How to Invest in Airbnb Without Owning Property?

You don’t need to own property to invest in Airbnb and make money from short-term rentals. Many investors have found ways to profit from the platform without the costs and responsibilities of property ownership. Some lease apartments and sublet them as short-term rentals, a strategy known as rental arbitrage. Others manage Airbnb listings for property owners in exchange for a share of the profits. If you prefer a more hands-off or indirect approach, you can invest in short-term rental REITs or offer consulting services to Airbnb hosts.

A financial advisor can help you create a financial plan for your business needs and goals.

5 Ways to Invest in Airbnb Without Owning Property

Despite the technology involved, running an Airbnb is an old-fashioned property business.

You either lease a short-term rental or sub-lease one, depending on whether you own the underlying property. This means that you’re effectively running a bespoke hotel that rents out one suite at a time. It can make a lot of money.

However, buying the property requires a high upfront cost. It also does not include the cash necessary to set the place up and make it look nice.

This, however, isn’t the only option. If you would like to invest in Airbnb without owning property, there are five common ways to make money.

1. Buy Airbnb Stock

You can always buy stock in Airbnb, which has been a publicly traded company since its 2020 IPO. ¹ It trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol ABNB and is available to anyone who can legally trade stock in the United States. As an investor, this means that you can invest in Airbnb as a company with relatively little effort.

However, this is not a cheap stock. In February 2026, it traded over $127 per share but was commonly available. ²

2. Sublease on Airbnb

Subleasing on Airbnb is another option. You don’t always need to own a property to rent out an Airbnb. Sometimes, you can use an apartment that you have simply rented. If both your landlord and the law allow, you can always lease a place long-term and then re-list it on Airbnb for short-term stays.

Also known as rental arbitrage, this strategy lets you start hosting without the need or risk of owning property. You just need the cost of a security deposit. If the rental doesn’t go well, your biggest risk is one year’s worth of rent. Then, you can let the whole thing go.

However, be very careful. Many landlords ban this practice in their leases, and many cities have laws specifically addressing short-term rentals. Make absolutely sure you are permitted to do this; otherwise, you may find yourself stuck with an apartment that you don’t need and cannot rent.

You also have less control over the service, since there are significant limits to how you can redesign a rented apartment.

3. Invest in Short-Term Rental REITs

If you want exposure to Airbnb-style rentals without dealing with property management, short-term rental real estate investment trusts (REITs) can be an option. ³ These are companies that own and operate portfolios of properties optimized for short-term stays. These can include vacation rentals, extended-stay accommodations and boutique hotels. Investors can buy shares in these companies and earn returns through dividends and potential share appreciation.

Publicly traded REITs specializing in hospitality are available through regular brokerage accounts, making them accessible to most investors. ⁴ Private REITs often focus more directly on high-demand vacation markets, but they may require accreditation and higher capital commitments.

With either approach, investing in short-term rental REITs allows you to profit from the demand for Airbnb-style accommodations while leaving day-to-day property management to professionals.

4. Co-host With a Property Owner

This is also known as property management.

Under a co-hosting arrangement, you agree to help run an Airbnb for someone else who actually owns the underlying property. You handle the check-ins and check-outs, as well as guest services, furnishings and the overall aesthetic. You may even potentially handle the cleaning. Meanwhile, your partner handles the mortgage.

Whether this arrangement will work for you ultimately depends on the deal you make. Generally speaking, when you co-host with someone, you receive a percentage of the unit’s profits. The odds are good that, as the owner, your partner will take more of the money than you get, but that’s typical.

However, you should not work for a fixed rate either. If you are only paid to manage and clean the apartments, it becomes a second job and not an investment. Instead, you should receive an actual share in business profits.

Co-hosting can be an excellent way to build up capital for buying your own Airbnb properties. Especially if you live in a city, you can manage several properties at once this way. A good manager can make all the difference in a property’s success, so you can bring real value to the team.

Just be careful – Airbnb continues to struggle with scams. ⁵ It’s not uncommon for third parties to use managers as the face of an otherwise illegal operation. This is particularly true in cities like Chicago, where Airbnb hosts are infamous for using local managers to evade laws regarding local ownership.

Make sure you know who you’re doing business with, then bring your sense of style and hospitality to an operation that can make you some real money.

5. Offer Consulting and Marketing to Airbnb Hosts

This one requires specialized skills, but it can be worth a lot of money for the right person. Running a successful Airbnb can be very lucrative, but it also requires much more than just the physical space.

A good Airbnb needs a sense of style that sets it apart. It requires high-quality photos and a strong marketing presence so it stands out to potential guests. It also needs a layout that allows someone to stay there comfortably.

Just think about how many times you’ve stayed at an Airbnb and known instantly that the host had never spent a night there. This helps demonstrate how valuable this kind of expertise really is.

This is where consulting comes in. For some people, Airbnb consulting can mean working as a professional photographer for rental properties. For others, it can mean working as a consultant when hosts want to decorate or design their space. You can also work as a social media marketer, or you can sell or lease furniture to Airbnb hosts in their area.

A good Airbnb requires a lot of different skills, in addition to physical assets. If an Airbnb host is hiring a photographer or a decorator, they will likely want a professional. Therefore, this may not be a great fit for someone looking for an on-ramp into property ownership. If you do have these professional skills, though, this can be a valuable business model.

How a Financial Advisor Can Help You Invest in Airbnb

If you are considering Airbnb strategies that do not involve owning property, such as rental arbitrage or REITs, advice can be useful.

This is especially important when determining how cash flow, legal exposure and taxes intersect. These approaches often blur the line between investing and operating a business. This can affect how you report income, the risk involved and how much capital you commit up front.

A financial advisor typically becomes relevant when you are deciding whether Airbnb fits alongside your existing investments rather than replacing them. After all, you face decisions that go beyond picking a strategy.

• For rental arbitrage, you must decide how much capital to allocate to deposits, furnishings and operating reserves.
• For co-hosting, you must choose between profit-sharing, hybrid fee structures or performance-based compensation.
• For REITs, you must decide whether public hospitality REITs or private short-term rental vehicles align with your liquidity needs and time horizon.

Each choice produces different return profiles and different downside scenarios.

A financial advisor helps evaluate projected returns using cash-flow modeling rather than headline income figures. This often includes breakeven analysis based on occupancy rates, stress tests for off-season demand drops and comparisons between Airbnb cash flow and alternative uses of capital, such as dividend-paying equities or traditional real estate funds. For REIT exposure, advisors often compare historical volatility, correlation with broader equity markets and dividend reliability against your existing portfolio.

What to Ask Your Financial Advisor

Be sure to ask your financial advisor targeted questions, such as these.

• How does rental arbitrage income affect my marginal tax rate if treated as active business income?
• At what occupancy level does a co-hosting arrangement outperform a fixed management fee?
• How would a short-term rental REIT affect my portfolio’s income stability during a travel downturn?
• What reserve levels reduce the risk of having to exit a lease early?

An advisor also clarifies tax and entity considerations. This may include whether an LLC improves liability separation for arbitrage or consulting income. Also consider how depreciation flows through REIT distributions or how self-employment taxes apply to co-hosting or consulting work.

Timing matters, as well. Consider launching a new Airbnb-related business in a year with lower earned income, or offsetting startup losses against other income applies.

The value of a financial advisor rises as complexity and exposure increase. Airbnb-related strategies can involve lease lock-ins, regulatory changes, platform fee shifts and demand volatility tied to travel cycles.

An advisor’s role is to map those drawbacks against your broader financial plan, cash reserves and exit options so that Airbnb income supplements your finances rather than creating pressure during market downturns.

Bottom Line

Investing in Airbnb doesn’t always mean buying real estate.

Whether you trade Airbnb stock or co-host properties, there are plenty of ways to make money off the service. Some strategies require hands-on work, while others let you take a more passive role. The right approach depends on your skills, capital and level of involvement.

With short-term rentals continuing to grow in popularity, there’s enough room for investors, managers and service providers to carve out a share of the market that aligns with their financial plans.

Real Estate Investing Tips

• Do not go into property investment alone. A financial advisor can walk you through the benefits and risks of your financial plan. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can have a free introductory call with your advisor matches to decide which one you feel is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
• Buying an investment property is high-risk, high-reward, but it can pay off handsomely if it works. Here’s what you need to know before you invest.

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