What to Look for in a Short Term Rental?

I’ve never used AirBnb, but I’ve used VRBO and Booking.com for apartments. I primarily make my decision based on reviews and photos, although I recognize photos can be misleading. I read a lot of reviews (there has to be a lot) and look for a consistent message. I read the really good ones and really bad ones with a grain of salt.

Location matters, but I’m mainly looking for someplace quiet, which I look for in the reviews. I also look at the map that VRBO and Booking.com include. Being a super host increases my comfort level, but isn’t a requirement. And of course price matters; I only look at apartments that are in my budget.

I don’t like Airbnb as it doesn’t give you a precise location, whereas Booking.com does. Booking.com reviews are more reputable as they publish the good and bad points. The last time I included some negative points on an Airbnb review (several years ago), most of the negative points were removed before the review was published.

I look for the same things as you - a licence number - say an AL number in Portugal. Also reviews spanning several years means that it shouldn’t be a scam.

In 2013 we made a transition from the major rental platforms to using local English version papers focused on serving the expat communities. Starting in Madrid we found an apartment, contacted the owner/landlord and satisfied ourselves of the reasonable "risk" being taken. The experience was wonderful and opened a wide avenue of opportunities for our travels. We found an ad-hoc network of ex-pat landlords representing a large geography throughout Spain and have been pleased with every stay. So many additional advantages from being able to tap into their knowledge and networks within each location.
We strongly recommend researching local papers to learn an additional level of information assisting with creating a wonderful journey.

satisfied ourselves of the reasonable "risk" being taken.

Probably the key reason why I've kept my distance from short term rentals. I've used VRBO twice, but never Airbnb, and it was mainly because I liked the search function of the website better. You rarely hear the success stories of a good stay, but social media is filled with the nightmares; lately Facebook keeps filling my page with stories of nightmare cleaning demands and fees. It's enough to make me wonder if short term stays are regulated enough on a governmental and company level to meet my comfort level. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread and hopefully take away a few golden nuggets of information.

Allan, you hit on the purpose of the thread.

To be honest, I haven't been a huge fan of short term rentals either and the few I paid for (all in Croatia) were "adequate".

But, of the negative accounts I have read, many were negative due to unfulfilled expectations more than anything deceptive or illegal.

One of the issues was having the unit canceled on them at the last minute, but I know at least AirBnb has done a few things to make that a lot less likely (or so I have been told by someone that uses them a lot) ....... still ........ hard to beat Marriott.

One of the things that endeared me to AirBnb was what they did for the Ukrainian refugees and continue to do.

Wish more travel organizations had stepped up (hmmm).

Same as Carroll. I look at reviews and also the final cost, which can be ridiculous with added fees. Location is certainly a factor. I also look at amenities; for example, a fitness room is nice.

We've always used VRBO, but I'm going to start looking at AirB&B because VRBO doesn't tell you the exact location (or at least the building), which is irritating.

I agree with Mister E that if you find a great deal, look closely at it. You usually get what you pay for.

Good point by BethFL in that if the owner or management is not responsive then that's a red flag.

I like the search engine on Air bnb. I sometimes have then gone and rented the same apartment on booking.com. Booking.com often is cheaper for the same apartment because of less fees. But booking.com allows you to put in number of people but not bedrooms and bath. I don't want four people in one bedroom!

I rely a lot on corresponding with the host. I go back and forth a few times to see how they respond (content wise) but also how quickly. This has proved to be an accurate predictor of success and the one time I ignored my sense about the host, I was sorry. It was in Venice and the apartment was large which is why I stuck with it. We had seven and the possibility of nine. Fortunately we ended up with seven because the air conditioner and the one bedroom didn't work and the management company would not even respond to me! But as I said, they had been unresponsive at points earlier and I did not follow my own rules.

I, of course, prefer to rent from places with tons of reviews but have done otherwise. On Santorini, I rented an house in Oia after exchanges back and forth with the owner that was a brand new listing with no reviews. But it had three bedrooms, was not a cave house (no privacy) and was in our price range and nothing else was. By the time we actually stayed there, it had a lot of reviews, all positive. And for this coming May, I have reserved a apartment in Palermo with only five (all 5s) reviews. I really like the place and had a long correspondence with the owner and decided to take the risk.

I read reviews carefully. Noise is a big one for me. I move on if the reviews talk about the "lively" area, for example. I look for thinly veiled negative characteristics. One review of a place in Palermo talked about how great the apartment was and she would recommend it to her more "urban" friends. My daughter and her husband are traveling with us and she is not "urban". But sometimes people complain about things I don't care about like stairs. It is amazing how the listing can say stairs and there are pictures of stairs and people still complain!

In Europe, we have been happy with every place we have rented except the one mentioned above in Venice.

I used to use VRBO, but now I use Airbnb and booking.com. I find better cancellation policies with those platforms. I’m pretty particular and have been successful most of the time to choose good places. I’ve noticed that recently on Airbnb the map shown on the listing is more specific than it used to be. I have messaged many hosts for the address and they have always given it to me. I read reviews, good and bad. Often bad reviews complain about things that don’t matter to me but if they do I just move on to another place to consider. We traveled through Europe for 16 weeks this year over two trips. We stayed in 15 Airbnbs and 2 apartments booked through booking.com. We were only dissatisfied with one of them, and I take responsibility for not paying more attention to the amenities shown in the listing and the fact that there were minimal pictures. There was a real issue that the host said she would take care of after we left. No useful. I didn’t give a good review and it was posted. I never rent places that doesn’t have a registration number if one is required.

I use both AirBnB and booking.com, but not VRBO. On both, in addition to the considerations listed by Mister E, I look carefully at the cancellation policy.

For AirBnB, I only rent from Superhosts. On booking.com, I look for a rating of 8.5 or higher.

I do prefer the booking.com platform for showing the exact location of the property—I can use Google Street View to “walk” the neighborhood, and have discovered negative things that made a difference in my choice that way.

I will note that friends who occasionally rent out their island vacation home here (near Seattle) found that they much prefer AirBnB over VRBO, and only list in the one place.

For London I do not use either owner-direct platform. I prefer to rent “Aparthotels” from a reputable company in that business. These are buildings, often new, that have hotel-like services (24-hour reception, maybe an in-house gym, etc). The apartments are modern and conveniently located, although considerably smaller than the usual flats offered on AirBnB.

I have found that in some of the mountain villages we like to visit, specifically in Switzerland and the Dolomites, vacation rentals are more likely to be listed on the local community’s tourism website than AirBnB or booking.com, so that is where I look.

I've been booking vacation rentals since long, long before Air BnB existed. My kids are adults now, but when they still lived and travelled with us, it was easier to find a rental than a hotel that could comfortably accommodate a family of 5.

I can honestly say that, among the dozens of rentals I've booked through various platforms (including TripAdvisor/Flip Key, VRBO, Expedia, Booking.com, Owner Direct, Air BnB, and some area-specific ones) I've never had a terrible experience.

My strategy:

1. Research areas I want to stay in and limit my search to places within those areas and within my budget.
2. In the search filters, I check off any amenities that are important to me.
3. Prefer owners that are "Super Hosts" or places that have lots of reviews, but don't limit myself to them.
4. Read the reviews. Read the top and bottom ones, but pay the most attention to the 2, 3, and 4* reviews, because I find reviews that list the good and the bad to be more credible than ones that are all one way or the other. Take the reviews with a grain of salt, with what matters to me in mind. e.g. A complaint that the king bed is really two singles put together? So what? That's common in Europe. A complaint that the toilet is in a separate room from the shower? Ditto. Also, that can be a bonus.
5. Perform a keyword search of the reviews for dealbreakers (e.g. bugs).
6. "Walk" along a Google Street view map of the location. Even when the exact location isn't given (understandable, IMO), I can often find it this way. Even if I don't, I can get a good idea of traffic, convenience, etc.
7. Prefer places that are said to be quiet, but in Europe, this isn't always a dealbreaker. When staying in older areas, in heritage buildings, quiet won't always be the case. So, I bring earplugs, just in case. I do rule out places above a bar or restaurant or with a bar next door, though.
8. Manage my expectations. A vacation rental is not a hotel. If one wants a hotel-level of service and amenities, then book a hotel. Otherwise, I usually embrace the quirks; they're part of what makes travel interesting.

With regards to exact location- just message the host.

1. Ask questions. Ask for more photos. Ask for measurements of “bed sleeps 2” but size not specified. Is it a quiet place, is there an elevator… NEVER ASSUME

2. Super hosts only. This costs me more vs the 1 review newcomer; but I’ve also yet to have a bad stay. I prioritize good experiences vs saving $ upfront

3. Read reviews and really think about what they’re saying good and bad.

4. Know if a license # or other such info should be provided for where it is, and ask for it.

Finally, Check the fees, decide if short term vs hotel is worth it.

I've used AirBnB and VRBO countless times- never bookingdotcom for an apartment. Generally agree with most/all of the above but will add:

I try to get an understanding/estimation of whether the host is a singular, real person who probably owns the apartment or an agent/company that's managing it. I prefer the former, but the latter isn't a deal breaker. (My truest preference is to rent someone's actual home while they're away from it. First, it just feels more... homey. And second, both parties make an unspoken agreement of faith and trust that is well beyond taking a place filled with the cheapest furnishings from Ikea.

Also, I try to take the opportunity for these bookings to find rentals that have a unique sense of place. Most recently I was in a 17th-century open-air theater, converted to apartments some 200 years ago. I've stayed in houseboats in coastal towns, overlooking cities' major parks, plazas, and ports, under the mansards of a Haussmann attic, down a rose-lined private mews, and more.

Scudder, I often do the same, budget permitting. For instance, we've stayed in two bridge houses in Amsterdam, a moored, antique yacht in Victoria harbour (Canada), an airplane cockpit converted to a cottage in Costa Rica, a nunnery converted to an inn in Cape Breton, a casita in an artist's compound in Santa Fe, a mini-fortress on Santa Cruz island in the Galapagos, an artist's home converted to an inn in Lima (with the artist still in residence and his work everywhere--this artist is famous for his sculpture in the Love Park), among others. Not all were vacation rentals--some were connected with hotels--but I do like to find unique and atmospheric accommodations when possible.

I can only speak for the two companies I've used in Paris, Cobblestone Paris & Apartments du Louvre. Both met my expectations, no hidden fees & great service. I have a few agencies listed for when I visit London. I try to find local businesses first, then if unable to I guess I would go with Booking.com and or VRBO as my alternatives. Once I have decided on which neighborhood I want to stay in, then I look for nearby local transportation within walking distance to the place I will stay at. I do this for rentals & hotels.

We've stayed in 46 Airbnb apartments. All of these were in Italy except for 6 in the US --- all of those 6 were not great, but were not vacation rentals, just for visiting family. We really don't like hotels. We've used Booking.com several times, but I find their website awkward. Our experiences in farm stays and B&Bs have been wonderful, but we still prefer to have our own space with a kitchen and living room and not just a bedroom. We like the individuality and adventure (and even, with some, the weirdness) of apartments and we try to stay in medieval or at least very old buildings. Five to ten nights is our typical stay, but we've done single nights and 5 weeks.

Super Hosts. I'm not sure about business vs hobby --- I don't mind a host or a host family having several apartments, but I tend to prefer the hosts who used to live in the apartment or their old aunt lived there or who still live in the same building or nearby. I pay attention to how the host answers my questions ("May we check in early or leave our bags?" is not a deal-breaker if the answer is "No," but it helps with planning and I like to see if the host is nice about saying it.)

Location & Cost. I look for quiet apartments on the edge of a town's historic center (but still in it) and up several flights of stairs. Not because they are cheaper, but they often are.

Reviews: I read them all, but, keeping in mind how I write reviews myself, I look for subtle clues, such as what is not said. If only "great location" is mentioned, I tend to think the apartment itself has issues.

Photos & Layout: I like a place with many useful photos that show where the bathroom is in relation to the bedroom, where internal steps are, whether there are room-darkening curtains or shutters, whether a bed is a real bed or a sofa bed, etc. I study the photos carefully and love it if there's a floor plan. Very suspicious if instead of such photos there are non-helpful photos, like of dried flower arrangements or scenes of the town or cute knick-knacks.

Kitchen: My husband really likes to shop at markets and cook. So far, I have been unsuccessful at finding out ahead of time (even by asking the host) whether a kitchen is actually equipped for real cooking or not. I sort of hate to quiz the host about whether there's a grater, a cutting board, a large pot, a spatula, etc. Apartments in which the host lives some of the time are the best bet for a good kitchen, but I find these a bit creepy to stay in.

Washing machine: We can only live without a washing machine for about 3 nights. Hate hand-washing clothes, wearing smelly or dirty clothes, and going to laundromats, but we pack very light, so a washing machine is pretty essential for the way we travel.

The decor: This does matter to us maybe more than it should, but there is a wide range of decor that we like, from very modern to eccentric/artsy to rustic/farmhouse to just a homey mish-mash. Not fond of ornate/fancy/"luxury"/uncomfortable/breakable-looking stuff or of "looks like a hotel."

Good topic.
I/we have rented apartments for holidays since 1998.
Mainly in Italy; but also in Paris, Scotland, England, Copenhagen, Spain and at home for ski trips.
I think there have been about 30 rentals.
Only once was there a place that was not great, in Rome.
It was dirty, smelled of cats, the shower door was hanging off ready to shatter, old beach towels for towels, had very suspect cobbled together wiring; and when I stripped the bed before leaving, I found another four layers of sheets underneath!
Who knows if they were clean or dirty!
That was rented through an ad I found, and I had only rented a couple of places before, so didn't have a clue.
Now I know what to look for.
Most rentals I get now are with Airbnb, VRBO or booking.com.

One thing not mentioned is to look for good cancellation policies.
I only rent places that can be cancelled up to a few days before arrival, as I've had to cancel before due to family illnesses.
Booking.com is the best for that.

Also, if you are going with friends or others, be sure to have all their names on your reservation.
When we had to cancel once, my friend in the UK had to prove she was going to be staying too even though I had booked it, in order to claim on her travel insurance.
I had put her name as a guest, so it all worked out.

I don't rent places with extra cleaning fees, as I think prices are high enough already in most cases.
The best places I have rented are usually in Italy, and we have had some delightful hosts over many visits.

I agree to look for places with a lot of photos, and I too discount ones that have lots of pictures of accessories but none of the beds for example.
I try and figure out what the floorplan is, and sometimes draw it out myself if I can piece together where everything is.
Also, always ask if the bathroom is separate.
No one wants other people walking through a bedroom to use the loo, unless you are a solo traveler.
If it says there is a washing machine, I want to see a photo of that too.

I alluded to this, but my biggest pet peeve is researching a place that has a fair price, but once you go to reserve it, the cleaning and other fees are excessive. I recall booking a condo in Hilton Head a few years back, and the extra fees nearly doubled the price of the rental. So, a hard pass on that one.

AFTER you reserve it or BEFORE you click reserve?

I don’t always look for this sort of lodging - depends on the trip. But when I do, I start with Bookingdotcom first, then move to Airbnb if I don’t find what I am looking for right away. I never use VRBO. What I look for depends on the country and whether I am solo or with friends, but here are some basics.

I look for legal obviously - and either do that by comparison with other properties or by country requirements I am familiar with.

Location - like others, this is what I love about Booking versus Airbnb. I need a convenient location. If I am using Airbnb, sometimes I can find clues to the location in the reviews.

Cancellation Policy - I need free cancellation and I love this about Bookingdotcom. However, I have recently started using Airbnb again and am finding their cancellation policies have vastly improved. I avoid properties with the “free cancellation for 48 hours”.

Reviews - I will consider a place with a smaller number of reviews if I have specific needs it meets and if the reviews answer my questions. I have yet to stay at a place with no reviews. I don’t pay much attention to the Superhost designation. I read reviews very carefully and weigh them on what my needs are. I disregard both extreme and generic reviews. My most recent stay in Oxford had such good reviews, I was mostly convinced people were just exaggerating but in fact they weren’t. It met all my criteria in an excellent way. (But my criteria for that trip were not the same as what I am looking for in my March stays next year.)

Pictures - I look at these carefully also and try to make sure there’s no fish-eye lens stuff going on. I am also not impressed with closeup artsy pictures of vases, towels, plants, etc. - I am happy to know about these things but as part of the whole. I want to know about room configuration, facilities, etc. I love when places include a photo of apartment layout.

Google Maps - I street view the area. I also read all the Google reviews if possible. I know anyone can say most anything probably, but I often gain info I don’t from other sites. Or at least a different perspective.

Space/Stairs/Elevator - all information I want, then I can decide if it matters. Sometimes I am looking for a parking space or 2 bedrooms , etc. Sometimes a bedroom and a sofa bed will do. Being sure what I require, then filtering for that. If I don’t know what I need, then having a good stay will be left entirely up to luck.

Price - I do compare both similar properties and platforms. But with booking you get what you see quickly and with Airbnb you have to go a screen further. Airbnb requires a deposit, which Booking does not (and I like better). I don’t let that be a factor, though. I can see what I am getting.

Ease of Access - I am getting better at the various ways of starting my stay - it’s not a given someone will meet you these days. So sometimes I might choose based on my arrival time (if I can’t arrange my arrival to be before dark).

Cancellations by the Host - I might overlook one (things happen) but not 2.

Wifi - absolutely my Number 1 criteria. Any whiff of not good wifi and I move on.

Other random observations - right now I seem to be finding more options on Airbnb whereas a year ago, I found tons on Booking. I currently have 4 or 5 apartments reserved through Airbnb after finding few options on Booking. However I don’t want an apartment in a country I am new to. While not all the places I have stayed have been equally wonderful, I am fortunate that I have yet to stay in one I was not satisfied with.

I have used Airbnb, vrbo, homeaway etc., but usually for at least a seven night stay or a family stay e.g. in Hawaii. The booking fee, cleaning fee, loss damage waiver fee (the latter fee is similar to car rentals; if you break something in the suite, you do not have to pay the damage) etc. are usually about the same whether you stay one night or seven. So, to me, it only make sense if the stay is long enough to average down the various fixed fees.

For our recent trip to Spain, our longest stay was only 5 nights. I found that the average nightly rate of a 3-4 star hotel was less costly than a comparable short term rental. If we were to stay longer or with more than 2 people, a short term rental might make more sense.

PS. It make sense why you may find the accommodation on one website and not on another. Short term rental websites discourage hosts from listing with other competing sites. Also, it makes it easier for the host if the nights are rented out that they don't have to remove the nights from a competing site to prevent double booking.

travis's spam reported, and the sentence structure's not good neither