Home Swapping vs. Short-Term Rentals

We're building an entirely new way to travel
Part 1

With Kindred, you have friends in every city.  

Meet up with other local or visiting Kindred members by attending member-hosted events. These meetups are gatherings with no agenda or formal structure. All you have to do is show up and enjoy each other’s company - on us!

Join the #meetups channel in Slack to get notified when new events are listed

Host a meetup in your city! DM @Emily Maher on Slack with the following information:

  1. Proposed date and time
  2. Proposed activity and location
  3. Targeted # of people you’d like to attend
  4. Proposed budget for the meetup
  5. Short description of what the meetup is: what can people expect?

Want to host a meetup but need some ideas? Here are some thought starters for you!

  • Get outside: enjoy a picnic, hike, beach day, backyard BBQ, group run or walk
  • Cheers to you: happy hour, brewery or winery, fireside/backyard wine & cookies
  • Like locals: Find a local event happening in your area, like a concert in the park

I'm more than happy to brainstorm some more ideas with you!

Part 2

Meetup calendar

City
Location
Date
Hosted By
RSVP Link
Nashville
Monday Night Brewing Co
TBD
Sep 21, 2023
TBD
Jenna L.
TBD
Click to RSVP
Coming soon...
Thanks for coming!
Denver
Denver Central Market
TBD
Aug 11, 2023
TBD
Shad A.
TBD
Click to RSVP
Coming soon...
Thanks for coming!
Brooklyn
Canapés & Drinks by Chef Camila
TBD
Aug 10, 2023
TBD
Camila R.
TBD
Click to RSVP
Coming soon...
Thanks for coming!
Part 3

Member meetup FAQ

Pro Tips: Hosting a Member Meetup

Before the event

Choose a date 🗓️

  • We’ve hosted events Wednesday-Fridays so far and have had great turn out!
  • Try to plan 2-3 weeks in advance

Choose a location 📍

  • Some ideas: coffeeshops, bars, restaurants, breweries, cafes, parks.
  • Try to select a venue that will allow for great conversation and centrally located.
  • Plan ahead by making a reservation.

Attendees: we’ll add you to the Luma event page, so you can view who is coming ahead of time 🙂

We’ll confirm the budget approved to be used for the meetup. You can use your card to cover drinks and food for the group to be reimbursed later.

Make a reservation if needed for the group.

During the event

  • Arrive early! (We recommend ~15 mins before the start)
  • Let your server know your budget so they can flag if/when you’re approaching
  • Introduce yourself with a photo of you/the location you can be found at in the Slack channel so members can find you easily!
  • Order food for the group around 30 mins in - depending on the size of the group, it is usually easier to have a family-style or appetizer selection
  • Take some photos/videos to share in slack and on social 🙂
  • Don’t forget! Take a photo of your receipt, we’ll need this to reimburse you!

After the event

  • Fill out this form to get your reimbursement started.
  • Connect with those who attended on Slack and/or social!
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Can I be notified when a new meetup is listed?

Yes! Join the Slack channel here to get notified when a new event is listed.

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I’m attending my first meetup, what should I expect or do next?

Yay! We’re so excited for you to connect with some amazing people. If you’re new, feel free to introduce yourself in Slack before the event with a little info about yourself. Don’t be shy, everyone is super friendly!

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How do member meetups work?

  1. Upcoming meetups are shared here and in the #meetup Slack channel. We will also send a monthly email for upcoming planned meetups!
  2. RSVP for a meetup using the link above to the event
  3. The day of the event, show up ready to have a good time!

Note: Meetups are hosted by Kindred members in most cities. It isn’t always promised that a Kindred team member will be in attendance. Have feedback you’re dying to share? let us know in the #feedback channel or emailing me at emily@livekindred.com

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How do I host a Member meetup in my city?

We’d love to have you host a meetup! All you have to do is DM @Emily Maher on Slack and follow these simple steps:

  1. Provide a proposed budget for food and drinks
  2. Share the targeted location, date and time
  3. We’ll chat further about the details of the meetup
  4. Once approved, Emily will create an event page for the meetup and RSVPs
  5. Together, we will set an attendee goal.
  6. The day of the event, arrive early and help those who attend have a great time!
  7. Still having fun and want to hang out longer? After the approved budget is reached, we kindly ask that you close out the tab and cover any additional purchases for yourself. Thanks for understanding!
  8. Take photos and/or videos to share with the team and on social (we LOVE to see these!)
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What is a Kindred member meetup?

A Member Meetup is an informal gathering for members to meet and connect with one another. We are a collective of people who share a passion for travel and experiencing new things. Member Meetups are an opportunity to make new friends in your city or a city you’re visiting in - so you can have Kindred friends in every city. Most meetups are hosted by a Kindred Members and paid for by Kindred.

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Member Meetups
Kindred is more than a platform, it's a community.
Part 1

Home Location

We are currently only accepting homes in specific locations in order to balance supply and demand and better manage our operations:

  1. Large metropolitan cities (New York, London, Los Angeles, Paris, etc.)
  2. Vacation, ski, or nature destinations (Hawaii, Puglia, Bozeman, etc.)
  3. Select "weekend getaway" destinations within a 2-4 hour drive of a major city (Tuscany, Napa, etc.)
Map showing North America and Europe with various pins on major cities
Part 2

Home types

Real homes, rented or owned

We accept apartments and homes, both rented and owned, from studios to 3+ bedrooms.

Homes must be used as a residence by the applicant. We do not accept homes that are used primarily as Airbnbs or short-term rentals.

Building types

We do not currently accept tiny homes, mobile homes, houseboats, treehouses, tents, or any buildings not zoned for residential use.

Studio apartments must be greater than 400 square feet.

Part 3

Safe, comfortable & well-furnished

Our goal is to create a sense of “home away from home” when you travel, and we maintain strict guidelines for homes we accept to ensure that each stay is warm and comfortable.

Home feature requirements:

  • Living area has a sofa and other seating for 3 or more individuals.
  • Primary bedroom (or bedroom area in the case of studios) must have a mattress that is full size or larger. Bed must be on a bed frame (no mattresses or box springs on the floor).
  • No obvious safety hazards in the home such as unfinished construction, broken furniture, decks or roofs without safety railings, damaged or stained flooring or carpets, dangerous stairs or ladders, mold or rot, etc. See Property Requirements for full set of safety features.
  • Functional carbon monoxide and smoke alarms.
  • Comfortable and functional furniture throughout the home.
  • Furnishing is contemporary, tasteful, and cohesive, with nothing noticeably distressed (unless as part of intentional interior design aesthetic).
  • Home features interior decoration including plants, rugs, mirrors, and wall art. Walls are not bare.
  • Home features windows with ample natural light.
  • Home is well-organized and free from excess clutter.
Part 4

Examples of homes that don’t meet Kindred’s current acceptance criteria:

Examples of accepted homes:

Part 5

Reasonable expectation of demand

We may choose to waitlist certain homes, even if they meet the criteria above, if we believe that there might not be adequate demand for the home based on existing indicators of supply & demand on the network. This helps us preserve member experience and minimize instances where members are unable to earn enough credits to travel once they join the community.

It’s time for a change in the travel industry.

As short-term rentals have proliferated, consumers have been left feeling frustrated by high prices, poor quality homes, and mediocre service.

At Kindred, we’re building a new, community-driven model for travel.

We believe that by sharing our places with those we trust, we unlock access to a radically new lifestyle – a life that’s not only richer in travel, but richer in experiences, connection, and adventure. So we designed Kindred, a members-only home swapping collective, to help real people unlock extraordinary communal benefit by sharing – not renting – their homes.

So how exactly is Kindred different from short-term rentals?

Let’s take a look at the major differences between our home swapping model and short-term rental or vacation rental platforms.

Part 1

On Kindred, no money is exchanged between host and guest.

Unlike short-term rentals where guests pay their hosts to stay, Kindred is a “give a night to get a night” economy. Members don’t earn cash by hosting others – they earn the ability to book nights at Kindred homes.

The fundamentally different structure of cashless exchanges has wide-reaching implications:

  • Life-changing affordability: Not having to pay a nightly rate makes Kindred stays dramatically more affordable than the cost of a rental. Being able to take 10 trips for the price of one makes an entirely new kind of lifestyle possible for many.
  • Social responsibility: Unlike with short-term rental platforms, investors have no incentive to buy up properties to list on Kindred since they cannot make any money on the platform. This means Kindred doesn’t result in taking units off the market for residents, exacerbating the housing crisis in our priciest cities.
  • Authentically human: Cashless exchange means that members staying in each other’s homes behave more like house guests, than entitled renters. We have found that people act with more grace, gratitude, and respect when interacting as peers and fellow humans, versus engaging in a financial transaction where one person is the customer and the other is a service provider.
Part 2

Kindred is for real homes, not rentals.

Inventory on most short-term rental sites actually aren’t real residences, they are investment properties that are listed year-round to earn revenue.

Kindred, on the other hand, only accepts homes that are used as residences. In fact, over 95% of Kindred homes are the member's single primary residence. This means warm, safe, inviting homes that are equipped for life and comfortable for longer stays.

Part 3

Every guest is also a host, so everyone has skin in the game.

Short-term rentals are pay-to-stay models, where anyone who pays can purchase a night in your home.

Kindred is a closed community. Every guest must have their own approved and vetted home to participate.

This ensures that everyone has the skin in the game and reduces the risk of bad actors. Structurally, no one can just be a “taker” on Kindred. When you must give to get, every guest also knows what it feels like to be a host.

Part 4

Hosting made easy

Kindred provides an array of services to make hosting effortless, and sets different expectations than short-term rental sites, making hosting on Kindred surprisingly easy.

  • Since they are houseguests instead of renters, Kindred members expect homes to have personal items and character. You aren’t expected to put things into storage or make the home sanitized and impersonal to host.
  • Hosting is free and Kindred coordinates professional cleaning before and after each stay, managing cleaning quality so you don’t have to.
  • Kindred provides you with all the essentials you'll need to host, including guest linens and lockboxes.
  • Kindred provides 24/7 support to your guest so you can enjoy your trip while you’re out.
  • Because guests aren’t paying you to stay, they approach the relationship with gratitude versus the entitlement of a paying customer.

Check out this vlog from a first-time host:

@jaccip5 amazing exerience hosting my first guest through @Kindred. Super thoughtful and cost-effetive way to travel, cant wait to book travel stays this way from now on! #kindred #livekindred #homeswapping #homeswap ♬ Sweet Sunset - Tollan Kim & dulai

Part 5

Join the free travel revolution

Together, we're building the sharing economy we've always wanted. Apply to join the network at livekindred.com