 32 nights of the year. Not too shabby.

But that’s nothing compared to Airbnb’s most prolific host – check this:

An Airbnb landlord in London made £11.9 million in a single year, renting out 881 properties, according to new research.

That’s R225 million.

It’s the most made in revenue “by any owner in the world in the last 12 months, but another landlord was not too far behind, raking in £11.8 million through 504 properties in Bali,” reports The Telegraph:

That figure represents the most made in revenue by any owner in the world in the last 12 months, but another landlord was not too far behind, raking in £11.8 million through 504 properties in Bali.

And in third place? You guessed it:

But it’s not that these places are owned by one person. Rather:

“We’re seeing traditional property management companies operating as many as 1,000 listings.

“These numbers don’t show a multimillionaire sitting on a gold mine. These are businesses that have emerged in this new economy, with hundreds of employees, managing other people’s second homes.”

And that, my friend, is how you use a platform like Airbnb for your own benefit.

[source:businesstech&thetelegraph]