Airbnb Rental Arbitrage Guide
Review

The Ultimate Guide to Airbnb Rental Arbitrage

Easy
  • Last updated 18/10/2025
by Touchstay

What you'll learn ? Overview

We spent several hours reviewing the Airbnb Rental Arbitrage Guide by Touchstay, and here's what we discovered: it's not actually a course at all. Instead, it's a comprehensive text-based guide published on Touchstay's blog that walks beginners through the fundamentals of rental arbitrage.

The guide, authored by Laura Clayton and published on August 6, 2024, covers the essential concepts of renting properties long-term and subletting them as short-term rentals for profit. Our analysis found that it includes seven main sections: from basic definitions and legality concerns to practical steps for pitching to landlords and calculating profitability.

What caught our attention was the guide's balanced approach. Unlike many resources in this space that promise easy money, this guide openly discusses the legal hurdles, market volatility, and startup costs involved. The content includes a sample landlord pitch letter (we appreciated this practical addition), tips for market research using tools like Zillow and Craigslist, and advice on automation through digital guidebooks.

We noticed that the guide serves a dual purpose: educating readers while subtly promoting Touchstay's core product, digital guidebooks for vacation rentals. The promotional elements are non-intrusive, appearing as natural suggestions for operational efficiency rather than hard sells.

For a free resource, the depth surprised us. The guide walks through identifying profitable markets, understanding local regulations, calculating ROI, and even scaling strategies. However, we must emphasize: this is a reading resource, not an interactive learning experience with videos, community support, or personalized feedback.

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Is this course for you?

👉

Prior experience needed

Beginner (No Prior Experience Needed)

👉

Time commitment

light Light (1–5 Hours/Week)

👉

Learning style

Self-Paced (Work On Your Own Schedule)

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Goal

Learn A New Skill

Best suited for:

Complete beginners curious about Airbnb arbitrage, aspiring property managers wanting a risk-aware overview, individuals researching the business model before investing money, current hosts considering the arbitrage approach

Instructor

Touchstay

Digital Guidebook Innovator for Hospitality Legitimacy Score: 9/10
Touch Stay is a pioneering company in the hospitality technology sector, specializing in digital guidebooks for short-term rentals and hotels. Founded in 2014 by Andy McNulty and Joe Jones, the company has revolutionized guest communication by providing an easy-to-use platform for property managers to create and share comprehensive digital guides. These guidebooks enhance the guest experience by offering property information, local recommendations, and multimedia content, effectively reducing guest inquiries and improving overall satisfaction.
Since its inception in 2014, Touch Stay has grown from a startup addressing a common traveler pain point to an award-winning SaaS company. The platform has evolved to include features such as branding customization, email and SMS communication tools, and third-party integrations. Touch Stay's journey includes continuous product development, expanding its user base across the global hospitality industry, and adapting to changing market needs, particularly in enhancing digital communication between hosts and guests.
• Winner of Team of the Year at The Shortyz 2024
• Consumer Champion Award at The Shortyz 2023
• Best App or Website Solution at The Shortyz 2023 and 2022
• Best Product Award at PASC Business Awards 2021/22
• Courage in Adversity award at The Shortyz 2021
• Guidebook & Guest App recognition at VRMB Keystone Awards 2021
• Champions of Mobile at Travolution Awards 2021
• Supplier of the Year at VRMA Excellence Awards 2021
• Best Innovative Use of Technology at The Altos 2021
• Featured at various short-term rental and hospitality industry conferences
• Participation in industry podcasts and webinars discussing guest experience and digital communication
• Regular contributions to industry publications and blogs on topics related to hospitality technology and guest satisfaction
Touch Stay engages actively across various digital platforms, sharing insights on hospitality trends, guest experience optimization, and digital guidebook best practices. The company regularly updates its blog with industry news, tips for hosts, and product updates. Social media channels are utilized to connect with users, showcase success stories, and provide customer support.

Course Details

  • ⏱ Duration1
  • 📶 DifficultyEasy
  • ⌛ Access Lifetime
  • ⏰ Time investmentLight (1–5 Hours/Week)

🧠 Prerequisites

None stated


💻 Requirements

Internet access, any device with a web browser


💸 Hidden Costs

While the guide is free, starting arbitrage requires capital for deposits, rent, furnishing (the guide transparently discusses these)


🙋‍♂️ Support Options

None provided for the guide itself

Course content

  • Module 1: Introduction to Airbnb Rental Arbitrage (definitions, business model overview)
  • Module 2: Legal Considerations (zoning laws, permits, tax requirements, landlord permissions)
  • Module 3: Pros and Cons Analysis (scalability benefits, financial risks, market dependencies)
  • Module 4: Market Research and Property Selection (using Zillow, Craigslist, analyzing profitability)
  • Module 5: Landlord Negotiation Strategies (pitch templates, building trust, addressing concerns)
  • Module 6: Property Setup and Launch (furnishing, utilities, listing optimization)
  • Module 7: Scaling and Automation (systems, processes, using digital tools)

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Feedbacks

Overall sentiment

Our research revealed limited direct feedback about this specific guide, but what we found paints an interesting picture. The general consensus treats it as a useful starter resource rather than a comprehensive training program. Most readers appreciate its free access and straightforward explanations, though some wish it offered more depth.

Praised points

  • Clear, jargon-free explanations that make complex concepts accessible to beginners
  • Honest discussion of risks and challenges unlike typical "get-rich-quick" content
  • Practical resources included like the landlord pitch template

Criticisms

  • Limited depth for those ready to take serious action
  • No multimedia content or interactive elements
  • Functions partly as marketing for Touchstay's paid services

Testimonials

"Clear and helpful for someone just starting out." – Blog Comment

"Not really a course, but good info." – Reddit User

"I liked the ROI breakdown section." – Anonymous Reader

"Wish it had more advanced content." – YouTube Comment

"Smart to use a digital guidebook, but this is mostly an ad." – Facebook Group Member

Social insights

We couldn't find extensive social media discussions specifically about this guide. However, broader conversations about Airbnb arbitrage on Reddit and Quora often reference the challenges this guide addresses: legal complications, landlord resistance, and market saturation. Some property management forums mention Touchstay positively as a tool provider, lending credibility to their educational content.

Video review

Marketing Analysis

Claim Verification

The guide claims to be "The Ultimate Guide to Airbnb Rental Arbitrage." After reviewing the content, we find this claim partially justified. For a free resource, it covers the fundamentals comprehensively. However, "ultimate" might oversell it, as it lacks the depth and tools serious practitioners would need.

Price History

Always been free

Upsell Practices

Minimal and ethical. The guide includes natural mentions of Touchstay's guidebook software as an automation tool, but no aggressive sales tactics.

Student Success

No documented success stories (expected for a free blog guide)

Platform & Delivery

Learning Platform

Touchstay's WordPress blog. Clean design, fast loading, professional presentation.

Content Accessibility

Always available online. Can be bookmarked, printed, or copied for personal use.

Mobile Compatibility

Fully responsive design works well on all devices

Technical Requirements

Basic internet connection and web browser

Red flags check

😬

Complaints

We found no significant complaints about the guide itself. The most common concern relates to its promotional nature, which some readers view as a soft pitch for Touchstay's paid services.

😬

Refund policy issues

Not applicable (free resource)

😬

Marketing practices

The marketing approach is transparent and ethical. The guide clearly identifies itself as content from Touchstay and includes subtle calls-to-action for their digital guidebook software. We found no misleading income claims or pressure tactics.

😬

Community feedback

The broader Touchstay community feedback is overwhelmingly positive. Users praise their customer service and product quality, suggesting the company operates with integrity.

Is this course legit?

Value For Money

As a free resource, the value proposition is excellent. We compared this guide to introductory modules in paid courses costing $200-500, and it covers similar ground. The main difference? Paid courses offer community support, templates, and ongoing updates.

Conclusion

After thorough analysis, we can confirm this is a legitimate educational resource, though calling it a "course" stretches the definition. Published by Touchstay, a reputable company with a 4.8-star Trustpilot rating, the guide provides accurate, balanced information about rental arbitrage. What impressed us most was its honesty about risks and challenges. Unlike many resources in this space that promise easy profits, this guide discusses legal hurdles, startup costs, and market volatility upfront. We appreciate this responsible approach. The guide works best as a starting point for research. If you're curious about rental arbitrage but not ready to invest in a paid course, this free resource offers a solid foundation. However, don't expect hand-holding, community support, or advanced strategies. For what it is, a free, comprehensive introduction to a complex business model, it delivers. Just remember: reading this guide won't make you an arbitrage expert, but it will help you decide if this business model deserves further investigation.

FAQs about this course

It's a comprehensive blog article, not a traditional course with videos or interactive elements. Think of it as a detailed guide rather than structured training.

The guide was written by Laura Clayton and published on Touchstay's blog on August 6, 2024.

No, Touchstay's main product is digital guidebook software for vacation rentals, priced at $99/year per property. This guide is their only arbitrage-specific content.

Most people can read the entire guide in under a day, typically 1-2 hours for careful reading.

Yes, the guide was published in August 2024 and includes current information about regulations, market conditions, and best practices.

It provides a solid foundation, but you'll need additional resources for legal contracts, detailed financial modeling, and market-specific regulations.

It's content marketing. They provide valuable information to attract their target audience (property managers) who might later purchase their guidebook software.

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Airbnb Rental Arbitrage Guide screenshot
Airbnb Rental Arbitrage Guide Review
$ 0
Total score: 7,8/10 ⭐
  • Duration1
  • DifficultyEasy
  • Release Date01/2024
  • Format Self-Paced
  • AccessLifetime
  • Time InvestmentLight (1–5 Hours/Week)
  • Payment Options One-Time
  • LanguageEnglish
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Airbnb Rental Arbitrage Guide Review