Fancy rubbing shoulders with rich and famous actors, from the comfort of your own home, at the same time as making some extra cash? Sounds to good to be true, but by offering your home as a film set, you could do exactly that. This extract from the book 'A Bit on The Side: 500 ways to boost your income' by Jasmine Birtles, published by Piatkus priced £10.99, shows you how

Your home as a film set

You would be surprised at how much you can make by allowing a film crew into your home for a day or more. If you live in a posh or even just an interesting place you can rent it out as a film set - prices are around £1,000 a day for somewhere really good!

How to do it

Not every home is of interest to production companies but it is often surprising what they are looking for. Contact the BBC locations department, your local film commission or one of the national location libraries in London (see below for contact details) and they will send you a form to fill in about your home.

There are quite a few criteria that the ideal home needs to fulfil. Locations manager Helene Lenszner says, 'Ideally we're looking for generous-sized houses with large rooms, a road with good parking facilities, friendly neighbours who won't mind the intrusion and owners who are relaxed about having a crew of about 30 or 40 people in their homes with all the cameras and equipment that go with them.'

If you live in a fabulous stately home you can certainly make a lot of money per day (around £1,000-£2,000) by accommodating a film crew. But quite ordinary homes are wanted too, so long as they are not too far from London or other main filmmaking cities, there is good parking nearby and enough room for a camera crew to swing a tripod. Some programmes, such as The Bill, for example, often need grotty bedsits to film in. They also love homes that have original period interiors, so if you are into fifties decor, for example, consider offering your home for Heartbeat or a one-off drama.

You can also hire out your home for stills shots. If it is swanky enough you could get between £1,000 and £2,000 a day, but it needs to be a pretty special house.

How much can you make?

Usually around £1,000 a day, although it would be less for a small place and more for a large stately home. In London, documentary-makers pay around £300-£500 a day.

Costs

Usually film crews will replace broken or damaged items, although you are often left with damage that you only find later . Also, if they take over your home for more than a day you will have to find other accommodation for you and your family, which could cost you.

Training and qualifications

You don't need training or qualifications.

Pros

You can make a substantial amount of money without much time or effort. If you hang around while the filming is going on you could meet interesting people - including well-known actors - and even get a walk-on part!

Cons

Film crews can be very intrusive and can break things you would never have imagined could be broken! You will have to move out if the crew is there for any length of time, which can be quite a nuisance, particularly if you have family.

Useful contacts Amazing Space, 020 7251 6661
BBC Locations Department, 020 8576 8863
Sarah Eastel Locations, 01225 460022 www.film-locations.co.uk
Film Locations UK, 020 8393 2423, www.locations-uk.com
Lavish Locations, 020 8742 2992, www.lavishlocations.com
The Location Partnership, 020 7734 0456, www.locationpartnership.com
Location Works, 020 7494 0888, www.locationworks.com

Having a film-set home

Five years ago, full-time mother of four Anna Rankin and her husband moved back into her parents' home, Micklefield Hall - a wonderful Georgian house with acres of farmland, near Watford in Hertfordshire. The house is large and needs a lot of upkeep, so the couple's first thought was to hire the place out as a film location.

'It's fantastic when film companies use it as a location,' she says. 'The money's really good but it is a bit erratic so you can't bank on getting a certain amount every year.' Last year the house was used as a location for 12 days, but in other years it has been more.

'It's really fun having film crews around,' Anna adds. 'I've met some really interesting people, including some famous actors, and the children love it. But you do have to be relaxed about it.

They can turn the place upside down and you have to not worry about what they're doing to your paintwork or your floors. But they make it all right afterwards anyway so it's not too bad.'