Airbnb announced that its "Airbnb-friendly Apartments" program has grown to more than 1,300 buildings across 75+ markets since launching in November 2022. The program tackles a long-standing problem in the short-term rental industry: tenants who list their apartments on Airbnb without asking their landlord first.
The solution is straightforward. The program creates a list of apartment buildings where landlords have already approved short-term rentals. These landlords write the hosting rules directly into the lease, decide how many nights renters can host each year, and get a share of the rental income. Instead of fighting unauthorized STRs, landlords become partners in the process.
Fixing the Illegal Sublet Problem
Before this program existed, many tenants listed their apartments without permission, creating unauthorized sublets that exposed landlords to liability and often resulted in lease violations or evictions. Now the program brings everything into the open by only showing buildings where hosting is officially allowed, complete with clear rules about how many nights you can host and how much hosts might earn.
Landlords set caps on hosting nights and guest numbers, while renters in expensive cities get a legal way to make extra money to help pay rent.
How Much Renters Are Making
Over the past year, approximately 2,200 renters earned nearly $13 million through the program. The typical host made about $3,900 by hosting for 34 nights - enough to cover roughly 2.5 months of rent for an average American renter, according to Airbnb.
The program has expanded beyond apartments to include condos and international markets in the UK and Brazil, and 5 of the top 7 U.S. REITs now participate.
Finding Airbnb-Friendly Apartments
Apartment List, a popular apartment search website, recently added an "Airbnb-friendly" filter and badge. This makes it easy for renters to spot participating buildings while hunting for a new place to live. Buildings that advertise this feature see 1.5 times more searches and 64% more serious renters compared to regular properties.
Airbnb is also partnering with Entrata, a property management platform, to let prospective tenants experience a building firsthand by staying there through Airbnb before signing a lease.
Government Support
Working with the National Multifamily Housing Council and National Apartment Association, Airbnb advocated for Freddie Mac to create a standard lease rider allowing tenant hosting with a 180-night annual cap and limits on concurrent active units. This shows that STRs are becoming more accepted in official housing policies.
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