You don’t need to own property to invest in Airbnb and make money from short-term rentals. Plenty of investors have found ways to profit from the platform without taking on 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 layer of 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 but getting the property also requires a lot of money up front, not to mention the cash involved with setting the place up and making it look nice.
This, however, isn’t the only option. If you would like to invest in Airbnb without having to own property, here are five common ways to make money:
1. Buy Airbnb Stock
First, we’ll go for the low-hanging fruit. You can always buy stock in Airbnb, which has been a publicly traded company since its IPO in 2020. 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. But this is not a cheap stock. In March 2025, it traded over $136 per share and was commonly available.
2. Sublease on Airbnb
This can potentially work. 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. As noted above, if your landlord and the law allows, 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 get into hosting without needing the cash to own property, just the cost of a security deposit. Nor do you need to take on the risk of owning property. If the rental doesn’t go well, your biggest risk is one year’s worth of rent and then you can let the whole thing go.
But be very careful. Many landlords ban this practice in their leases, and many cities have laws specifically addressing short-term rentals. Make absolutely sure that you can do this, otherwise you might find yourself stuck with an apartment that you don’t need and can’t 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. These are companies that own and operate portfolios of properties optimized for short-term stays, including vacation rentals, extended-stay accommodations and boutique hotels. Investors can buy shares in these companies, earning a return through dividends and potential share appreciation.
Publicly traded REITs specializing in hospitality are available through regular brokerage accounts, making them accessible to most investors. Private REITs, which often focus more directly on high-demand vacation markets, can also be an option, though 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 the 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, check-outs, guest services, furnishings, the overall feel, and potentially even cleaning. Your partner handles the mortgage.
Exactly how good an idea this is can vary depending on the deal you make. Generally speaking, if you co-host with someone you want to make sure that you get 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, and that’s fine. But don’t work in exchange for a fixed-rate either. If you just get paid to manage and clean the apartments then you have a second job, not an investment. You want an actual share in the business’ success.
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. And a good manager can make all the difference to a property’s success, so you are bringing real value to the team.
Just be a little bit careful. Airbnb continues to struggle with scams, and 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, in which Airbnb hosts are known to use local managers as a way to evade laws around 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 good photos and marketing presence, so that it stands out to potential guests. It 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 and you’ll understand 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. Still other people can work as social media marketers, or they can sell or lease furniture to Airbnb hosts in their area.
A good Airbnb requires a lot of different skills and physical assets. You can bring some of those to the table. Now, this is probably not sporadic work. If an Airbnb host is hiring a photographer or a decorator they will likely want a professional. So this probably isn’t a great fit for someone who wants an on-ramp into being a property owner. If you do have those professional skills, though, this can be a valuable business model.
Bottom Line
Investing in Airbnb doesn’t always mean buying real estate. Whether you trade Airbnb stock, sublet a rental, invest in short-term rental REITs, co-host properties or offer specialized services to hosts, 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 room for investors, managers and service providers to carve out a share of the market in a way that fits their financial goals and lifestyle.
Real Estate Investing Tips
- Do not go into property investment alone. A financial advisor can walk you through the benefits and risks for 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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