Three years after its initial launch, the Airbnb-friendly Apartments program has evolved into one of the fastest-growing collaboration models between the platform and major real estate companies. The initiative, which allows tenants to engage in “responsible” part-time hosting in selected buildings, has now expanded to more than 1,300 multifamily properties across over 75 markets, including new rollouts outside the U.S. in the United Kingdom and Brazil.
Income opportunities for renters amid high housing costs
With housing prices and mortgage rates in the U.S. remaining elevated, the ability to earn supplemental income is a major advantage for renters. According to Airbnb data, the average host participating in the program earned roughly $3,900 last year from 34 nights — an amount equivalent to about 2.5 months of rent for the typical American tenant.
Overall, about 2,200 renters have earned nearly $13 million through part-time hosting in Airbnb-friendly buildings.
Rental search platforms now feature Airbnb-friendly filters
A key development this year is boosting the program’s visibility on major rental-search platforms. The latest partnership involves Apartment List, which introduced a new “Airbnb-friendly” filter and added corresponding labels to its listings. This allows prospective tenants to easily identify buildings where part-time hosting is permitted.
For property managers, this integration acts as a tool for tenant attraction and retention. According to a previous promotional collaboration, buildings labeled Airbnb-friendly recorded:
• up to 1.5× more searches,
• 88% more views,
• 64% more high-intent leads,
compared with non-participating properties.
In the same direction, Airbnb is also partnering with Entrata, a property-management platform, enabling prospective renters to book trial stays in apartments before signing a lease.
Strong partners and what comes next
Five of the seven largest REITs in the U.S. are already participating in the program, investing in targeted promotion, incentives, and host support. Satisfaction ratings remain high, with an average score of 4.82/5 from guests and 4.95/5 from hosts.
In the U.S., Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are companies that own or finance income-producing properties such as malls, office buildings, apartment complexes, data centers, and healthcare facilities. They allow investors to access real estate returns without directly purchasing the properties.
With rental prices still elevated in many U.S. markets, demand appears to be strengthening from both tenants and property managers. Airbnb notes that it will continue expanding partnerships and technological tools so that the concept of “Airbnb-friendly” becomes an even more widespread feature in multifamily buildings worldwide.
