Crashpadder.com is a win-win kind of a place where:

Travellers can find cheap, comfortable accommodation in someone's home

Hosts can earn a little extra cash by conveniently renting out their excess space

So.. How does it work!?

Simply.

Step 1: If you have any spare rooms in your place (bedroom, sofa bed, futon, couch etc) you can list it on Crashpadder.com along with information, pictures and a price which you choose. Finally you decide whether you'd like crashpadder to collect money for you, or if you would prefer cash on arrival. You have then become a Crashpadder homestay host; a Padder.

Step 2: Crashpadders will browse all the rooms until they find one which is just right. They will make a 'booking request'. This means that they enter their credit card details and request the room on a certain date.

Step 3: No money is taken until the host has checked out the guest's profile, reliability rating and checked that they are happy to proceed. When they accept the booking, the card will be charged and the booking confirmed.

N.B. Hosts can either choose for us to take the full payment by credit card, and transfer the money after the guest has left, or they can take cash on arrival. If they choose cash on arrival we will only charge the guest 10% of the booking amount when the booking is accepted.

What's wrong with hotels?

There's nothing wrong with hotels, but just like marmite, hotels aren't for everyone. By booking a homestay through Crashpadder.com you can save money, stay in a comfy place with good facilities and meet some great people while you do.

What does it cost to join?

It's free, and only takes around 60 seconds - or as we like to call it a 'minute'. Click here to join!

Is it safe?

Let's put our sensible hats on for a second. Our advice is be careful. We've done everything we can to make Crashpadder.com a safe and enjoyable community, for example taking credit card payment for spare room stays, which verifies identities of our guests. That said, we're all grown-ups here and as such we know there is always a risk in meeting new people, and you should take all the usual precautions. Check out the profiles of people you might stay with and view the feedback they get. And don't forget to be a good Samaritan and leave feedback for everyone you meet!

Who can be a host on Crashpadder.com?

The good news is almost everyone can become a Crashpadder.com host. The bad news? There isn't any! It doesn't matter whether you rent or own your place, whether you have a spare room, sofa bed, futon or even an airbed in the hallway - you can earn money and meet new people by having a Crashpadder.com guest to stay. All you have to do is make sure you charge a fair price - and we'll do the rest!

How much will it cost me, and how do I get paid?

Listing a room on Crashpadder.com is as free as a proverbial bird.

That's right, it costs you zip and will take only 5 minutes of your life. Then, once it's listed we'll make your spare room available to guests. It's only once people have booked that Crashpadder.com gets a little dollop of moolah, we charge 10% of the total amount the guest pays. 'Show me the money!' - you're thinking. Well we will. We'll pay you directly via Paypal. And bingo bango you're making money out of the spare space in your place.

Can I decline a request for any reason?

Abso-bloomin-lutely.

We understand the concerns some people have with opening their homes to strangers and have done everything we can to make you feel more comfortable. Sounds nice, eh? But what does it mean? Well, once someone requests to stay with you, you'll be emailed a link to their personal profile. Their profile will allow you to see their picture, read all about them and check out feedback left by previous hosts. If for any reason you don't feel comfortable, you can decline the booking. No problemo.

How do I know how much to charge?

This one is down to you chief. Some alternatives to plucking a figure out of the blue are a follows:

Check to see If there are other hosts in your area, and if so what they charge

Take a look at the price of rooms in local hotels and B&Bs as a guideline

Be realistic about what you've got on offer - don't expect to get 5* rates!

Remember, the lower your price, the more bookings you're likely to get!

What if the room's not available for a certain amount of time?

Glad you asked - because we're just beaming with pride over our host's calendar function. This allows you to choose when your listing appears in a prospective guests search results. Perfect if you've got friends to stay, you're going on holiday or simply fancy a little 'you-time'.

I'm not getting as many bookings as I'd like. How can I make sure my rooms is being promoted?

We're so proud of all the clever tools which we've built for you to promote your room, including simple listing on Craigslist, Gumtree, Facebook adn Twitter.

How do I pay for a spare room?

You can pay for a room via everyone's favourite pal, Paypal. Alternatively go plastic fantastic and pay with your credit or debit card.

Can I cancel a room once I've paid?

Yup. It's easy to cancel your room once a booking has been made, we won't even ask you to say 'please'. However we do ask that you do the decent thing and let us know as soon as possible and prepare yourself for the fact that there may be some cancellation fees. Check our Terms & Conditions for details.