If the only way to make more is to work more hours, this is how I run short-term rentals in apartments I lease, with the landlord's permission in writing.
The BNB Wealth Protocol: the five phases I used to go from one apartment to 40, where to put a unit so it books over and over, what each phase costs, and how to tell whether this is right for you. No hype. Real numbers, including the ones that don't look good.
Watch first. The application is below the video.
Read this before you apply
This is not passive income.
It's a business you run. It gets lighter with systems, but you are the operator. If you want something hands-off, this isn't it.
It costs real money to start.
Rent comes due before the first booking clears. Under about $8,000 behind you, I'd tell anyone not to start yet. People who do this comfortably have more.
Permission in writing, or no deal.
Every unit I run has the landlord's written OK. If you aren't willing to call a landlord and hear "no" a few times first, don't apply.
I can't guarantee your results.
Nobody can, and anyone who promises you an income is lying. What I can promise is exactly what you get from the day you join, and a 14-day refund if it isn't what I described.
I waited until it worked before I taught it
My name is Anthony Pantano. I'm a registered nurse, and I still see a few patients a week because I like it.
My dad and I run 40 short-term rental units across New Jersey, Philadelphia and Dallas. We lease every one of them, and we lease them with the landlord's permission, everything in writing.
I didn't start teaching this the first year it worked. I waited until it had been working for years in three cities, including Philadelphia, one of the hardest cities in the country to run a short-term rental legally, because I wanted to be able to say I've done every part of this myself. I still do.
Six years ago I was working 12-hour shifts. The first unit I tried got shut down, and I learned the hard way that you don't sign anything without the landlord's permission. Then I spent three months cold-calling and walking the streets of Philadelphia hearing "no," until one property manager said yes. We signed on a Thursday, set up in 48 hours, and it booked the same day it went live. That was the first one.
in bookings across 40 units. That's bookings, not profit. What one unit actually keeps is below.
All leased with written permission. We own none.
North Jersey, Philadelphia, Dallas.
No student testimonials yet. This is the founding cohort; the first case studies come from it.
Most people who want to do this never get their first unit
Not because they're lazy. Because every course they watched showed them the revenue, skipped the expenses, and stopped right before the part that's actually hard: getting a landlord to say yes.
So they do one of two things. They stay stuck researching for a year. Or they do it the way the internet tells them to: hide what they're doing from the landlord, lose the unit, lose the deposit, and when the landlord finds out, lose everything.
I made almost every mistake you can make. I spent $10,000 furnishing a one-bedroom that should have cost $3,000. I put in the wrong systems, hired the wrong cleaners, and tried to grow before my credit was ready. It cost me months, and a lot of cash. Not because I wasn't working hard, but because nobody handed me a blueprint. So I built one.
Five phases. The order matters more than anything.
Set up your business to be fundable
Before you ever talk to a landlord: LLC, EIN, a business address, phone, email and website. That takes about two weeks. Then get your personal credit in order, because that's what lets you fund units two, three and four. I don't do credit repair. If you're working on yours, I can introduce you to someone who does credit work.
Pick a strategic location
The heart of the whole thing. Most people pick a place they'd love to vacation in, and it books six weekends a year. I look for demand every week, month after month: downtown business districts, universities, stadiums, hospitals. The places people have to be, again and again. Then decide who you're serving there, and start with a market you can drive to.
Get your first yes
This is where most people quit. You get the exact words I use with property managers and landlords, what they actually worry about, how I ask for free rent on every lease, and why you never sign without permission in writing. Every "no" gets you closer to the first yes.
Set up the unit, lean
My first unit cost about $7,500 to furnish. We do the same unit now for about $3,000 to $5,000, including the right lock, the right photos and the right cleaners. Your cleaners make or break this business.
Operate, then scale
Systems so the business doesn't need you at 2 a.m. Then you do it again. Every new unit is the same process. It's simple. Simple doesn't mean easy.
What one unit actually looks like
This is the part most people in this space leave out.
| Rent | $1,200 / mo |
| A good unit books at about 2 to 2.5× its rent | ≈ $2,700 / mo |
| "Most courses say you make" | $1,500 |
| Cleaning, utilities, supplies, software, the person who answers guests at 2 a.m. | − $700 to $800 |
| What you keep | ≈ $700 to $800 / mo |
Example figures from one unit. Not a promise. Your numbers will be different.
Setup runs about $4,000. Get a month or two of free rent from the landlord and you've made that back in about three months. Without it, closer to six, or even twelve. Then you take the same money and do it again. That's real, and it's what one unit does.
This isn't for everyone, and I'd rather tell you now
It works best for
- People with a steady income who can put together a few thousand dollars, or have the credit to fund a first unit.
- People who want to run a real business, not a side hustle they never touch.
- People who will call a landlord, hear "no," and call the next one.
- The person who forms their LLC the same day they join. You are my person.
It's not for
- Anyone looking for something completely hands-off.
- Anyone who wants a result by a specific date. The paperwork takes about two weeks. Everything after that is on you.
- Anyone who isn't willing to have the landlord conversation.
- Anyone who'd rather hide what they're doing than get permission in writing.
I'm taking 10 founding members. 10, because I'm the one doing the calls.
I'm not going to leave anyone on read. This isn't a program you buy and never hear from me again. I'll be on the calls. I'll be in the chat.
For a full year, you get
- The full BNB Wealth Protocol system, phase by phase.
- How I pick a location, and a review of your location before you commit.
- My landlord scripts, my lease addendum and my setup checklists. The ones I actually use.
- Three live group calls a week with me and the other founding members.
- A one-on-one call with me every week.
- A private group chat with the other founding members, and direct access to me.
The founding rate is half of what the program opens at once these seats are filled. I share the number on the call, after I know it's a fit, so neither of us wastes a conversation. If you join and it isn't what I described here, you have 14 days to get your money back.
Fill out a short application
It takes about three minutes, and I read every one myself. If it looks like a fit, you'll book a call with me. We'll look at your market, your credit and your budget, and I'll tell you whether this makes sense for you right now. If it doesn't, I'll tell you that too, and point you to my free community so you can keep building.
Questions I get every week
How much does it cost to start?
Under about $8,000 behind you, I'd say don't start yet, and people who do this comfortably have more. You're paying rent for a month or two before the first booking clears. Setup on a unit runs about $4,000, less if you negotiate free rent.
Do I need good credit?
You need to get approved for a lease, and landlords check credit. I don't do credit repair. If you're working on it, I can introduce you to someone who does credit work.
Isn't subletting against my lease?
A lot of leases don't allow it by default. That's exactly why my rule is written consent or no deal. We get the landlord's yes in writing first, with an addendum, and you get that addendum reviewed by a local attorney before you sign. I'm not your lawyer.
How long until I make money?
I don't promise timelines. The paperwork takes about two weeks. Everything after that depends on your market and your work.
Is it legal in my city?
It depends on the city. That's part of picking a market, and I review yours with you before you commit. Look up your city's short-term rental rules first.
What's the price?
The founding rate is half the launch price, for the first 10 members only. I confirm it on the call once I know it's a fit.
What if it doesn't work for me?
There's a 14-day refund if the program isn't what I described. And I'll tell you on the call if I don't think it's a fit, before you pay anything.
Is this passive?
No. It's a business you run. It gets lighter with systems, but you're the operator.
You already know how to work hard.
You've been doing it for years. The question is whether you want to keep doing it week after week, or build something that's yours.
Apply for a founding seatNot ready? The free community is open: skool.com/airbnbforbeginners