8 Ways to Rent Your Space (Make Money With Your Unused Space)

If you have a spare bedroom, empty closet, unused carport, RV, swimming pool, or beautiful event space, you can rent your space to make extra money. Better yet, it’s a somewhat passive stream of extra income.

There are dozens of peer-to-peer rental platforms online to rent your space, and they offer customers a more affordable alternative while also giving owners a way to make some side income. We’ve narrowed down your options to tell you about the best places to rent your stuff, including how much you can expect to make, fees, and more.

What kind of things can you rent out for profit?

Peer-to-peer rental platforms are incredibly popular, and it’s led to an influx of different types of spaces you can rent out for money. Here’s a list of spaces you rent out online:

• Garage: You can rent your garage, either the entire garage or part of it, to people who are looking for storage space for vintage cars, workshop space, a space to store tools, etc.
• Storage unit: Whatever you’d store in your storage unit, you can rent it out to people who want to store those same kinds of things.
• Basement: Your basement could be turned into living space for someone else, a workshop space, an office, or a place to store boxes. 
• Attic space: Another great place to store boxes for people.
• Swimming pool: There are sites dedicated solely to renting your swimming pool out to strangers.
• Entire home: You can make money renting out your home as a vacation getaway, a place to host private parties or events, or just an alternative to staying in a hotel.
• Parking lot: People are willing to pay to rent parking lot space to park RVs, mobile storage units, cars, and more.
• Artistic space: Artists may want to rent out your space to have a dedicated space to work.
• Special event rentals: Weddings, graduation parties, fancy dinners, etc. — these types of events could use a barn, warehouse, pavilion, large yard, and more.
• Office space: You can rent your unused office space to small startup companies or people working remotely.
• Shed: A shed can be rented out to store tools or lawn equipment.
• Pool house: Your pool house can be rented out for storage, as an office space, for overnight stays, and more.
• Backyard: Rent out your backyard for weddings, baby showers, family get-togethers, etc.
• Boat: Boats can be rented out for unique overnight stays.
• Recreational spaces: You can rent out spaces like basketball courts, tennis courts, large yards, baseball diamonds, and more.
• RVs and campers: Your RV or camper can be parked in a national forest, campground, by the beach, or in a park and rented for overnight stays.

Seriously, there are so many different ways of renting out storage space in your home, office, property, etc. Offering up these types of spaces can help you offset your mortgage, set money aside for retirement, offset inflation, or just have a somewhat passive stream of income.

8 Best websites to rent your space in 2023

1. Neighbor

Neighbor is a peer-to-peer rental platform designed specifically for renting out storage space in your home or any physical building you own. You can list your attic, closet, basement, garage, shed, parking pad, shipping container, street parking, carport, and more.

There are no fees to list your space on Neighbor, and you are in total control of how much you charge. Although, it’s best to do a little research on the site and see what comparable spaces are renting for you in your area.

How much can you make renting out your space on Neighbor?

The earnings potential is very much based on the type of space and where it’s located, but here’s an idea of how much you can make a month:

• Bedroom $36-$140
• Closet $13-$153
• Garage $125-$330
• Self-storage unit $21-$80

Payments are processed monthly and deposited into your bank account.

Fees and costs for hosts

Neighbor charges a processing fee of 4.9% of the total reservation plus $0.30 per payout to cover the cost of automated payments and Neighbor’s Payout Protection.

What else you need to know

• You can inspect and reject anything the owner may want to store in your house.
• Neighbor protects hosts with a $1,000,000 Host Guarantee to cover any personal liability

2. RVShare

RVs and campers can be a big expense, but a lot of people don’t use them nearly as much as they’d like to. That’s why renting out your space on RVshare can be a great way to make some extra money.

RVShare gives you a space to list your travel trailer, class A motorhome, class C motorhome, fifth wheel, class B camping van, pop-up camper, or toy hauler. Guests are required to have an appropriate license to drive larger vehicles, or you can charge extra to deliver it and set it up for your guests.

How much can you make renting out your space on RVShare?

Here’s what RVShare says you can make a year according to the type of RV you own:

• Travel trailer $22,000
• Class A motorhome $60,000
• Class C motorhome $38,000
• Fifth wheel $22,000
• Class B camping van $30,000
• Pop-up camper $22,000
• Toy hauler $22,000

Fees and costs for hosts

RVShare doesn’t charge fees to list on the platform, but there’s a commission based on the type of RV you rent out. It’s typically about 25% of the total booking fee, including additional services like cleaning, delivery, tank flushing, smoking fees, etc.

Learn more in Should I Rent My RV? A Realistic Guide for Owners.

What else you need to know

• To make it more worthwhile to rent your space on RVShare, you can set seasonal rates.
• There are two levels of insurance, offering up to $1 million in liability insurance coverage, free 24/7 roadside assistance, campsite liability up to $10,000, and up to $300,000 in comprehensive and collision coverage based on the value of the RV

3. Swimply

Swimply is a peer-to-peer rental platform where you can rent out your pool for a few hours or an entire day. This is obviously a pretty seasonal way to rent your space if you live in certain parts of the country, but many pool owners find it’s a good way to offset the cost of owning a pool.

There are very minimal requirements to list your pool on Swimply. You only need to have a pool (indoor, inground, or above ground), be over 18 years old, and pass a background check. There’s no listing fee, and you can set your availability and the number of guests you are willing to allow at a time.

How much can you make renting out your space on Swimply?

Swimply says that the hourly rate for pools is typically capped at $60-$75 depending on your region. You can charge an additional guest fee for groups that exceed your designated limit, and you can also charge extra for premium amenities, like saltwater, night lighting, pool toys, speakers, a fire pit, and so on.

Guests are charged upfront, and Swimply deposits your payout after each booking.

Fees and costs for hosts

You’re charged a 15% fee on Swimply bookings. 

What else you need to know

• Swimply hosts are eligible for a liability policy when a guest is injured on your property, and there’s also property damage protection.
• It’s not required that you give guests bathroom access, but it is highly encouraged.
• You can be home during the reservation
• Swimply is getting ready to launch another service called Swimply Spaces where you can list sports courts, large backyards, private gyms, and more.

4. Airbnb

Airbnb is what a lot of people think of when it comes to renting out your space. This platform was launched in 2008, and it’s disrupted the traditional lodging industry. You can rent your entire home or a portion of it as long as it meets the following criteria:

• The space is only used for lodging.
• Mobile homes, boats, or other vessels capable of moving, must be semi-permanently attached to a set location and parked in a privately-owned space during the reservation.
• The space matches the host’s description.

It’s 100% free to list your space on Airbnb, and you can set your own rates and availability.

How much can you make renting out your space on Airbnb?

According to Airbnb, hosts in the U.S. earn over $9,000 per year on average. This depends on the type of space you rent out, location, time of year your space is available, and amenities.

Fees and costs for hosts

Hosts (that’s you if you rent your space on Airbnb) pay a 3% fee. But it’s higher if you’re an Airbnb super host, are located in Italy, or have an extremely strict cancellation policy. 

What else you need to know

• Some cities are creating regulations regarding Airbnb rentals, so do your research before trying to rent your space on Airbnb.
• You will need to keep your space spotless!
• Airbnb highly encourages hosts to include essential amenities, including toilet paper, soap (for hands and body), one towel per guest, one pillow per guest, and linens for each bed.
• Hosts are highly dependent on ratings, so keep your space clean, be attentive to your guest’s needs, and accurately describe your space.

5. ShareMySpace

ShareMySpace is designed to rent out spaces for work, events, arts, sports, parking, storage, and any other non-residential use. There are only a handful of U.S. cities on ShareMySpace: New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.

How much can you make renting out your space on ShareMySpace?

There’s a wide range of how much you can make because there’s a wide variety of spaces listed on ShareMySpace. You can make anywhere from $20/hour to over $15,000/day.

Fees and costs for hosts

It costs $49/month to list your space, and ShareMySpace drops the rate to $9/month for nonprofits and public spaces.

What else you need to know

• You can pay extra for concierge services available for guests, listing assistance, photo and media package, etc.

6. PeerSpace

PeerSpace is designed for people who have a unique space to rent out for workshops, photoshoots, meetings, parties, pop-ups, performances, and more. Uniqueness is really key if you want to make the most money on PeerSpace. This platform is available across the U.S., and in major cities in Canada and the U.K.

How much can you make renting out your space on PeerSpace?

PeerSpace says that the majority of spaces go for $100 to $250/hour, but the amount you make is very dependent on the type of space. For example, a massive ballroom will rent out for over $1,000/hour whereas a small studio for photoshoots may list for $50/hour. 

Fees and costs for hosts

It’s free to list your space on PeerSpace, but you are charged a 15% service fee that’s deducted from the booking before your payout is deposited into your bank account.

What else you need to know

• You can set your own rates and availability, but it’s encouraged that you do some research on the platform before you decide to rent your space at a set price.
• PeerSpace protects owners with $1 million of liability insurance.

7. StoreAtMyHouse

StoreAtMyHouse says they are the original Airbnb for self-storage. If you’re interested in renting out storage space in your house, StoreAtMyHouse is a good space to rent out a spare bedroom, closet, basement, garage, home office, etc.

How much can you make renting out your space on StoreAtMyHouse?

You can make $300 to $3,000 per year depending on your location and type of space, according to StoreAtMyHouse.

Fees and costs for hosts

It’s free to list your space and to rent it out, which is definitely a plus, but there’s a 15% fee if you want to use StoreAtMyHouse’s automated billing system. You can also pay a one-time fee of $35 to have your listing featured on the website.

What else you need to know

• There are no additional liability or insurance policies for owners or renters.
• The website looks much clunkier and outdated compared to other options on this list, but it is 100% legit.

8. Giggster

Giggster is a peer-to-peer rental platform that’s specifically for renting out space for filming and photoshoots, and it’s used by Vogue, Netflix, Gucci, H&M, and Target. Popular types of spaces are warehouses, unique homes, mansions, ornate churches, and all-inclusive production spaces. 

The major downside is that it’s currently only available in California, New York, Texas, Georgia, Colorado, Nevada, Florida, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Washington State.

How much can you make renting out your space on Giggster?

Most spaces on Giggster rent for well over $50/hour. 

Fees and costs for hosts

Giggster charges a 15% commission for hosts. 

What else you need to know

• If you’re not the site owner, you can list on Giggster with written approval. 
• Giggster will do a site review before you can rent your space.

Risks of renting out your space

Before you decide to rent your space on any of the platforms listed above, it’s worth taking some time to consider the risks. You’re letting people use your property. You can set restrictions, but you still need to give them access and accommodate their needs. 

The biggest risk is what if something happens to your stuff or theirs. It’s a serious consideration, and most of the platforms we’ve listed offer insurance coverage. However, you still need to check with your own insurance policy to see what they say. You don’t want to risk being kicked off your homeowner’s policy because you’ve accidentally violated its terms.

Pros and cons of renting out your space

The final word: Should you rent your space?

What’s really great about renting out your extra space is that almost anyone can do it — the barrier to entry is so low because it doesn’t require special skills or training. The money you make can feel fairly passive too because it doesn’t require any extra work.

However, really consider the downsides. Do you feel comfortable giving strangers access to your home? Does your insurance allow it?

If you’re interested in moving forward, here are our top picks:

• Neighbor: Best for renting out storage space
• RVshare: Best for renting out your RV
• Swimply: Best for renting out your pool