... and other ways to boost your pension

HOME-SITTING is not the only way to boost income in your retirement. You can let out spare rooms to lodgers or use Airbnb, which connects holidaymakers and weekend breakers with homeowners.

For example, a double room near the centre of Bristol is listed on the Airbnb website for £35 a night.

You can earn £7,500 a year tax-free under the Government’s Rent a Room scheme.

Language school EF pays £85 a week to host families taking in foreign students. Unused space such as a loft, attic or garage, can be let out on sites such as Storemates.

Rent your drive or parking space for up to £200 a month on JustPark, Park Let and Your Parking Space.

Old mobile phones can be traded in on sites such as Compare My Mobile, Sell My Mobile and Compare and Recycle.

Compare My Mobile offers £83 for an iPhone 6 16GB. Zapper, Music Magpie and We Buy Books will pay cash for unwanted books, CDs, DVDs and games.