Have you ever wondered if your property will perform well as an Airbnb? At Zodiak, we manage a variety of different properties for a variety of different clients – some owners use our service because they want income while still being able to use their property at times; other owners use our service to maximise rental returns on their investment.

All our owners earn more than the tenancy rental rate for their properties, after all fees are deducted. On average, Zodiak clients earn 52 per cent more than the tenancy rental rate for their property after all fees, with our very top performing properties earning over 100 per cent more with us after fees than they could achieve on the long-term rental market.

That’s pretty good. We did an analysis of our top 30 managed properties recently and found they earn an average of 75 per cent more than the tenancy rental rate after all fees, so what features do these properties share in common?

BEDROOMS, BATHROOMS

Fifty-seven per cent of our top 30 performing properties are two-bedroom apartments or units. These seem to achieve the highest returns on Airbnb compared with tenancy rental income. Twenty-three per cent are one-bedroom apartments, and 20 per cent are three-bedroom plus apartments or houses.

The number of bathrooms seems less important as 50 per cent of the top performing properties have one bathroom, and 50 per cent have two. However, two and three-bedroom properties with two bathrooms definitely perform better than if they have only one bathroom.

PARKING

Parking is a major amenity for tourists and corporate travellers, and 63 per cent of our top 30 properties have at least one parking space available for guests. Having a parking spot means the listing will appeal to a larger number of potential guests online, resulting in more clicks and a higher ranking in the search results, and therefore a higher nightly rate.

OWNER USE

Although it is convenient to use your Airbnb property for your own visits to Auckland, this has a major impact on the financial performance of the listing. Of our 30 top performing Airbnb properties, 63 per cent of owners never used their properties for their own visits, and 37 per cent of owners used their properties very infrequently (less than two weeks a year). Properties where the owner stayed for more than two weeks per year didn’t make it into the top 30 list at all

OUTDOOR SPACE, VIEWS

Interestingly, 90 per cent of our top performing properties have either a balcony (for apartments) or a deck for guests to use during their stay. This is the most conclusive data point here; having an outdoor space will help your property perform exceptionally well on the short-term rental market.

Unsurprisingly, having a view of the iconic Sky Tower or ocean will also attract a higher nightly rate; 13 per cent of the top performing properties have a view of the Sky Tower from the window, and 37 per cent have an ocean or waterfront view towards the Viaduct/Waitemata Harbour.

I hope that helps if you’re thinking about joining the short-term rental market. To find out what your property could earn, please get in touch with me using the information below and I’ll send you a free Airbnb Rental Appraisal.