Rent is expensive. That’s not news to anyone searching for a building right now. But here’s something that might actually help: some buildings let you host on Airbnb — meaning you can earn money from your place when you’re not using it. And starting today, you can find those units right here on Dwellsy.
We’ve partnered with Airbnb to surface “Airbnb-friendly” buildings directly in our listings. If a community is part of the program, you’ll see a badge on the listing that tells you hosting is allowed. You can also filter your search to show only Airbnb-friendly options, making it easy to focus on living spaces that fit your lifestyle from the very start.
What does “Airbnb-friendly” actually mean?
Airbnb-friendly means the building has formally joined an Airbnb program to allow residents to host their units on Airbnb, according to rules and controls the building sets, like night limits or quiet hours. Think about a long weekend trip, two weeks away, or when there is a big event in town — whenever you’re not home or there’s a spike in guest demand, your residence can be earning.
The rules vary by building, but the key point is that hosting on Airbnb is explicitly allowed. You’re not sneaking around or hoping your landlord doesn’t notice. The building is on board.
How much could you actually earn from the Airbnb-friendly program?
That depends on many factors such as your city, your rental, and how often you host. But renters in popular markets like Austin, San Francisco, and Denver can realistically earn enough from a few weekends a month to make a meaningful dent in living expenses — in 2025, the typical host in an Airbnb-friendly apartment earned $4k for hosting 36 nights/ year¹. For a lot of renters, that changes everything about how affordable an apartment feels.As always, it’s worth running the numbers yourself before you sign a lease.
¹According to internally provided Airbnb data from January 1 to December 31, 2025 in over 850 buildings across the United States . “Typical” is defined as median.
Where is the Airbnb-friendly program available?
The Airbnb-friendly program currently spans 1,500+ communities — including apartments, condos, and townhomes — across 300+ cities in 32 US states, as well as the UK, Canada, and Brazil, with more operators joining regularly. Participating markets include Atlanta, Dallas, Seattle, Washington D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and more.
There’s one important thing to know: availability is building-specific. Not every housing space in a participating city qualifies — only buildings that have formally signed on. And while the program spans many markets, not all of them are currently reflected on Dwellsy. That’s exactly why having the badge on Dwellsy matters. You can see at a glance which rentals are in the program before you ever schedule a tour.
How do I find Airbnb-friendly buildings on Dwellsy?
To find Airbnb-friendly buildings on Dwellsy, just search as you normally would. Airbnb-friendly units will show the badge directly on their listing photo when that unit allows Airbnb hosting — no need to open each one to find out.
If you already know hosting on Airbnb is a priority, you can go one step further. Toggle on ‘Highlight Airbnb-friendly options’ in the filters, and your results will show only buildings that are part of the program.
Finding a place to live is already hard enough. Knowing upfront that your apartment could help pay for itself is the kind of information that should be easy to find.
