Cashing in on Super Bowl LIII by renting out your house

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Many people are hoping to cash in on Super Bowl LIII. There will be tens of thousands of people in Atlanta and they're going to need a place to stay. So many folks are offering their homes, for a fee of course. 

Kristina Hudson lives in midtown. She's hoping to rent it for about $3,800 a night Super Bowl weekend so she's been sprucing it up.

"This is my primary residence, I live in it, so we want to make it fresh and clean, fresh paint, new sheets," said Hudson. 

A lot of people have the same plans. Airbnb held a forum in Atlanta Wednesday night to talk about renting during big events and give hosts some tips and tricks to opening up their homes to visitors.  

"The big game is going to attract a lot of people and we're excited to see our hosts attract people from around the world," said Brandon Hatton with Airbnb.

A spokeswoman for Airbnb says even though Super Bowl LIII is less than two weeks away, it's not too late to try to rent your place. In fact, they expect to see a surge in people looking for accommodations once we know the final two teams who will be playing. 

Kara O'Brien has been planning to rent her home for a few months. 

"The buzz started that the Super Bowl is going to be a golden ticket weekend for all of us," said O'Brien. 

O'Brien owns an actual tree house that sleeps four in East Atlanta. She often rents it out for $375 a night. But the price will be triple that for Super Bowl weekend, and she says she'll be giving her guests the red carpet treatment.

"I think the people coming for the Super Bowl are more of a well-heeled crowd because this is not a super cheap ticket. I just think it's going to be a lot of fun and we're looking forward to it," said O'Brien. 

If you plan to rent your home through a company like Airbnb or VRBO, it's really just a matter of contacting them, sending photos and other information.

If you plan to rent it yourself by posting it online, the experts say make sure you have a written contract, get a deposit and cash up front. Also, make sure your subdivision and city allow short-term rentals.