Staying Fit
Finding short-term tenants for your home via companies like AirBnB and VRBO isn’t the only option the internet has enabled for earning rental income, thanks to online services that list your property, collect customer payments and (sometimes) provide insurance. The share of a customer’s payment that flows to you varies depending on the site; the middleman’s cut can be anywhere from 5 percent to 40 percent of the whole transaction.
Parking space
Middlemen: Spacer.com, Neighbor.com, ParqEx.com
Up for rent: Space across the street from Wrigley Field during a Friday afternoon Chicago Cubs home game: $51
Tools and equipment
Middlemen: FriendWithA.com, RentMyEquipment.com
Up for rent: Miter saw on rolling stand (retail value: $700) near Seattle: $40 per day
Do It Yourself?
Several of the listed sites have limited operations and may not have a large presence in your area. But for some offerings — parking spaces and storage space, for example — there are busy exchanges on well-established sites like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist.org or Nextdoor.com where you can list your rental offerings for free. If you go this route:
- Check out prices of similar listings first, to ensure your price is competitive.
- Meet your renter in a public place.
- Collect payment upfront — cash in your hand or money in your account.
Storage space
Middlemen: StoreAtMyHouse.com, Neighbor.com
Up for rent: 446-square-foot building in Colorado Springs: $70 per month
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Vehicle
Middlemen: Getaround.com, Turo.com, FetchTruck.com
Up for rent: Jeep Wrangler in the San Francisco Bay Area: $67 per day
Outdoor sports gear
Middlemen: Spinlister.com, FatLlama.com
Up for rent: Snowboard in Groton, Connecticut: $70 per week
RV or camper
Middlemen: RVShare.com, Outdoorsy.com, RVnGo.com
Up for rent: Airstream trailer sleeping four, near Utah’s Canyonlands desert: $140 per night
More Ways to Raise Cash
Declutter
Maureen Stiles, 58, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, spends a couple of hours each week on Facebook Marketplace, selling her family’s old clothes and brand-name finds from thrift stores. She averages $75 a month in sales, focusing on items for which she sees high current demand.
Go back to school
When the principal of her daughter’s high school asked parents to consider applying for work as substitute teachers in 2021, Emily Korff, 46, of Vienna, Virginia, responded to the call. Starting pay in her area is $18.50 per hour. Educational qualifications vary by state and district.
Be tech supportive. In Delray Beach, Florida, retiree Larry Davis, 72, charges $35 an hour to set up people’s printers, install Wi-Fi networks and do other related tasks. One good way to get customers, he says: Advertise in local papers targeted at older residents.
Get paid to donate
Mary Halstrum, 54, of Winterset, Iowa, makes about $450 a month donating plasma, the high-demand liquid portion of blood left over after red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets are removed. “It helps people,” she says. “Getting paid is just a bonus.” To find a donation center near you, visit givingplasma.org.
Teach online
Former math teacher Peggy Chinoski, 54, of Troy, Michigan, works up to 20 hours a week via Zoom with middle and high school students, charging $35 to $50 for a half-hour session. Other subjects in demand: reading, writing and foreign languages. Test the waters by volunteering at a local school.
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