Australians over the age of 55 are increasingly turning to Airbnb to help pay the bills.
For home owners with a spare bedroom or investment property, Airbnb hosting presents an added source of income, plus the opportunity to meet guests from around the world.
The number of senior hosts on the platform has grown 107 per cent year-on-year.
Radha Nair, 68, in Melbourne's Preston recently started using Airbnb to help cover her living expenses since moving from Kuala Lumpur to be closer to her Australian citizen sons.
"Being a widower, living in a new apartment in a new country, and being mostly on my own during weekdays, I felt that Airbnb would be a great way to meet new people, stay occupied and earn a small income," Nair says.
She says the $53 a night room is rented out 15 to 20 days a month, and has earned $3500 in the four months she's been hosting.
"The amount that I earn is only just enough to cover the basics. Still, it helps alleviate some of the strain on my children, whom I'm otherwise financially dependent on here in Australia," Nair says.
Graeme Brattle, 70, and his wife, Vivien, rent out the second bedroom in their Gold Coast apartment for $60 a night.
Last year, they earned $14,000 from Airbnb, and $12,000 the year prior, which mainly helps cover body corporate fees.
"We came up here to retire but got caught up in the financial crisis and had to look at earning extra income. Airbnb was actually a lifesaver for us," Mr Brattle says.
"Strangers are just friends you haven't met ??? Airbnb attracts people who like to be with people and who like home comforts."
Some hosts who find the technical side of Airbnb too difficult to navigate employ a third party such as MadeComfy to manage their bookings, or Airbnb organises another local host to assist. Mr Brattle has recently been asked to take on this extra work.
It's not just those in inner-city locations and tourist destinations taking advantage of Airbnb. Jenny Ellis, 55, and Rob Ellis, 62, regularly rent out their investment property in Wagga Wagga in regional NSW. They live on a farm in Tarcutta, about a 40-minute drive from the apartment.
"I wanted to keep the flat available, and my husband wanted it to generate an income to pay the strata levies," Mrs Ellis says.
"I have another rental property and have had trouble with [permanent] tenants, and I think the management fees are too expensive. You don't get anything other than an inspection. If the tenants have made a mess in three months, then you are stuck paying for repairs."
The couple earn about $2000 a month from hosting, which they are putting towards a holiday.
Airbnb Australia and New Zealand country manager Sam McDonagh says senior hosts are one of the biggest growth areas on the platform. "On average senior hosts earn around $4600 a year hosting on Airbnb, and while this may not sound like a lot, our senior hosts tell us this modest extra income helps pay for their annual holiday, cover bills and household expenses, particularly during retirement."
Chief executive of Council on the Ageing Australia, Ian Yates, says older people can benefit from Airbnb socially and financially.
"The arrangement can be flexible to meet their needs. For example, if they are going away to visit family, they just become unavailable for that period," Yates says.
"People do need to know the rules around declaring the income they earn (net of costs), especially if they are subject to a pension means test, as the net income can affect their pension, and there are penalties for not declaring it."
