Living in Nairobi for the single person is not an easy thing, especially when it comes to finding housing. Most decent housing in middle and upmarket areas such as South B, C, Kilimani, Kileleshwa and Westlands is built with families in mind, and thus the single renter either has to find a ridiculously priced one bedroom, or take up a 2, 3 or 4 bedroom house. If they can afford it, some will live in this houses by themselves, and others choose to share.

(Read More: Two Can Pay the Rent and Too Old to Live with the Folks?)

Of course, for a lot of people, sharing a house, unless necessary is not something they would be inclined to do. Housemates can be a headache especially if they are slovenly and are constantly bringing new people into the house. So, what do you do if you have a house with spare rooms, and don't feel like taking a roommate?

In comes short-letting. Short letting is the renting out of space on short term basis. This can be for a day, a week, a month or upto 6 months. This can be done for travellers that may be looking to save on costs or looking for a local experience.

AirBnB

AirBnB is an website that allows people to rent out rooms and apartments on terms that they want. You can rent out everything from a pull-out couch to  a castle.

The website allows you to upload pictures of your home and state the price you want per night, what you are offering and when and how long your place would be available for.

RW, owner of an apartment in Upperhill, used AirBnB last year.

"I was a bit skeptical as the listing went up, but when I got an email and actually got paid, then I realized that  it actually worked." She said "The money took about 3 days to get here"

The site works as follows: You create a profiile using your email address, Twitter or Facebook and upload your picture and the pictures of the house/space you have to let. You set the price, dates, and other amenities and sit back. Once a renter likes the place, they pay for it on airbnb via credit card, and you have the money wired to you less 3% commission.

Homestays

Homestays are another way of making money from your spare room. A home-stay is when a traveller, wishing to save on costs or avoid the loneliness of a hotel or get a feel of the local culture, chooses to live in with a local resident.

To get a home-stay guest, one signs up  on a homestay network such as Homestay Booking.

Risks

The downsides to both these options is that the income is irregular, and one runs the risk of taking in a tenant that could be a thief, or even worse, harm their host.