Homeowners starting to cash in on Super Bowl home rentals

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Super Bowl LII is starting to feel closer by the day.

This weekend, Justin Timberlake officially announced he will headline the halftime show. 

Late last week, the City of Minneapolis passed regulations for short-term home rentals on sites, like Airbnb or VRBO. The City of St. Paul is now working on rules of its own. 

But more than three months before the big game, dozens of homeowners already have their homes at the market, hoping to cash in on the influx of visitors for the Super Bowl.

Bryan Taylor is renting out his three-bedroom home near Highway 55 and Penn for $500 a night during Super Bowl weekend.

“I try to keep it nice and clean for them to have a comfortable place to stay,” Taylor said during a tour of his home, which has room for six people.

Taylor’s listing boasts his proximity to downtown, the cost of an Uber and his wood-burning fireplace.

“I'll probably end up doing a little bit of fun knick-knack things, I'll see what team they are rooting for before we put out the colors,” Taylor said.

Taylor has been renting out his spare rooms through Airbnb for years. For the Super Bowl, however, the whole place is up for rent.

“I wouldn't encourage Super Bowl to be your first experience renting out and I would try doing it before, like now in the fall," said Taylor. "And just see if it ends up being a good and comfortable experience, and that way you can also get a positive review you'll probably learn a couple of things too."

In the Lyn-Lake Neighborhood, Georgia Ridgway and her roommate are renting out their three-bedroom home through Airbnb for the first time.

“I love Minneapolis, home. But I'm happy to vacate for that week,” Ridgway said.

They will lock or pack up their valuables, and take a risk on welcoming people they have never met.

“The price we're asking for is kind of large, but it's also the Super Bowl, so people are coming to spend money,” Ridgway said.

The home is listed at $1000 a night. 

Like many other Super Bowl listings, Ridgway and her roommate want their future renters to know their home isn’t far from U.S. Bank Stadium.

So far, the six to eight-person house is still up for grabs.

“I think we'll have some more bites as people get a little bit more desperate, hotels are filled up, other Airbnbs don't offer the same location, and space,” Ridgeway said.

Ridgeway has this advice for other homeowners trying out short-term rentals for the first time.

“If people are interested, I'd say, capitalize on the fact that as Minnesotans we are going to be put out a little bit by the Super Bowl, but also the chance to be hospitable towards people in our city,” Ridgeway said.

In Minneapolis, homeowners will need a $46 per year license to rent. You can avoid the fee if you stay at your home while the guests are there.