What it's really like to own an Airbnb according to a West Yorkshire property owner with a superhost rating

One of these homeowners is Colin Hill, an events director with extensive experience of renovating properties across West Yorkshire. His Airbnb, named Cabin Under The Bridge, has over 70 reviews and a 4.92 star rating – earning him a ‘superhost’ badge on the website.

Speaking to the YEP, Colin said: “I was looking for a property during Covid and I initially discounted [the cabin] as it wasn’t unique enough, but one day I took a little detour to visit it and it was actually way cuter in real life than in pictures. At the time it was developed in a bit of an old fashioned way, and the river next to the property was almost like an afterthought. It just needed some work to reach its full potential.”

Tucked away in the beautiful village of Holywell Green near Leeds, Colin’s cabin sits alongside both a stream and a renovated 17th century watermill; offering a unique rural getaway experience to guests visiting the area. Yet the property’s real charm comes in its historic significance to locals.

“Originally [on the land where the cabin is] was a shed that was well over 100 years old,” Colin said. “Historically that shed for the village had been the local florist, the local hairdressers, things like that. [Holywell Green] is one of those forgotten villages and only now are young people starting to move here, so as we were building the cabin all the old grannies and grandads were really invested in the work and were saying “I used to get my hair done here!” or “I used to work here!” – it was really interesting!”

With over 567,027 active Airbnb listings in the UK alone, finding success on the website relies heavily on how unique a property is. “I think if I just had a cottage across the road, it wouldn’t have worked so well,” Colin said. “A lot of people that are buying a house are buying a lifestyle, and it’s about having something unique. So with [my Airbnb], you pass the gate from the road and come down and you’re transported to somewhere else. I think it’s about keeping the price down too; there are blocks in my village that are £220 per night and we don’t charge that.”

But running an Airbnb isn’t all sunshine and roses. “It is another job,” explained Colin. “You need to be accessible to people nearly 24/7. A lot of people might compartmentalise their work but if you do that with Airbnb and take days to reply people will have already moved on to something else. I’ve also created a guidebook for guests that gives them some insight into the area, and a manual with all the right bits of information in [about the cabin]. It’s all about making sure you’ve thought of all the problems before they arise.”

So, is running an Airbnb worth all the hard work? “Yes it is!” laughed Colin. “I’d say stick with it and follow your gut. It is profitable and if common sense tells you that you have something unique that other people want, it is worth it.”