Airbnb in a rental — landlord won't know, right? WRONG.

Category: Getting Started

By: Tyler Jackson

Posted: 2026-01-07T03:29:13.376Z

Posting this as a cautionary tale. I was doing Airbnb arbitrage in a rented apartment in Los Angeles for 8 months. Never told my landlord. Was making great money ($4,200/month revenue, $1,600 rent). Then my landlord found out. My listing showed up on a website that tracks STRs for landlords. He gave me a 3-day notice to cure or quit. I lost: - My apartment (eviction on record) - $3,400 in security deposit (forfeited for lease violation) - ~$2,000 in furnishings I couldn't move in time - All future bookings had to be cancelled (Airbnb charged me penalties) **Don't make my mistake.** Has anyone successfully navigated getting landlord permission for STR in a rental?

Reply by Priya Nair:

Sorry this happened but thanks for sharing. The websites that caught you are likely **Host Compliance** (now Granicus) or **STR Helper** — cities and landlords subscribe to them to detect unlicensed/unauthorized STRs. They scrape Airbnb, VRBO, etc. and cross-reference with property records. **How to get landlord permission the right way:** 1. **Lead with numbers** — Show them the revenue potential and explain how a revenue-share benefits them. "What if I paid you $2,000/month instead of $1,600?" 2. **Offer a revenue share** — Many landlords agree to STR when they get 10-20% of gross bookings on top of rent. That turns a $1,600/month rental into $2,400/month for them. 3. **Address their concerns proactively:** - Insurance: "I'll carry $1M STR liability insurance" (Safely covers arbitrage) - Wear and tear: "I'll handle all maintenance and cleaning" - Neighbors: "I'll enforce quiet hours and limit occupancy" - Legal: "I've confirmed STR is legal in this zoning district" 4. **Get it in writing** — Create a formal addendum to your lease that: - Permits short-term subletting via Airbnb/VRBO - Specifies the revenue share (if applicable) - Requires you to maintain insurance - Gives landlord right to revoke permission with 60-day notice 5. **Provide professional documentation** — A house manual, your cleaning protocol, noise monitoring plan (Minut or NoiseAware). Show them you're running a professional operation, not a party house. I've gotten 3 landlords to agree using this approach. 2 said no initially but agreed when I showed them the revenue numbers and offered a share.

Reply by Brittany Simmons:

Property manager perspective: I manage 85 units and I've caught 12 tenants doing unauthorized Airbnb in the last 2 years. Every single one was evicted. My advice to tenants who want to do STR legitimately: - Ask BEFORE you sign the lease, not after - Some landlords welcome it — they get above-market rent with minimal risk - Put the STR permission CLAUSE in the lease, not a separate verbal agreement - Carry your own STR insurance — Safely (https://safely.com) specifically covers renters doing STR - Report all income to the IRS — if you get evicted AND have unreported income, you've got two problems And for landlords reading this: consider allowing STR with conditions. A well-managed Airbnb generates 50-100% more rent than long-term tenants, and good STR operators take immaculate care of the property because their livelihood depends on reviews.