When you’re renting out your spare room, you want to be confident that you can consistently get the bookings you want. Attracting more bookings and keeping your room fully booked all comes down to a great listing description. We’ve been working with our hosts for almost ten years now helping them to create the ideal listing to showcase their room for rent and ensure that their spare rooms get booked as often as they want. In this blog we have compiled our best tips to help you set up the perfect listing description to maximise the booking requests you receive. 

What’s in a listing description?

Your listing description is a detailed description of everything a potential guest needs to know in order to book your room. That includes details about the host and any other people living in the house, a description of the room that is available for rent, a description of the overall property the room is in and a description of the area the property is located in. 

The main objective of the listing description is to provide an accurate and detailed description that covers everything the potential guest needs to know in order to decide to book the room. Let’s break down each of the key areas of the listing and highlight what’s most important to add to each area. 

Property Description

The property description is very important. Beyond the photos of the room and common areas of the property, adding a detailed description can really help your potential guest make an informed decision to book your room.  

In this part of the listing you should describe both the bedroom for rent and the overall property you live in. Let’s start with the bedroom. We recommend including information such as the type of room you are renting (double, single etc), the location of the room in the property, describing the layout and contents of the room (is there a desk or any additional features that would be helpful for the guest to know?). 

Once you have described the room, it’s time to move on to the common areas in the property. These would include the bathroom (whether it’s private or shared), the kitchen and any other areas you are sharing with your guest. Again, the more descriptive you can be the easier it will be for your potential guests to really get a feel for the property and know what to expect. 

There are a few other important things that you can include in the Property Description that would be very helpful to a potential guest. Things like any security measures (alarms, cameras etc) that you have in place. Any outdoor amenities such as a garden or a patio, or if parking is available to guests who might be coming with their own vehicle. 

We provide templates and guidance for you to create each part of your listing so don’t worry if you’re not sure where to start, we are here to help! 

Here’s a great example of one of our current hosts Property Descriptions:

Location Description

Location is an important factor in the decision making process when booking a room to rent so a really detailed location description is a very important part of your listing to attract more bookings. Keep in mind that in order to protect your privacy, your exact address will not be shared on your listing so the description you give will play a key role in your potential guest booking your room.

We recommend that you describe the area you live in using your local knowledge to your advantage. Describe the kind of place your property is located in, be that urban, suburban or countryside. You can write about the kind of retail amenities that are nearby, such as cafes, shops and supermarkets and mention any community amenities that are nearby like parks or recreational areas too. 

We also recommend that you name and give information about the available local public transport, such as a nearby train station, bus routes and their numbers. This will all help your guest to make an informed decision when booking your room. 

If your guests should have their own transport to book your room you should mention that here and also let them know about parking. 

If there is anything else you feel worthy of mentioning as a local, such as that hidden gem of a bakery next door, we recommend doing it as it can really add to the quality of your listing. If your property is located in the countryside it would be helpful to mention whether there are good pathways going from your home to local transport and how safe the area is to walk around in.

Here's a great example of a location description by one of our current hosts:

Host Description

In your host description it’s important to use this space to communicate with your potential guests and give them an idea of who they will be living with.  

Here you can include your first name, your age bracket, if you wish to, and tell them a little about how you spend your time in terms of work and hobbies.  

If you live with anyone it’s important to put that information here, whether you live with a partner, a family member, other housemates or even a pet. This allows the guest to get a good feel for the environment they will be moving into. 

Some other things our hosts have decided to include are whether you have any allergies or dietary requirements that might be helpful for the guest to know. For example if you are highly allergic to peanuts or if you are vegan. Another helpful piece of information you could include is whether or not your house is suitable for guests who are working or studying from home.  

The more information you can provide that paints a clear picture of the living environment in your home, the better. As this will help attract the right bookings who would be most suitable to live with you in your home. Ultimately, the aim of the Host description is to help you find a guest who is a good match. We understand some hosts don’t feel at ease with sharing too much and that’s okay too. You are free to disclose only what you are comfortable with. 

Here’s a great example of a Host Description from one of our current hosts: 

Hosting Power Listings

When you host with us, you don’t need to worry about covering all the rules and general information in your listing description that relate to your guests’ stay, because we have already covered them for you. Each guest that books a room through Hosting Power will not only be made aware of the standard renting rules in our Terms and Conditions and here in our extensive FAQ section, but we also provide a set of house rules that will ensure your guest is fully informed about these rules and adheres to them. 

For instance, some of the rules that are already in place for your guest when you host with us are: 

• Your guest is not allowed to smoke
• Your guest is not allowed to bring any visitors
• Your guest is not allowed to party or drink alcohol on the property

So you don’t need to include in your listing description, we have put them in place for you! 

For more information about house rules for your guest you can read this blog post here.

The Photos

Last but not least it’s important to talk about the photos you provide on your listing. Photos are such a huge part of the decision making process for our guests. It’s important that you take clear photos that accurately represent the room for rent and the overall property. It’s important that these photos are not blurry, outdated or have watermarks on them. These should always be kept up to date should any changes be made in the property or to the room. If you’d like some more detailed guidance on how to take great photos of your property for your listing you can read this blog post here. 

In Summary

Creating a great listing description is the best way to ensure that you not only keep your room fully booked, but that you attract the guests who would be best suited to renting out your room. It’s important to take time to write these three key parts of your listing description as well as adding great photos that show off your room and property for rent. And of course, when you host with us, we will be there to help you create the best listing to help you stay fully booked to meet your renting goals. 

If you’d like to learn more about becoming a Hosting Power Host, click the button below to take the first step and apply for free.