Spare space becomesa money-making accommodation

You fantasize about it in retirement, but would you actually like it?

We're talking about renting out that spare room in your home on Airbnb - all perfectly legal, by the way, in Philadelphia. Airbnb even collects the city tax now.

Meet one couple who took the plunge and love renting out their second-floor bedroom: Barbara Halpern, 62, a lawyer, and husband Carl Aley, 72, a retired aerospace engineer, who say they meet interesting people from both the United States and abroad while making a small profit.

Halpern and Aley had been empty-nesters in Abington. They love to travel, and once retired they considered opening a bed-and-breakfast.

"We took a course on how to buy and run a B&B, and we would have needed at least 10 rooms to make money," Aley recalls. "But as owners, you might have to live in the basement. The nice rooms all have to be rented. That taught us pretty quick, we didn't want to do it."

They even bid on an RV campground. (They didn't win.)

In 2012, the couple moved to Center City, to a house on the 200 block of South Bonsall Street in Fitler Square, just south of the Walnut Street Bridge. They decorated with the work of local artists, such as James Dupree, and from the Rittenhouse Square craft fairs. Halpern volunteers as a vice president for the Center City Residents' Association. (Their house is a stop on the Oct. 18 CCRA House Tour. Details at centercityresidents.org.)

This year, they decided to take the big step and list the house on Airbnb. Their upstairs guest bedroom sports a Keurig coffee machine, a crystal port wine decanter and glasses, and a big-screen TV. Around the corner is a newly renovated bathroom with a walk-in shower and a sink with commissioned pottery and marble.

Recently, a repeat Airbnb renter was staying for the week with his wife, a Penn graduate student, all the way from Singapore.

"It's extremely quiet on Bonsall Street because of the architecture of the rowhomes," Halpern says, and the tiny side alley has little car traffic.

"It's quieter than University City, and safer," agrees the renter, Joshua Kuek, who travels to Philadelphia every few months with his wife for her psychology studies program. "We rented a hotel last time, and there was no interaction with Philadelphians or the culture. With Barbara and Carl, we can ask questions and learn the history of the city."

The homeowners' bedroom is at the other end of the second-floor hallway, with its own bathroom, but of course. Theirs isn't the only type of arrangement on Airbnb, though: Some people rent out a whole apartment or house and leave; others rent out a room with a separate entrance.

Halpern especially likes that they have met all sorts of worldly folks. The first Airbnb renter was a micro-lender from Tanzania, a woman who was "fascinating in her personal life and her work."

A Vietnamese couple visited for the papal weekend from Houston. "He worked as a translator for the U.S. Army, and toward the end of the Vietnam War, they escaped as boat people," Aley says. "We used to travel a lot and meet people overseas. Now, they travel to us."

Best of all, guest and host can evaluate each other before signing a contract. Halpern and Aley can refuse Airbnb guests based on other hosts' reviews. Kuek and his wife researched their South Bonsall Street hosts, as well.

"The photographs looked good, it was a good walking distance from school, and we can walk to Trader Joe's or Sotto, the Italian restaurant nearby. We really like the location, and if it's raining, my wife can take a quick Uber to campus," he says.

"We also like staying with people versus in a hotel like Homewood Suites for students. There's a personal touch. Carl tells me about sustainable farming and even brought me to one," Kuek says. Barbara sometimes bakes bread and "goes the extra mile. They are very welcoming."

And the price is right. Homewood Suites charged about $200 a night, Kuek says. Halpern and Aley charge $80 to $100 a night, depending on the calendar.

The couple have rented out their guest room to about 20 people in the last few months.

"What gave us the courage was a friend who did it and told me they had a very positive experience," Halpern says. "She said, 'It's easy, they just sleep here. You don't have to serve breakfast or anything.' And I like welcoming people to Philadelphia with a positive outlook on our city. It's important to me."

A piece of advice: Consider how much of your personal space you're willing to share to make a little money, and check with your homeowners' insurance regarding limits on policy coverage and number of days allowed for rental guests.

earvedlund@phillynews.com

215-854-2808@erinarvedlund