I'm still on about what an amazing experience it is running an Airbnb, but I did not tell you the real reason why we did not take the 'easy' route, and get tenants.
I never realized that when our son suggested we consider turning our garden cottage into an Airbnb, it would be my saving grace with the loss of my darling man.
I did a bit of research, and knew this would be a much better option than having a tenant who could default and refuse to move out as the Prevention of Illegal Eviction From and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act of 1998 protects tenants! The link provided gives a couple of examples of the negative impact that would have on a property owner.
We did not foresee too many guests wanting to stay in a cottage in a suburb some 20 km from Durban's main attractions, but thought we could attract business guests, and possibly guests needing short-term accommodation for functions or illness of family members.
We opened our Airbnb about six months before I retired.
Our goal was to have about 15% occupancy, as that would be equivalent to a month's rent.
We were wrong!
Our first guests arrived for the December year-end holidays, and the occupancy rate for that first month exceeded our expectations.
January came, and I was astounded when I received a beep on my phone about a two-month booking for February and March. It was a young Swedish family who used us as a base to explore some of the tourist attractions in Kwazulu Natal.
Our guests enjoyed the spacious cottage overlooking the pool and garden, and the home-from-home experience with little extra touches, so we received excellent review ratings.
Hubby was in his first year of retirement, but still worked on the odd projects when smaller engineering companies needed his services.
We registered our BnB with the relevant authorities, which was quite a task, but hubby knew the ropes, having worked for our local authority for many years.
I did most of the groundwork; we had to join our local community tourism organization, as well as the provincial one. I did much reading and asked questions about what was required for the successful running of a BnB.
Marketing is vital. I used Google My Business, and Facebook post promotions, which was very affordable.
The tourism organizations also offered many opportunities for promoting our Lily's Cottage without any cost involved.
The Guests
Guests come and go, some stay for only a brief period; others book longer periods, either for work, or expats coming to visit family who live close by.
Many are now part of the Lily's Cottage family and knew my hubby, who crept into the hearts of many. We cry on each other's shoulders when they arrive and hear that he's no longer with us.
Of course, it opens up the wounds each time, but it gets a little easier to talk about it, and the tears help expel a little of the grief.
When the time comes, I will have to stop, but for now, I am happy to still be in this business, to have the extra income to do small upgrades to our property, and above all, to provide income for two wonderfully loyal staff members.
Airbnb'ing was the beginning of a whole new exciting chapter of my life, and saved me during the most difficult time of my life as well!
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