Airbnb?

I've stayed in my share of AirBnBs, and we even list our own home when we are not in town for a long weekend. I definitely see it from both perspectives. One things I just try to keep in mind is that while you don't always get what you pay for, you never get what you don't pay for. If you are staying in a place that's $40/night with 5-stars, it's probably not going to be the nicest of places you have ever stayed. If you find a deal on AirBnb that seems too good to be true, it most likely is. We tend to stay at more moderately-priced AirBnb options, so we have had less negative experiences. When considering staying at one, think about what you are going to be doing there. Are you planning on just using it as a bed for sleeping, or do you plan on cooking and spending good portions of your day there? For us, we are always out exploring when we are traveling, so we just use it as a bed to sleep in. Everyone has different preferences, you just have to figure out what your preferences are before committing to an Airbnb.

That is really an op-ed piece based on her own experiences, not a factual article. Her thesis is that guests do not write honest reviews because they will get slammed by the hosts. I am sure that is true---I have friends who use Air B and B and say the same thing. But does that mean the system is "broken"? Maybe "seriously flawed" would be a better term---this problem has existed from the beginning, so there was nothing to "break.".

I don't use Air B and B for US rentals. For Europe, I find places that are listed on multiple sites (Homeaway, VRBOmetc.) and have lots of reviews on each. That gets around most of the problem---but I still watch out for fake reviews everywhere.

"How can we trust any of Airbnb's ratings?"

"That doesn't mean that the site's failings aren't infuriating. And where to begin, really?"

"What could possibly go wrong? Plenty."

This article is much ado about nothing, imo. The writer works hard to make his issues 'a thing', but it seems to me he needs to stop living in the past, up his budget a tad, and actually read reviews and look at photos. He goes on about the halcyon days of AirBnB, then laments the fact that things have changed; people are actually trying to earn money from this. The article ignores the basics of securing a good AirBnB rental: lots of strong, credible reviews, lots of good photos so you can really see the place and if there really is a "kitchen"-these photos can be AirBnB certified, too. Much to his surprise, it turns out that AirBnB is part of a market, and markets are born, then mature, and the consumer must mature with it and know how to use it to their benefit. If you can't see through gushing reviews, you need to get a new pair of glasses. And nobody needs to lie when writing a review, frame your issue with a rental accurately and be fair in your comments, there is also the opportunity when reviewing to make a non-public comment to the owner, if you cannot say it constructively in your public review, let the owner know privately at least.

"...a cave with allergen-filled carpet and no kitchen." Yeah, right. That's never been a problem for us, not even close.

Today's issue of Le Parisien reported that an amendment to the law regarding vacation rentals in Paris (passed 7 July 2016) will force online rental platforms such as AirBnB and others to report the client's income directly to the tax authorities.

A client will be responsible for paying taxes if his yearly rental income surpasses 23,000 EU.
Now there will be a paper trail for the government to follow. If clients prefer to accept cash, banks have put a strict limit on cash deposits and withdrawals, as well.

I don't use Air B and B for US rentals. For Europe, I find places that
are listed on multiple sites (Homeaway, VRBOmetc.) and have lots of
reviews on each. That gets around most of the problem---but I still
watch out for fake reviews everywhere.

Sahsa, you nailed it. Although I would throw in AirBnb as one of many sources to research or even rent through if you like their safeguards. Due diligence makes all the difference. I would also suggest looking for signs that the place is professionally managed and work your way back to their website. I think that increases the odds of a good experience.

A client will be responsible for paying taxes if his yearly rental
income surpasses 23,000 EU.

23,000 euro a year would have to be at 75% occupancy and charging $100 a night. I am going to guess that the segment that meets those requirements is going to be in the minority. In most of the world right now the market is pretty soft. 55% occupancy is generally considered pretty good and I would imagine the world average or the world median cost is somewhere closer to $75. But admittedly I know nothing about Paris rentals and I have never personally rented an apartment on vacation.

Airbnb daily rates are based on very poor exchange rates plus they charge on average 10% service fee. Plus you have to pay the whole rental upon booking, which nobody else does. I have stopped using them in Europe, wherever possible.

I find places on Airbnb, then google their description, as chances are that it will be on Trip Advisor, bookings.com or Homeaway and for a much cheaper price! My recent trip to the Canary Islands saved me over £350 by booking through Homeaway, not Airbnb for the same property, same duration.

While it's true that you are charged the full amount at time of booking with AirBnB, the host receives no money until after the stay is completed, giving the renter the opportunity to lodge a complaint beforehand.

I'm pretty sure from my last reviews I left that you don't (or the host) see the review until both parties leave one. So the host doesn't see if you are leaving a negative review until after they give you a review (and vice versa). Of course, if you leave a neg review, the host can respond on the review page.

This is why I look over all the reviews - if there are 100, I look thru them all (well, except for the ones in a foreign language). Most of the reviews are good, but I do keep an eye out for people mentioning noise/dirt/bad transportation options. If one person complains about noise/etc, I'll take it with a grain of salt, but if I see 3-4 people mention it, then I figure they are on to something.

Just booked my airbnb in A'dam and looks like he has 30 good reviews...so, fingers crossed!

Jennifer, what safeguards does AirBnB provide the two parties involved that might justify the higher rates and the billing system?

I had good experience using AirBnB in France. Like Chani, I only want a place to sleep and shower - so I don't need or pay for more than that.

I'd say it's a lot like choosing a tour. Read the offering details carefully, view the photos and read the reviews. Each place I stayed at was in line with my expectations, a clean room at a good price. Some wouldn't have been good for others but were perfectly good for me. A place in Amboise, for example, had very steep stairs and low ceiling, more like a kids fort. It wouldn't have been good at all for someone with ambulatory issues.

I looked at AirBnB a few times a couple of years ago - but indeed with the service fees and indeed the prices themselves, cleaning fees, etc., I simply didn't find anything that looked any cheaper than any hotels, and in most cases, it looked more expensive. Now, after hearing too many horror stories on hear of folks who had their apartments cancelled on them just a few days before departure, I haven't even looked for a while. Maybe you can find a cheaper accommodation on AirBnB if you're looking just to rent a room in an apartment, I don't know, but my (admittedly little) research didn't show me much I was interested in once I looked at value for money.

We have stayed at Airbnb a few times recently. VERY happy with the results. We have a Europe trip coming up. With all fees included, we are averaging $75 per night, we are VERY pleased. I read ALL the reviews. The owner of the Airbnb does not see your review until AFTER they post theirs.

I have had good luck using AirBnB, mostly in Eastern Europe.

In 2014, we stayed at a place in Mostar for less than $30 that advertised a million dollar view of the Old Bridge, and the place, right on the river, had a view of the Old Bridge exactly as advertised. Best deal on lodgings I have ever experienced. I wish we could have stayed a few extra days (but then we would have missed out on Sarajevo, which had its own delights!)

I am not as sure AirBnB is the place to go for longer stays, though.

I shy away from AirBnB for the rigidity: prepayment in particular, difficult if not impossible to cancel. I really don't care what they think of me as a guest (but we are extremely neat and thoughtful). I love Booking.com because you can only review a place if you have stayed there. It is very well controlled. I have never been disappointed in a Booking.com property. Never.

There are so many things to be aware of in the vacation rental game. Reading between the lines (and all of the reviews) is only the start and no matter how many we rent, we find oddities and flaws even at higher-end properties.

This is my review of a place we rented in London for over $250/night:

The flat we had this time in London was hardly a nightmare, but the lack of attention to detail became laughable. One or two “little things” I would brush off, but this place was chock full of wrinkles: Non-working lamps (yes we replaced the bulbs); no wastebaskets; VRBO advertised king-sized bed was a double, not even a queen; non-working heaters (did I mention it was cold?); No hot pads in the kitchen which we did not discover until we had a hot casserole ready to come out of the oven; A washer/dryer combo all-in-one that did such a bad job I had to iron our jeans because they came out of the dryer wrinkled in a way I did not know denim could wrinkle.

At least the place was clean and no chance of disgusting carpets because there wasn't a rug in the place.

I would feel much more comfortable in a unit that is professionally managed than I would in one that is done by an amateur. The professional feeds his family from the income, the amateur does it for pocket change.

Basic life rule: you get what you pay for or less.

Just back from my second trip to France where I stayed in some hostels, some hotels and some Airbnb's. I had one disappointment where the place didn't live up to expectations from reading reviews. It wasn't at an Airbnb. It was at a hotel in Beune that I booked through booking.com.

I'd say I've now stayed maybe a dozen nights at a half dozen Airbnb's (my first back in Sept. '16) or more. I have yet to find one that wasn't exactly as advertized. I've also found Airbnb hosts go out of their way to be helpful in ways I've never experienced from even the best staffed hotels. Everything from telling me which gas stations have attendants, directions the way the locals would go, insider tips on visiting sights, where to park for free, etc. If anything, I expect to increase the amount of Airbnb stays in the future.

Airbnb won't show you the hosts' review of you until you finish reviewing their place. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing? I think it gives you an incentive to write a review, if only to see what they said. I don't think they post either until both have written their reviews. All mine so far rated me highly as a guest and I've rated them highly because they deserved it. I'm not sure how they handle people who aren't happy?

The only downside I see is that Airbnb can be a little like Uber for the owner. Some people only want to rent at certain times. Airbnb wants them to always rent, to price so it's always rented, and to allow people to book automatically without the owner reviewing the potential renter. I do like being able to book automatically as the renter but I can see how an owner who has experienced a creepy renter in their home would be hesitant to do that . They pressure the owners to increase their return rather than simply posting the listing the owner wants.

James said: "I would feel much more comfortable in a unit that is professionally managed than I would in one that is done by an amateur"

In our experience many hosts who must have started as complete amateurs have matured and gotten very good at doing this. We've had many seamless stays in the U.S., not in in Europe, but people do get good at stuff they do for awhile. Read reviews, it's all there. Nothing wrong with professional property management, but they don't have an exclusive on good service.

I don't know - I like to think some of the amateurs rent so they can keep affording to live in cities that are getting priced way beyond an average salary (which I know in part can be because of landlords turnings apartments into airbnb's and VRBO's, therefore making the apartments still avail more to rent - it's a vicious circle).

And what Brad said about airbnb - our Paris host was actually giving it up. We stayed with her in 2015 and were her last guests in April this year. She had acquired a roommate, but she/he was away so she graciously let us stay. From what I understood of what she was telling us, airbnb wanted her to raise her rates to be more in line with other Paris prices...as well as some other things she wasn't happy with, so she was getting out. She was charging about $85 CDN. I've toyed with turning our spare room into an airbnb (we already host couchsurfers for free) but after what she said, I've taken pause.

We've been using airbnb since 2012 with somewhere between 30-35 stays (I've lost count). Almost all were lovely - one in Maine was below expectations. The again, we stayed at one in Syracuse, NY, for something like $30 and the room was gorgeous, he even had water and toiletries (toothbrushes, toothpaste and more) in the room and drinks in the fridge for our use...

I have used Airbnb since 2011 and stayed in several places within the US, Canada, and Europe. Throughout my life I've stayed in a variety of places ranging from student hostels/ campsites, friends' houses, to boutique/ 5-star hotels paid for with an expense account. Our family also owns several houses in separate cities (we live in them) and several rental properties (long-term, not short) so I've seen this issue from a variety of perspectives.

As with any system, there will be bad apples and also precautions. I have not had one bad experience but I do a couple things:

a) look at pics carefully
b) read the descriptions carefully
c) NEVER book a room that has few reviews, low reviews, or is a new listing
d) conversely, book rooms with tens or hundreds of great reviews
e) ALWAYS communicate with the host before I book to clarify matters, policies, etc. Communicating with them also gives me a sense of who they are and vice versa.
f) aim for value and/or the purpose of my visit but not necessarily the lowest-priced place
g) look at the host's profile to find out who they are; sometimes if they've also been Airbnb guests, you will see reviews from where they've stayed (conversely, my profile contains a few pics of me and my family as well as some details about myself, my travels)

I've been honest in my reviews but diplomatic. If something went wrong -- like the electricity going out -- I report it but also what the host did to respond. If there is something I find amiss but is not something inaccurate in the description -- like the host doesn't say there is an alarm clock and I find I needed one, the lights around the sidewalk in a dark, private yard no longer work -- I write it in a private note to the host, part of the review process. I also stay realistic so no judging an Airbnb place to a boutique hotel. Some of the complaints are likely legitimate but I also wonder how many are because people did not pay attention or read carefully.

Hosts have written, in return, good reviews of me...even the hosts where I had something to complain about.

Will I always continue to have good experiences? I hope so and there is always the chance a host is using inaccurate pics or lying. But to date, things have gone well