Hi guys,
because I never used Airbnb before, I searched for information on this topic at this forum. I came across several useful posts and put them together because I also want to give something back to the community. This thread is only useful for guys who want to book and not to rent out their flat.
So my system was that I copied the most beneficial statements I spotted and tried to categorize them as you can see below. This might or might not be helpful for someone in the near future. Enjoy!
------------------------------------------------------------------
Reviews:
-- One reason why some apartments might not have any reviews is because many people go around and make the booking and payment outside of airbnb to save on the fees. Some owners wont allow this but many do. What you lose is the securities which Vicious pointed out and also you wont get the chance to write and review. The last thing an owner wants is a bad review. [1]
-- Read between the lines of the reviews. People are hesitant to include bad info.
"It was a little noisy can mean it was next to a jackhammer factory" [4]
-- with reviews, read between the lines; once I stayed with a guy who had impeccable reviews only to have the weirdest experience ever (he smoked pot a lot and had a live-in boyfriend). The reviews did hint at him being a slightly extravagant character - take every hint and multiply it by a factor of 10 (as mentioned above with the example of noisiness) [9]
-- zero reviews are OK for new hosts, provided that there are no other red flags, and you could even get a better deal price-wise, but try to communicate with the host first to get a feel for who they are [9]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Location:
-- Don't rely on it's pin on the map for it's location. Look up its actual address and punch it in google maps. The map's pin in the airbnb could be a mile away from the actual location. [2]
-- Always make sure to read through the reviews however. In eastern europe I heard of a couple of friends ending up in a different (inferior) apartment to the one they booked. I browsed through some apartment reviews there and sure enough you can see it happened to a few other guests in the reviews. Haven't heard that scam happen in Asia to date however [3]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Features:
-- One thing to keep an eye out for when considering a booking is the "bed type" listing. Some listings feature a photo of a nicely made bed. Oftentimes, it is actually a pull-out sofa that has some nice linens spread out on top to give it a better appearance. Nothing wrong with a pull-out sofa, but if you want or expect a real bed, pay attention to this detail. I can sleep on just about anything but prefer to bang on a real bed so this is something I pay attention to. [5]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Internet:
-- Given your line of work and lifestyle, when contacting a host, consider stressing the importance of a good internet connection. This is something I have always done. I usually write something like " Does this apartment come with WiFi? I work online, so a good internet connection is essential for me." [6]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Photos:
-- photos should capture everything important: the bed (as mentioned above and especially when traveling with a chic or planning to bang), kitchen and appliances, the couch and the living room, and the bathroom (shower or bathtub? are they separated from the toilet?) The fewer photos a property has, the less inclined I am to book it, especially if some of the items important to me are missing. What is the host hiding? [9]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Prices:
-- The key to saving money is understanding that the owners will come down in price by quite a bit. Don't accept the price at face value. If their calendar is empty, they will give you a discount to get some money, especially if you stay a month. [15]
-- I found this all out as well after booking the initial two weeks. I paid almost the same for a month as I did my first two weeks. It definitely seems best to just book a couple nights and then speak with the owner to get a better price. [19]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Possible red flags:
-- Poor pictures, and 0 reviews would be a red flag in my book. [7]
-- beware if the host mentions they live next door or nearby; that might mean that the apartment is just part of their house with a separate entrance, in which case this feels more likely renting a room than an apartment (could be fine for business trips though) [9]
-- I avoid properties where the host mentions too many rules and penalties for breaking them, not worth the hassle. The host is likely anal-retentive and will have arguments with you on check-out [9]
-- Pendejo41 about prices and fees [11] [12]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Negotiating / Airbnb fees:
-- Been using Airbnb for few years now. Prices are higher true, but its just so easy to find a place to your liking. If you want to get around the Airbnb fees try leaving your number like ###......type a word..###.....another word...##...you get point ##. If the host doesn't mind going around the site they will contact you and you can go from there. [8]
-- some people like to save on AirBnB fees but I avoid hosts who reach out to me and suggest we deal in cash outside of AirBnB. The fact is that the majority of fees are paid by guests, so hosts do not have legitimate reasons to game the system. To me this says that the host may have reasons to believe my review would not be 100% positive. [9]
-- I message a few people in the area that I'm looking. I know that these owners would rather have some one paying something rather than no one paying nothing. Say a flat is £1000 for a month, I'll message saying, 'Hi, I'm a regular visitor to Blahblah and I am looking for an accomodation for a month from date to date. I noticed your property and it may suit my needs, my budget is £350-£400, can you help?' I get a reply back saying normally they'll do it for £550-£600 (varies one exchange rate, these europeans use euros when replying). I'll reply back saying I can stretch my budget to £450 or £500 (depending on how much I actually want the flat/apartment as I'll have messaged 5/6) They'll accept that and then I'll pay them on arrival in their local currency rather than using airbnb. [20]
-- I always check the calender, and I ask them if I stay more X nights, could you do me a discount or something, because I only have a budget of $xxx. [22]
-- Well I just booked the apartment for 3 days on Air B&B after agreeing for a month rental and then payed the guy cash for the remainder. Did it on a week to week basis - keep in mind this was the offseason and so he didn't have any real competing tenants and thus was willing to trust me. Also we got to chatting and since it was in EE and I was used to paying cash in Russia for renting I think we sorta immediately figured out what we were both talking about.
My guy was definitely happy we worked it out on a cash basis and didn't go through the Air B&B website after days 1-3. Since you're doing it in advance and have not met the landlord and it's probably 'in season' it might be tougher. But after the few days/week 'trial period' where you've paid through the system you are more 'legit' so they should be willing to trust you more I think. [23]
-- I definitely and always book for like 2 days then book the month in person. It's harder for people to say no face to face and sometimes they just want someone normal living there that they know won't fuck shit up. Having stellar reviews help too. [24]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Possible types of scams:
-- the-dream got scammed because the apartment was being refurbished [10]
-- One scam that the landlords pull on Airbnb is to put up several apartments, one for a cheap price, one for a medium, and one for an expensive price. You message for the cheap price, they draw out the interaction until it gets closer to the date you wanted to arrive, and then they say sorry the cheap place is taken but we will still have the medium one, then they do the same thing again, until its really close and say the medium one is taken, but you can have the expensive one. Their excuse is that the previous tenant needed to stay longer for some reason. Obviously they only try this in peak season, but beware. [17]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Tips:
-- Browse in private mode to avoid higher prices [27]
-- The pictures they use are all the same though in most cases. I was able to secure the same apartment for half the price by doing a reverse image search of the main image of the apartment/place and finding the direct agency that is renting the apartment and their website. So thus avoiding the middle man. [13]
-- Thread about what makes a great Airbnb deal [14]
-- Check Airbnb clones for the same listing and get maybe lower prices [16]
-- Most places are cheaper for a month, so if you're planning on staying somewhere for 3 weeks, at $300/week, but the place is $600/month, what's stopping you from booking a month at the monthly rate, but only staying 3 weeks -- saving $300 in the process? [18]
-- One word of advice: treat the AirBnB as you own. I've got a few stellar long term reviews from property owners and this has definitely added some credo to my below face value offer. Renters are willing to give me the benefit of the doubt once they realize they're dealing with a stable and respectful person. [21]
-- I lived with this random dude for 2 months and it was down right awesome. He was never there and didn't mind me bringing random girls through. I think a good idea if you are thinking of sharing an apartment is to ask the profession. I knew my guy would rarely be home because he was in the medical field. [24]
-- If you are unsure if you'll go/get to the destination than follow 262's tip [25]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Experiance with customer service:
-- zoom wanted to have a refund because of a misrepresented listing [26]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources:
[1] Satoshi @ thread-49058...pid1065061
[2] CleanSlate @ thread-49058...pid1065062
[3] Irish @ thread-49058...pid1065110
[4] iknowexactly @ thread-49058...pid1065111
[5] Nemausus @ thread-49058...pid1065112
[6] Nemausus @ thread-49058...pid1065112
[7] donnie 514 @ thread-49058...pid1065126
[8] donnie 514 @ thread-49058...pid1065126
[9] Teekay @ thread-49058...pid1066081
[10] the-dream @ thread-49058...pid1093035
[11] Pendejo41 @ thread-49058...pid1093026
[12] Pendejo41 @ thread-49058...pid1093168
[13] Sojourn @ thread-49058...pid1102393
[14] the-dream @ thread-54333...pid1243212
[15] Roosh @ thread-15183...#pid253798
[16] Nudge @ thread-15183...#pid274761
[17] Blunt @ thread-15183...#pid274772
[18] jariel @ thread-15183...#pid323333
[19] InternationPlayboy @ thread-15183...#pid362906
[20] bojangles @ thread-15183...#pid682777
[21] MaleDefined @ thread-15183...#pid682975
[22] Afarang @ thread-15183...#pid683412
[23] Akula @ thread-15183...#pid692028
[24] coverdoc @ thread-15183...pid1122543
[25] 262 @ thread-15183...pid1143600
[26] zoom @ thread-49058...pid1065445
[27] scotian @ thread-49058...pid1065260
because I never used Airbnb before, I searched for information on this topic at this forum. I came across several useful posts and put them together because I also want to give something back to the community. This thread is only useful for guys who want to book and not to rent out their flat.
So my system was that I copied the most beneficial statements I spotted and tried to categorize them as you can see below. This might or might not be helpful for someone in the near future. Enjoy!
------------------------------------------------------------------
Reviews:
-- One reason why some apartments might not have any reviews is because many people go around and make the booking and payment outside of airbnb to save on the fees. Some owners wont allow this but many do. What you lose is the securities which Vicious pointed out and also you wont get the chance to write and review. The last thing an owner wants is a bad review. [1]
-- Read between the lines of the reviews. People are hesitant to include bad info.
"It was a little noisy can mean it was next to a jackhammer factory" [4]
-- with reviews, read between the lines; once I stayed with a guy who had impeccable reviews only to have the weirdest experience ever (he smoked pot a lot and had a live-in boyfriend). The reviews did hint at him being a slightly extravagant character - take every hint and multiply it by a factor of 10 (as mentioned above with the example of noisiness) [9]
-- zero reviews are OK for new hosts, provided that there are no other red flags, and you could even get a better deal price-wise, but try to communicate with the host first to get a feel for who they are [9]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Location:
-- Don't rely on it's pin on the map for it's location. Look up its actual address and punch it in google maps. The map's pin in the airbnb could be a mile away from the actual location. [2]
-- Always make sure to read through the reviews however. In eastern europe I heard of a couple of friends ending up in a different (inferior) apartment to the one they booked. I browsed through some apartment reviews there and sure enough you can see it happened to a few other guests in the reviews. Haven't heard that scam happen in Asia to date however [3]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Features:
-- One thing to keep an eye out for when considering a booking is the "bed type" listing. Some listings feature a photo of a nicely made bed. Oftentimes, it is actually a pull-out sofa that has some nice linens spread out on top to give it a better appearance. Nothing wrong with a pull-out sofa, but if you want or expect a real bed, pay attention to this detail. I can sleep on just about anything but prefer to bang on a real bed so this is something I pay attention to. [5]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Internet:
-- Given your line of work and lifestyle, when contacting a host, consider stressing the importance of a good internet connection. This is something I have always done. I usually write something like " Does this apartment come with WiFi? I work online, so a good internet connection is essential for me." [6]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Photos:
-- photos should capture everything important: the bed (as mentioned above and especially when traveling with a chic or planning to bang), kitchen and appliances, the couch and the living room, and the bathroom (shower or bathtub? are they separated from the toilet?) The fewer photos a property has, the less inclined I am to book it, especially if some of the items important to me are missing. What is the host hiding? [9]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Prices:
-- The key to saving money is understanding that the owners will come down in price by quite a bit. Don't accept the price at face value. If their calendar is empty, they will give you a discount to get some money, especially if you stay a month. [15]
-- I found this all out as well after booking the initial two weeks. I paid almost the same for a month as I did my first two weeks. It definitely seems best to just book a couple nights and then speak with the owner to get a better price. [19]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Possible red flags:
-- Poor pictures, and 0 reviews would be a red flag in my book. [7]
-- beware if the host mentions they live next door or nearby; that might mean that the apartment is just part of their house with a separate entrance, in which case this feels more likely renting a room than an apartment (could be fine for business trips though) [9]
-- I avoid properties where the host mentions too many rules and penalties for breaking them, not worth the hassle. The host is likely anal-retentive and will have arguments with you on check-out [9]
-- Pendejo41 about prices and fees [11] [12]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Negotiating / Airbnb fees:
-- Been using Airbnb for few years now. Prices are higher true, but its just so easy to find a place to your liking. If you want to get around the Airbnb fees try leaving your number like ###......type a word..###.....another word...##...you get point ##. If the host doesn't mind going around the site they will contact you and you can go from there. [8]
-- some people like to save on AirBnB fees but I avoid hosts who reach out to me and suggest we deal in cash outside of AirBnB. The fact is that the majority of fees are paid by guests, so hosts do not have legitimate reasons to game the system. To me this says that the host may have reasons to believe my review would not be 100% positive. [9]
-- I message a few people in the area that I'm looking. I know that these owners would rather have some one paying something rather than no one paying nothing. Say a flat is £1000 for a month, I'll message saying, 'Hi, I'm a regular visitor to Blahblah and I am looking for an accomodation for a month from date to date. I noticed your property and it may suit my needs, my budget is £350-£400, can you help?' I get a reply back saying normally they'll do it for £550-£600 (varies one exchange rate, these europeans use euros when replying). I'll reply back saying I can stretch my budget to £450 or £500 (depending on how much I actually want the flat/apartment as I'll have messaged 5/6) They'll accept that and then I'll pay them on arrival in their local currency rather than using airbnb. [20]
-- I always check the calender, and I ask them if I stay more X nights, could you do me a discount or something, because I only have a budget of $xxx. [22]
-- Well I just booked the apartment for 3 days on Air B&B after agreeing for a month rental and then payed the guy cash for the remainder. Did it on a week to week basis - keep in mind this was the offseason and so he didn't have any real competing tenants and thus was willing to trust me. Also we got to chatting and since it was in EE and I was used to paying cash in Russia for renting I think we sorta immediately figured out what we were both talking about.
My guy was definitely happy we worked it out on a cash basis and didn't go through the Air B&B website after days 1-3. Since you're doing it in advance and have not met the landlord and it's probably 'in season' it might be tougher. But after the few days/week 'trial period' where you've paid through the system you are more 'legit' so they should be willing to trust you more I think. [23]
-- I definitely and always book for like 2 days then book the month in person. It's harder for people to say no face to face and sometimes they just want someone normal living there that they know won't fuck shit up. Having stellar reviews help too. [24]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Possible types of scams:
-- the-dream got scammed because the apartment was being refurbished [10]
-- One scam that the landlords pull on Airbnb is to put up several apartments, one for a cheap price, one for a medium, and one for an expensive price. You message for the cheap price, they draw out the interaction until it gets closer to the date you wanted to arrive, and then they say sorry the cheap place is taken but we will still have the medium one, then they do the same thing again, until its really close and say the medium one is taken, but you can have the expensive one. Their excuse is that the previous tenant needed to stay longer for some reason. Obviously they only try this in peak season, but beware. [17]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Tips:
-- Browse in private mode to avoid higher prices [27]
-- The pictures they use are all the same though in most cases. I was able to secure the same apartment for half the price by doing a reverse image search of the main image of the apartment/place and finding the direct agency that is renting the apartment and their website. So thus avoiding the middle man. [13]
-- Thread about what makes a great Airbnb deal [14]
-- Check Airbnb clones for the same listing and get maybe lower prices [16]
-- Most places are cheaper for a month, so if you're planning on staying somewhere for 3 weeks, at $300/week, but the place is $600/month, what's stopping you from booking a month at the monthly rate, but only staying 3 weeks -- saving $300 in the process? [18]
-- One word of advice: treat the AirBnB as you own. I've got a few stellar long term reviews from property owners and this has definitely added some credo to my below face value offer. Renters are willing to give me the benefit of the doubt once they realize they're dealing with a stable and respectful person. [21]
-- I lived with this random dude for 2 months and it was down right awesome. He was never there and didn't mind me bringing random girls through. I think a good idea if you are thinking of sharing an apartment is to ask the profession. I knew my guy would rarely be home because he was in the medical field. [24]
-- If you are unsure if you'll go/get to the destination than follow 262's tip [25]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Experiance with customer service:
-- zoom wanted to have a refund because of a misrepresented listing [26]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources:
[1] Satoshi @ thread-49058...pid1065061
[2] CleanSlate @ thread-49058...pid1065062
[3] Irish @ thread-49058...pid1065110
[4] iknowexactly @ thread-49058...pid1065111
[5] Nemausus @ thread-49058...pid1065112
[6] Nemausus @ thread-49058...pid1065112
[7] donnie 514 @ thread-49058...pid1065126
[8] donnie 514 @ thread-49058...pid1065126
[9] Teekay @ thread-49058...pid1066081
[10] the-dream @ thread-49058...pid1093035
[11] Pendejo41 @ thread-49058...pid1093026
[12] Pendejo41 @ thread-49058...pid1093168
[13] Sojourn @ thread-49058...pid1102393
[14] the-dream @ thread-54333...pid1243212
[15] Roosh @ thread-15183...#pid253798
[16] Nudge @ thread-15183...#pid274761
[17] Blunt @ thread-15183...#pid274772
[18] jariel @ thread-15183...#pid323333
[19] InternationPlayboy @ thread-15183...#pid362906
[20] bojangles @ thread-15183...#pid682777
[21] MaleDefined @ thread-15183...#pid682975
[22] Afarang @ thread-15183...#pid683412
[23] Akula @ thread-15183...#pid692028
[24] coverdoc @ thread-15183...pid1122543
[25] 262 @ thread-15183...pid1143600
[26] zoom @ thread-49058...pid1065445
[27] scotian @ thread-49058...pid1065260
