Graham and Jo Atkins-Hughes started hiring out their home for photo and film shoots about 15 years ago when they sensed a new trend.

“People started shooting what is now referred to as lifestyle photography – with less set-up, houses that looked real,” he recalls. “We were riding the beginning of that wave of change.” He is a photographer and his wife was a stylist then, so “we had inside knowledge of what kind of spaces the industry was looking for”.

The couple bought a four-storey Victorian terraced house in Hackney, east London, as a family home but set it up as a shoot location from the start – which has become a growing trend. Several walls were taken out to make it easier for big film crews to move around. The interior was painted in dark colours – an aesthetic decision, he says, but “it just happened that it worked as a shoot location”.

Agencies say that film companies and magazines scouting for locations want a distinctive look – whether it’s a council flat or a stately home. Unusual features such as a big mural, lovely fireplace or pink bathroom may catch their eye.

People renting out their homes can expect to make £300 to £500 a day for a photo or documentary shoot (fashion shoots are often paid for by the photographer) and £2,000 to £5,000 a day for a feature film. There are about 45 agencies in the UK that typically take a 20% to 30% cut of the fees.

Kell Gatherer, a director at Location Works, an agency with more than 4,000 properties that can be hired for shoots on its books, says: “There is a lot of demand for locations that look ordinary. If it is an advert for a washing powder it might be a pretty ordinary home they are looking for.”

He says one recent shoot arranged by the agency was at a house with a wishing well in the garden, while another for a charity featured a “house that looked like it could belong to elderly people”.

But even an ordinary home needs to have plenty of space and natural light – for example, an open-plan kitchen–living room so the crew can be in the living room while filming in the kitchen. Crew sizes vary between five to 10 for a photo shoot and from 20 to 40 for an advert or feature film.

Daniel Garry, manager at the London agency Shootfactory, says: “There is definitely demand for normal properties, but you need good access, good light, good size rooms.

“A very small two-up, two-down terraced property is not of interest, but for the average family home there is demand. A cameraman would need to be able to pull back to shoot a living room.”

While some homeowners warn that shoots can be very disruptive, there is the thrill of seeing their house featured in glossy magazines, TV ads or even movies – and perhaps meeting the odd celebrity.

An episode of Channel 4’s Catastrophe sitcom was shot at the Atkins-Hughes house along with ads or commercials for Mulberry, Agent Provocateur, British Vogue and Marie Claire; and celebrities including Kylie Minogue, Penelope Cruz and Joan Collins have made an appearance over the years. Graham Atkins-Hughes is blasé about this. “You don’t really get to meet them. You might pass them on the stairs.”

His two sons, aged 9 and 11, get frustrated sometimes because they cannot roam freely through the house during filming, but the couple have kept the top floor private.

Jo Atkins-Hughes now manages the property as a shoot location. Shoots can be a nice little earner, but when they become more frequent, dealing with film or photographic crews becomes a full-time job, says Atkins-Hughes. “Most people come to the house to look at the space first before booking it. If you have a film shoot sometimes they come to look at the house several times. These recces do take up a lot of time.”

Josh Jones is the chief executive and co-founder of JJ Media, which has 2,000 homes on its books and collects about £2m in fees a year for homeowners. He says: “Shooting on location is more cost effective than ever before. Over the last few years we’ve seen a huge spike in demand for normal homes.” This is partly driven by the proliferation of TV cookery shows and online food channels.

JJ Media has recently set up a new agency, JJ Connect, based on the Airbnb model. Homeowners pay an upfront fee of £5 a month or £50 a year to list their property, but there is no commission on bookings, as they deal with clients directly. The fee includes listing and guidance support and contract templates in a similar style to Airbnb.

As well as people’s homes, warehouses and industrial spaces are in demand as makeshift studios or event spaces. The UK film industry is booming, which means many studios are booked out. Lorna Gatherer-Ford, managing director of Location Works, says: “Film companies want somewhere they can create a studio – a big hangar with high ceilings.”

Dereliction is particularly popular, she says, but it is increasingly difficult to find big derelict spaces because they quickly get knocked down and rebuilt. Some people, she says, even try to create a distressed look in their homes by deliberately ageing the walls.

How to turn your home into a prime location

Pick an agency and send them photos of your home (without people and pets). You can list with several agencies. Some offer a photography service. Many owners also promote their property on Instagram or their own website.

What makes a good location? “A building that looks a particular way, whether derelict or stylish. You want it to make a statement. Something that stands out: bright pink or dark curtains,” says Lorna Gatherer-Ford at Location Works.

Bright colours are popular, as are white and modern interiors. Be prepared for several visits from film crews before they commit to a shoot.

Get a contract (through the agency) that sets out what the crew can and cannot do in your home and ensures that they will restore it to its original condition after the shoot. Any damage is paid for by the client’s insurers.

Ideally, someone should be there on filming day, though some owners leave in the morning and return in the evening. If you are there during the shoot, don’t get in the way of the cameras.

Check if there are regulations that may restrict hiring out your house for shoots, such as parking restrictions.

Graham Atkins-Hughes says: “You need to have a flexible personality, be easygoing and like having a tidy house.”

• This article was amended on 20 September 2017. It previously said that JJ Media collects about £120,000 in fees a year for homeowners. This has been corrected.