I rented out my spare room to travel nurses

...and loved it!

I have a 2 bedroom condo and I only use it during my 3-day stretch of 12 hour shifts. Let me explain...

I live an hour away from my job and years ago when real estate prices dumped, I took money out of my 401K and just bought a 2 bedroom condo because commuting was so tiresome. Working 12-hour shifts with occassional +4s with an hour commute each way was rough. A co-worker of mine lived just a tad bit further from me and she had gotten into several car accidents going home from work due to fatigue; so thankful she never got seriously injured, but she did crash her cars. I had a couple close calls as well so I had been looking for a 'work house' so I didn't have to commute and get proper rest between shifts.

(...And on a side note, when my auto insurance company found out that I was a nurse years ago, they raised my premiums and this must be one of the reasons why because I refuse to accept that nurses, as a profession, are generally bad drivers)

When I found this place, it was really great. I could work and come home and get good solid sleep without kids waking me up or dogs barking, roosters crowing, phone calls, etc. I could watch whatever I wanted on TV, eat what I want, and any mess was just mine. It's not that I don't enjoy my kids, but when you are really tired, sometimes you yell and feelings get hurt...or maybe that's just me. I am lucky that my husband could be home with them and I could just concentrate on my job during my work stretch.

Having my own work house was great! I stored all my work clothes and shoes there and none of it went to my real house. I had peace and quiet during my sleep time...But, it had bills of its own. I had purchased it outright, but it still had a power bill, HOA fees (included water and trash), and taxes.

I thought about getting a roommate, but I enjoyed my time alone and struggled with that idea a bit.

I found my first roommate through Craigslist. He has the first person to respond and it was a temporary situation which worked for me. He was an out of state lineman who came to my state to work during the winters and he owned and ran his own campgrounds in Missouri from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Perfect. I rented out my master bedroom with shared living room, bathroom, and kitchen. I provided a bed and bedding and a desk in the master bedroom. We got along great and I felt better about having someone there when I wasn't. He stayed with me for a few winters. When I first met him, he was single. The following winter, his girlfriend came to visit a few times. The next winter, his girlfriend, their baby, and her school age son came. His family was growing so he needed to find bigger lodging. It was a great first roommate experience.

I didn't feel pressured to always have a roommate, but the extra funds was nice. I always offered my room for rent for a flat fee with utilities included. It seemed easier to charge a flat fee vs. splitting utilities. Summers with air conditioning were more definitely more costly. I prepared a renters application and asked for 1 month up front which could be used as credit for the last month. My roommates were all short term, month to month renters.

A few years ago, the pandemic exploded and my hospital hired a lot of traveler nurses. I met nurses who were staying in hotels and looking for a place to rent. The first few were night shift like me and we rode into work together. That worked out pretty nicely.

The most recent travel nurse who stayed with me worked dayshift. She was great. Because we worked opposite shifts, I rarely saw her; only on her days off. Travel nurses usually have 13-week contracts so it was perfect. They appreciate staying with someone who understands their work.

I really enjoyed having travel nurses as roommates. I met people from various states and we had time to get to know each other and how nursing is different in other states. Once I started renting to travel nurses, word of mouth kept my room rented most of the year. Renting to nurses made me feel comfortable because they understood my sleep schedule and my work flow.

If I needed to advertise, I used Facebook pages such as 'Travel Nursing: Places/Rooms for Rent' so I could learn a bit about them and likewise before they arrived. I asked for a partial deposit to hold the room. I had one nurse who was cancelled mid-contract and I gave her a partial refund. I appreciated the extra income and friendships made.

If you have an extra room, consider renting it out to a travel nurse!