Photo: Przemek Iciak (Shutterstock)
If you have a backyard and a desire to make passive income, there is an app for you: Sniffspot connects dog owners with people with fully-fenced yards who are willing to rent their land on an hourly basis. Described as “Airbnb for dog off-leash areas,” Sniffspot has about 7,000 hosts in more than 1,500 cities in the United States, and offers their services in Canada, Europe, and New Zealand.
How does Sniffspot work?
To list your property on Sniffspot, it needs to meet certain criteria. First, it needs to be a spot that’s accessible without passing through a private residence. Additionally, the space needs to be safe and free from hazards, including plants that are poisonous for dogs, unfenced areas near busy streets, pools that are empty or have soft covers, dangerous wild animals that prey on dogs (such as alligators, rattlesnakes, or bears), or live electric fences.
Once your host area is live, you’ll set your hourly price and receive bookings from interested parties. Sniffspot requires that all customers prove their dogs are up to date on all vaccinations and flea/parasite preventions, and include in their terms of service that it’s incumbent on the dog owners to pick up after their dogs and leave the spot as they found it. Sniffspot also does not require the host to be there to supervise when a customer is using the space; once they’ve paid for their booking, you’re all good to go. Additionally, Sniffspot provides hosts with a primary liability coverage for up to $2,000,000 in the event of a third-party claim of bodily injury (to the dogs or the people) or property damage related to a booked Sniffspot visit.
How to get bookings on Sniffspot
According to Sniffspot, their top spots get the majority of their business from repeat customers. In order to get interest from first-time customers, Sniffspot has a few suggestions. First, add at least ten photos to your listing. According to Sniffspot, listings with more than ten photos get ten times as many bookings as those with less than ten photos.
Second, they recommend adding amenities to your listing—popular amenities include dog water parks (kiddie pools, sprinklers, etc.), hiking trails, agility equipment, and dog “parkour obstacles.” Additionally, properties with an outhouse or a portable restroom see 5.5 times more bookings. Other popular amenities include dog bags, trash cans, and hand sanitizer.
Lastly, your listing should encourage guests who’ve enjoyed their experience to write reviews of your spot. Solid reviews will lead to more bookings; Airbnb, for example, reports that listings see their bookings double once they’ve received more than ten reviews.
How much money you can make off Sniffspot?
Sniffspot boasts of users making as much as $1,500 per month, but your true earning potential is a combination of the activeness of your market and the desirability of your spot. The average listing goes for $15 an hour, but according to founder Dave Adams, hosts charge anywhere between $4 per hour and $50 per hour to use their space, with price depending on their location, the size of the yard and whatever amenities they’ve included.
You’re going to have to split your earnings with Sniffspot, but out of the total hourly fee, you’ll see a pretty decent chunk of it: Sniffspot charges a 22% fee for operating and marketing costs, as well as 2.9% to cover credit card payment processing. They also charge a flat fee of $0.30 per booking. In all, if you list your property for $15 an hour, you’ll make a total of $10.96 of taxable income. Not bad for letting some pups run around in your yard.
