Does BNBCalc have an API?

What the API does

The API gives your software the same property analysis you'd get by typing an address into BNBCalc, so when you send a property's location and details, BNBCalc returns the analysis as JSON, with projected revenue, occupancy and daily rate, the comparable listings behind them, percentiles, operating expenses, cash flow and return metrics, plus a link to a hosted report you can share.

The API is built for products that need short-term rental numbers inside their own workflow, such as lending and underwriting tools, CRMs for agents and investors, property management software and PropTech apps. It works for addresses in the US and abroad, although AI comps are US-only (API data coverage).

The endpoints

All requests go to https://atlas.bnbcalc.com, with your key in the x-bnbcalc-api-key header:

The four types work the same way as in the app. For every parameter, response field and error code, see the API docs, which you can also download as a Markdown file to give an AI coding assistant.

Getting an API key

1. Sign in to BNBCalc and open Settings, then API. You'll also find it under Resources in the sidebar.
2. Under Subscribe to API Access, click Start for free and enter your payment details. Nothing is charged up front, since you only pay per report.
3. Answer the short Tell us about your project question, or skip it for now.
4. Click Create New Key, then Create, and copy the key with the copy icon under Your API Key.

From there, the getting started guide walks through your first request. Keep your key on your server, never in browser or mobile app code. If it's ever exposed, click Regenerate key: BNBCalc issues a new one, and the old key stops working straight away.

Adding AI to a request

Each create call can also ask for two AI steps. AI comps compare candidate listings' photos, layout and amenities with the property and base the revenue estimate on the closest matches, as AI Underwriter does in the app, while AI expense estimates tailor the operating costs to the property. Keep in mind that AI comps only work for US properties with at least 8 usable listing photos.

Make sure to give these requests time. AI work has a 90-second budget, and if your client gives up before the response arrives, the analysis may still have been created and billed, which is why the docs recommend a client timeout of at least 300 seconds. If an AI step can't finish, the call still returns the analysis with a warning explaining what was skipped. Listing photos are gathered in the background after an analysis is created, so adding AI comps a little later with the enhance endpoint often works better than asking for them in the create call.

How API analyses differ from the app

• They use BNBCalc's defaults. An API analysis starts from BNBCalc's standard assumptions for the property's country, not from any presets you've saved in the app.

• AI comps apply straight away. With AI comps turned on, the analysis's revenue comes from the AI-selected comps, as it would in the app after running AI Underwriter.

• They don't appear in your Properties list. Keep the analysis ID and report link that each response returns.

• Their comps are chosen the same way. BNBCalc picks comparable listings for an API analysis just as it does in the app.

  Related question

  • How does BNBCalc choose comparable listings?

Rate limits

The API accepts up to 100 requests a second, and requests that ask for AI steps are limited to 10 a minute per key, with no more than 2 running at once. Going over a limit returns a 429 error, which isn't billed, and the API docs list every limit.

What it costs

There's no monthly fee. You pay $0.20 for each report the API successfully creates, plus $0.10 for each AI step that completes, and requests that BNBCalc answers with an error are free.