House Hacking - Renting My Spare Bedrooms

So, you have a spare bedroom sitting empty and you are also looking for a way to earn extra cash?

Try House Hacking! I found it to be the easiest way to try being a landlord without having to manage multiple properties. It is low-cost to set up, and, since you probably already have the essentials in the room, minimal physical labor.

I started by making sure I had the essentials in the room I planned to rent out. This includes a comfy bed with all essential linens (preferably 2 sets of linens), a bedside table and lamp, desk with lamp and desk chair, chest of drawers, full length mirror, SMART TV (so the tenant can use their Netflix, etc.), hangers for the closet, starter bathroom toiletries, and at least 2 sets of bath/hand towels and washcloths.

I assessed my living, dining, and kitchen areas. Essentials are KEY. these are the normal items that you would expect any furnished rental to have - comfy couch, side tables, lamps, kitchen table/chairs, basic cooking supplies, adequate silverware, cooking utensils. I ask myself, "If I was in a rental or AIRBNB, what would I want?". These things can get you more value for the rental, and are anything that would elevate enjoyment, like a SMART TV for the living room, or an AIRFRYER for the kitchen.

I thought about how easy it was to use a SMARTLOCK keypad at the front door at one of my TraveL Nurse assignments. I installed keypad to my front door, and set individual codes for each tenant. I can change the codes after each tenant, for safety purposes. I have a physical key, and I also have a family member with a key in case of emergencies.

So, I was set!

I decided to use Furnished Finder as the platform for my rental advertising. There is an annual fee of $100.00 to use the site, but you can post multiple listings for different bedrooms without extra fees. The site gives you step-by-step instructions on how to list your room. Take pictures with as much natural light as possible!

Once my listing was up, it took about a week to get my first committing tenant, and on the same day I rented out the second bedroom. I handled the contracts by e-signing.

This was November 2025, and my gross income was $1,650.00 per month with both rooms rented.