How to earn £2,500 a year ...from your empty room
HOMEOWNERS renting out areas of their properties as storage space are making average annual earnings in excess of £1,000.
Stash bee, which connects people wanting to store belongings with those who have space to home them, says its top five per cent of earners are hosts bringing in an average £2,461 a year.
The website has 10,000 users – and customers are attracted by the cheaper rates compared to commercial storage, saving around 50 per cent.
Demand has pushed up hosts’ average earnings by £20 per month in a year.
The figures show how popular the sharing economy has become in Britain – particularly among people frustrated by savings accounts with low interest rates.
People are letting a range of assets for others to borrow. For example, driveways using websites like Park On My Drive and Just Park; cars via Turo – which has taken over what was easy Car Club; and homes or rooms via Airbnb.
On storage space, Stash bee co-founder David Mantle says: ‘Many people have space – maybe a spare room after grown-up children have moved out, or a garage not in use. We see spare space as a major untapped resource and people can earn an income from it.’
Hosts renting out a spare room for storage purposes command an average £2,500 a year, while typical earnings are £1,600 for a basement and £1,000 for an attic.