You are here: Home - Household Bills - How to - News -

Eight top ways to make money from your home

0
Written by:
17/04/2018
On this day 25 years ago, the Queen opened the doors of Buckingham Palace to the public. At £8 a go and as many as 400,000 visitors a year, it helps with a bit of outside painting and a replacement roof tile or two. But you don't have to live in a castle to make money from your home. Here are eight options for normal folk.

1) Accept paying guests

The advent of sites such as Airbnb or Spareroom has made it super-easy to let out spare rooms in your home. The best thing about it is that it is temporary – if you get a bad guest, you don’t have to suffer them for long. Remember that if you are making more than £1,000 a year, you will have to pay tax on the income.

2) Use it to get a free holiday

Sites such as Guest to Guest  or Guardian Home Exchange give access to a global network. It’s a bit hit and miss as to whether you’ll find someone who wants to be where you live with a house somewhere you want to go, but if you can be flexible, it can make for a super-cheap holiday.

3) Rent your spare room

This is a more permanent arrangement. You can rent out a room for up to £7,500 each year tax free. Sites such as Gumtree and Craigslist can help.

4) Rent out your excess space

If you’ve got cupboard space you don’t use, you can rent it out for storage. Storemates gets great online reviews.

5) Become a film location

Yes, admittedly this will probably only be a certain type of house, but there’s no harm in trying it to see if your house can play a starring role. Approach location agents such as Shoot Factory or the Location Collective.

6) Rent out your drive

Those who are lucky enough to have a spare drive can rent it out. Register with Just Park or Your Parking Space.

7) Rent out a room for meetings

Once again, it has to be the right sort of home, but you can try registering on Vrumi.

8) Host international students

Students may not be everyone’s idea of a welcome house guest, but international students may be better house-trained. You’ll probably have to do a bit of nannying, fetching them from the airport and so on, but Host International claims that you can make up to £200 per week.

There are other less exciting ways to make money from your home. Most mortgage providers will allow you to take a payment holiday if you need a break from your mortgage for a couple of months. However, do remember that you are adding to the debt, so you’ll pay back more over time. You could also consider taking a second charge on your home, though this is more for circumstances of genuine distress and interest rates tend to be high. A good mortgage adviser can help.

There is no reason why your home should lie idle, so give it a try – like the Queen, it may help with the upkeep of one’s home.

There are 2 Comment(s)

If you wish to comment without signing in, click your cursor in the top box and tick the 'Sign in as a guest' box at the bottom.

Big flu jab price hikes this winter: Where’s cheapest if you can’t get a free vaccine?

Pharmacies, supermarkets and health retailers are starting to offer flu jabs ahead of the winter season, but t...

Is now the time to fix your energy deal?

Fixed energy tariffs all but disappeared during the energy crisis. But now they are back with an increasing nu...

Everything you need to know about the pension triple lock

Retirees are braced to receive another bumper state pension pay rise next year due to the triple lock mechanis...

What will happen if rates change

How your finances will be impacted by a rise in interest rates.

Regular Savings Calculator

Small regular contributions can build up nicely over time.

Online Savings Calculator

Work out how your online savings can build over time.

The best student bank accounts in 2023: Cash offers, tastecards and 0% overdrafts

A number of banks are luring in new student customers with cold hard cash this year – while others are compe...

DIY investors: 10 common mistakes to avoid

For those without the help and experience of an adviser, here are 10 common DIY investor mistakes to avoid.

Mortgage down-valuations: Tips to avoid pulling out of a house sale

Down-valuations are on the rise. So, what does it mean for home buyers, and what can you do?

Money Tips of the Week