How to make your Airbnb family friendly

It’s not always easy for families to find the right place to stay on Airbnb. Many hosts are apprehensive about children causing mess in their home, and a lot of hosts also just don’t consider the things that a family would want. But with a bit of careful planning, you can prepare your home for families, protect yourself against the damage that any kids could cause, and get more bookings in the process.

Why should I make my Airbnb family friendly?

The benefits of making your Airbnb family friendly far outweigh the costs. Many hosts are apprehensive because they think of the damage that kids can cause to their property - but families spend less time in the property and more time out doing activities - so there will be less wear or tear on your home, and of course they won’t be throwing a party. Families tend to take long block holidays rather than short weekend breaks, and they're more likely to stay in one place rather than travelling around. This means that family bookings are longer than average, so your calendar will fill up more.

How do I make my home safe for kids?

We've already written a guide to general Airbnb safety - but making your home safe for families with children requires going even further. There are a lot of small things you can do to your home to make it safe for kids that might not be immediately obvious. According to the charity Safe Kids Worldwide, these are some of the things you can do to protect kids in your Airbnb home:

• Make sure that there's a working smoke and carbon monoxide detector on every floor and in every bedroom of your property. Airbnb actually has a programme where you can get a detector for free, so this is an easy one to tick off.

• Fit safety gates to your stairs to stop young kids from wondering into parts of the house that might not be safe. You should also fit a gate around your swimming pool, if you have one, so that there's less danger for unattended children.

• Fit cordless blinds and curtains on your windows to prevent a suffocation hazard.

• Keep dangerous liquids and chemicals away from areas that children can get to - this includes keeping cleaning products and laundry tablets in a secure cupboard, and medicines in a cabinet out of their reach.

• Make sure that unstable furniture, TVs and decorations are secured with brackets.

• Keep the kettle out of reach of children and keep your water heater set at 49°C to prevent scalds.

How do I make my home appealing to families?

Making sure that your home is safe for kids is the minimum you'll need to do to attract families - family-specific amenities are key. Here are some more things that will make families more comfortable staying in your Airbnb:

• Laundry facilities 
  Laundry facilities are an essential for any family on holiday. Kids are messy, so provide a washing machine, tumble dryer and plenty of detergent.

• Parking
  Families will often be travelling by car, either their own or a rental. If you don't have a garage or nearby on-road parking included, make sure you provide information about the nearest parking facilities in your welcome book.

• Kid's kitchen facilities
  Transporting kids cutlery on holiday is one more stress that families could do without - so provide it yourself along with a high chair.

• Things for both parents and kids to do
  Families might be out most of the day exploring, but when they get back the parents will want to relax and the kids will want to play. Have a box of toys and colouring books for the younger kids and a games console for older kids and teenagers. For the parents, set out a comfortable area where they can relax, read and watch TV. Having a Netflix subscription is also a great way to provide evening entertainment for both parents and children.

• Family-friendly welcome book
  A welcome book is a great way to make your guests feel comfortable as soon as they arrive, but if you're trying to get more families staying then your welcome book will need to be more family-orientated. Include recommendations for local attractions and family-friendly restaurants.

• Somewhere for kids to sleep
  To make your Airbnb suitable for younger children you should provide a cot as well as smaller beds with mattress toppers.

How do I advertise my listing to families?

First, you'll need to check the options in your listing settings showing that your home is suitable for children (aged between 2 and 12 years) and infants (under 2 years old). Then you'll need to make the fact that your Airbnb is family friendly explicit in the title of your listing, and if you live nearby a particular family attraction, include this in the title too. Tick off all of the family friendly amenities you've got covered and elaborate on how you're a family friendly listing in the description. You should already have clear, well-lit photos of your home on your listing, but make sure to include photos of any particular family-friendly features too.

KeyNest is a key exchange service that lets you hand over keys to your guests without meeting them in person. With over 4000 locations across Europe and North America, you can use KeyNest to offer self check-in to your family guests and take one more stress out of their holiday.