Interesting! When I find a new website, first of all I check if there is a street address to contact them. THERE IS NONE, only e-mail and phone.

Second, living in San Francisco, I checked a couple of places - and judging by description and reviews it's like I rent an apartment for myself, and let travelers like you occupy one room. Is this what B&B is all about?

Some have shared, not always clean, restrooms, some don't have breakfast.

I didn't check, but I bet BBB has lots of complaints, if this thing is even registered with BBB!

I would worry about safety of staying with strangers, being at their mercy in their apartments or houses.

Well, Dayenu, I don't know what you mean by "safety of staying with strangers, being at their mercy in their apartments or houses". One does that every time one rents a vacation apartment. Do you know every B&B or hotel owner at who's property you stay? Do you feel the desk clerk is going to come in the middle of the night and molest you?

Anyway, I looked at some listed for Paris, and some of them sounded interesting; some did not. In any case, it did not look more threatening to me than renting through VRBO.

Anyone actually used them?

Hi nukesafe

Did you find any further information about Airbnb. We to are interested in using the service....but can't find a single review from anybody that has.....lots of media info....but no actual users....that is apart from reviews posted on it's own website??

Andrew

I read the article about it in the New York Times, and it sounds legit. Here's a link:

http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/staying-with-newfound-friends-for-a-fee/?em

My daughter used this in London and she said it was great. I am getting a room ready now to list on airbnb. I live in Florida and the season is coming. Great way to make some extra money.

I used this for a 10 day vacation in Paris (just got back last night) and it worked out quite well.

I will say that there were one or two hitches with the payment. My credit card wasn't properly billed until about two days after my arrival, because Amex initially questioned the charge, and there was some minor confusion over fees-- what I paid Airbnb vs. what was eventually deposited in the host's account. And one odd thing on their website is that they don't seem to separate "reviews" vs. "friends feedback." But the visit went well. The property, neighborhood etc. were exactly as represented by the owner, we got a great price, etc.. As with eBay, I'm sure much depends on the reputation and intentions of the individual renting out the apartment or the room. If they have a good reputation that establishes that they're honest, you can do very well.

And it really helps if you have a common language with the person renting out the space-- our host had pretty good English, I have passable French, we managed well enough.

So... it definitely can work, I'd do it again without hesitating (if I could actually get some more time off, which may not happen any time soon).

I will specifically mention my host, by the way-- "Agathe S", with a flat to rent in Rue des Martyrs. For those confused by the "renting a room in an apartment vs. renting the whole apartment" thing, some hosts list a room, some list a whole apartment or house, and you should just read the listing to see what's on offer. In Agathe's case, for example, she has two listings-- you can either rent the whole apartment (in which case she goes and stays somewhere else while you're there) or just her guest bedroom (in which case she continues to occupy the master bedroom while you're there, you share the kitchen/bath etc.).

I think Airbnb has some maturing to do as a site, but the basics work as long as the host and guest are straight with each other.

I stayed at the Wee Cottage in Austin through AirBNB- it was represented as funky and charming- actually a health and safety hazard-mold and rust in the bathtub (unfit for use)- the only source of heat for the cottage was tiny gas heater in bathroom-lumpy, damp bed held up by a cinder block....I stayed one night (slept in my clothes) and went to a nice, clean hotel for the rest of my stay. They refunded me for the other 5 nights- but it was a struggle (lucky, I took pics). Since the accommodations are not checked-and I suspect the "reviews" are edited (they would not let me post my review)- Be Ware!

I both rent out and have rented on Airbnb. It's great. You need to be aware that the service charges BOTH renters and rentees a service fee. Whomever is doing the renting does not know what Airbnb will charge the renter, as it depends on length of stay. Read the terms. As for the commenter who rented a place found unsatisfactory/not as advertised (Wee Cottage in Austin, I'm talking to you), you should call Airbnb immediately, within 24 hours, & request they withhold your payment to the renter. Like Austin, take photos if you can. And guess what? Airbnb will with hold the $. They do not deposit it to the renter AT ALL until the renters have been in the rental, presumably, for 24+hours. There's a reason for that. Duh. Be informed is better advice than 'be ware'.

None of my former guests have written about my place. It would be nice if they would, but they paid up, showed up & each assured me all was well. I can't make anyone write a review. The advantage for the renter is you usually have a kitchen & often a personal concierge. In my case, I have provide a map of local venues (grocery stores, decent restaurants & menus, sights and bike/car rental locations), all within walking distance. I give them my phone number (I'm just steps away), but I also give them total privacy if they don't want to see my face. When I travel, I want it all to be 'right' and not to have to ask for anything so I respect others may want that as well.

I rent via Airbnb when I do not have family in town and am not involved in a Home Exchange. I have exchanged with people from all over the world, & though I am relatively new to Airbnb, I am very travel-experienced. I like working with them. When one guest booked a price I had made a mistake on, and he knew it, Airbnb was prompt to rectify the issue (as was the guest).

Airbnb probably does not edit reviews, but removes unsuitable properties as they are notified of them BY RENTERS. That seems obvious since they list thousands of properties. They are responsive and gain NOTHING by presenting poor options for users. That's just dumb.

I tried contacting Airbnb because of changes a rentee made after we had begun emailing and agreed upon dates, times, fees. I emailed them, had no response, so I called both the 800 number and the 415 number. I left my name and number, as it appears they have no one there to answer the phones. They say that they will call you back right away. I have not been called back.

All I can say is that we have rented our guest room to about half a dozen different renters so far, and have had nothing but pleasant experiences. Two of them have written positive reviews, so we must be doing something right.

Absolutely no problems with our guests or AirBnB. I did get a couple of grumbles because our rainy spring screwed up the Tulip Festival timing for one flower lover/photographer, and the couple who came to Anacortes to go kayaking on Memorial Day weekend got totally rained out. Hardly the fault of the room, however, so they left happy. The AirBnB fees are not high for either the landlord or the renter, so this kind of less formal accommodation can be attractive for both, as the price is usually much less than local motels.

My concern about Airbnb continues to be that their attitude is very hands off. If there is a problem, how do they address it if they never return phone calls.

I did receive two email replies. These responses in no way addressed the concerns that I had. The initial response was completely unrelated to what had been expressed to them. Another person left a message and received no return phone call either.

They did state that they would take the issue up with the host, but they had no way of knowing who the host was, given the number of hosts that I had contacted. Return phone calls were requested, this was not at all acted upon.

My sense is that they are operating out of someone's house, and treat their physical website as the sole component of the business that needs maintaining. Their customer service is NON EXISTENT.

Well, you may well be right about their function. I view them as merely a service that connects landlord with prospective tenant, not as a go-between agent. As I said earlier in this thread, we have used them very successfully to rent our guest room in Anacortes. If someone is interested in staying with us, they fill in the Airbnb form, and their request (automatically?) gets forwarded to us. We then talk directly with the renter, either by email or telephone to make arrangements.

I know we get requests from Airbnb to rate our guests, and I assume our guests get a similar note to rate us. Whether or not this information goes anywhere other than a database, I have no idea. All we care about is that we have had a series of really nice people stay with us, and we get our money from Airbnb promptly.

We also list with Craigslist, which is even more impersonal, but which has also supplied us with nice folks who love our view.

I think you are expecting too much from an online service like this. They are not a travel agency.

I went to NYC for a few days earlier this year on a budget of course. I used airbnb and had a decent experience staying at a place in Harlem that I found on there. I think the hardest part is coordinating with potential hosts and waiting for replies. It takes some patience and persistence; it's not as easy as just booking a normal hotel. I think it's a great concept and it let's you have more of a local experience. It requires you having a bit of faith though in the people hosting you.

I'd say it's user beware. If the experience makes you too uncomfortable or nervous than you probably shouldn't use it.

Beware of Airbnb!

This site has taken off like wild fire but be aware of the risks. Behind the pretty facade there's little real structure or organisation. They do not offer any sort of protection and are not interested in helping resolve problem situations. And problem situations will come up believe me, in which case you are on your own. I have had a terrible experience with them. Following a failed reservation I was left out nearly $1000 and Airbnb just walked away. Be aware of what you're getting into. These people are just out to make money on your back.

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Weird. Most replies are from the first-time posters

Do not book anything with airbnb.com . I had a problem with a apartment that was absolutely not the apartment I rented.

I left the apartment and I tried calling them for 3 days on their 800 number 1 (800) 615-3017 .

I now am out $1200 and know the holding music by heart and would like to drive a screw threw my head if I ever hear it again. This has been by far the worst experience renting vacation rentals ever !!!!!!!!!!! This is a bull*%it company with no real support when something goes wrong.

DO NOT RENT ON HERE !!!!!

Wow, sorry to hear that. We just had a couple leave our rental guest room yesterday, and had absolutely no problems. Perhaps it is quite different if one is on the "guest" side of the equation, as the rent money is deposited in our PayPal account before the guest arrives, and we have had nothing but good experiences with the folks that have stayed with us.

Of course it helps that our place is exactly as advertised, and we go out of our way to be helpful. If a renter were to be unhappy, we would make it right on the spot with no need for AirBnB to get involved.

I'd appreciate it if you would follow up with the results of your complaint, as we really would not want to be associated with a company that is unresponsive to its clients. We get plenty of bookings through the Seattle Craigslist, so we don't need to rely on AirBnB, so I'd like to now for sure that I'm not dealing with a fly-by-night operation.

Airbnb is a over-hyped unresponsive company ! You find good deals on any vacation rental website you just have to know how to look for it !

I tend to disagree with those critical of airbnb. Granted, I can not say everyone is above board like I am, but my rental is EXACTLY as advertised. I have just begun to rent my second bedroom (1st rental June 5, 2010) and the people I have met have been great and EVERYONE who has stayed with me has felt the room was well worth the price charged. So far I have had 5 people stay with me and another 4 booked for the coming months.

I have not had any problems that would require me to call airbnb at 800-615-3017 but to make sure I was not talking out of turn I called to test the responsiveness of the company. My call was answered in under 2 minutes. I spoke briefly with the customer service rep explaining why I was calling and she said she was happy that as a host I was so hands on that I would check on an aspect of the service I (so far) have had no need for.

I have cut and pasted a few comments from people so I can comment directly on them:

bonsejour on Jun 7, 10 at 5:34pm
I tried contacting Airbnb because of changes a rentee made after we had begun emailing and agreed upon dates, times, fees. I emailed them, had no response, so I called both the 800 number and the 415 number. I left my name and number, as it appears they have no one there to answer the phones. They say that they will call you back right away. I have not been called back.

AS FAR AS I CAN TELL IF I TRY TO CHANGE A RESERVATION AFTER IT'S ACCEPTED IT HAS TO BE AGREED UPON. HERE'S MY POLICY... I CHARGE $75/NIGHT $450/7 NIGHTS AND $1600/28 NIGHTS. I ALSO COLLECT A CLEANING FEE DEPENDENT UPON THE LENGTH OF STAY, BUT NOT TO EXCEED $25. IN THE EVENT YOU DEAL WITH A HOST WHO TRIES TO CHANGE THINGS ON YOU, YOU SHOULD WALK AWAY FROM THE BOOKING. WHEN YOU CONTACT A HOST IT SEEMS TO ME IT WILL BE PRETTY EASY TO FIGURE OUT WHO IS ABOVE BOARD AND WHO IS SKETCHY.


woogawooga on Jun 12, 10 at 9:40pm
I went to NYC for a few days earlier this year on a budget of course. I used airbnb and had a decent experience staying at a place in Harlem that I found on there. I think the hardest part is coordinating with potential hosts and waiting for replies. It takes some patience and persistence; it's not as easy as just booking a normal hotel. I think it's a great concept and it let's you have more of a local experience. It requires you having a bit of faith though in the people hosting you. I'd say it's user beware. If the experience makes you too uncomfortable or nervous than you probably shouldn't use it.

PERSONALLY I HAVE A TEXT MESSAGE SENT TO MY PHONE WHEN SOMEONE SENDS A MESSAGE TO ME VIA AIRBNB. I GET BACK ALMOST IMMEDIATELY EVERY TIME. OFTEN, THOUGH, I AM MESSAGED BY EUROPEANS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. WHEN THIS HAPPENS THEY GET A RESPONSE WHEN I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING. IF YOU AREN'T CONTACTED IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME I WOULD THINK THAT SHOULD BE THE 1ST RED FLAG.

maya704 on Jun 16, 10 at 12:48pm
Beware of Airbnb! This site has taken off like wild fire but be aware of the risks. Behind the pretty facade there's little real structure or organisation. They do not offer any sort of protection and are not interested in helping resolve problem situations. And problem situations will come up believe me, in which case you are on your own. I have had a terrible experience with them. Following a failed reservation I was left out nearly $1000 and Airbnb just walked away. Be aware of what you're getting into. These people are just out to make money on your back. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

I'M AT A LOSS AS TO HOW ANYONE CAN BE OUT MONEY ON A FAILED RESERVATION. PAYMENT IS MADE TO AIRBNB AND THEY DO NOT PAY THE HOST UNTIL THE RENTER HAS CHECKED IN. THE PAYMENT ISN'T RELEASED UNTIL THE DAY AFTER CHECK IN AND IT TAKES A FULL BUSINESS DAY TO MAKE IT INTO MY BANK ACCOUNT. SEEMS LIKE THE PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT BEING OUT MONEY MAY BE AT FAULT FOR THIS. THE HOST HAS THE OPTION TO SET A VERY STRICT CANCELLATION POLICY AND MAYBE THAT WAS THE CASE.

protraveler on Jul 1, 10 at 9:31am
Airbnb is a over-hyped unresponsive company ! You find good deals on any vacation rental website you just have to know how to look for it !

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FIND A PLACE AS NICE AS MINE IN NYC FOR LESS THAN THE PRICE I'M CHARGING. END OF STORY.

All this being said I'd like you all to take a look at my place and if you'd like to book a vacation in NYC I'll be happy to make your NYC/airbnb experience a great one!

http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/29628

Oh, you will have access to my kitchen, but the food is not included. Grocery store right around the corner though!

Naturally people who are renting rooms through Air BnB think it's a great idea - they're getting what they want from it. But any matching service that doesn't inspect the lodgings in question cannot be responsible for their condition or even their existence. I'm sure there are quite a few renters that are hones - although this is illegal in NYC. But there have been enough complaints that it is obvious many are not as advertised.

So - it's caveat emptor. Those interested should do all the research they can on the specific property they will be renting - not the service (since they are NOT renting from the service but from the individual owner).

NY traveler... you're wrong about it being illegal in NY. There is a bill (S6873) that has gone to the Governor for his signature, but if he vetoes it it will still be legal. Not to mention it will not be illegal for someone who lives on the premises to rent out a 2nd bedroom. There are many problems with the bill, #1 being that it is way too broad. As it's written it will be illegal for anyone to rent for under 30 days. Well, what if you're going away for the month of February and want to sublet your space? Can't because the bill is so poorly written it doesn't take into consideration the month of February which has less than 30 days.

Get some facts here: http://savenysublets.tumblr.com/

NY Traveler... Also, how can you make the statement "But there have been enough complaints that it is obvious many are not as advertised."? As I am using the service I would like to have all the info I can on the company I am utilizing. If there is a place to find out how many complaints have been lodged specifically about airbnb.com I'd love to have access to it.

They have thousands of complaints that people will never hear!

They are constantly losing customers due to their jokers office policy and young kids answering calls about things they can not help you with because they have never been to that apartment or can not reach the host.

Here are a few examples :

If there is a problem they will have the airbnb court in San Francisco check out the problem in New York? They then flip a coin and see who gets the payment back. This leaves the traveler with no apartment and the host with no money?

As a traveler, you run the risk of being canceled by the host for a larger booking at any time. This could mean you would have to pay 3 times what you expected to pay in a hotel.

As a host at airbnb, is a second class booking because they never receive any deposit. Keep this in mind when someone easily cancels an airbnb booking to take a higher paying customer.

Host can lose money for no good reason

Perhaps the client sleeps there and then leaves the next day because his friend had a place where he can stay. He can then create a story and feed it to airbnb so they can refund him 100% of payment.

Hey for a thousand dollars or more people get creative these days ! It may also not be that complicated for the host to lose his payment.

Maybe the traveler imagined a doorman building like in the movies and arrives to a walk up building. Since travelers hold the airbnb terms of use to the word, they can simply say its not what they imagined and would like a full refund. The cancellation policy owners submit are not valid if the client is not happy.

Book your rentals with an agency that has seen these apartments and actually vouches they exist etc. Its not hard just search google maps in any city or vr websites.

I said it's caverat emptor. I'm sure that some (many? most?) of the renters are honest. but this system doesn't check them out so you don;t know which is which.

The law has ben passed in New York. The purpose is to prevent short-term sublets (since neither landlords, co-op owners nor condo owners want them). Owner/residents don;t want transient people in our homes and landlords don't want tenants trying to avoid the rent laws that let people live in apartments for far below the market rent. (You are allowed to live in these apartments only if this is your legal residence - if you really live elsewhere the landlord can evict you and rent the apartment at market rates.)

And owners of co-ops or condos can obviously have real guests - or can change their living circumstances (get married or have a live in SO) - what they can't do is rent out a spare room to a series of random strangers. This can void the lease of every co-op or condo I know - and these people can be summarily evicted by the board - since legally they re trespassing.

As for rentals, if the renter want to add people to the lease they need the permission of the landlord. And if they have a long string of strangers staying with them other tenant will soon notice and complain to the landlord - leading to unpleasant consequences.

Some people may want to rent out an extra room in their apartment short-term for their own reasons - but it is now illegal in New York. If someone owns a private house and chooses to rent out a spare room to a long list of strangers they re free to do so (it;s illegal since the C of O doens;t allow it - but they can probably get away with it - unless they rent to a LOT of people - when again, neighbors may complain.)

(Someone on the block my parents live on inherited a house and decided to rent to a group of young men - who brought in several others. Neighbors complained about the noise, large number of cars on the street and conditions around the house, the police investigted and the tenants were evicted - since in that area having more than 3 unrelated adults living n a house in against the zoning laws.)

Resident owners and landlords have the right to protect themselves and their property - and this law will close some of the loopholes and make it easier for them to do so.

All I can do is repeat what our experience has been in renting out our guest room. We have had no problems wheresoever from either Airbnb, or our guests. I suppose both renters and landlords could scam each other, but it certainly has not happened to us.

One big protection against scams is the caveat emptor, and Airbnb has some of that built in by the review sections. As people have rented our place, they have posted reviews directly to Airbnb to report whether they liked the place or not. We never see, or have the opportunity to edit, these before they appear on our listing. Can't change them after they do appear. Folks looking for a place to stay in our town would be foolish to read the reviews before before sending money to the agency.

On our side of the ledger, Airbnb sends us a request for a review of our guests soon after they leave us. We have the ability to look on the site to see if they have used the service before, and to read reviews posted by hosts they have stayed with previously. Some are first timers, but the couple in the room right now are from Idaho, and are on a month long vacation up the west coast. We were able to read what sort of guests they have been, and from the glowing comments, we may be tempted to adopt them.

I know things are different in New York, nytraveler, but renting out a room in your home is not illegal in most of the country, and folks wanting to make a few bucks by taking in guests for their spare room, and travelers looking for low cost lodging are able to solve each other's problems using this web site.

Works for us.

If the locality allows this - then it's fine to go ahead. But renters must understand that they have to do all their own legwork. The company does not investigate or vouch for the lodgings - just lists them on it's site.

We are staying at an apartment in Paris on our upcoming trip thru airbnb so I will make a brief report when we return. I think it's like any VRBO type of site - we waded through a lot of listings and asked a lot of questions so we'll see. o

i've booked an apartment in paris through airbnb and loved it.
my friend stayed in barcelona and in paris, both time in a shared room and also had good experience.
It's great when people write feedback. When they don't, it's higher risk, coz you just don't know..
but the place where we stayed in paris, just next to louvre, is in very expensive area in paris and it would have been impossible to get a hotel for the money that we got whole flat.and everything was exactly like advertised..
i think it's worth the risk, but of course everybody needs to be aware that there is always a risk. even if u book a hotel there is no guarantee that you will be treated correctly.or that its gonna be clean..

i've already booked a shared room in california for next year's trip. will let you know guys about my experience..

My husband and I decided to rent a condominium in Chicago through AirBNB vs a hotel to get a feel for the surrounding neighborhoods. We selected a small studio condo on Wells Street in Old Town through JoAnne J. The picture displayed a clean, well-kept location. On the way down JoAnne called us to say we were staying at a different location on Sedgewick. We went to the location she directed us to find a terribly maintained condo with a bathroom with mold and ceiling tiles falling in, bugs on the floor and disgusting kitchen. We were meeting friends and had a full weekend planned with the air and water show, dinner, etc. We called JoAnne who communicated no other options and directed us to take it up with AirBNB. She also said she communicated the change in early emails which was not true. Once home we did more research and discovered that the Sedgewick property is owned by JoAnne and that her real estate brokers licensed number 475104466 had been disciplined for aiding and abetting unlicensed practice and for dishonorable, unethical or unprofessional conduct of a character likely to deceive, defraud or harm the public. Our mistake was not doing this investigation in advance of booking. Won't happen again.

I'm a host with Airbnb and I wholeheartedly agree with the caveat emptor sentiment expressed in several posts. Here's why.

Airbnb will block attempts at host-to-host contact. On several occasions I've received text "previews" (as Air calls them) indicating I have a message. Previews from other hosts are quickly deleted before I have a chance to read the entire message.

Gotta chuckle at the irony. A social networking site that inhibits its (host) members from connecting.

On both sides of the fence---guest and host---caveat emptor, caveat emptor!

that is very interesting, that hosts can't connect to each other. do you have any idea why?

I guess I don't understand your point, travellin. Airbnb is not a "social networking site", it is a commercial site that connects guests with hosts. Why would host wish to talk to host over through Airbnb?

However, if you want to chat with me ---

Actually, how has your experience been with Airbnb, as a host? Ours has been splendid. We have only been doing this for a bit less than a year, but we have had lots of inquiries, and a fair number of bookings as the Summer season came. Once we got a number of positive reviews on our listing, things picked right up. Each one of our guests has been pleasant, and considerate of the place. The new flat screen tv is still in its place each time I check.

As others have indicated, both guest and host need to take normal precautions, but it has worked for us.

BTW, we will be going to New York in October, and my wife has booked us an apartment in Hells Kitchen through Airbnb for four days. I will report back to let you know how things look from the guest's point of view.

nukesafe sure sounds like a tout

Placename, please read the whole thread before you call someone names. If you would have the courtesy to do so, you would see that I am the OP, and I asked about this site before we listed our room with them. I have only been responding to discussions of how the system works. Seems to work fine for some, and badly for others.

Has worked well for us as hosts. We will see how it works as guests.

FYI, we also have our room listed on Craigslist. We do get a few legitimate guests that way, but the number of scam inquiries has been growing. You know, those where you get a note saying, "My employer will pay the rental with a "Certified Check". Those are almost surely an old con game, where they send the check for a larger amount than required, then you are supposed to send the difference back. Since it takes a couple of weeks before the "Certified" check bounces, you are out of pocket, and without a lodger.

My wife and I have been Airbnb hosts since about January. We've had nothing but wonderful experiences, but accept that it's a real world out there...most visits are by people who could be your distant cousin or a friend of a friend...Airbnb suggests that we provide OJ and bagels, but it's not required, and to be honest, we let people eat what they want...most just go out for breakfast or have a cup of coffee. Our place is spotless...in fact, having people here is an incentive to keep the house cleaner than normal.

It sounds like you've had some unfortunate experiences. It happens, but we love the opportunity to visit with others. Our last guests had just returned from Singapore and were from South Africa and Bulgaria...really neat couple...

I have recently booked with Airbnb for a trip to Brooklyn New York next week. I can tell you it is completely fine. I have spoken to several of the Airbnb staff and they were recently in London on a European tour so I asked them some questions on video which if anyone is interested is on You Tube if you search 'airbnb interview'.

What you must do is check the hosts’s previous reviews because people can only leave a review if they have paid through the site (the host can’t just get a few friends to submit some positive reviews). The person I am staying with has some really positive reviews so I am not worried.

Make sure you note the phone number on the itinerary so you can contact them if there are any problems. You need to tell them within 24 hours as they will freeze the money so your host does not receive it.

I don’t think Airbnb will be for everyone and I hope I am just as positive after my trip! You don’t have to share with someone you don’t know, there are entire apartments on there. I have to say I it did save me a fortune and if I had plenty of money I would probably choose a hotel, simply because you know what your getting.

But in terms of Airbnb being legit, it really is (and no, I don't work for them!)

Happy travelling!

Just a note that the last two posters - heavily touting airbnb - have only one post each - nothng about any other topic - question or comment.

I found the same thing on another travel site - several single posts touting airbnb.

I don;t know - but assume it is being done by the company.

I posted a lengthy Trip report about my experience in Paris a couple of weeks ago and I assuredly do NOT work for airbnb in any capacity. I just had an excellent experience and am using it again in London.

I'm not suggesting that it's not possible to have a good experience - just pointing out that the company seems to have a habit of registering people on various travel forums just to make a very positive post-with no other posts before or since.

Why do you keep saying things like that, NYTraveller? On what basis do you conclude that AirB&B "has a habit of registering people on various travel sites --"? Someone on this thread called me a "Tout" for saying my experience was positive. I took umbrage at that, and would rather ascribe honesty to others who say they also had a good experience, rather than taking the negative and assuming them all to be a bunch of scalawags.

Sheesh --- some folks had a good experience and said so. No need to lump them all together by calling them liars!

"ust a note that the last two posters - heavily touting airbnb - have only one post each - nothng about any other topic - question or comment."

It is MUCH more blatant than that -- except for nukesafe who is a long time Fodorite -- every other person posting on this thread w/ good (or bad) experience w/ AirBnB is a first time/one time poster.

ChristopherG, Protraveler, NewYorkFan, dhpuck, qkkr, chloeprofit, Sari_M, sheilpw, bmcarren, bonsejour, maya704, and woogawooga are ALL one-time-only posters (actually a couple of them have posted to 2 threads -- but the other thread was also about AirBnB)

Nukesafe is totally legit -- but I seriously suspect that everyone else posting to this thread are plants/fakes/phony

Sorry nukesafe -- but w/ this sort of track record I would touch AirBnB w/ a barge pole. Seems far from legit IMO.

oops -- >>but w/ this sort of track record I WOULDN'T touch AirBnB w/ a barge pole.<<

I'm not a phony.

and I belong to several travel boards where 1st time posters join to post a particular experience. I will admit those of us who have used airbnb are a little messianic about it, but if one uses the built in AND common sense safeguards it's not much
different from VRBO.

No, mztery - you aren't a plant/fake/phony. But when one thread attracts more than a dozen one-time/only-time posters over a full year - EACH of whom registered the day they posted and then went away . . . . it looks really REALLY shady. Maybe you and nukesafe are totally happy -- but this does give the whole endeavor a bad smell.

Like CraigsList -- some totally fine people -- and a LOT of dregs.

I'm still curious how it's different from VRBO. (which I have never used BTW)

Well, I'll try to answer your question, Mztery, though I'm no expert.

First of all, VRBO is an association of property owners who list on the VRBO site for a fee. That's how the site makes it's money. They do not check properties, etc. You deal directly with the owner, either by email or telephone. VRBO offers some sort of travel insurance which you can purchase separately. Don't really know what it covers. We have rented several properties through them, and each one has been acceptable, and pretty much as advertised. In fact, we have already put a deposit on one through VRBO on the Isle de la Cite for this coming May.

The way Airbnb operates is that the owner lists his room/apartment/home with the site for free. You, as the renter, locate the property on their site, tell Airbnb you are interested, and they send an email to the owner, who then contacts you through the Airbnb site. If you and the owner want to do business, you book through the site, and the renter pays Airbnb through PayPal. The site charges the renter a fee, and the owner pays a smaller slice. That's how they make their money. After the money is in the Airbnb's hands, they then send each party the contact info for the other. The rest of the details you work out directly with the owner, or renter. They hold the money, and if the place is not habitable when you get there, you are supposed to notify Airbnb and they don't pay the owner.

Don't know how that will work out if we are on the street in the middle of Hell' Kitchen in the middle of the night but, hell, life is an adventure, right?



As I have said earlier on this thread, it has worked well for us as owners. We have booked an apartment in NYC for October through Airbnb, and I will post how it works for us as renters. If you have looked at prices in New York for October you will probably have the same sort of sticker shock we did; even using Priceline. If the place is actually there, we will save a bundle.

Hey, guys, just use your heads. Utilize either site with a bit of caution and skepticism by asking questions of the other party, get additional pictures, etc.

So as I thought, VRBO is not really much safer than airbnb, and if anything airbnb is a bit MORE safe as airbnb holds your $$ for 24 hours after you arrive. Yes i know of the contact problems some have had at airbnb but they now have a dedicated # to call from overseas specifically.

I gues I don't really get whty people are down on airbnb and ok w/ VRBO. Neither site inspects properties or makes sure the property exists.

We had a lovely stay in Paris on airbnb and have one coming up in November. I made sure I chose apts that had lots of reviews (which yeah, could all be fake but that's true anywhere)
I ALSO chose apts that had flexible refund policies so if I chickened out I could get my payment returned.

I guess part oof it is htat I am in San Francisco and have grown up with craigslist( I literally live around the corner from craig) and startups etc and so knowing that airbnb has some serious venture capital behind it reassures me. I've rented flats in Paris and NY off CL and had great experiences as well.

I always have a list of hotels where I'm going that have room in case the nightmare happens and I get stuck. You just have to be careful and do your "due diligence."

I just tried it out as a renter and had a positive experience. I would definitely try it out again. I wrote about it here: http://pomodorista.com/2010/10/02/airbnb-couchsurfing-cheap-travel

And why am I not surprised?? pomodorista is yet another first-time/only-time poster flogging the 'joys' of AirBnB.

Many people do not prefer life to be that much of an adventure. (I have limited vacation time and will not risk any of it - even if I didn;t want full hotel services.)

If one has that attitude that this is taking a chance then that's fine.

My fear is that many people do this thinking that it is no more risky than reserving a room in a hotel - which is absolutely not true.

re
And why am I not surprised?? pomodorista is yet another first-time/only-time poster flogging the 'joys' of AirBnB.

the poster has her own blog which is MOSTLY about food but i doubt she;s a tout for airbnb given her own travel musings....


And I think many people have explained on this board and others how it is different.

and NO ONE has really answered how it;s different (riskwise) from VRBO which many people use here

I'm not even advocating airbnb. I'm just confused why people will recommend other sites where there's no more oversight than airbnb,.

"And I think many people have explained on this board and others how it is different"

But 95%+ of those are 'one-timers' who post and run - kinda hard to have a dialog and ask/answer questions when the touts are never heard from again.

If it looks good to you - go for it. So far the track record here on Fodors ain't so hot . . . .

AirBnB has worked well for us as the host - we have a nice apartment flat on our avocado ranch near Santa Barbara and we have gotten some great guests - doctors, lawyer, TV personality - celebrating 20th anniversary, visiting from Canada, getting ready to have a baby. It has been great to meet these people - real blessing - thanks AirBnB !

you guessed it -- another first-time/only-time poster.

The pattern continues . . . . .

The pattern will continue because when people search for AirBnB, this thread comes up early on Google and possibly others. You, janisj, sound like a competitor of AirBnB's. Or maybe just not open-minded in general. You say that AirBnB is 'far from legit' based not on experience with the site, or hosts, or guests, or reviews, or listings, but with posters in this thread, the presence of whom are easily explained by the number of people stumbling across it via search engines.

As another first time poster (and it certainly won't be the last - I wasn't aware Fodor's had a forum), I can tell you it is because when I searched for public commentary on AirBnB, this thread came up first in the search.

I have used AirBnB to rent out our master suite, and in a forthcoming trip we are looking to be guests for the first time rather than hosts. I did it on a whim when I read about it in the New York Times, and it's worked out amazingly well. We've more than covered our rent, which has been very surprising, but I'm sure I look like a plant here to make it sound like AirBnB is a spamarrific money making opportunity. And I'm not, but like a previous poster, having had such great luck with the site I'm a bit messianic about it. Granted, we've only been members since late August, making our total foray into hosting a seven-week venture. But since we get to advertise to precisely the type of people who'd most appreciate our place, and communicate with potential guests first before they give AirBnB their credit card (the funds are held in escrow until the day after they have checked in), we have been able to avoid the pitfalls of a mismatch of ourselves and our guests, as well as potential scammers. It's not 100% safe nor guaranteed that nothing will go wrong but certainly neither are hotels nor vacation rentals nor staying with your Aunt Patty.

I have also used VRBO to stay, and I object to the stiff upfront cost they put on homeowners. This makes the properties far more expensive, as it turns out - when we arrived at our VRBO-booked destination in Montana in August of 2009, we found the same vacation cabin advertised in the owner's streetside store for a lesser price per night. When I asked him about it, he explained that the in-person listing seen by customers of his store didn't cost him anything, whereas VRBO had a hefty upfront fee. We looked into it and found that to be the case.

My husband and I have been interested in hosting vacation rentals for some time, and since VRBO is, as of this date, king of the industry, we thought we wouldn't be able to host vacationers until we owned a 'real' and separate unit somewhere and were able to pay the fees. AirBnB has wiped out that need, and our guests have been very happy to share our 2bd/2ba with us for far less than the cost of a hotel with far greater amenities.

You have the highest likelihood of being scammed via Craigslist, then lesser likelihoods of being scammed via services that connect hosts and guests like this one. Don't go outside AirBnB's payment system - then you have no protection. The key difference between CL listings and AirBnB is that with AirBnB, you can read the person's profile (if they haven't provided one - there's your first red flag), see reviews of the property in question or the host's other properties (VRBO also has reviews), communicate with them at length via the site before ever booking, and get your money back - which is held in escrow until the day after check-in - if you arrive and find things not as advertised (alert the site immediately). Another poster's statement that AirBnB had suggested he provide his guests with OJ and bagels led me to look through the site policies, as I didn't recall that recommendation (may have changed since we signed up - we leave organic chocolate bars on our guests' pillow and our kitchen is open and shared). I recommend anyone who doubts look into the faq - you'll see your concern addressed.

If you simply google 'airbnb', this thread is the 5th result overall. That's after the official site and the official site's Twitter feed. There's your reasoning for so many first-time/only-time posters.

Hi there,

I have had really good luck with Airbnb. I used them for finding lodging in Boulder and in Soquel, CA (Santa Cruz). Personally, I find B and B's sometimes a bit too fussy--you cannot go in the kitchen, there are little notes up, the host may be tired. Airbnb, from my experience, seems fresher and more relaxed. Plus, I met some lovely folks!

Since the people who sign up to offer a place have to be on PayPal to accept payment, they are traceable. That made me, a woman traveling alone, feel a bit of comfort.

: )

Your point makes sense -- except there are more the 15 first time posters (pro and con airbnb) on this thread . That doesn't look like simply the result of google searches IMHO. I can't think of a single thread ever that had this many hit-and-run posts. They didn't join to participate since none of the first timers ever came back to post anything else.

I wonder how the first-time posters find those threads here and on other websites? Do they Google daily and go to the last page of Google?

Four hundred gazillion people have Paypal accounts - it requires nothing but a credit card (perhaps not even yours). You have a very trusting nature if you believe this makes you reliable. I have sold some items on ebay - when I was redecorating then moving out of my apartment. I can tell you that some of them are the absolute opposite of reliable. (Two refused to pay for items they had bought and one filed a complaint that they had never received an item and refused to pay (although I had delivery receipt). No more honest than any other group of millions of people.

I am the OP on this thread, and at one point I said I would report back on my first experience as a renter. As I mentioned earlier, we have been renting out our guest room quite successful for almost a year, now, and we have had no problems.

Well, we just got back from New York City, where we went to inter my wife's Mother's ashes with those of her late husband on Long Island. I tried Priceline, and found getting a hotel room in October very difficult at any sort of reasonable price. Even three stars were well over $200. Priceline says the median price for a three star hotel room in NYC in October is $328.

We ended up renting a one bedroom apartment in the Hell's Kitchen area from an actress who lives in Los Angeles and uses the place when she is in New York. She is on the road a lot in musicals (No, not Christine Chenoweth --- but close.) The place was exactly as advertised, newly refinished hardwood floors, immaculately clean, hi-def TV, fifth floor with elevator, etc. We got in really late, after 11:00, and her friend was there to let us in and show us around. There was a note giving all sorts of directions, and telling us to use anything in the fridge. There was cereal, orange juice, coffee, and fruit. Cost was $150 per night.

One of the nicest things was that this particular group of buildings has access to a gated community garden, for which she left us a key. The place was within easy walking distance to Restaurant Row, and the theater district, so we were quite pleased. We will certainly make use of the place again when we plan a trip to NY, if it is available.

I must confess that some of you pessimists had me really on edge, particularly Nytraveller. If you read his posts one can expect all NY rentals to be scams, and immoral to boot. I'm glad to see that all New Yorkers are not scam artist and criminals.

To be fair, I should mention that my Brother-in-Law, and his wife were in the city at the same time. They got another apartment through AirBnB for the same price. Their assessment of their rental was --- eeh. Still a bargain, but not nearly as nice as ours.

Well, first of all, I'm not a he.

Second, although you may have had a good experience I would suggest there is a 98% chance that your rental was illegal. This may not be problem - probably isn;t most of the time. But - it another tenant decides to object to your presence - it can be a real problem.

If one goes into it with eyes open - recognizing one is taking a risk for a very low rate - than so be it. But - one must recognize the potential issues.

Sorry about the gender confusion, NY. I did look at your profile, but I could not tell from reading it which team you are on.

We don't have a disagreement about the need to take sensible precautions in booking any accommodation. I guess one problem I do have is the business of renting one's apartment being illegal in New York. I have read explanations, but it just makes no sense to me. If you own a place, it is yours to do with as you please, IMO. I can see the sense of prohibiting it in some sorts of jointly owned condominiums if there is a covenant against renting, but not otherwise.

It is supposedly illegal in Paris, as well, but I am certainly going to be a happy scofflaw in Paris next May.

No - if you "own" a co=op you actually own shares in a corporation that are apportioned based on the size of the apartment. And the standard lese requires that you not sublet at all without prior approval of the board - who will want to interview any subtenants as well as receive complete financial info (W-2 statemens, past year's tax returns etc). Short-term sublets are banned - since the other residents don't wnat strangers wandering around their building. (We paid a lot for a co-op to be ble to choose congenial neighbors we know and approve of.)

Almost all condo leases are the same.

And NYC rent laws mean many apartments re rented below market value to tenants of long-standing. For them to sublet the apartment is cheating the landlord - since, if he knew the tenants were doing so he could claim a much higher (market value) rent for the apartment.

The real estte situtation in NYC is unlike any place else in the country. And it just doesn't lend itself to legal subletting. The owner or tenant know this, and sign a contract to this effect when they purchase or move in - short-term subletting is clearly breaking this lease.

Sorry - people who intend to sublet have the optin of really buying their own house - either in the outer boroughs where few tourists would want to stay - or in Manhattan - if they can come up with the $3/$4 million minimum to pay for one.

I am a member in Australia with Airbnb and love the whole concept. It completely protects your privacy until you decide to accept a booking, making contact first to vet the person. The security works both ways. I am just as concerned about a stranger staying in my home so I vet people very carefully. I find the testomonials helpful, facebook profiles and conversing with the person via email through the site very efficient. My experiences have all been positive, both ways, and I am looking forward to staying with my next host this coming Sunday in Sydney.

OMG!! Who'd a thunk??? Yet another first time/only time poster.

The NYC legality situation is a confusing issue. In brief, perhaps the most popular use of Airbnb, which is to rent out space in your own home while you sleep under the same roof, is still legal and was specifically exempted in the bill that was signed in June of 2010. Here is the bill: http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/A10008

And here is the co-sponsor of the bill, State Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, quoted to that effect: http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/dispatches/post/2010/07/new-york-passes-ban-on-short-term-rentals/98706/1

While we all know, or should know, that laws - especially if poorly written - can have unintended consequences, the specific aim here was to get rid of entire buildings (multi-family dwellings) that had been converted into shoddy hostels by their owners. To quote a commenter on this article: http://current.newsweek.com/budgettravel/2010/06/new_york_controversy_a_crackdo.html (see Jackie Del Valle's post on June 29th):

"As a member of the coalition who works to stop illegal hotels, this bill is aimed directly at landlords and property managers who are taking affordable housing units from an already tight housing market and renting them as hotel rooms. My organization, Housing Conservation Coordinators, (http://hcc-nyc.org/), has received countless complaints from tenants in these buildings about noise, harassment, crime, and decreases in services as landlords convert empty units into hotel rooms. Additionally, many tourists are not aware that they are renting units in buildings that do not conform to fire safety standards that are designed to protect transient occupants. Overcrowding, no secondary means of egress, and illegal construction violations are often found in these buildings—all creating serious fire hazards! The Mayor’s Office that oversees this is small and, as Senator Krueger points out, will be focused on the big violators who have illegally converted apartments building into hotels, like Hotel Toshi. Tenants in one of Hotel Toshi’s buildings, for example, did not get packages for months because the “hostel staff” that replaced their super, would throw them out. Further, the bill does NOT take away a person’s right to sublet or rent out an extra room or bed in apartment is important. I repeat, subletting is not made illegal with this bill."

Now, that was the aim. We'll see how it actually plays out. But if you rent a room in an apartment and the legal residents of the apartment are there, you should have nothing to fear - provided you've done your due diligence in regards to reviews of the property, spoken with your host and feel comfortable staying with them, etc.

Renting out a room in your own home means your own house that you own.

If it is a co-op or condo that you own it is almost always against the lease to sublet or to rent out a room to someone. If you rent an apartment from a landlord it is almost always against the lease with your landlord to do so.

Very few people in Manhattan own their own houses - since private houses are very rare and very expensive (a couple of million and up). People who own their own houses that might want to rent out a room are much more likely to live in the outer boroughs - which would mean a daily trek to and fro Manhattan. And you would have to find out what kind of neighborhood it is - most are just fine - a few are not safe -esp at night.

I'm sorry that the rent laws in NYC are so confusing for so many people- but they are what they are - and no amount of wanting it to be different will make it so.

Well, another question would be, "Are the laws ever enforced"? I know there are similar laws in Paris that are simply ignored. If one looks at the number of places in Manhattan that are listed on the net, I would assume that the folks renting the places are not trembling in fear of the rental police descending on them.

As one renting the apartment/room, why should I worry?

It's not rental police.

And if they're enforced depends on a coupele of things.

If it's a co-op or condo there is a reasonable possibility that a complaint would be made by an owner - and if so the renter could be summarily evicted - for trespassing.

If it's a landlord owned building with a doorman the person subletting the apartment may pay off the doorman so he doesn't tell the landlord (again, trespassing). If it's a landlord owned building with no doorman the chance of being caught is quite small.

But don;t forget some sizable number of the listings are scams - there was an article in a major newspaper not long ago about the number of "renters" that had turned up over the summer looking for apartments that didn;t exist. they had all paid in advance - some very significant sums - and had no apartment and no recourse. The manager of the building said they had this happen numerous times every summer. And the people renting thought they were using a rental agent (that doesn;t exist) - not renting directly with an owner.

So - scams do exist - in the hundreds if not more.

And the chance of being thrown out of the apartment depends on the building.

(I'm on the board of my co-op and we haven;t had this problem - but I'm also a member of a local co-op group and two of the other buildings have had this happen. They have warned the owner of the apartment and have changed apartment locks so the violators can no longer rent - or access - their apartments. One set of renters did appear and were not able to access the apartment they had "rented". The owner complained and was told he was in violation of the lease and he had to cease and desist making illegal sublets. Don;t know what happened with the illegal renters - I guess went to a hotel.)

Oooooh, you New Yorkers are tough!

Can a co-op/condo group really legally change the locks on someone's apartment without their permission? Seems to me there would be some sort of process involving the courts before someone could be, in essence, evicted from a living space that they own.

I guess you are right when you say the laws in New York city are different!

The co-op is a corporation, the building and the apartment are owned by the corporation and the corporation has full authority to do whatever is necessary for the safety of the tenants as long as it is not abrogating either co-op laws or the lease the tenant signed. (He had compromised the security of the building by sending multiple set of keys to people no one knew anything about - and who knows what they did with them/who they gave them to.)

And the tenant was not evicted from the apartment - future illegal trespassers were. The action was taken only after the tenant continually and deliberately flouted the rules - and the tenant was informed in advance that the action had been taken.

If the tenant had appeared in person he would have been given the keys to the apartment - but the tenant was living in another part of the country. When he found he would no longer be able to do this sort of illegal sublet he opted to sell the apartment.

nytraveler wrote: "Renting out a room in your own home means your own house that you own.

If it is a co-op or condo that you own it is almost always against the lease to sublet or to rent out a room to someone. If you rent an apartment from a landlord it is almost always against the lease with your landlord to do so."

Incorrect. This sort of restriction is illegal.

According to the Tenants' Rights Guide on housingnyc.com, the official site of the NYC Rent Guidelines Board: http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/attygenguide.html#34

APARTMENT SHARING

It is unlawful for a landlord to restrict occupancy of an apartment to the named tenant in the lease or to that tenant and immediate family. When the lease names only one tenant, that tenant may share the apartment with immediate family, one additional occupant and the occupant’s dependent children, provided that the tenant or the tenant’s spouse occupies the premises as their primary residence.

When the lease names more than one tenant, these tenants may share their apartment with immediate family, and, if one of the tenants named in the lease moves out, that tenant may be replaced with another occupant and the dependent children of the occupant. At least one of the tenants named in the lease or that tenant’s spouse must occupy the shared apartment as a primary residence.

A tenant must inform the landlords of the name of any occupant within 30 days after the occupant has moved into the apartment or within 30 days of a landlord’s request for this information. If the tenant named in the lease moves out, the remaining occupant has no right to continue in occupancy without the landlord’s express consent. Landlords may limit the total number of people living in an apartment to comply with legal overcrowding standards. Real Property Law § 235-f.

Under certain conditions, even subletting (of the entire unit) is legal. http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/attygenguide.html#7

nukesafe, the Paris issue is an interesting one. Here is an article from the New York Times in July on illegal Parisian vacation rentals. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/07/business/global/07rent.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Amber there is nothing in the information you posted that makes it "legal" for a renter to rent out their apartment or any part of their apartment to a vacation renter for a period of less than 30 days nor does what you posted have anything to do with coops or condos. So in fact what nytraveler has stated is absolutely correct.

Amber -

Before you post you need to do a lot more research.

First, the guidelines you refer to are for landlord-owned buildings and have nothing to do with condos or co-ops which do not fall under these laws. they are completely different type of legal entities.

Second, the apartment share promerely stating that people are allowed to unrelated have roommates - and the 30 day llimit applies to thise - although it was really written so that unmarried people can live together without landlord interference. (Many areas in the suburbs require that people sharing a house be related to each other - or that no more than 2 unrelated people live together - to prevent people from turning houses into 2 family homes illegally.)

Finally, if you would actually read what you posted, it requires that the apartment be the "primary residence" of the unrelated persons - which would completely prevent any short-term sublets. Which means they would have to prove that they do not have a primary residence anywhere else.

I fear you have completely missed the points of law involved.

Once again, nytraveler wrote, "If you rent an apartment from a landlord it is almost always against the lease with your landlord to do so." I left the line about condos and coops in so as to make it clear what "to do so" referred to, since cutting out that line would remove the context of the line following.

I have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that that is incorrect, and is in fact AN ILLEGAL RESTRICTION. This would mean, then, that a New York City tenant cannot legally have someone spend the night in their house if it is not their primary residence. If you have information to this effect, then back it up with links to rules and regulations. I have posted rules and regulations repeatedly. It would be most interesting to find that not only Roomarama.com, iStopOver.com, Crashpadder.com, and Airbnb.com are illegal - but also HospitalityClub.org, CouchSurfing.com, GlobalFreeloaders.com, Stay4Free.com.

I read what I posted. The primary resident needs to be the named tenant or that tenant's spouse. It says nothing about where the primary residence of the unrelated person should be.

It would be most interesting to learn of a situation in which a coop or condo owner had someone removed from their couch or spare room while they were present as the primary resident. I am not familiar with such a situation.

nytraveler's particular interest is with coop owners who were and are essentially in business to illegally sublet their unit at a premium at a risk to the other residents. That is an exceedingly valid concern, but not remotely what I was addressing.

Incidentally, condos do not generally have the same level of restriction that coops do, though some are that restrictive. This is likely due to the nature of the separate legal constructs - purchasing a coop is purchasing a share in the building, whereas with a condo you are purchasing an individual physical unit. Yes, I have done my research.

"the apartment share promerely stating that people are allowed to unrelated have roommates"

Serious question: Is English your first language? If not, it would help explain why we're having difficulties communicating.

Obviously English IS my first language - although my typing skills tend not to be great when I'm trying to correct misconceptions for the 14th time while in the middle of a client conference call.

While it is true that a few condos turn a blind eye to owners subletting - doing so for fewer than 30 days in illegal. And by far the majority of condos enforce their rules against it. Condo owner don;t like strange people wandering around their private residences any more than do the owners of co-ops. Granted condo owners don;t get to pick their neighbors as do co-op owners - but at least they know that they have the finances to buy the apartment and have a natural interest in maintaining the building properly rather than damaging it - in their own financial interest.

The apartment sharing laws allow people who are not married to rent apartments together without interference from the landlord. But these people are allowed to do so only if the apartment is their primary residence. People who have a primary residence elsewhere are NOT allowed to rent apartments that fall under the control of the rent guidelines board - for any length of time. (Landlords don;t want these people renting apartments at sub-market rates when they really live elsewhere.) People legally renting those apartments can have legitimate guests to visit for a small time - but they may not sublet the apartment - or shares in the apartment.

As for the companies that you list - there are a lot of illegal businesses that advertise openly. That doesn;t make them legitimate. Have you ever looked at the ads in Craig's list - many of them are either scams or clearly illegal. there is just no one policing this.

So, no links, evidence, backup, or proof? Only your assertions?

Okay then.

As for the 'companies' I listed, they're not businesses. Do try to figure out what you're commenting on before commenting.

we used airbnb in june, stayed in san fran and had an awesome experience..ron jordans place i think it was called "the best tourist location in san fransisco"
highly recommend this site....lol
maybe i'll have to get a job here.....it's a great idea and way cooler than a sterile hotel room
...anti chemical girl!

Amber -

The proof is in the information you listed. You just didn;t read it properly - choosing to ignore statements that are right in what you have posted.

As for proof about condos and co-ops I'm on the board of my building and a member of a local co-op association group - and all have the same type of leases. This is the entire reason for a co-op. People don;t spend many hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars for an apartment (co-op or condo) to them welcome groups of transient strangers - who could be anyone at all - into their private residences.

As for SF - this may be legal there and if it is - fine. In NYC (which has a real estate market unlike the rest of the country - with a huge number of co-ops and condos in Manhattan, as well as many hundreds of thousands of renters paying below market value rents) it is NOT legal. And just because a lot of people try to bypass the laws doesn;t change the illegality - or the fact that many locals do what they can to prevent the practice.

"As for SF - this may be legal there and if it is - fine. "

It is also mostly illegal in San Francisco, and has been for more than a decade -- for any stay of less than 1 month.

sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1998/02/18/NEWS4429.dtl&hw=short+term+illegal+rental&sn=003&sc=574

The SF law refers to entire apartments, just as in New York. And just as in New York, roomshares are fine.

Yes I used it to find accommodation in France - we stayed in Sagries, Loire Valley and Bezenac - all 3 places were excellent. I would have no hesitation in recommending. The owners were delightful and helpful during our stay and I paid a deposit via Paypal and balance on arrival. I think as long as you can contact them and use a safe payment facility you should be ok.

And again a first-time, one-timeposter touting this company.

It's OK as long as you're doing it in a place where it is legal.

I found a place to stay in Somerville MA in October using Airbnb. There was a shared bathroom, but it was clean. The room I was in was huge, had a desk, windows, wi-fi access, an entertainment center with cable TV, an enormous closet, two beds, and extra blankets if I needed them. The host was extremely helpful and picked me up at the airport at no charge! His house also had outdoor lights on a motion sensor, so if I came back alone at night, it wasn't unsafe. The place was in a nice neighborhood and was about a 2 block walk to bus stops that one could use to get to a T-station. I was very pleasantly surprised. The bed was really comfy, too, and the host put clean linens on them right when I arrived.

I thought the price was really reasonable. I usually use Priceline when I travel out to the Cambridge/Boston area, but I had a last-minute change of plans (an appointment I had out there was changed at the request of the other party), so my travel dates changed, and every place I tried to contact was fully-booked (including a couple of other Airbnb properties). I will say this as advice to anyone booking, though: READ THE REVIEWS. I read some that indicated certain places weren't particularly clean, and I avoided them. Contact the host/hostess (or try to) ahead of booking. If they don't contact you back or you get an odd vibe, don't book. My host and I had a really nice conversation and he offered to pick me up at the airport if I paid the toll, which was $3.50. It worked out well for me, but I'd only do it again if I got a favorable vibe off the host. (And there was no breakfast, no food at all, but that was okay for me!)

BC

Yeah, Bookchick, I think the B&B in Airbnb is an unfortunate choice of names, as most of them do not provide a breakfast.

For our guests my Wife bakes a few cookies, and we have orange juice in the mini fridge, but we don't want to get into the whole social thing that bed and breakfast entails. We are helpful, and friendly, of course, and are on call if there are problems, but the private entrance of our place allows people who stay all the privacy they want.

The Airbnb site allows renters to read reviews of potential guests, as well. We are diligent in using that before we even talk to people who ask to rent. So far, we have had good experiences.

Nukesafe, that was another nice thing. I posted a review almost immediately after I returned home. My host, in turn, posted a very favorable review of me, and said I'd be welcome back at his place any time. Very good exchange, IMO. Also, if I wanted to buy bottled water (which I did), or had wanted to purchase juice or granola bars or anything, there was a small market a matter of steps away from the bus stop where I could have made those purchases. I think it's a good way to go.

Quite some time prior to my trip, I'd read the NY Times story on Airbnb and bookmarked the site. It really came in handy when this last-minute change in my itinerary had me scrambling, and if I'd gone the route of a conventional hotel, I could have, but I would have paid big bucks for it. Since I'm currently unemployed it was really important to me to try to travel as economically as possible, and I only brought a backpack with me. Airbnb fit the bill perfectly for my needs!

BC

So many skeptical people out there!

I am from Cape Town and we recently used Airbnb to book our accommodation in Paris. It was absolutely wonderful - the host was very pleasant and helpful, and the apartment was just perfect - clean, modern, secure, and convenient. We did, however, do a lot of research of our own before committing. It is your own responsibility to do your homework before selecting an establishment. Airbnb really just introduces the two parties and it is up to each one to verify the other. Once we had the contact information of our host, we communicated frequently via e-mail and had no problem at all. Airbnb asks for each party to send in a rating of their experience and we were both able to respond very favorably.

We would definately use Airbnb again. And in fact, have let out an apartment we have in Cape Town through Airbnb - still fairly new, but so far so good. No complaints whatsoever. Before accepting these people as our guests, we also did our own homework. It always pays to be cautious - if an application does not feel right, don't accept the booking. Just use some common sense.

I see some people have been labelled as 'touts' for Airbnb, because they wrote in, as I have, when they saw some of the ridiculous comments posted above. There always has to be a 'first' time to write in and if we have had a good experience, then why not stand up for an organisation that has delivered on its purpose - to introduce two parties. After the introduction, it is up to you whether you accept the booking or not. The money for the accommodation is paid to Airbnb, who take a small percentage for their part in the transaction, and after a couple of days, if all is in order, the balance is paid out to the host. Airbnb also charge the guest a small fee for the service, but this is paid direct to Airbnb and does not involve the host.

So far - no complaints about Airbnb at all, in fact very satisfied with their service.

Hi:
I am a first time poster, as some of you are so keen to point out. I would imagine being personally attacked and called a liar immediately might demotivate me from wanting to participate again in such a "friendly" exchange, however I'll persist. I've got to wonder why one particular person has made it their personal mission to insult everyone who says anything positive in a review, and has an unique need to have them return for their punishment. Please also note the 1st time responders with negative responses are not personally insulted through name-calling. Hmmmmmm . . . I can't imagine the motivation behind this behavior, though this person does appear to have little too much free time. Before I attempt to give a positive review about AirBnB, I will wait to be attacked first, then I'll carry on with my opinion.
Thank you for listening.

Oops. One more comment:
Yes, this comes up number 7 in my Goggle search, too.

First: I came here to this site because it came up when I searched online for independent reviews of the AirBnB service. I have never posted here or at any travel sites before. No reason to. That shouldn't reflect on someone's opinions here, firstimer or otherwise.

I was searching because we have had less-than-perfect experiences with AirBnB as hosts, and I wanted to see what others have to say.

We registered our guest cottage with AirBnB early last year for times when we didn't have family or friends using it and, although we had quite a few inquiries, have had only 4 guests actually come through them. All 4 sets have been lovely people who responded to the thorough description of our place with numerous photos, knew in advance what the cottage and environs were like, enjoyed themselves and are welcome back any time.

Many more guests have come via Craigslist. We certainly have seen many CL scams and spam, but I devised a methodology that helps deter those and a process that eliminates any who are not serious, are just real estate people, or not "real people" who get through the first hurdle.

My problem with AirBnB is with their internal rating policies and payout process, sometimes unwarrentedly-slow pay. Their explanations made no sense, especially in light of past experiences.

Nuke's description of cash being in the hosts' paypal account in advance is not our experience nor AirBnB's policy. They (supposedly) pay out 24 hours after the guest checks in, to allow the guests to report any problems. Perfectly reasonable.

Also, friends CAN write reviews about your place, but those reviews are clearly separated from reviews by people who have stayed via AirBnB. Still, those are helpful in further describing what someone might or might not like about your place. In a couple of cases I was surprised.

Oddly, AirBnB keeps urging me to post my AirBnB listing on Craigslist--so they can make fees on bookings I would generate for myself I guess. My advice is not to do that! Let AirBnB augment your other promotional efforts, not profit from them.

The endless wrangling above over NYC's laws is not really edifying to people looking for independent info about AirBnB.

Oh forgot. We also do not provide breakfast items, as the cottage is a full house with a kitchen. We make that clear to prospective visitors. Most people come here for the experience of getting lost in the woods alone

Sorry, Catskills, if I gave the impression that I, as host, get the money in my account before the guests arrive. You are right, that is not correct. What I was pointing out was that the AirBnB practice of keeping the funds until the renter checks out the property to make sure it is as advertised is a protection for the renter against scams by the owner.

I certainly agree that one needs to be vigilant with Craigslist inquiries. We get those frequently. The obvious tip off for us is when they say, "We want to stay for several days. My boss's company will be paying with a certified check ---". They ask, "Is your property still available?" (no date specified), or, "Is your price negotiable?". We simply do not answer the first type of inquiry, as the "certified check" is a dead giveaway for a scam. The second does not deserve a reply, and the third is answered by, "No, the price quoted is a fair one."

We used to get more bookings with Craigslist, but now we get more with AirBnB. I suppose that is because we have a bunch of very positive reviews.

I'm curious about your statement about, " -less than perfect experiences with AirBnB -" All of our payments have been prompt. How much delayed were yours, and what was their explanation for the hold up?

Typed into Google 'reviews AirBnb' and this was the first listing.

Just have to say I am amazed at the personal agendas on this forum - what happened to 'play the man not the ball'? Anyway, after reading all the reviews I had to go back to the beginning to find the initial posting, and found it was posted by NUKESAFE 15 months ago - here it is -

"I just ran across this site, AirBnB, on the net, and wondered if anyone had used it to find a place to stay. It advertises "Travel like a Human -- Rent nightly from real people in 1394 cities in 87 countries". Is it legit? I looked at the site http://www.airbnb.com/ and some of the listings in private homes seemed to be too good to be true.

Any comments/experience?"

Not quite kosher Nukesafe when you tell us later you are actually a host for AirBnb?

Anyway, I just wanted to find out other people's experiences with AirBnb as I have 9 AirBnb accommodations in my sights when I visit the USA in March for 3 months.

My first impression is that it is a great way to see the world and if you are travelling (like me) rather than holidaying, it can cut accommodation costs dramatically plus you get a travel advisor (host) thrown in for free! Safety is always an issue whereever you stay, but if a property has good personal reviews then I think it would pass muster - after all it is not compulsory for a visitor to post a review.

I am not sure (or really care) what town planning/legal issues are involved for hosts in New York or Mars but I don't think this is the forum to discuss these matters - perhaps, for those involved, you could politely change to channel 16 (yacht speak)to continue your dialogue.

Mackasx2,

This is a travel forum. People use it to exchange information and ask questions about travel related subjects. Evidently you registered only this month with Fodors just to bitch about the post I started over 15 months ago. If you had bothered to read the posts in this thread you would have seen that I was NOT a renter of our guest room with AirBnB when I started it, but was asking if it was a legitimate outfit. We had rented our room a few times through Craigslist, as I said, and was merely inquiring of other Fodorites about whether it would be a good thing to list with the new place I had just read about. At no point did I break the very strict taboo on Fodor's about advertising. That is a big no no here.

If you stay a member of Fodor's you will see that a large part of the discussions involve recommendations for lodging, warnings about lodgings that do not measure up to the advertising, scams, and shared experiences. It is a really valuable travel resource. You will find that out if you can keep your yap shut for a bit before throwing accusations at long time members about their integrity.

I am not using Fodor's to advertise, I am not a shill for AirBnB, as you imply, and this Fodor's site is EXACTLY the proper place to discuss these matters.

First, I am new to posting on Fodor's-this is my first time -one has to start somewhere/sometime! So apologies in advance! I have used VBRO for renting apts. in the US and Italy, to great luck. I had also briefly listed my apt to rent on VBRO in Sydney (again with good luck) when I lived there 3 years ago. I no longer have the apt and now live in the US. I have not used AirBnB but only wish to comment on the "scene". Many places there do look great and cheap. My only hesitation personally is that its 100% free and fast to list there and seems to be only "vetted" by the reviews of past guests. No overriding standards by an agency. Yes, VBRO also does not inspect places, but as its about $300 or so to list one's place-it does make one less likely to do if your place is not 100% up to standard, or you are just looking for someone to pay for your apartment while you go on vacation for 10 days. When I travel, I am not looking for a "Good Refund" policy-I want a GOOD PLACE to be there when I arrive. Searching for a new place at 10 pm in a new city because an AirBnB (or Craiglsit or otherwise) is dirty or unacceptable is NOT my idea of a fun way to start a vacation. Am I the only one who feels that there is an overhanded strong emphasis towards "friends' and social networking overt in the AirBnB site? I have enough friends already-I just need a reliable, really clean place to stay and it does not have to be the cheapest thing on the internet because someone needs a weekend rental for cash that month.

I have been a host on Airbnb for 3 months now, & I only came across this forum by accident today. I am perplexed that so many people think it is some kind of scam. So far my experience with them has been nothing but positive. My sole criticism would be that they do not identify bona fide B&B's. They obviously do not allow their clients looking for a room to see the website of the place they are considering, but the mere fact that there is one, "hidden" would usually indicate it is a business, & not just a room in someone's house. A quick search on Google will pull up the website no bother, i.e. "XYZ" & the town, et voilà!
I pay all the relevant French taxes for every guest who stays with me, & I am subject to all the French laws concerning B&B's. While it concerns me that others see putting their properties on Airbnb as a quick easy way to make a bit of extra income on the side, & that may take a small bite out of the business, as long as standards are up to scratch, no harm done, c'est la vie, it is healthy if slightly unfair competition.
Once again, it is indeed "caveat emptor". The savvy traveller should be able to read throught the lines, too good to be true is usually suspect.
For me, as a small business, Airbnb are able to provide another presence on the web for a very small fee, unlike many listings which want a yearly subscription and/or a percentage of the fee, sometimes as high as 18%; that is why I use them.
In this forum I saw a complaint about Europeans calling in the middle of the night with no thought of the time difference. Americans do it too! Lots of them. Maybe Airbnb should point this out to their clients.

Jai here from Australia = almost hyperventilating to respond to this post! Of course this comes up high on the list if you're researching airbnb duh! And the cattiness of "first and only poster" got me signing up to respond.............
Janis is a great traveller (and cat owner).
I on the other hand have only travelled within my own country and Asia.
As a FIRST and ONLY poster (grins) I am putting up the flag for airbnb, as I have been a host for the last couple of months. Found the site by accident........What fun! what a great and well organised web site! What nice people I've met!!
Come stay with me Janis, South Melbourne in Oz is beautiful,and I'll give you a discount for making the journey!! My place is just like the photos, and I've just washed the sheets and scrubbed the bathroom too. I have wine in the fridge and I'll sit and chew the fat with you, because I love my city and love to share it.
airbnb is a conduit, I have used other ways to share my spare room, but this has been a no brainer for me, and I will use air bnb for my travels too(USA later this year I hope - Nuke do you want to do a swap??)
Cheers to all the explorers out there
Jai

Thanks for the offer, JaiJai, but my chances of going to Australia in the near future are very slim. We are off to Europe in May; Paris, Belgium, Germany, and Holland. There is also the remote possibility of Italy in August for a class my glass artist wife wants to take. Italy in August does not ring my chime, BTW.

Anyway, we have not used AirBnB in Europe as yet. We got our Paris apartment through VRBO, and it looks good. The problem I see with AirBnB in Europe is that is is pretty new there, so there has not been time for the owners to build up a great number of reviews for their properties. I think that is the key for folks wanting to be assured the place they want to rent is up to snuff; due diligence in reading the reviews carefully.

I agree that being a host can be pleasant. Folks like to chat about my wife's art, and we like to be helpful about local attractions and restaurants -- but some of our guests just want a place to lay their heads, and want a minimum of conversation, so we carefully limit our contact if they would rather be on their own.

I won't be using your place in Melbourne any time soon, but if you want to check out our place for your upcoming U.S. trip, (Can't advertise on Fodors, you know.) a search for listings in our home town of Anacortes, WA. might turn up something of interest.

We just had someone call to see our place today for future use, and when my husband met them they mentioned that they had first looked on airbnb and there were no listings for Nevada City. They said they used it a lot for their travel and that peaked our interest, and after checking out their website I found this site. It seems that the majority of posters have had a good experience with airbnb, though I agree you really need to do your homework on both sides. We are looking to tap into the foreign traveler market. Is airbnb a good candidate for this? Any suggestions out there? We are already listed with vrbo which has been great for us, but very few folks from overseas. Not sure how much either sight is used outside the US for foreigners coming this way.

I can only speak from our own experience, ncretreats, but since we began listing our guest room on Airbnb in late '09, we have had no inquiries from prospective overseas guests.

We list on both the Seattle Craigslist, and Airbnb, and have been getting inquiries about equally from each. I must say that we have had nothing but great experiences with our guests, but we feel a bit more confident with the Airbnb referrals because we can sometimes check their reviews on the site, if they have rented through the site before.

Thanks, nukesafe. With only one or two exceptions, all our guests have been great, and we have been listed on vrbo for almost 7 years. You might want to give them a try for posting your rental. We have also booked our own vacations through them and been very satisfied. They have a program for hosts where you can exchange points to stay at other hosts places, with very little up front costs. You may have to pay a cleaning fee, and there is a nominal service fee based on 10% of the real value. The great thing is you have lots of places to choose from. We stayed in the Bavarian Forest, Germany for a week and in Lake placid for several days. The accommodations were very nice and the hosts very accommodating.

Thanks for your feedback on airbnb. This is a little different set up, but I think we may give them a try.

We also use VRBO for vacation rentals, but the $299/year fee puts us off from listing our place there. The difference is that Airbnb charges both the renter and the host a small fee for each rental -- a few bucks, in our case, so we don't notice it.

I don't know about VRBO, but Airbnb does report your rental income to the IRS, and send you a form at the end of the year so you can pay your taxes. That, of course, makes no difference to you and me, because we both are scrupulously honest. Right?

Hiya Guys

Yes I am a 1st time visitor after looking at renting in Rome for my Son & I on the AIRBNB site last night 27/3/11 (no I'm not related to anyone on here, I don't work for AIRBNB or others FYI).

Lots of good & bad bits on here, which can be so confusing to visitors?@#!

I would like to be positive & maybe use AIRBNB as have already rented rooms in my house sometime ago before I was made redundant from 'Bentley Motors' in Crewe as have rented the rooms to guys who worked there (from Germany, Mexico & India, repeated visits too!), which is just down the round from me even though I live next to countryside, hospital, a small town called Natwhich which is a mini Chester & am centrally based via road, rail & airport.

I am feeling excited as have wanted to visit Rome for some time so think I will bite the bullet, I have sent emails am now awaiting responses , hope they have availabilities =)

If all goes well I may enter my property, I've even look at a career with AIRBNB on there site as unhappy where I am working as I promote a company in Sales & Marketing, look after clients old & new (which the company didn't look after, as I like to positively represent my employer & look after the client's best interest).

So after all that thirsty work I'm gonna 'make a brew' in a Peter Kay (Brit comedian) stylie lol!

Fingers, legs n eyes crossed then scourer AIRBNB for a a few more places just incase for my Son & I to kickback & chillax. Happy hunting guys

Debs

Ok. I have nothing to really say as of yet. This is really a pre-emptive strike so that I do actually finish my experience in HI (6/30-7/4 just FYI) that I have booked thru airbnb I won't be accused of being a pawn for airbnb if I have good things to say! There is no doubt that if my experience is not a good one, it will be believed by all. Yikes, you folks have me scared of my own shadow.

sorry...omitted WHEN I do actually finish my experience

I've just added Washington state to my list, Nukesafe. Love the view!!

check out Fast Company magazine May 2011 issue article "The Sharing Economy."

This is how I heard about AirBnB

I was looking for articles out of curiousity on airbnb and found Fodor's and this forum. I am as others on here a first time poster but after reading all the comments I joined specifically to post on this subject.

I registered as a host on airbnb last month after it being recommended to me by a friend. I am a single parent with a lovely flat in central London UK, and I thought it would be a great way of boosting my income. I filled out the ad, took photos of my property and have had 2 bookings with airbnb so far with another three scheduled.

I advertised my flat as perfect for women travelling alone and single parents but my first booking was a man. I was slightly nervous about having a stranger in my flat and my friends joked about weirdos booking but my experience was superb. My guest was absolutely fantastic. His booking arrangements/arrival time were clear, he left the room and bathroom as he found it and was friendly, interesting and considerate. My next guest, a young woman was also lovely.

My whole experience has been nothing but positive. The airbnb team send your payment directly to your bank the day after the guest moves in. The commission they take I think is extremely low for the service they provide and for a single woman I feel much safer in renting a room through an agent and having a credit card trail than advertising privately with the possible worry that you could know nothing about who is sharing your home.

It is important as someone else said on here to read the reviews as they are written by people that book and pay through airbnb. I thoroughily recommend it and if you want to travel to London it is a perfect way of staying centrally much cheaper than a hotel with also an experience of a city from inside knowledge of people who are familiar with it. A great way to learn about cool places to go that may or may not be in guide books.

Important to me is to look carefully at the photos. Airbnb verify photos and take them for free. I so far have provided my own but they are clear and explanatory. Some adverts have poor photos. Also read the write up carefully and check that the place you are staying is in the area where you want to stay. If the host has good reviews then I don't think you can go wrong. I provide a light breakfast but most of the ads that I have read do not. Clean sheets and towels are a definite requirement. Also email the host on the advert before you book to check that their calendar is up to date and that they can accomodate you. If they don't email you back, I would try somewhere else. I email back to inquiries within 24 hours unless I am away.

I am looking to book an apartment in NYC in the autumn and am confident with the above advice that the American experience will be as good as it seems to be here in London!

Just go for it Nukesafe!

I just used AirBnB for the first time last week and had an unsettling experience.

While the room looked just like the picture, the picture did not show how dingy the house was, the holes in the floor and in the poorly patched closet, the mildew smell in the bath, the poorly maintained house, the noise in the morning noise, etc. The reviews were mostly good and the few that were not so good did not seem so bad so I was quite surprised and so disgusted that I left without a shower the next morning.

When I got home, I wrote an OK review, not mentioning the worst of everything but mentioning that the house was dingy patched and worn, though the hosts were accommodating and charming. I wrote a longer explanation of what was wrong to the hosts int he private section of the review page.

The hosts retaliated by claiming that I was drunk when I arrived!!! A bold faced lie. I emailed the hosts and asked why they lied. They denied doing so but also mocked me for insisting on being honest in my review; they asked why I did not show them more compassion (presumably, by being honest I was being mean!). They added that they that if they get a bad review, they write a bad review in return.

Sure enough, the 2 other less than good reviews they got they panned the visitor in harsh and intensely personal language! Sheesh!

I was furious, since the airbnb listing has my face and schools and business and other personally identifying information associated with it!

I have contacted airbnb several times over the last few days and have not received an answer. I am considering filing suit against both the hosts and AirBnB. Let us hope that things do not get that far, but my reputation is something I value very much.

Anyway, be careful with airbnb. It really is caveat emptor.

This is just one reason why it; s not a good idea to publish personal information about yourself in random places on the net. Would you do the same if you were staying at a hotel?

Good point.

Alsoi, an update: Finally reached AirBnB at 11 pm EST Airbnb has stepped in and removed that false review that the host put up and has contacted the host and told them to draft a new review. They have also offered me a 50 buck credit, which I will likely accept after I see what the new review says. They will also change all the other retaliatory reviews that host put up.

Took 3 days but things are looking better as of 11 pm tonight.

I haven't used it yet (I plan to this summer) but tons of my friends have and they have generally had good experiences. It's becoming much more mainstream lately, compared to when this post was written.

I have just booked a 2 weeks stay in San Francisco using aribnb. I was lucky enough to have someone in SF actually meet the owner and check out the apt for me, so I was pretty comfortable in going forward with the deal.

We used vrbo for an apt in Paris last month and it was our first time. I don't know that it was any less worrisome than using airbnb. In fact, if it had gone badly, I would have been in a foreign country with no reservations and likelihood of getting any "satisfaction" if things hadn't worked out would have been pretty slim. What am I going to do, take them to court??

A leap of faith, I guess. We'll see what happens.

This way of travel simply isn't for everyone, and if it doesn't feel comfortable to you, it's possibly just not for you. Let me explain.

Our travels are enriched by meeting and interacting with locals. I've long traveled this way - homestays and the like. My wife and I belong to a few hospitality exchange clubs, meaning we stay with other club members when we travel (bed and breakfast style) and we host travelers when they visit our city.

check out: http://www.affordabletravelclub.net (for folks over 40)
or http://www.casacasa.org (no age restriction)

This way of travel isn't for everyone, though. There is certainly a level of trust you must have and intuition you must be comfortable enough to employ when you host "strangers" in your home, or stay in a "stranger's" home. I put "strangers" in quotes because members in these clubs have their identities and addresses verified, and we get to know each other a bit before the homestay takes place to find common interests. As a couple with no kids, we usually stay with other couples, and we host other couples. It works for us - we've had some truly wonderful experiences and made lasting friendships with travelers from the US and around the world. It is also very affordable - we traveled through Europe a few years back using ATC and spent $20 most nights this way.

AirBnB seems like a good option for people who want to make some extra cash off their guestroom or apartment or for travelers who don't want to have to be a host themselves when the time comes.

I have had real problems. Booked a room that looked great for a month in LA. Arrived, the place was filthy and the host was definitely on something. It was impossible to stay and it was quite a scary situation as it was about 11pm and I did not know anyone in town. I just got my stuff and left without saying too much as I was quite scared and went and found a hotel. I emailed AirBNB immediately to let them know that there was no way that I could stay in such an awful place, they said this would be viewed as a cancellation and I would probably not get a refund as the host already had the money. So much for waiting 24 hours before they say they pass on the money to the host. They basically do not want to get involved, it is no safer than using Craig's List.

So I'm $1350 down and having to pay hotel rates as well. I thought from looking at the website I might get some protection but I was wrong. You could be lucky but I wasn't and I will never use them again nor would I recommend them. Btw I never managed to get them on the phone either despite many, many attempts.

It's unfortunate that you found yourself in that situation - but the amount you paid is $45 per night. In LA. That is about the same amount as a bed in a dorm room in a hostel. I think actually expecting to get a room for that in LA is extremely unrealistic.

*Full disclosure: I am NOT a first time poster. I have posted enough comments and reviews on Fodor's to fill more than a book or two. (Now, I didn't say it would be a good book... but I have posted a lot on this site!)

nytraveler, I'm pretty sure we've all gotten your point that YOU don't think Airbnb is a good idea. I'll bet you don't like Home exchanges, Couchsurfing or VRBO either, but the fact is that all of these can be good alternatives to staying in hotels, provided both parties do their research. And all have been around long enough now to prove they are not a "scam".

I happen to have two friends who have used Airbnb more that once. One woman has rented in four cities now. They are extremely happy with this new option.

None of the complaints here (or glowing reports) are any different from many of the hotel horror stories that are also shared here on Fodor's.

I think it is time to put this to rest.

I think home exchanges can work - but can be very difficult to pull off. A friend of mine has been trying for years and has yet to succeed in getting a good match (timing, location and amenities).

Doubt I would do VRBO - I want to pay with a CC - and be able to challenge the charges if lodgings are not s promised. But we were looking at renting a villa on the Riviera - but couldn't coordinate schedules of the entire group - and it didn;t seem to make sense for just the 2 of us.

As for couchsurfing - think it's fine for college kids who are staying with people they know or friends of friends. With strangers - very risky - there are too many people who are unreliable, unbalanced, use drugs or drink to excess. Simply - I don't trust strangers. Why should I? It's not that I dislike them - or think they're all trying to victimize people - but I've learned there enough people with issues that to travel that way you need to be Candide. And I never have been.

I recently had a "Bad Rental Experience in Amsterdam" for a room we rented through Airbnb. Since I am the original poster for this thread on the U.S. Forum, and have been a pretty consistent defender of Airbnb, one of the responders to that thread thought it only fair to copy the negative experience on this thread. I'll just paste it below. If you want to read the responses go to the Europe Forum.

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I've been off the Forum for a few weeks while we were in Europe, and then we came down with colds; mine turning into pneumonia, so I'm late in starting my trip report. It will start soon, though. I thought I should post a short note about a really bad rental experience we had in Amsterdam first, as it may sound a warning, and even bring a smile or two.

After a delightful ten day stay in a splendid apartment on the Ile de la Cite which we got through VRBO, we took the train up to Belgium for a few days to meet our new granddaughter. We had decided to spend the last four days of our trip in Amsterdam, flying home from there, as my lady Wife had only been there a few times on overnight stays. I know the city pretty well, having lived there on a boat for a winter, once, so thought it a great opportunity to show her how nice the town is.

Thinking to save a few bucks, and since we have had very good experience with Airbnb, both as renters and in renting out our guest room for a couple of years with them, we booked a place on an artificial island (Java) just a short bus ride from Centraal Station. Place sounded great on the paper, and the price was affordable. The room was described as being a private room, but that we would have to share a bath. That was not ideal, but it sounded OK to us for four days. We confirmed the reservation for four nights through Airbnb and paid our money through PayPal. So far, so good.

We got to Centraal Station around eight in the evening, went to the office to buy our Chipcards, and hopped the bus for the ride to the island. We were met at the door by Robert, our host, who immediately informed us that we owed him €35 more a night for the room, because he had "made a mistake". We had the copy of our Airbnb receipt in hand, so we put off that discussion until we saw the room. He led us down a short flight of stairs from the hallway to a single dark room.

"Where is the door?", we asked. "Oh, you won't need a door, you are at the bottom of the steps", he replied. We could see that the steps led off a common hallway right next to the bathroom. Anyone using the bathroom, or going into the kitchen would have to turn on the hall light which would shine right through the open banister railings onto our bed, and we would hear all of the conversations and traffic in the hallway and kitchen. "Robert", we said, "a room without a door is NOT a PRIVATE room!" A private room should have a door that both closes and LOCKS.

Ignoring that, Robert explained that the dingy room could be brightened by opening the Venetian blinds that covered the two large windows on the far side of the room. When we did so, we could see there was a well traveled footpath right outside the windows. No privacy there. With the shades closed, there was only a single thin strip fluorescent light on one side of the bed and a floor lamp with what looked like a ten watt bulb on the other side. Instead of a shade, that lamp had a small pink plastic laundry basket turned upside down on top. Robert is an artist, and one huge canvas on it's stretcher leaned against the stairway beside the bed.

With the shades open, we could see that the room was absolutely filled with stuff. Every bookshelf was full, the tops of the book cases were crammed with bric-a-brac.. There was, literally, no flat surface to put anything down other than the floor. There was no dresser, and the only place to hang clothes was a pole under the stairs that was completely jammed with clothing. Not a single free hanger, or even a place to force one in. It was obvious we would have to live out of our suitcases on the floor. When we asked him if he could move some of the stuff out, he said, "Well, this is MY room!"
Evidently the "regular" rental rooms were booked, so we were in his own dungeon.

No, Robert, it is OUR room. We rented it.

We told him that we doubted we could stay in the space with no privacy, no security, and no place to put our gear. His response was he could show us another room, but it was already rented, and he doubted the other couple would be willing to switch with us. Since we had not seen the other rooms, and/or other guests, my wife asked him how many people would be using the single bathroom. "Seven", he replied, "and of course me and my partner."

Nine people using one bathroom was the final straw. We told him we were leaving. He replied that he had our money, and that his cancellation policy did not allow refunds. We responded that he did not have our money yet, as we had 24 hours to tell Airbnb the room was not private, as advertised, and that he had tried to extort more money from us. We pulled out our computer and fired off a note to Airbnb right then.

We left, to his, "Best of luck trying to find a room on a Friday night."

He was right, as we were in a bit of a pickle. There we were, an eighty year old, and an approaching seventy year old, after nine o'clock, dragging suitcases down the street, looking for a place to lay our heads for the night. We caught the bus back to Centraal Station to ask the Tourist Office for help in finding a place; only to find it had closed.

Poop!

We tried a couple of hotels across from the Station, but they were full. We started walking up Damrak, the wheels of our roll-aboards sounding a lot like tumbrels, when we saw a sign saying, "Last Minute Reservations". "Hot Damn!" (The sign didn't say that, I did.) When we asked for a 2* or 3* room for the night, the nice chap behind the counter told us that the whole town was fully booked for the weekend, except for 4* and 5* places. There was one modern 4* hotel about a 35 minute tram ride out of town that cost a bit less, but that was it.

Poop, again.

When he saw we were not going to go for that he, rather reluctantly, said he did know of one, two star, place that might have a room. "Does it have doors on the rooms?", we asked. "Well, sure.", he said in a puzzled tone. He made a call, and we were in luck.

We didn't know it then, but we were really in luck. The Hotel Nadia http://www.nadia.nl/ turned out to be a gem. Typical old style canal house stairs, i.e., you ring a bell at street level, the door buzzes, and you look up an apparently endless flight of stairs that looks more like a ladder than a staircase. But there is a fellow there to carry your bags to the desk on the second level, the staff is friendly, the rooms have doors, there is an excellent breakfast served in a room overlooking the Keizergracht and the Westerkerk. The Anne Frank House is just across the bridge and around the corner.

And did I mention they have doors on the rooms?

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, the rest of the play was delightful. We had a great time in Amsterdam.

The lesson here is to really ask questions when booking rooms through any of the online services such as VRBO, Craigslist, or Airbnb. All of the reviews on the site were glowing. The pictures looked swell. Even sharing a bath would be bearable. We should have asked what "private" meant, and if an army would be sharing our bathroom.

I have been unwavering in my support for Airbnb. We have rented through them with great success before. We have rented out our guest room through them for a couple of years now, with absolutely no negative experiences. This incident does not change my mind -- I will just be a bit more cautious and diligent in future.

But then again, who would think a private room would not have a door?

Can anyone comment about iStopover.com? It operates similar to airbnb apparently.

If it operates the same way it probably has the same benefits/detriments.

If this is just a matching service then you must do full due diligence before relying on the information provided. This includes:

Getting exact address and checking it out on google earth
Asking for references from previous stayers
Confirm in writing all info important to you (don't ASSUME anything)
Make sure you have a 24 hour landline to reach the renter
Don't pay cash in advance

Thanks for mentioning that site, nanabee. I had not heard about it in the past. Nytraveler has it exactly right, again. My earlier story illustrates what can go wrong when one is too trusting. (Doors?)

I did look into the site a bit, though we already list our guest room on Craigslist, and Airbnb. We seem to be getting many more bookings through Airbnb now. We think it is because we have been getting really good reviews.

Both Airbnb and iStopOver charge the host the same 3% on the total of the booking. Airbnb charges the renter a sliding scale of 6% to 12%, depending on the total; expensive, long term, places pay a smaller percentage. iStopOver seems to charge the renter a flat 15%.

Since it costs nothing to list, we may consider giving it a try, though the number of nights already booked for the summer is approaching the limit of how hard we want to work, and how much we are willing for it to limit our own travel schedule. We may go for a two night minimum, as well.

Just like the above reviewers have said, it can work out great or it can fall through and leave you scrambling for a hotel at last minute prices. As of this date, June 2011, the customer service at airbnb still is wretched. No one answers the phone, and no one responded to my email for about a day and a half. In fact, I don't think they "chose" to respond until I disputed their charge with my credit card. You should also realize that not only does the amount that you get back vary based on the host's policy, but airbnb usually tries to keep their fee, which is about 7-10% of the total cost. Next time I think I'm going to try a similar site that actually answers their phone when you call and doesn't try to "hide" their phone number or the fact that their fee isn't usually refunded under any circumstances.

To clarify, I found out the above when a tried to get a refund for an apartment that was not as described.

AlthoughI love airbnb, I am amazed at all the people who don't do basic due diligence for a place that they would do for even a hotel. I think people are basically lazy when it comes to crosschecking, and their eyes light up when they see how cheap some airbnb listings are. Well guess what - it's a lot like hotels or vacation lodging - a high price is no guarantee of a good place, but a low, low price often guarantees a cruddy place.

Here's what I do before I book on airbnb (where I have had much better experiences than vrbo)

• I only consider private rooms w/ private bath or whole flats.
• I only consider places with reviews that make sense. Just like tripadvisor, you can tell if you read closely which reviews are spammy.
• I only consider places with good photos.
• I engage in emails back and forth with the host asking tons of questions. If they don't answer timely, or get annoyed then I don't want to rent from them. One lovely flat in London I passed up because the owner didn't like the questions - kept saying "look at the pictures" were my questions weren't answered by the pictures.
• I read the refund policy carefully. It is a double-edged sword - it it's totally flexible you run a risk of the host changing their mind and saying, "sorry here's your money back." If it's too strict you could get burned if you hate the place or it's not as advertised. We have gone with all levels of refund policies and never had to ask for one.
• I also make sure I have a list of a few hotels available where I'm going in case it's an awful scene.
• I also would NEVER consider airbnb for something like a month's stay - what if you really don;t like it, you are really stuck. At that point it's like an apartment and I'd want more safeguards around cleanliness and safety etc.

Those are my suggestions. I plan our trips very carefully and did so before we ever used airbnb. We've had several great experiences.

P I also Googled the owners of the site and checked on whois.net to get some email addresses and phone if I ever get stuck somewhere.

Well even though some of the negativity on this site Almost scared me off.... I have booked our first trip. I "think" I've done my due diligence and I will post again after our trip in late July.

I am an AirBnB host in the Washington, DC region and absolutely love the experiences I have had thus far. I'm also happy to share that I have a perfect rating and have actually made new friends and remain in contact with some guests. A family from Australia that stayed with me last year just sent her parents to stay with me for a week this past spring... based on her review and maintained contact I'm presuming she had a wonderful experience. After reading about this 'new accomo option' in the New York Times at the beginning of 2010, I was prompted by a friend to start my own AirBnB listing. I have been an AirBnB host for almost 1.5 years. I have hosted folks from all over the world, including S.Africa, Australia, Columbia, Argentina, and come this Saturday, New Zealand. These guests come from all different age groups and walks of life, most of them well educated actually. My husband and I are both professionals (I'm an oceanographer and he a pro coach) so we tend to attract people with similar interests - especially dog lovers. We are also avid world travelers... so went we're not out 'culturing' ourselves we bring it to our home. I can understand the skepticism people have expressed. One thing to look for are the reviews of other guests. This is a good indicator of what you can expect. Also look into their profile. The more detail they give about who they are the better. I have nothing to hide, so perhaps others interpret this as good? As well, (having used this systems as a guest while traveling) look for how interested the host seems to be in answering your questions. The reason you are not immediately given names/emails/phone numbers when inquiring is 2 fold: 1) it is a business and they take 3% off the top (so they don't want any behind the scenes booking - understandable), and 2) for protection of both the guest and host. As a host I can say 'no' to anyone who gives me a weird vide. This has only happened to me once. Immediately after a booking is made you will immediately receive contact information, etc. Each person is linked through financial transaction (i.e., credit card or pay pal), and as a host I was required to provide my social security number (tax purposes). Anyhow, every person who has come to stay with me shared similar concerns as many of those expressed above... at the end of their stay they told me that they will never do a hotel booking again... the plan to "travel like a human" - like the moto goes... hope this helps!

Dear me - another first time poster with no profile - praising this service to the skies.

And I don;t know what Mr Moto has to do with anything.

As for never going to a hotel again - I can understand the reason for all sorts of different accommodation. But I don;t think this is going to put hotels out of business - esp for someone traveling on business, wanting luxury or privacy or any of the myriad services hotels can provide.

Even though I disagree with you sometimes, NYT, I have to agree this looks like a shill. Don't get me wrong, I still like Airbnb, and think it fills a niche pretty well --- but the above is obviously a bit over the top.

I have already posted on this thread earlier and I did that as a first time poster and didn't bother filling in my profile as after coming across the thread via google I felt passionate enough for the subject to join fodors and respond. I also (as previously written) have fairly recently become an airbnb host in London.

I don't think the above report from GBLBGL2011 is 'obviously a bit over the top'. I think the advice given by her is incredibly sensible. I have since I previously wrote on this thread had several people staying with me, most of whom are professionals who would rather stay with a local than in an anonymous hotel and of course price also is a factor when you want to stay in a London zone 1 location.

It makes sense as a guest to only stay with someone who has several reviews and if you choose to go for a cheaper option and risk a first time host then you need to look into the whole thing very carefully like mztery who has a very sensible approach. Even then you may have a negative experience and I suppose a lot of it is based on trust but you can minimize that by asking all the questions first as he states or if you are unhappy about anything don't make the booking.

You need to look at the photos of the properties very carefully. Some professionally done photos can make a place seem much better than it is. I find it interesting to see sometimes on some listings professional and non professional photos and the place looks totally different and you need to have a sense of who you are staying with by filling in your profiles. I respond to enquiries very quickly. It also makes complete sense not go and book somewhere if you have no response back from a host!

GBLBGL2011 was writing of her own personal experience (without finding her listing, it sounds like she must be a great host!) and I have had two guests who have said the same to me. They really enjoyed the feeling of staying like a local and having inside tips into the area that you would not get in a hotel.

I have personally thoroughly enjoyed hosting which I got into accidentally from a friend sending me a link to airbnb but now has enriched my life with meeting lots of new, very interesting people and secondly enabling me to do lots of improvements to our flat which as a single parent I had struggled with funds to do before.

I want to make guests stay special and memorable and I try to do the very best I can to enable that. I think the whole experience is probably more of a lottery than booking a hotel but done at it's very best in an country/area you are unfamilar with and want to learn more about (in my personal opinion) it's hard to beat!

I just used air bnb and think it is a legit site. My experience was mixed. I used one in London that did not look as nice as its pictures. In addition, it was very noisy. The one in Paris was just like the pics and very quiet. Both owners were very responsive to e-mails etc. It is not for everyone. On the other hand, on my last night in London, I showed up at the Hotel Ibis at Heathrow with my reservation and they said due to a system failure, they had no room for me. They did book a room for me at another hotel which was just as nice and provided me transportation but I had to wait about 45 mins which was not as well tolerated at 1 am than if it had been at 3 pm; with a morning departure. You can have challenging outcomes with any situation.

Good to know, ncounty; thanks for your insights. I always feel more comfortable when someone I know [in real life] reports back with first hand experience.

I still don't know what any [new]poster here, singing the praises of airbnb, could possibly gain by writing about their experiences. Unless I was looking at the exact same rental, their opinions would mean little to me.

If they are actually employees or have other connections to airbnb,that is always a risk when anyone reviews anything online be it a product on amazon, or a hotel report on tripadvisor.

I can't imagine a busines traveler doing air bnb. I know that my company wouldn't pay a bill except from a legitimate hotel - on official letterhead with taxes indicated and paid by credit card. (Otherwise they don;t know that you're not staying with a friend for free and cheating the company.) Also - not sure how a non-hotel would be written off for tax purposes.

Never mind that companies pay for 4* hotels in the center - since they expect employees to have business services at hand - as well as the usual hotel amenities.

I admit it makes sense as an option for travlers with strict budgets and/or who are looking to make friends with locals. (I don;t have time enough to see the friends I have - and aren't looking for any random new ones in foreign countries.)

It's amazing all these posts have been created by airbnb just like how airbnb spamed craigslist. I am suprised that investors didn't google them on airbnb scam. Airbnb has a great pr company so they have time to spam sites with fake posts. Airbnb scam their way to the top of being worth 1 billion but yet they charge service fees.

nukesafe said:

"The lesson here is to really ask questions when booking rooms through any of the online services such as VRBO, Craigslist, or Airbnb. All of the reviews on the site were glowing. The pictures looked swell. Even sharing a bath would be bearable. We should have asked what "private" meant, and if an army would be sharing our bathroom."

But if someone is trying to game the system, trying to scam you, are they going to be any more honest when you ask them questions? That seems unlikely, at best.

Glad to hear your situation was resolved by finding a last-minute hotel room.

I cannot help but think that the introduction of "monetization" into the hospiatlity exchange concept is what causes a lot of these problems of hosts misrepresenting their offerings and some of the scams that have been reported.

We have never encountered misrepresented accommodations when using hospitality exchange networks that we use, presumably because there is no incentive for someone to do so. Nukesafe, since you are hosting yourself, you should look into the Affordable Travel Club. No, you won't make much money off your room (as a couple, we pay a $20 gratuity a night when we travel - and that is standardized.) But you will also only pay that same low amount when YOU travel. And all of the accommodations must provide a private guestroom - that's the deal. Most have private baths. They have host locations all over the world. The other club we use is Casa Casa, and the two clubs are related somehow. ATC is for older folks like you all and us Casa Casa does not have the age specification so anyone can join and we hosted a lovely young couple from that club that was in their 20s, which was fun for us "olds."

Thank you for the links, jacobhosen. I will look into both. I don't think it would work for us with our rental guest room, however. We are not renting the room as a means to meet new people, we are using the proceeds to pay down our mortgage. Besides, I'm not about to do the laundry, make up the king size bed, detail the room, etc., for twenty bucks.

When we travel now, we may stay in the occasional Aibnb/Craigslist kind of place, but only if it is a separate space with its own entrance. Just not going to traipse through some one else's living room to get to my bed.

In reply to Stargatesg1 "It's amazing all these posts have been created by airbnb just like how airbnb spamed craigslist. I am suprised that investors didn't google them on airbnb scam. Airbnb has a great pr company so they have time to spam sites with fake posts. Airbnb scam their way to the top of being worth 1 billion but yet they charge service fees."

Other comments on this post may be from fake posters, I wouldn't know, but my post as an airbnb host in London is not fake. I do find it surprising how the reviews of the flat nukesafe visited were glowing when it obviously wasn't and also how the photos were fantastic when the reality was very different. I advised in an earlier post to ask questions but Jacobhosen has a point when saying even asking questions isn't enough. I don't know really what more you can do as a potential guest to make sure your accommodation is what you are expecting it to be.

I have researched and looked at several London airbnb ads and certainly not all the reviews are glowing ones. Airbnb email review forms to hosts and guests a day after the guest has left. It is very important to get a review as a host as without many reviews your listing is way down the list for the area and I have found the more reviews I get the more enquiries and bookings I have. I always leave honest reviews of my guests and I have been very lucky possibly and had really lovely people staying here.

By reading the reviews carefully though especially if you look at properties with several you should get a pretty good idea of whether you would want to stay there or not. There are some properties I have looked at (to check out the competition) that I would not want to stay at from the reviews they have. That is why I find it strange why there was such a discrepancy in the apartment Nukesafe stayed at.

I also do expect people to tell me about themselves first (and would expect them to ask me about myself) as I am having a total stranger stay in my flat. Airbnb makes me feel more confident as a host than I would do renting out the room privately as they have a paper trail and at least some basic information about the person who is staying with you.

Another potential problem is that the way you write about your own listing can be very subjective. I write that my flat is extremely clean and to me it is. I used to work for several people as a cleaner and I know what is clean, however my idea of clean may not be another persons.

As to nytraveler writing "I can't imagine a busines traveler doing air bnb."

I don't know whether things are different here but business professionals do use the service. I had two English professionals who stayed with me as they said the central London travelodges have put their prices up steeply and as they pay for their own accomodation for two nights a week and the company doesn't (because they have chosen not to live in London, but work for a London company) they are now looking to rent somewhere cheaper so are trying airbnb. Another professional was from Germany here on business and the whole company he works for stay with hosts from airbnb whenever they come over to London. Apparently they have lively conversations over dinner about what their hosts and rooms are like!

After reading my posts you can still believe Stargatesg1 that I and others on this topic who have left positive replies are airbnb fake posters but if you were that interested to back your statement by doing some homework/research you would find that in my case at least that is not the case.

"Business travelers" are people traveling on the business of their employers and funded by their employers. These employers typcially put them in business class (4*) hotels with complete business services. They must be official hotels charging proper taxes - or the companies won't be able to write off the expenses.

Random people who choose not to live near their jobs are not "business travelers" - just people looking for a cheap place to stay.

Hmmm
this thread sounds like a hornets nest of people with vested interests .. either from the hotel industry or from AirBnB.

As for me, I try to be reasonably but not overly cautious. I always try to check from others, either acquantances, fodors, trip advisor, etc. (and I've even cancalled reservationas at some 4 star hotels when I found bed bugs).

I usually try to stay in pensions or b&b because I prefer them to impersonal hotels ... I like travelling because of the person to person contact ... Are all of the places I stay perfectly legal? I don't have the foggiest idea and do not care, as long as people I know and trust recommend them.

If my wife would agree, I'd probably couchsurf a bit too ... though that's a whole other story. (I wish couchsurfing was around 45 yrs ago when I was in my 20's.)

But I'll continue to cautiously use things like VRBO, AirBnB, and private adverts ... and always cross check w/ people of Fodors, Trip Advisor, Virtual Tourist, etc.

I've used airbnb several times and the results have been mixed.

A few times the host (different hosts) didn't provide a house number. I don't think this is a coincidence, since airbnb debits your account the moment you make a reservation. In other words, you've already paid for the room - sometimes months ahead of time. Then airbnb leaves you to struggle with the host to find out the essential details - like house number and how to get to their place. You also have to make sure that your time of arrival is carefully coordinated, since a lot of these "bnbs" are just a room in an apartment and the hosts are trying to supplement their income. Even then you may arrive, as I did in a foreign city in a foreign country, and find no one answers the doorbell at the specified time.

Bottom line is that airbnb is into making money, not into providing a service.

As for the hosts, they vary. Some may be wonderful and others may just be scammers.

Just know that once you've booked a room through airbnb, you're on your own.

I've found that the most accurate information for me has been on Hostelworld and on Tripadvisor. Hostelworld, unfortunately, does not have many bnbs listed, but the reviews are spot on. Tripadvisor's "bnb" section provides very valuable reviews on particular bnbs, but the selection is rather small.

There are other sources for overseas bnbs, particularly for Europe.

Having stayed in many impersonal hotels, I love the bnb experience and encourage you to do the same if you enjoy meeting people. However, careful preliminary research is mandatory and, even then, you may meet up with a glitch or two. A good host may become a friend for life.

I did worry about that, et. At my place in Paris, the host had someone who would meet me outside the place on the street. I had to wonder, what if I was delayed and two hours late.... would she wait on the street that long?!!! When I got there (I was about 20 minutes later than the very rough time estmate I gave them), I was alarmed because no one was there. NOW WHAT?!, I thought. I looked around and then saw a woman two houses down....turned out I was two houses off and at the wrong door. It could have gone the other way but my initial experience was solid.

Home renters and travelers, beware the very serious risks involved:

http://ejroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2011/06/violated-travelers-lost-faith-difficult.html

Holy Crap!!!! Really sorry to hear about this tragedy, L23! I hope they catch these swine and allow you to surgically remove select parts of their anatomies.

We, I guess, have been incredibly lucky, as we have had dozens of wonderful, considerate folks stay in our rental guest room over the last 18 months with absolutely no problems, much less damage. One difference is that we are always in the home when guests are here. They have their own private entrance, and we sometimes see guests who want privacy only to give them their key, but short of stealing the HDTV, or burning the house down any damage would be limited.

O.M.G. L23 - this happened in San Francisco!!! And the article posted just 10 days ago. How awful for EJ! Theft of property, identity theft, like starting the life over.

I must admit this is something that never occurred to me. But I never anticipated someone letting just random strangers stay in their home with no checks - even if from super or neighbor or whatever.

I friend of mine sublet her apartment - legally for 6 months - but she was required to buy special renter's insurance - that would cover any damage done by the subletter. But I beleive there was a specific contract with the subletter that was required for the insurance to go into effect.

Good thing the woman in the article didn't come home earlier than planned.

L23 is a first time poster.

I guess what I don't understand is why she, or the police, are unable to trace these swine. With Airbnb, you have to make payment up front, via credit card or PayPal, directly to Airbnb. Unless the credit card is stolen, I would think the perpetrators could be located by following the money trail.

This incident highlights one problem we had with Airbnb when we had our bad experience in Amsterdam. (Brief background: Rented room for four nights in Amsterdam, landlord demanded more money on check-in, found the "private" room did not have a door for privacy or security, nine guests would be using the one bathroom just outside our room, etc., -- we walked out.)

We immediately emailed Airbnb to hold up payment, since we found the room not as advertised, not suitable for privacy or security, and the Landlord tried to extort more than contract stated. This was on a Friday night, and Airbnb evidently did not see or act on the message, as they automatically paid the landlord the next day.

Airbnb has been somewhat cooperative, in that they refunded our booking fee, and gave us a voucher for future travel, but we are still out the money we paid up front, and we have not had an opportunity to post a negative review on the listing.

This shows to me that Airbnb needs to have a 24 hour hotline to take care of this sort of thing, so dishonest/unsatisfactory listings can be dealt with quickly, and decisively. I know they are a new organization, and they are bound to have teething problems, but if they are to stay in business they need to address the obvious flaws in their system.

I can't imagine people like these would be using their own CCs and be traceable. they seem to know what they are doing .

I'm another first time poster. I signed up as reading this forum is part of my due diligence before becoming a host. I first heard of airbnb from someone who was actually using it, in Buenos Aires, and proceeded to check it out, as well as other similar sites. I am from New Zealand, and here we have similar websites advertising 'homestays' and 'kiwistays' and 'ruralstays' and so on. I think the whole concept is brilliant. Of course there is some risk - travelling is fraught with risk regardless. Actually for that matter, life is full of risk.
I am checking in here because it seems to me that new hosts starting out are in a catch 22 situation. Quite rightly everyone advocates checking out reviews, and avoiding properties that have none - so how does someone who has no reviews get a start on the ladder? I'm assuming it helps to have plenty of good photos and a fairly detailed personal resume.
Does anyone have any constructive suggestions as to how to improve your chances of someone taking a punt on a reviewless newbie? Thanks in advance.

OMG what a terrible story from that poor woman.

DebitNM, You are quite correct in thinking you need good reviews to get your efforts as a host to work well. You might try having reviews posted by friends. As you will notice, there is a button beside the "Review" button for friends to post their impressions. I don't usually look at these myself, since they would obviously not be objective, but in the absence of real guest reviews -------- can't hurt. Surely you can lean on your mother in law to say something nice about the last time she visited.

BTW, the sorting on Airbnb search function can be done by several criteria. When you enter a town, you get the choice or "Price", "Distance", "Newest", and "Recommended", etc. The more positive reviews you have, the higher your room appears on the Recommended search page. We have had a slug of good reviews in the year and a half we have been doing this, and our place in Anacortes always comes in at the top of the page.

You also might try listing your place at a bargain price at first (though that might frighten some folks off) to get your first few glowing reviews.

reddoor: Welcome to Fodors! You'll find that there will be many to help you, such as Nukesafe, who have been posting for some time on Fodors. (Just click on the blue poster's sign-in name to see how long this person has been on Fodors).

I'll give you my generalized thoughts on the situation: there are essentially three groups of people involved here: the "guests", the owners, and the broker in the middle, airbnb.

The bulk of the first two groups, the owners and guests will be honest, nice, decent people. All the travelers want is a fairly inexpensive and clean place for a night or a few nights and all the owners want is to be able to make a bit of money in tight times. In the main, there's absolutely nothing wrong with either of these two groups.

The problem is mainly in the broker. Inherently within airbnb there is a conflict of interest. There are the people who thought up the idea, there are the venture capitalists who fund the idea, and there are the grunges, the worker bees.

If there can be sharks in the money world, some of them would be tagged as "venture capitalists". Venture capitalists are usually small groups of investors who have millions/billions sitting idle. They want their money to "work" for them, so they lend their money to young start-ups with potential. If it were a straight money loan, then it will be a fairly benign situation, but , more often than not, the venture capitalists are only interested in a return on their investment, the quicker the better, and mostly have no understanding of the business nor the skills to manage it. Thus arises the conflict between the venture capitalists and the founders of the business.

The founders want to develop their business but they cannot generate "returns" fast enough to satisfy most venture capitalists, so the interests of the money guys take over more and more.

Look at airbnb. Look at the way the whole thing is structured. First there is a very successful marketing campaign (there still is, how frequently - if you are a user - do you get a message asking you to list your property with them? The beginning website starts with an ad with a cute girl telling you just how "easy" it is to list with airbnb). You are urged to list with airbnb "as seen in the New York Times, etc." The "as seen in" is so worded to make you think that those lofty papers and magazines have written about airbnb in glowing terms, whereas all it means is that airbnb has placed ads in those papers and magazines. OK, now the world knows about airbnb. Very successful marketing.

Next? Generating returns. In most reservation situations, the traveler can reserve a room either with a CC guarantee or with a small payment, such as the 10% charged by Hostelworld. airbnb, however, debits the traveler's CC right away for the entire amount. Thus, if the traveler has booked in January a room for June, airbnb has free use of the money for six months. Quick returns for the investors? You bet! How does this help the traveler or the owner? Not at all, because the traveler is out the entire amount in January and the owner doesn't get paid until the day after the traveler arrives in June. Nice, free use of the traveler's money for six months.

Meanwhile, on the investment front, the worth of airbnb goes up as it shows really good returns. Why shouldn't it show good returns? Over 90% of the users of the website, whether traveler or owner, are decent people. In the cases where there's a screwup, these screwups can be covered up to some extent (e.g., unable to post a negative experience on airbnb). The reason for making certain that the worth of airbnb goes up quickly? IMHO, the ultimate aim of the investors is not to build a long-term successful business but to be able to sell airbnb for a huge profit, the sooner the better, maybe to an Expedia-like company (now we enter the rarified world of "corporate mergers and acquisitions").

Why do I think this? Because there are almost no safety measures installed to protect the users - the travelers and the owners - of this website. Besides which, what worldwide business shuts down on weekends, Pacific Standard Time, or, when you try to get in touch with them, sends you a canned email saying essentially "We're busy but we'll get back to you"? There is, inherently, a much greater risk to using a website like airbnb than there is in booking/listing a room with a more established organization that asks only for a CC guarantee or for a small (sometimes refundable) deposit.

I may be completely off the mark, but those are my thoughts, because I've seen this sort of thing happen time and again here in Silicon Valley.

As for how a new owner with no reviews can get guests, I'd suggest that you list with other middle men as well. don't put your eggs all into one basket. Yes, the other websites may charge you more, but you're just starting up. (For example, where do most of the visitors to New Zealand come from: Europe, Asia, or North America? You can list with the websites that are continent specific.)

Look at it like the marketing money that the venture capitalists pour into promoting a website like airbnb. You, too, need to get your name out there and if you use only one channel, then you've severely restricted yourself. In the beginning, use as many marketing channels as is feasible. Get input on where the guest found you, so that you can weed out the non-productive websites later. Screen the incoming guests carefully. Ask those who tell you that they really liked your room or your services to write a review, preferably on a more neutral website like Tripadvisor. In other words, give some thought to how you are going to market your product.

And good luck.

I assume that your reply, nukesafe, was directed at reddoor, not to me.

Right you are, DebitNM. Getting old sucks.

Hello easytraveller and nukesafe, thankyou for your reponses. Yours was very thoughtful and detailed easyt and I appreciate that. You've got a point about the venture capitalists - I hadn't considered that. But don't forget that the VCs stick their necks out and take a big risk when they back a fledgling business - high risk = expected high reward. Yes I think that there's every chance the young founder guys will get bought out at some point. However, everyone goes into business to turn a profit and I don't know whether in this sort of situation it is possible to guard against all the things that could potentially go wrong. Maybe you could start up your own version with the glitches ironed out?
I have every intention of listing with several agencies and am in the process of sorting them out. I had been looking for ways of utilising my nice spare room and my general setup, but did not want to put a sign out and formally become a Bed and Breakfast- I don't fancy having people coming in off the street and having to have everything immaculate all the time just in case.
Airbnb just happened to be the first of these home rental type websites I heard about and naturally it caught my attention. I do like their website. They seem to have got that right.

I just happened upon this forum by chance while doing the dd and found the various responses interesting and instructive.

As for the free money between time of booking and actual stay, the system does provide some certainty and safety and I doubt whether many people book months and months ahead. I would think that most would not be booking further than a couple of months. If there is a better system no doubt some clever person will dream it up and set up their own business.

By the way nukesafe I aint got no mother-in-law! Woe is me.
But I've gone on for long enough.

Ellie,

I looked at your okapied site, and it would not work for me as an owner. It seems that the way it works is that you give the site carte blanche on who stays at your place, and when they do so. While the "instant" booking, looks good from the renter's point of view, it does not allow the owner to either screen the renters, or to make changes in schedules. We do rent out our guest room, but we are fussy about who we allow to rent it. Also, we reserve the right to rent to other folks who are referred by friends, or returning renters. We also like to have the freedom to take it off of the schedule if friends or family will be using it. (They get a 100% discount.)

I can't see on the site how much they charge the renter, but, they charge the owner a much higher fee than does Airbnb.

For the nonce, we will continue to use Airbnb, as well as Craigslist, so we can have the opportunity to talk to prospective renters before agreeing to let them into our home.

Dear nukesafe;

I'm thinking of changing my signon name to "nukesafety". Will I qualify for the 100% discount as a relative?

Sure, but be aware that your room would be lit by my Radium lights, not electricity, at that price.

Thanks, nukesafe, that's very generous of you. I'll be sure to bring my space suit to shield against radium penetration.

To Easy Traveller et al. I see Airbnb has just raised 112M in Venture Capital, and the co is now valued at 1B. You were right onto it Easyt! Search on Finance!Yahoo.com or CNNMoney for the articles - sorry I don't know how to cut and paste.
I can't help wondering why it takes so much money to run an online co but I see they are increasing staff all over the place.
A few thoughts re referrals and contracts etc. An ordinary bnb advertises in various tourist publications etc and when people phone or email re booking accomodation they are not quizzed and queried about what sort of people they are. The guests pay their money upfront and they can't be certain they are going to get what they've paid for and the hosts have no idea of the sort of people they are letting into their home. In the case of people coming in off the street I guess the hosts can turn them away if they don't like the look of them.
But I can't help wondering is it so different for people (hosts and guests) who are doing the same thing through an online outfit such as airbnb?

NY TImes today- Room to Rent, via the WebBy JENNA WORTHAM
Published: July 25, 2011

Could not pay me enough to stay in an illegal rental in New York of all places. Land of the bedbugs!

Here's the Yahoo article that reddoor referred to:

http://tinyurl.com/3n3hwoj

From that article:

"Airbnb's explosive growth and passionate community of users reinforce the uniqueness of what they're doing," Andreessen Horowitz general partner Jeff Jordan said, "and in the same way eBay redefined online shopping, Airbnb is redefining the way the world thinks about accommodations."

(My comment - sotto voce, of course - they are always looking for the next eBay - haha, "How to Convert Millions into Billions, or How to Add a Few more Zeros to Your Wealth". You do realize that airbnb is nowhere near anything like eBay - comparing a giant with an ant, but it's part of the marketing - doesn't hurt to say that airbnb is doing things "in the same way" as eBay. Gets people's attention. Marketing. Marketing. Marketing.)

Here's the NY times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/technology/matching-travelers-with-rooms-via-the-web.html

The NY times article mentions imitators, who might be even more careless or has less scruples where the users are concerned.

So, tell me where does this leave the users - the owners and their guests? What is airbnb doing for those who are helping it be successful and to help it make money? I don't see any mention of any of that, do you?

So, be careful when you use airbnb, either as an owner or as a guest. This message, at least, is still pretty clear and hasn't changed, no matter how much financing airbnb gets.

easytraveler
A not very "passionate" user of airbnb and getting less "passionate" by the minute

If you're thinking of listing with the European version of airbnb, the one called "wimdu" (which webpage looks EXACTLY like airbnb), here's a writeup on its founders the Sawmer brothers:

http://eu.techcrunch.com/2011/02/18/the-samwer-brothers-make-a-killing-after-selling-their-facebook-stake-from-2008/

I think they are scammers. The prices as a registered user are 30% higher than when you are registered. A bait that only makes you mad .....hate those fishy sites like this one were anything is hidden and not honest. Stay away.

ok, I may be a little late joining this thread and I did not read all the posts (just too many) but I want to offer my experience with airbnb. I just listed my house in Bali about a month ago and so far it has been a great experience. When I've had questions airbnb has answered them by email. My first guests were awesome and they seemed super happy with the house. I have a couple more bookings for future dates so we'll see how that goes. But just as some renters are reluctant to book stays through airbnb, rentees (is that right?) are just as reluctant to accept any guest (I'm not a hotel. I paid for all the furnishings in the house and could possibly suffer a lot of damage). So the reviews that other hosts leave are important. The one thing that could be fishy is that friends can recommend you as a person/host I guess. But you can see which are recommendations and which are actual guest reviews.
The photos along with my listing are photos I took myself so the house is accurately represented. Airbnb will send you a professional photographer so that's probably why some places have such great photos. But they do ask hosts to accurately depict their rental.
Most listings have all the necessary info, you just have to read thoroughly.
Hope this helps someone.

I'm surprised no one has linked to this article right in SF....altho I am a big fan of airbnb and have used it several times I would NEVER rent a place where i didn't meet the owner firs, and as an owner, why would you rent to someone you never met? And leave ALL your valuables in your apartment? NOT blaming the victim here but she sounds like someone with out much good sense

http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20085741-245/sf-police-arrest-suspect-in-trashing-of-airbnb-rental/

PS this post on the cnet article sums up how I feel about the situation above...

"I really feel bad that this woman was so exceptionally victimized. Do I blame the victim? Yes, I do, but that doesn't mean she "deserved" it. Do I think she invited it? Unknowingly, yes I think she did through ignorance (not as in stupid, but as in unknowing). She put all of her faith in humanity and a TOS she did not read. This was, I'm guessing, her first ever exposure to crime and criminals. Kind of like a friend of mine once who burst into tears when she lost a minor traffic case because the cop lied in court. The concept that an officer of the law would lie was inconceivable to her. I guess for this person too, life has become a lot more brutal knowing there are bad people out there and they will take advantage of you if you let them. The rental commission company owes her nothing. They only care because of the impact this will have on their ability to get commissions and prevent people from by-passing them. If they really cared, they could have easily have foreseen this kind of problem and offered insurance, background checks, identify verification, etc. But they don't care. The company's TOS spells it all out. Brutal, brutal lesson. Horrific."



I really hope airbnb steps up and helps.

I didn't read thru all the posts, but just wanted to share that I used AirBnB in May for lodging when headed to San Francisco to Bay to Breakers. All the hotels in town were booked SOLID and this was my only option. It didn't seem like anyone was price gouging, though. Anyway, I ended up with a loft in Hayes Valley for the same price as I would pay for an average hotel room, but this was huge! Overkill for a single, with a big bedroom, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, dining, and big living room. It was fabulous, just fabulous. The host was out of town so we never saw each other. She left maps and coupons out on the counter for me and I was free to have whatever was in the fridge (not much, but that was nice of her).

And, may I say, I was a nice guest....I left the home as I found it. I even left some Ritz Carlton petit fours for her.

just got this email from airbnb. i've been an airbnb host for almost 2 years without any issues worth mentioning. i also used airbnb to stay in amsterdam and all was well. my guesthouse is a separate structure from my home. the friend who told me about airbnb over 2 years ago rents a room in her beverly hills duplex. as far as i know, she's hasn't had any horrible experiences.

Last month, the home of a San Francisco host named EJ was tragically vandalized by a guest. The damage was so bad that her life was turned upside down. When we learned of this our hearts sank. We felt paralyzed, and over the last four weeks, we have really screwed things up. Earlier this week, I wrote a blog post trying to explain the situation, but it didn’t reflect my true feelings. So here we go.

There have been a lot of questions swirling around, and I would like to apologize and set the record straight in my own words. In the last few days we have had a crash course in crisis management. I hope this can be a valuable lesson to other businesses about what not to do in a time of crisis, and why you should always uphold your values and trust your instincts.

With regards to EJ, we let her down, and for that we are very sorry. We should have responded faster, communicated more sensitively, and taken more decisive action to make sure she felt safe and secure. But we weren’t prepared for the crisis and we dropped the ball. Now we’re dealing with the consequences. In working with the San Francisco Police Department, we are happy to say a suspect is now in custody. Even so, we realize that we have disappointed the community. To EJ, and all the other hosts who have had bad experiences, we know you deserve better from us.

We want to make it right. On August 15th, we will be implementing a $50,000 Airbnb Guarantee, protecting the property of hosts from damage by Airbnb guests who book reservations through our website. We will extend this program to EJ and any other hosts who may have reported such property damage while renting on Airbnb in the past.

We’ve built this company by listening to our community. Guided by your feedback, we have iterated to become safer and more secure. Our job’s not done yet; we’re still evolving. In the wake of these recent events, we’ve heard an uproar from people, both inside and outside our community. Know that we were closely listening.

Today we are launching a new safety section of the website (www.airbnb.com/safety) with the following offerings:

Airbnb Guarantee
Starting August 15th, when hosts book reservations through Airbnb their personal property will be covered for loss or damage due to vandalism or theft caused by an Airbnb guest up to $50,000 with our Airbnb Guarantee. Terms will apply to the program and may vary (e.g. by country). This program will also apply retroactively to any hosts who may have reported such property damage prior to August 1, 2011.
24-Hour Customer Hotline
Beginning next week, we will have operators and customer support staff ready to provide around the clock phone and email support for anything big or small.
2x Customer Support Team
Since last month we have more than doubled our Customer Support team from forty-two to eighty-eight people, and will be bringing on a 10-year veteran from eBay as our Director of Customer Support next week.
Dedicated Trust & Safety Department
Airbnb now has an in-house task force devoted to the manual review of suspicious activity. This team will also build new security features based on community feedback.
Contact the CEO
If you can’t get a hold of anyone or if you just want to contact me, email brian.chesky@airbnb.com.
We’ve also added several other safety-related features to strengthen the trust and confidence of our community:

Safety Tips
Suggestions for both guests and hosts on how to utilize our tools to better inform your decisions.
Verified Profiles
Our updated user profiles chronicle their public history on Airbnb, giving you more insight than ever about a potential host or guest. Along with standard social information, you’ll also see if a user has verified their phone number, connected to their Facebook account, and whether the majority of their reviews are positive or negative. And as always, you can read their reviews and references.
Customized trust settings
We now give hosts the ability to set custom trust parameters for bookings; those who don’t meet the specified requirements will be unable to make a reservation. Selections for Trust Settings include: verified phone numbers, profile descriptions, location information, with more coming soon.
Product suggestions poll
Have more ideas on improving safety? Now, you can submit and vote on the best ideas through our new product suggestions poll.
Many more product updates will be released in the coming days. In addition to these new features, there are safeguards already in place to protect the community. These include over 60 million Social Connections, private messaging to screen before booking, a secure reservation and payment system and transaction-based reviews. We also provide verified photographs, fraud detection algorithms, and flagging capabilities.

These steps are just the beginning. Improving the safety and security of our system is ongoing. Although we do have these measures in place, no system is without some risk, so we remind you to be vigilant and discerning. As a member of the community, you have invaluable experience that we hope to draw upon to improve our system. If you have any constructive ideas or feedback, please share them with us at www.airbnb.com/safety.

What’s made us proud during this trying time is the response of our community. Emails of support to EJ poured in; many hosts offered her a place to stay in their homes. It’s been inspiring to see that Airbnb can really bring out the best in people. Like Airbnb, the world works on the idea that people are good, and we’re in this together.

When we first started Airbnb, I told my mom about our plans for the business and she said, “Are you crazy? I’d never do that.” But when I told my late grandfather he said, “Of course! Everyone used to stay in each others’ homes.” We’re bringing back this age-old idea with new technology. Now each day, you and the rest of the community are creating meaningful connections around the world.

Thank you for being part of Airbnb.

Sincerely,
Brian Chesky
CEO, Co-founder
Airbnb
brian.chesky@airbnb.com

wow!

Well of course. Who is going to buy out a company with a bunch of lawsuits pending?

Damage control - after the cat/dog/horse/cow has left the barn.

This is what comes of pursuing the mighty dollar or the next great "tech" idea instead of thinking a project through to make it successful. Some of these safeguards/measures should have been there from the beginning.

Nevertheless, it's a beginning - we shall see where all this leads. I'm just not comfortable with weasel words like "custom trust parameters" - whatever the h$ll does that mean?

nytraveler: that $50,000 (or less) is given precisely to forestall any of those lawsuits from happening. Cheap price for not having a lawsuit.

Here's an article from today's San Francisco Chronicle, partly about this incident:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/08/03/BUR41KIB6A.DTL

1. I am a first time poster.
2. I found this site by googling Airbnb which I am considering using.
3. I created this account (which was a pain given the trouble I was having logging in) for the purpose of replying to the naysayers of Airbnb.
4. I just wanted to say that I have never used Airbnb so I don't know.
5. I don't care if you accuse me of working for them -you're likely to so it's expected.
Here's what I think naysayers:
I'M quite suspicious of your motive to repeatedly post negative comments about the site -you're quite passionate about this. How do we know you're not in the hotel industry or working for a competitive site? I'm sure the hotel industry can see the potential for business loss. Just saying...
Also, If you're going to use any site I would suggest using common sense people! Look at the reviews. (from what I'm gathering reviews are only from people who've used the service) Have a back up plan.
IMO it's a good alternative for us that don't want to pay an arm and a leg for a hotel room that we're not going to be spending much time in. Since discovering these sites (not just Airbnb) I've been going on to friends/ family as if it's the best thing since sliced bread
6. I may or may not ever return to the site again, therefore I may be a 1 time poster I know, I know ONLY companies doing damage control do this! Give me a break.... It's not the 1st time I've done that to get my point of view out there and it won't be the last.

AND. Here's for the 2nd post!
About this lady EJ that had her home vandalized, I truly feel sorry that someone would do that to another person and I am horrified by it, but I think it's disgusting that she is placing all the blame on the company (which to me is a go between -not a traveling agency)
Why aren't people taking personal responsibility for their own decisions & choices anymore? IMO People like her are part of the problem in this sue happy society (and quite obviously the vandal -so no need to jump my case)
SHE decided to rent her home out. No one twisted her arm. It's obviously a risk!! Why should they be held liable? Was there something in their TOS stating that if something went awry, they'd be there to pick up the financial pieces? If so, forgive me for posting an uninformed post.

When my brother got married in June, we stayed in DC using airbnb. We had a perfect experience. The apartment was great, our host was gracious and accommodating, and we saved a ton of money over what we would have spent at a hotel. I picked a property that had several positive reviews, and made sure I knew the neighborhood. I think if you use an ounce of common sense, airbnb can be a great option.

bookmarking -- no time to read it now!

We used airbnb for a rental in Mastic Beach, Long Island. The house was much shabbier than the pictures, even the yard looked different. There were several maintenance issues-electricity went off - the meter was being held in place by a screwdriver and the other cottage's sewer backed up. The yard was off limits for most of one day, while several holes full of raw sewage were exposed.
I contacted airbnb and they sent me a $50 off my next stay coupon--Completely worthless unless I take a risk and use them again. Which I WON"T!

Don't do it. I did, and I am on the phone with AmEx right now disputing charges. It was a nightmare. Go to Gawker or Huffington Post... I could go into details, but it would take half an hour... but if I get any disbelievers thinking I work for the hotel industry or whatever, I will give all the details. Just got off the phone with AmEx and they approved our dispute and refunded our money and said the dispute was over and there would be no more issues regarding this because of the reputation of the company. I don't work for anyone, my husband is our provider and we have been traveling throughout Europe all summer. WORST B&B EXPERIENCE EVER, and I have stayed in over 300 hotels and B&B's just in the last 5 years. It wasn't even a B&B, just a room in an apartment building that felt like a sauna with screaming kids outside and the threat of robberies..... etc. I'm telling you, don't use this company.

and to LindMarie23... it's difficult to use 'common sense' when you can't get an email address or phone number before you book in order to get a feel for the person you'll be dealing with. We tried many ways to exchange that sort of info and it never worked, but thanks to AmEx we aren't being charged. All I can see are pictures and a description that may or may not be accurate (obviously in our case not accurate). I'm glad you had a good experience, I did not. There has got to be a better way. Weary travelers and gracious hosts should not have to go this route. Sometimes when traveling, your internet connection is not good enough to investigate a company. We don't travel like most, we decide where we're going while we are there, at the last minute, an adventure... I didn't sign up for a Disney cruise, but I also did not sign up to get screwed out of almost 900 Euro by some freak in Spain. Once again, thank you AmEx!

Lindamarie23:

"I am a first time poster"

Welcome to Fodors. I hope you will use this website for more than just the airbnb issue, and will come back with other travel questions and your own helpful answers. You'll find that the majority of posters on Fodors are very helpful and will answer questions on a plethora of travel topics. We would love to have you contribute your knowledge of your city, region, state, or of the places that you have traveled to.

"I just wanted to say that I have never used Airbnb so I don't know."

Would you accept that I personally have used airbnb as stated in previous posts?

Here's the sum total of my experience with using airbnb:

Used airbnb: 17 times.

Of the 17 times, here's the breakdown:

a) Successful bookings: 4.

b) No vacancy for my dates: 2

c) No response at all to my initial inquiry: 6

d) "You're booking too early, check later": 2

e) Hosts took bookings but provided no addresses: 2

f) Really weird host with even weirder response: 1

I should add that I am the kind of traveler that likes to try new things and, as far as lodgings are concerned, have stayed in private homes through youth hostels on up to 5 star hotels/resorts.

airbnb was a new concept in lodging, so I wanted to try it out. As you can see from the results, the experience for me can hardly be considered a resounding success.

First off, the very name "airbnb" is misleading. At NO place was I ever offered a breakfast. This is strictly just a "bed" and if you are thinking that the host(s) will provide you with "breakfast", then you are more likely to be disappointed than not.

If you're thinking "So what?", then for me this is highly unusual, especially in Europe. A legitimate registered bnb will provide some kind of breakfast, even if it just bread, jam, butter, and hot tea/coffee. Most times, tho, it's a lot more than this. There'll be some kind of meat (sausage, ham, pate), maybe eggs (usually hardboiled), some kind of vegetable, even if it's just pickles or gherkins, canned and fresh fruit, juices, etc. etc. Part of the pleasure of staying in a bnb is the nice breakfast it tucks into a traveler's tummy before sending him/her on her way.

So, when you come down to it, is it really cheaper to stay in an airbnb room? (I'm speaking of Europe here) - Probably not.

There are plenty of legitimate bnbs in Europe, it's just not that much of a tradition here in the States. There are also plenty of longstanding bnb websites with plenty of listings. Here's one example:

bedandbreakfast.de

"Here's what I think naysayers:
I'M quite suspicious of your motive to repeatedly post negative comments about the site -you're quite passionate about this. How do we know you're not in the hotel industry or working for a competitive site? I'm sure the hotel industry can see the potential for business loss."

I think you are wrong here. The kind of people who will be using airbnb are not the kinds who want to stay in $100 on up hotels. There is no competitive factor with hotels. The real competition is with the traditional bnbs, with which Europe is dotted.

As for the passion part, I'll confess to being a relatively passionate user of Priceline, a skill I learnt here on Fodors. In the States, I much rather pay a few dollars more and stay in a 4-star hotel through Priceline. In Europe, I'd much rather stay in a traditional bnb (breakfast included) for about the same price as for an airbnb room (no breakfast).

Bottom line for this whole thread is: caveat emptor "let the buyer beware". Personally, I'm not saying "don't use airbnb", just use sites such as these with your eyes open. Which brings me full circle back to Fodors and the forum posters; most of us are here to share our travel experiences, positive and negative ones, to help other travelers and be helped in our turn.

Upon reading these posts, I'm completely lost on this Airbnb. I need a place to stay in the Denver Area soon for 2 nights. My choices were a cheap scary motel and a hostel. Which none of those seem to be a good idea. I discovered this website through Craigslist, so my question is...do I have to go directly through Airbnb? Or when the host contacts me can I just arrange the financial stuff with the host directly? Will I have to worry about getting over-charged for my stay? I'm so confused and I'm running out of time.

You cannot pay the host directly. You pay airbnb and then they will pay the host 24 hours after your arrival. This is done to "protect" both parties.

You pay the nightly rate, plus any other fee the apt owner charges [cleaning etc] along with a fee to airbnb.

There shouldn't be worry about overcharge as it will be paid in full. Owner may request a damage/security deposit that should be given back to you upon your vacating the apt/room as long as there are no damages. Those are paid directly to owner, prior to arrival, in most cases.

So, yes, you do have to go through Airbnb, pay in full in advance and check out the reviews of the space.

air bnb has been a pain in the butt. we've tried for 3 days to get reservations and their places are uniformly nonresponsive. Poor service. We also had one of their places cancel us after confirming a reservation. Not worth patronizing.

@kramrellim -
airbnb doesn't "have places." They are simply a service that connects renters with people who want to rent out their space. IF you haven't heard back; the fault is with the owner of the space/apt/room. Again, if you got canceled, it was by owner, not airbnb. Did you pay for the place that got canceled?

kramrellim: that's one of the downsides of using airbnb.

You have to be realistic when using its services. The people who offer accommodations are not professionals in the hospitality business. If they don't feel like hosting you, you wouldn't get a response. In addition, you pretty much have to conform to the host's schedule, not the other way around - as with a hotel or hostel. If the host has something else to do, he/she will think nothing of cancelling you out on that date. You also can't just arrive at a time of your choosing, you have to carefully coordinate your time of arrival because the host is not going to sit around and wait all day for you.

There's nothing more annoying than to arrive in a strange city and not having been able to check your email for several days, only to find that the host has cancelled your reservation. This is even worse than not getting a response. Or a slightly better situation: you arrive and the host is not ready for you and tells you to come back later, preferably at 6pm!

The upside is the low rate and, sometimes, the location. I used airbnb one time because, although the city I wanted was a large metropolis, there was one huge area of the city which had no hotels whatsoever. I found a room less than a mile from my friends' house and it was a perfectly satisfactory stay.

The advantages and disadvantages of using airbnb are sometimes different from an ordinary hotel, so your considerations have to be different. You cannot expect the same things as of a hotel or a more professionally run establishment.

Don't use Airbnb! The people who list are deceptive. I was ready to book a place, got a firm quote, only to have it rescinded a few hours later. They also take forever to respond to messages. And the site charges extra fees to the traveler for booking.

This thread must have the record for first time posters! LOL!

Hey Ralphie, IF you ever come back to this thread [which I doubt] READ a little and learn. It might be a unique experience.
from above:

DebitNM on Sep 11, 11 at 4:22pm
@kramrellim -
airbnb doesn't "have places." They are simply a service that connects renters with people who want to rent out their space. IF you haven't heard back; the fault is with the owner of the space/apt/room. Again, if you got canceled, it was by owner, not airbnb. Did you pay for the place that got canceled?

Be aware of AIRBNB! They are quite incompetent about handling your money! They deleted a reservation for no apparent reason and I was lost over 3000 dollars because of their incompetence! The customer support people are very polite, but have absolutely no idea what they are doing and they won't help you in the end. The people I speak to over the phone sound stoned out of their mind.

So far they have screwed up 3 out of 3 payments, and I have only got 1 out of 3 of my payments for renting. They also didn't resolve the 1 payment for weeks on end. Don't use these people unless you are willing to go through 5 calls, 4 emails, and nothing resolved!

Grace,

I see you are a first time contributor to this Forum. We tend to be a bit leery of people who just post once to blast someone or something. We try to be sympathetic to first timers, though, so could you give us more details on how your problems occurred?

We also rent through Airbnb, and I find it difficult to see how they could lose you $3,000 by "deleting a reservation", or "screwed up payments". When someone makes a reservation to rent our room, it is a done deal, unless the renter cancels in a timely manner as stipulated in the cancellation level we have chosen. Airbnb does not cancel reservations, as far as I know; the renter does so, and Airbnb lets you know, and the renter may have to pay a penalty.

By the same token, the rental funds are paid into PayPal, and if the renter finds the room as advertised, the money is paid into our account within 24 hours.

Care to share details so we can take appropriate action if we need to?

We are currently enjoying our airbnb rental - a lovely condo is Dan Francisco. It was exactly as advertised. The owner mailed us the keys and we will leave the keys here when we go. It has been easy, and seamless thus far. For us, it is working out just great. Will report back as we wrap us and see how things go at the end, but I don't expect any surprises.

Follow-up - we left the condo in great shape; the owner agreed and we got our full security deposit back. It couldn't have gone any better!

While every rental is unique and it MUST be understood what airbnb IS and IS NOT, we were thrilled.

My experience in Oct 2011 will illustrate a couple of airbnb’s policies, one of which is pretty startling.

I rented an apartment in Amsterdam, which turned out to be too noisy for me to sleep, and, though I had paid for three nights, I left after the first night, walking away from 200 euros. I contacted airbnb to file a complaint and was told that any refunds are totally up to the apartment owner. That was the first policy of note.

Then I wrote a review (negative but not scathing) and posted it on the apartment’s page. Airbnb thereupon REMOVED my review, stating that “when a guest leaves early it indicates the guest is canceling the rest of the reservation; therefore foregoing the right to leave a review.” That is, to me, a peculiar policy; after all, if a guest finds a place so intolerable that he or she leaves after the first night, they are not permitted to leave a negative review!

I think perhaps that airbnb is not ready for prime time.

any refunds are totally up to the apartment owner. That was the first policy of note.


Do your homework: What are the cancellation policies?

Please keep in mind that each listing has one of five cancellation policies specified in the Details section. The cancellation policies range from Flexible to Super Strict. We strongly recommend reviewing the policies that each host has opted for to avoid surprises. Should you decide to cancel, visit Upcoming trips section from your Dashboard and click "Change or Cancel" and follow the instructions. We will issue any refunds in accordance with the host's cancellation policy. Please note that our guest service fees are non-refundable.

Buyer beware, on Airbnb and elsewhere.

Thanks for the honest assessment, danlev.

One cannot repeat often enough: use airbnb with care.

I had an almost similar experience in another large European city. The bnb owner was so rude and unresponsive, I canceled the one night reservation. However, my money was never refunded and I could not post a review of that bnb, even though I had lost the money.

I now use other European bnb websites for Europe. IMHO, airbnb is better for the US.

Yes. I have some experience with Airbnb. I booked a rental accommodation home in Singapore. It was quite a nice experience. The price was very reasonable. The price may include hidden fees in some cases such as Damage deposit and other things. But overall, it was quite a satisfying and safe experience. We can trust Airbnb - 100%.

Grace_defloreis, protraveler, maya704 and all those who report having lost THOUSANDS of dollars on AirBNB, I think, discredit themselves as reviewers of ANYTHING. Call me crazy, but if you see the site for the first time, realize their concept is new, "young", yet to be perfected, but still go ahead and book THOUSANDS of dollars worth of accomodation, sorry, but you totally deserve what happens to you.

I don't work for AirBNB but I do offer an apartment for rent on AirBNB and so far, we had 11 guests. All of them happy with their experiences. We are happy too: we bought a small apartment next to our house in Florianopolis, Brazil, as investment, and to offer accomodation for friends and family who visit us, and of course, it was empty quite often. Now we are making money out of it and we get to chat with complete strangers - which can be fun. One guest stole towels. Another used more toilet paper than you can possibly imagine. But still, In spite of all these terrible losses, I decided to dedicate my first and probably last post on this forum to the defense of AirBNB, because SO FAR it has been very satisfactory to us and to our guests, and I don't like to see good things dismissed outright just because something went wrong with someone, somewhere.

I had problems with every single mobile phone carrier I used,with every single bank I had accounts with, every single airline I flew, ... So what?

You cannot find peace by avoiding life.

Well said, Secret. With your life attitude, please don't make this your one and only contribution to Fodors.

ditto, secret.

secretbay: I have the opposite impression.

For you, a first time poster who is the host of an airbnb property, I'm not exactly trilled to have you knock airbnb users like myself and say that some of us, just because we made reservations that didn't turn out well, somehow have "discredit themselves as reviewers of ANYTHING."

Oh, Wow! Kinda harsh, aren't you? Just because someone had one bad experience, that's going to rule out that person's reviews forever?

Besides which, since you are a first time poster, why should you be believed more than other posters? What makes you more credible?

We just got robbed of $500 for leaving the place we booked because it was appalling. I called Airbnb right away explaining the situation and they said they would take care of it. I sent them pictures and an accurate description of what happened and their response was basically "we don’t care". From what I have read online, they have never refunded any money to anyone. And now I can't even leave a review of our host, the link to post a review has been hidden. They claim they have the last word in every dispute but, no matter how bad your host, or how deceiving the pictures, they will just pocket the money, even after you prove that pictures and description were deceiving. At the time of booking there were no negative reviews but, in the 3 months coming up to our stay, a lot of reviews were not so enthusiastic. After dealing with customer service I tried to post mine but I did not have the option to leave any review. So, from what I read on many forums online, it looks like they intentionally prevent people from posting negative reviews or, at times, they have deleted negative reviews. The other smart thing they do is that they charge you for the full amount upfront, so in case something goes bad, you still get charged for everything. I'm considering filing an official complaint with the Tourism Beaurau in the Netherlands. I might not get my money back but I hope that some attention can be brought to their practices.

Your tale disturbs me, luciotti, because it almost exactly parallels the experience we had with Airbnb in Amsterdam. I thought, however, that Airbnb had fixed their system since then.

In our case, (reported earlier on this Forum) we checked in, found the place not as advertised (no door on a "private" room), sent an email right away to Airbnb giving details and saying not to transfer funds until issue was resolved. Unfortunately, Airbnb complaint department was not manned 24/7 then and, with the time difference, the money was transferred anyway.

Got an apology from Airbnb, and a "credit" to be used to cover another stay in an Airbnb place. Did not cover the money lost, but --- it was something. We also did not have an opportunity to post a negative review because we had walked.

Anyway, I thought the problems had been fixed with Airbnb now manning their complaint service round the clock. If you contacted them the minute you walked in the door and decided not to stay, I am puzzled why they still transferred the money to the landlord. Their rules, as I understand them, is that they do not do the money transfer for 24 hours after the scheduled check in, so you will have time to contest any issues.

The inability to not post negative reviews is a serious issue, and puts the integrity of the whole review process in question. What explanation has Airbnb offered you about this?

Hi,
My boyfriend and I used airbnb last summer when we were up in Washington. We stayed with a young lady in her cute cottage just outside Seattle. There was some initial confusion over whether we were renting out the whole place or just the room, so read the ad carefully. I was concerned about sharing a common bathroom with people i didn't know but the girl really put us at ease. Her dog really liked my boyfriend and she had goats and chickens in the backyard. It was a great place to stay and my worries were unfounded as both she and her roommate left early the next morning, so we had the place to ourselves. We just left the key on the table, put the dog outside, and locked the door behind us. We also have a profile on the site, so homeowners can vet us. I am looking to use airbnb again, next month in Australia. I have only read on bad experience where a guy ended up with a meth lab in his apartment, but from what I read he didn't vet the people properly.

Good luck! hope this helps.

Cheers.

Reporting in after another great airbnb stay - this time in Hilo, Hawaii. Great condo, perfect location, nice owner. A+ experience. One thing is different this time - airbnb charges your credit card for any deposit 2 days before your scheduled arrival and then refunds it when host indicated to them that there were no damages. First time, I sent a check directly to the owner, who returned the check upon check out.

It is risky to book with Airbnb. I had a great stay in Paris and a horrible experience in Amsterdam. I was locked in the apartment, wound up leaving after 1 night and Airbnb did not honor any of the return promises they made to me. They did not even honor the moderate return policy listed on their website. They also did not allow me to list my negative review of the host.
So, when you see all positive reviews it is because Airbnb only posts positive reviews. They also take no real responsibility for their bookings.

As an Owner/Manager of vacation rentals for 11 years in Hawaii, I have just deleted the listing I tried on air bnb. Here's why and I recommend travelers consider my points here:

Air bnb clearly saw how successful VRBO (vacation rentals by owner) has been over last 15 years and saw that the people who tried to emulate them failed. So they decided to do it differently. Instead of charge owners to list their property, charge the clients a percentage and charge the owners a finance fee for collecting the money.

Here's what's really dangerous and why EJ had the experience she had,in my view

1 Because airbnb charges guests... and owners, they do not want either guest or owner talking to each other in any way until after a booking is made.

I refuse, but refuse to book anyone into any property I manage without preferably talking with them or at least having a fairly comprehensive email exchange. Why? Because a/ I want to make sure that they are getting what they are really looking for so that when they arrive, they are not surprised.... this includes location, type of accommodation, proximity to certain things etc..... and b/ because when I speak to someone I can get a sense of who they are.. and they can get a sense of who I am c/ because I like to offer personal service and try to make sure the guest has all their questions answered before they come about island, area, etc. etc.

2 If the guest cannot talk to the owner, they cannot ask simple but important questions which are of relevance to them. Sometimes they do not even know what these questions are until they get on the phone... "how far is the beach? Is it free standing? Is there wireless? Is this in a seclude area? how far is the road?

3 If the owner cannot talk to the guest, the owner doesn't know exactly what they are looking for. Listings such as air bnb (and air bnb for obvious reasons does not allow the owners to post links to websites which carry a lot more info) have basic info and photos. But there is always so much more

4 Air bnb has owners quote a price.. but the tax cannot be added on. Causes issues

5 Airbnb takes money from the guests at time of booking which is not released to the owner until after the guest has arrived... which means they are cleaning up... look at how many listings.. anyone want to figure out how much money in interest they charge?
This also means that if the guest arrives and doesn't like the place based on no other reason than for example.. it's too close to the road which point cannot be clarified except by direct communication in advance, they can simply say "don't like it" and the owner is left with no booking, no money

6 I spent 3 months trying to use air bnb.. took one reservation for a few days which was very close in....many people found me anyway when I was able to message them to search my name.. and those people were very happy. They were able to talk to me, had loads of questions and much preferred the personal contact The rental I advertised books year round almost 100% so I don't need airbnb. I certainly would never take a booking now for September and allow airbnb to collect interest on my money!!

Air bnb is basically making a lot of money & not providing any service to either guest or owners. I give them a big thumbs down.

I recommend guests use vrbo.... the owners pay to list their property there... the guests pay nothing extra and you can be in direct contact with the owner/manager.

I actually have to say I can't understand anyone booking a vacation rental without either speaking to or having direct communication with the owner/manager. You are booking blind. And for owners... it's not worth it folks. The only owners I see who appear to like airbnb are the ones who don't want any personal contact with guests and want it as easy as possible... just book it, don't expect to talk to me.

Once guests arrive, I allow them total privacy. They have my local number if there are any problems but they have privacy and seclusion.

also, check out this article on Digital news:



http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/why-airbnbs-future-is-in-serious-trouble/

What you say has some merit, fourwinds, but I think you are a bit off on some of your points, or are using old information.

We have been renting our guest room in the Pacific Northwest for a couple of years now with great success. No problems, and no bad guests. We have also used Airbnb for a number of our own trips; New York City, Portland, Oregon, Milan, Italy, and Amsterdam. We have had excellent experiences as guest except for the Amsterdam trip. You can find the details of that disaster someplace earlier in this very long thread.

The first place I think you are off a bit is that the two parties can "talk" with each other via email to ask questions and get answers before you book. You have to do it through Airbnb, of course, but you have the ability to clear up ambiguities in the listing before you plunk down your bucks. As soon as you book, Airbnb supplies the email/phone numbers of the parties, so you can communicate directly. You also have, as a landlord, to look at the reviews that other landlords have posted about the potential renter before you accept the booking. We always email and/or talk directly to the renters before their arrival to see when they may be getting in, and to see if they have any questions or special needs.

The other place I think you stack the deck is in the link to the old article. You may note that the article is almost two years old, and Airbnb has made big strides in fixing the teething problems they had in the beginning. In our Amsterdam fiasco the problem was the time difference made it impossible to contact Airbnb with our complaint before they transferred the money to the landlord. That has been fixed by them now having established 24/7/365 staffing to handle such problems.

That doesn't solve the problem of someone trashing your property, or walking off with the TV, but that is a risk that every landlord faces when he/she rents their place.

Anyway, sorry it doesn't work for you. Works for us.

Hmm, fourwinds is a new member and the only post is the comment from yesterday on an old thread!

The only owners I see who appear to like airbnb are the ones who don't want any personal contact with guests and want it as easy as possible... just book it, don't expect to talk to me.

Maybe where you are, but I have found the opposite to be true. I only came to use Airbnb in the last year, apparently after the kinks were worked out. I have nothing but good things to say about it, on both sides of the equation (host and guest).

IMO, Airbnb successfully takes advantage of the best of "web 2.0" social media, leveraging customer reputation and also providing professional resources at key points in the process. I have nothing against the older companies like VRBO and Homeaway, but they are definitely old-school when it comes to the potential of the web!

It sounds like fourwinds has multiple rentals and isn't in the same category as most of the owners who list on airbnb, who are trying to rent out a room in their home or the granny cottage in the back. Two different areas altogether.

The things that fourwinds mentions are things i would expect of a more formal and professional arrangeent, whereas with airbnb, it's much more casual.

When abroad, I tend not to use airbnb because there are other means, other websites, that more suit my needs. However, in the US, airbnb has worked for me - but always with a lot of investigation on my part. airbnb fits a niche for some people. It's also a way for me personally to meet local people and to get a feel for the local area, something that can't be gotten in an impersonal hotel.

BEWARE!! Airbnb.com is really bad in helping hosts when guest commit illegal activities or misconduct. If we see guests smoking weed or do bad things in your home, airbnb wont come to help in getting him move out. Instead, airbnb allow kicked out guests to put bad reviews on hosts even guest is a maniac. Airbnb doesnt realize if nobody host people Airbnb.com will cease to exist I removed all my listings from airbnb for safety and happiness.

NO MORE AIRBNB.COM again!!

dcdude: first time poster and only one post - came in here specifically to slam airbnb.

It's really important for visitors and hosts to be very careful whom they select. I go by the reviews, both of the visitor as well as of the host. They're an invaluable aid in selection of any airbnb property/guest.

Er, um, wouldn't a call to the police in such a situation be more effective in removing a pot smoking maniac from your premises?

Just sayin' ----

http://gizmodo.com/5934731/prostitutes-turn-airbnb-apartment-into-brothel

Here is the latest, hookers were using airbnb apartment as brothel.

Who knows this can help Airbnb.

Well, at least they didn't trash the place. The good thing for the owner is that under Airbnb rules the whole rental fee is paid up front, then held for 24 hours after check in by Airbnb, for protection of the renter. Then, if the place matches the description, the whole amount for the rental is paid to the owner.

He got paid in full, and the place probably smelled like the proverbial French whorehouse. A good airing should get rid of the perfume, but I would wash those sheet REALLY well!

That should have been --- "sheets", plural. But on further thought I think I'd get new sheets ---- and perhaps a new mattress as well.

Repaint the place?

"Airbnb, the online marketplace for listing and booking short-term housing accommodations, has been on a roll lately: In June it hit 10 million nights booked,...

It noted guests from 174 different countries around the world, including guests from far-off locales like Zimbabwe and Nepal...

Two-thirds of guests were from outside the United States, and speak more than 30 different languages, including Japanese, Arabic, Bengali, Punjabi, Tagalog, Finnish, and Sign Language.>"

http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/10/airbnb-is-really-awesome-and-international/

People like to knock success. Although airbnb has a long ways to go to catch all those hotel rooms that are rented out for one night stands/prostitution/drug exchanges, etc.

airbnb rooms in big cities vary all over the map, but the ones in the country/smaller cities are great places. There are castles to rent, private islands, treehouses, boats, or even offers to allow people to pitch their tent in the back yard. Breakfast may or may not be included, but the chance to meet with local people and to talk to them is something that no hotel can ever provide on the level that airbnb can.

Booked via airbnb and it was a total scam. paid rental price + "protection fee" and later found I had "no reservation" on their site. Booked through their site. Wrote Customer service several times and failed to get timely responses. Wrote head of customer service dept.; no response. Received numerous emails stating my reservation was complete then nada. I would never trust them to book anything. The day after I booked, the property was expunged from their website. They did not want to even see all the emails confirming the res that I had from them. They are sorry but not responsible. Whatever, see you in court.

raegar53 has a total of three posts on three airbnb threads and all three slam airbnb. Could it be that he works for a rival company?

I have used airbnb abroad as well as here in the States. I would say that about 80% of my experiences have been very good to fantastic. The other 20% of the time, the hosts were really odd - not threatening, just odd. Maybe I got to them on off days, as I tend to do a ton of research before actually booking. In one case, it was overseas and could have just been a language miscommunications. Most of my overseas reservations aren't through airbnb, as there are plenty of other local sources for booking a room.

As for airbnb itself, it's fairly new and it has been working out the kinks slowly.

Anyhoos, from my experiences, just about everything in raegar's post rings false. There is no "protection fee" (makes it sound like airbnb is in league with the mafia!). Some hosts do ask for a "security deposit". I've always had my security deposits refunded. And why not? I try to be a good guest and leave as little a footprint as possible when departing in order to make it easy for the host to clean up.

It cuts both ways. The host can be just as anxious about some unknown stranger descending on them. I have met some absolutely fabulous hosts and they're the ones who encourage me to keep on using airbnb.

Airbnb is a great travel source! We stayed at the Sante Fe in Bend, OR and was very nice, friendly hosts. We have also listed our home in Sierra vista, AZ. We have heard that some do not offer the breakfast as they should. The company is insured and guests and renters are checked. You can see facility pics and chat with the owners once selected. You can check all the details on the site before you rent or list. A great adventure! Price vary a lot. LHP

"-- do not offer the breakfast as they should." That is just plain wrong! There is no obligation for Airbnb hosts to provide breakfast. The "bnb" part of the agency name is an unfortunate blunder, as breakfast is not provided in most of the properties. Of all the places we have stayed we have never been provided with more than a token of coffee and a roll. At the minimal prices most Airbnb hosts charge, to expect the hotel services of a true B&B is absurd.

We rent our private guest room through Airbnb, and do leave a container of orange juice in the fridge, and some home made pumpkin nut bread on the dresser, but never breakfast.

We did have a note from one misinformed guest who had to catch a 06:30 ferry to the San Juan Islands in the morning, asking, "When will you serve breakfast?" We informed him very politely that he had rented a room, not a full service hotel, and that he could get breakfast on the ferry while we were still in our warm bed.

I do not recommend using Airbnb at all. I recently tried then for the first time and I had a terrible experience.
The room was misrepresented on the site. The closets did not open, the tv was broken, and the room smelled very strongly of cat urine.
After I arrived, I told the renter that I would be leaving the next day and I asked for a refund for the remainder of my reservation.
When I contacted Airbnb, first they told me that I would be refunded for two, not three nights, and I was later told that I would be refunded for one. Finally, they told me I would not be refunded at all.
I asked the renter again and let her know that the room was misrepresented, unclean and much too expensive for what it ended up being ($90 per night).
One owner called me and was very confrontational and then the the Airbnb rep called and told me that my reservation was forfeited and that I had to leave immediately.
I arrived on a late flight, so at this point it was 1 am and the owner forced me out the room that I had paid for! The Airbnb rep hung up the phone when I asked for assistance and they never contacted me again.
So- no room, no refund. I strongly suggest that you do not use Airbnb! I filed a complaint with the BBB and I really don't think Airbnb should be in business if it's practices are unregulated and unethical.

JLeeW is a first time poster with only one post - this one.

'Nuf said about these one-time posters who come in and slam airbnb.

Well, I've just wasted almost a whole day talking with people whose accents I can't figure because my iMAC on Windows has an impossible problem. NONE of the airbnb hosts that I've met have given me this amount of trouble! LOL!

As for the breakfast/no breakfast thing, it all depends on the hosts. Recently, at one place, we were given fabulous breakfasts - one morning the hostess made us each an individual egg frittata, then we had a big bowl of fruit, and we had pancakes if we wanted them. Plus, of course, a small glass of juice and limitless coffee/tea. Yet at another place, they had the bar area laid out for breakfast, but there was nothing in the refrigerator, not even a bottle of water.

If you want breakfast but are unsure, you can always write the host first before booking.

Honestly, if you don't like airbnb, don't use their services! As with everything else, caveat emptor. The more research you do, the better your choice will work out.

I don't know about unethical - since we only know one side of the story. But I think that unregulated is absolutely correct. These services aren't except by local laws dealing with fraud, etc. Not regulated as hotels are.

I used Airbnb several times in the past for a couple nights only, but this time I made a huge mistake to book a "mint studio/no deposit" in London without seeing it first for one month! I paid $2600 and when I tried to cancel it due to some health issues and the location, Airbnb refunded only $41 and treats it like a monthly rental even though it is advertised as nightly on Airbnb, and I simply foolishly paid for one month!
All hotels and bnbs around the world will refund your money minus one night if for whatever reason you do not show up, or do not like it, or have some health issues. NOT AIRBNB! Once they grab your money, it is theirs to keep!
I am in touch with an attorney, my credit card company and will report them to BBB if they refuse to refund my money (I did not even check in!)
It might be OK to use them for a couple nights as it is not a big deal to lose money for a few days, but they treat a long term reservation the same way and refuse to refund it! BEWARE WHEN YOU BOOK WITH AIRBNB! Their practices are not regulated like hotels. Book at your own risk as the rooms are often NOT what they are on the photo, often hosts lie about distances from metros, tube stations, etc. I experienced all of the above myself firsthand! I would NOT recommend using Airbnb unless the money you pay for short-term is not an issue and you do not mind losing it. Treat it as gambling not as a hotel/ BnB stay.

Really sorry you had a bad experience, Noma. How much notice did you give when you cancelled? Did you check the cancellation policy the owner has chosen for the property?

We rent our private guest room through Airbnb, and when we signed up there were three cancellation policies we could adopt. "Flexible", allows a full refund if notice is given one day before arrival, except for fees. "Moderate", allows you to cancel five days before arrival and get a full refund, except for fees. The "Strict" policy means you can cancel a week before your scheduled arrival and get a 50% refund, except for fees, of course.

Looks to me that you must have cancelled at the last minute. I'm sorry for your illness, but the owner had taken his place off the market for the whole month you planned on being there. He might be able to rent it, but possibly not.

As this thread has said many times, check the details very thoroughly before you book any apartment through whatever agency. That includes the cancellation policy.

I am not a fan of AirBnB - but if you booked it for a whole month I can;t inagine that a 24 hour notification would get you a refund - for whatever reason (unless the place didn't exist).

They took it off the market - and who knows when/how they will be able to rerent - so a strict no refund policy makes sense. (If you rented an apartment and payed in advance typically you can't just cancel at the last moment. this is not like a hotel with a number of rooms to sell and guests moving in and out constantly.)

For any lodging you must read the cancellation policy carefully - since many places - including most apartments and many resorts - require much more than 24 hour notice to receive a refund for a lengthy stay.

BTW, Noma, didn't you have trip insurance? You didn't list where you live in your first post on this Forum, but if I were spending big bucks on airfare and renting an apartment, I certainly would protect myself with insurance. Particularly if I had health issues.

I'm also curious about you wanting to cancel because of the location. How was that a problem? Could you give us a link to the property, so we can see what their cancellation policy was?

Oh - and hotels policies are not "regulated". Every hotel has whatever policy it chooses - and you need to read, understand an abide by them. But naturally they will not be the same as renting an apartment for a month.

Agree that health issues should be covered by travel insurance.

And unless they lied about the location of the apartment - not sure how location could get you a refund.

for NUKESAFE - sorry if this is off-topic! I'm interested in using airb&b to rent out a basement apartment in my home but wonder what kind of insurance I would need in case the paying guest has an accident while on my premises. Do you have any insurance for such an eventuality, & if so, what type? (I don't think homeowners insurance would cover a paying guest rather than just an ordinary visitor.) Thanks for any advice.

You need to check with your specific homeowners or renters insurance - but I believe most policies require a special rider if you want to cover subleters (which is what this would be).

I can't answer your question, Mimi. I just assumed that the "Umbrella" policy on my homeowner's policy would cover such an instance. Now you have me worried, and I will ask my insurance agent. I'll let you know what she says.

Assuming you have the standard $100,000 liability insurance policy that cover invited guests and other there on legitimate business (hired workmen or mailman or someone else delivering something you ordered).

Many policies do not include other tenants in this type of liability - for them or for you (based on damage they may do). A friend of mine sublet her apartment for 6 months and had to buy a rider to her policy - since the person was a tenant - and not a guest at that point.

But you have to check with your carrier.

IME typical homeowners insurance would NOT cover you for any 'for pay' visitors.

As I said I would, I called our agent, and she tells me that our particular policy covers us for renting our guest room. As long as it is just a room, and not the whole house, there is a clause that covers "temporary borders". If we were to operate our whole house as a "business", i.e., a "rental property", we would need to add a rider to our policy.

Even if we are covered, we know that anyone can sue for almost any reason, so we added a rather large umbrella policy to our basic coverage long before we ever thought of renting a room. It didn't cost that much, and it picks up costs if the basic home owner's policy money runs out.

Obviously, you should check with your agent for the provisions of your specific coverage.

"due to some health issues and the location," thinking that it could mean stairs to get to apartment and that the health issues prevented them from climbing stairs, but who knows, really. That is why trip insurance exists. Foolish to not buy it, no matter your age etc as things can change in an instant.

The most recent poster will most likely never come back, just posted to complain. Nomad probably did a google search in attempt to vent and found this thread and posted.

I used them for a West Virginia trip and a Maine trip recently. I had a disappointing stay in Maine and sought a refund for 1 of the two nights I booked through them as the dwelling was unsatisfactory . When I approached them for assistance they told me to work it out with the owner as they are a broker and have no responsibility legally! Working it out with the owner is pretty hard under these conditions. Beware of undated reviews and their customer service department which is bogus.

They ARE only a broker. They bring together the parties, that's it. Best to be an informed consumer.