What: Avvay allows you to list your home for rent by the hour for special events ranging from photography shoots to birthday parties
Expected pay: set by you
Husl$core: $$$$
Commissions & fees: 15%, plus 30 cent transaction fee imposed by Stripe
Where: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Nashville and Portland
Requirements: Be over the age of 18.
Review:
Like Giggster and PeerSpace, AVVAY lets property owners rent their space by the hour for special events. These can include photography shoots, birthdays, corporate meetings, filming and the like.
The property-owner sets the rental rate and terms. You can, for instance, state what portion of the home/space is available and whether there are additional fees for services provided during the rental.
Owners also choose a cancellation policy — Flexible, Moderate or Strict. With the strict policy, the property owner keeps deposits for guests who cancel less than seven days prior to the event; with the flexible option, they keep the deposit if the renter cancels within two days of the event.
The owner also decides how much of a deposit to collect upfront and when payment is due for the entire booking. Payments are generally made in advance. AVVAY transfers the payment to the property owner nearly immediately.
You are likely to collect payment in full before the day of the rental. However, if you need to cancel before the event, AVVAY expects you to be prepared to immediately refund the renters’ fees. If you cancel at the last minute, the site also has the right to penalize you on future rentals for the site’s lost commission.
No liability coverage
AVVAY provides no commercial liability or property damage coverage. So if you rent your space through this platform, you should make sure to buy this coverage on your own. It also does not automatically collect a security deposit. Whether a security deposit is required is up to you.
AVVAY gets a slightly lower Husl$core than Giggster mainly because of the lack of insurance and security deposit. However, the site is still an attractive option. Another plus is that AVVAY operates in several markets where other rent-by-the-hour options are not available.
If you like the idea of renting your house for filming, photography and events, also consider Splacer, Peerspace and This Open Space.